Sunday, July 27, 2008

'Nuclear bomber base' raises fears of a new Cuban crisis

From
July 25, 2008

'Nuclear bomber base' raises fears of a new Cuban crisis






A Russian Bear bomber

Cold warrior: a Russian Bear bomber


The Russian military, furious at American plans to install a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe, is talking up the prospect of turning Cuba into a base for its long-range nuclear bombers.

Defence chiefs in Moscow are said to be pressing for the Kremlin to retaliate against the missile shield by placing strategic bombers off the American coast. The move threatens a rerun of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Kremlin strongly opposes the deployment of ten interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic, despite American assurances that the shield is aimed at rogue states such as Iran and poses no threat to Russia. President Medvedev threatened “retaliatory steps” at the G8 summit this month after Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, sealed an agreement with the Czech Republic. The Foreign Ministry said that Russia would react “with military-technical methods”.

Yesterday Izvestia cited Defence Ministry sources as saying that crews from its TU160 Blackjack and TU95MS Bear long-range bombers had already visited Cuba to inspect a potential landing strip for use as a refuelling centre.

It claimed that facilities were also being considered in Venezuela, whose President, Hugo Chávez, agreed to step up military co-operation with Russia in talks with Mr Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, in Moscow on Tuesday.

The bases would host refuelling aircraft and maintenance for the nuclear bombers, which resumed round-the-clock patrols last August for the first time since the Cold War. General Pyotr Deinikin, former commander of the air force, said that they would allow Russia to maintain an almost permanent presence off the US coast.

The plan has not received official confirmation in Moscow and it was unclear whether Russia would base nuclear bombers permanently in Cuba or use the communist island and former Soviet ally solely as a refuelling centre. Last night Ilshat Baichurin, the Defence Ministry spokesman, dismissed the reports as “disinformation”, according to the Interfax and RIA-Novosti news agencies.

The prospect has drawn a sharp response in the US. General Norton Schwartz, nominated as the new air force chief of staff, told a confirmation hearing in Washington DC on Tuesday that placing Russian bombers in Cuba “crosses a red line for the United States of America”. He said: “I would certainly offer the best military advice that we engage the Russians not to pursue that approach.”

Fidel Castro, the former leader of Cuba, entered the fray yesterday, praising his brother Raúl for refusing to comment on the possibility of hosting Russian bases. He said that Havana did not need to offer the US “any explanations or excuses”, he wrote in a letter to the cubadebate.cu website.

Russia's nuclear bomber force has come into repeated contact with Nato jets since Mr Putin ordered the resumption of long-range patrols. Russia also organised its biggest naval exercises since the collapse of the Soviet Union in January. The RAF and other Nato jets shadowed the Russian task force as it test-launched nuclear missiles and practised strike tactics off the coast of France and Spain.

Mr Putin has threatened to place nuclear missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave surrounded by EU states, if objections to the missile shield and the expansion of Nato into Ukraine and Georgia are ignored.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4393494.ece

The World Against God's People



The World Against God's People

The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. 12:17.


Our people have been regarded as too insignificant to be worthy of notice, but a change will come. The Christian world is now making movements which will necessarily bring commandment-keeping people into prominence. {Mar 217.1}

The whole world is to be stirred with enmity against Seventh-day Adventists, because they will not yield homage to the papacy, by honoring Sunday, the institution of this antichristian power. It is the purpose of Satan to cause them to be blotted from the earth, in order that his supremacy of the world may not be disputed. {Mar 217.2}

Every position of truth taken by our people will bear the criticism of the greatest minds; the highest of the world's great men will be brought in contact with truth, and therefore every position we take should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures. Now we seem to be unnoticed, but this will not always be. Movements are at work to bring us to the front, and if our theories of truth can be picked to pieces by historians or the world's greatest men, it will be done. {Mar 217.3}

We must individually know for ourselves what is truth, and be prepared to give a reason of the hope that we have with meekness and fear, not in a proud, boasting, self-sufficiency, but with the spirit of Christ. We are nearing the time when we shall stand individually alone to answer for our belief. {Mar 217.4}

We shall be attacked on every point; we shall be tried to the utmost. We do not want to hold our faith simply because it was handed down to us by our fathers. Such a faith will not stand the terrible test that is before us. We want to know why we are Seventh-day Adventists, what real reason we have for coming out from the world as a separate and distinct people. . . . {Mar 217.5}

The powers of darkness will open their batteries upon us; and all who are indifferent and careless, who have set their affections on their earthly treasure, and who have not cared to understand God's dealings with His people, will be ready victims. No power but a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, will ever make us steadfast; but with this, one may chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight. {Mar 217.6}

Maranatha, E.G.W., p.217.

P.S. Seventh Day Adventists Highlighted for emphasis. Blogman.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the fiery furnace

Daniel 3

1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

5That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

6And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

9They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

Notice: I prefer their birth Hebrew names; Not their given Babylonian names. Arsenio.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

How was the Sabbath changed to Sunday?




Prophecy had declared that the papacy was to "think to change times and laws." This work it was not slow to attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of Christianity, the adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced into the Christian worship The decree of a general council finally established this system of idolatry. To complete the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to expunge from the law of God the second commandment, forbidding image worship) and to divide the tenth commandment, in order to preserve the number.

The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heaven's authority. Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church, tampered with the fourth commandment also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and sanctified, and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as "the venerable day of the sun." This change was not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of God, and, believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about his object. That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed.

To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan had led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with the most rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden. Now taking advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded, he cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians generally continued to observe the Sunday as a joyous festival, he led them, in order to show their hatred of Judaism, to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and gloom.

In the early part of the fourth century the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor's policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition and thirst for power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and heathen, it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But while many God-fearing Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment.

The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather the Christian world under his banner and to exercise his power through his vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving churchmen he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted. Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine institution, while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers were declared to be accursed.

The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself "above all that is called God, or that is worshiped." He had dared to change the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all mankind to the true and living God. In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and is thereby distinguished from all false gods It was as a memorial of the work of creation that the seventh day was sanctified as a rest day for man. It was designed to keep the living God ever before the minds of men as the source of being and the object of reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men from their allegiance to God, and from rendering obedience to His law; therefore he directs his efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as the Creator.

Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The observance of Sunday as a Christian institution had its origin in that "mystery of lawlessness" which, even in Paul's day, had begun its work. Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction?




The Great Controversy, Ellen G. White, pp. 51-54.

And his deadly wound was healed

Benito Mussolini reads his credentials prior to signing the Lateran Treaty on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III. Cardinal Gasparri (seated), signed on behalf of Pope Pius XI.

*

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. .....................Revelation 13:3.

National Ruin Follows National Apostasy



National Ruin Follows National Apostasy

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Isa. 24:5.


The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and "national apostasy" will be registered in the books of heaven. The result of this apostasy will be national ruin. {Mar 216.1}

By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {Mar 216.2}

Through spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the people, and professing to present a new and more exalted system of religious faith; but at the same time he works as a destroyer. . . . {Mar 216.3}

While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. . . . {Mar 216.4}

And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. {Mar 216.5}

As men depart further and further from God, Satan is permitted to have power over the children of disobedience. He hurls destruction among men. There is calamity by land and sea. Property and life are destroyed by fire and flood. Satan resolves to charge this upon those who refuse to bow to the idol which he has set up. His agents point to Seventh-day Adventists as the cause of the trouble. "These people stand out in defiance of law," they say. "They desecrate Sunday. Were they compelled to obey the law for Sunday observance, there would be a cessation of these terrible judgments." {Mar 216.6}

Maranatha, E. G. White, p.216.

TAC's desire to be accepted into the bosom of Rome is still very much on the table, ...



The TRADITIONAL ANGLICAN COMMUNION got an encouraging note from the Vatican this week. William Cardinal Levada of the Vatican wrote saying that TAC's desire to be accepted into the bosom of Rome is still very much on the table, but for the immediate moment, the situation with the Anglican Communion has become "markedly more complex". VOL will interview Archbishop John Hepworth when I return to the USA in a couple of weeks.

Excerpt from article:

Viewpoints : ABC Announces New Anglican Structure to Deal with Anglican Woes...Tensions Rise

Friday, July 25, 2008

Sunday Shopping Dealt Heavy Blow

ISSN 1581-4866
Issue #33
September 23, 2003
.
Sunday Shopping Dealt Heavy Blow

With a comfortable majority of over 57 percent, voters have decided that most shops will be closed on Sundays. Storeowners have already hinted they might launch legal action against the decision.

According to unofficial results released after 99.9 percent of the votes were counted, 57.5 percent of the voters that turned up for Sunday's referendum on the opening hours of stores voted for the closure of shops, while 41.7 percent were against. Keeping in line with past referendums, except those on EU and NATO entry, turnout was at a lacklustre 27.4 percent.

According to law, lawmakers must now pass regulations only allowing shops offering basic goods to be open up to ten Sundays a year. The only outlets exempt would be smaller petrol stations and stores in hospitals, hotels, airports, border crossings, and bus and train stations. The results are legally binding and MPs cannot pass any act that would not be in line with the referendum outcome, nor hold another referendum on the same issue, within a year.

The referendum proponents, the Trade Union of Retail Workers, was glad about the outcome, and its president, Franci Lavrač, welcomed the decision reached by "consumers who today were also voters". "We believe we convinced them with the arguments that too many people work Sundays," he said.

Quite predictably, employers were not as happy, and hinted that the referendum is not the last chapter of the story. Zoran Jankovič, CEO of Slovenia's largest retailer Mercator, cannot imagine how legislators will amend the trade act governing opening hours to comply with the referendum. "I believe that when the act is drafted, it will face numerous challenges at the constitutional court," he told STA. Mercator predicts it will have to fire about 500 workers as a result of the vote. Lay-offs have also been announced by another major retailer, Interspar Slovenija.

The referendum was initiated by retail workers after they failed to push through with their proposal for opening hours. Although backed by conservative and leftwing parties, the proponents faced stiff opposition from corporate circles, the ruling Liberal Democrats and the Consumers Association in the run-up to the vote.

Not everybody was happy to go to the polls on Sunday: the vote has once again sparked criticism targeted against the referendum as such, since many people feel, according to public opinion surveys, that issues like that should not be decided by voters, but left up to legislators and experts. STA


Source: http://slonews.sta.si/index.php?id=1295&s=53

Sunday Shopping banned in Croatia



Sunday shopping banned in Croatia

The church has campaigned for years for Sundays to be devoted to family or Mass in Croatia, which is almost 90 percent Roman Catholic. But Croatians have begun spending weekends in shopping malls that have flourished across the country in the past few years and remain open seven days a week.

The law adopted Tuesday and goes into effect Jan. 1. It allows Sunday shopping over the summer and Christmas holidays.

The law also allows stores in gas, bus and train stations to open on Sundays year-round, along with those in hospitals. Bakeries, newsstands and flower shops are also exempt from the ban.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/15/news/Croatia-Sunday-Shopping.php

Justification by Faith and the Israel of God




For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Gal. 6:15,16.


      What is the New Testament view of the Israel of God? What determines whether a man is a real son of Abraham?

      To the Jew it was most important that he could prove he was a son of Abraham, for "to Abraham and his seed were the promises made." Gal. 3:16. The Pharisees were certain of being part of the Israel of God because they could trace their physical descent back to Abraham. John the Baptist declared that they were resting on a false confidence. ". . . think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father," he warned them, "for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Matt. 3:9. Mere physical descent would give them no claim on God and no right to be included in the Israel of God.

      Again, the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Abraham is our father." John 8:39. But Jesus denied their confident claim, saying, "It ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." John 8:39. Jesus categorically denied that they were children of Abraham.

      When Zaccheus showed by his works that he had the faith of Abraham, Jesus declared, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham." Luke 19:9, R.S.V. Jesus was not saying that Zaccheus was saved because he was a physical descendant of Abraham—for there were many Jews in Palestine who were not saved. Jesus was saying that Zaccheus' faith constituted him a real son of Abraham. The Lord could have said to him, as he said to the repentant woman, "Thy faith hath saved thee . . ." Luke 7:50.

      Again, Jesus greeted Nathanael with the salutation, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" John 1:47. The word "indeed" signifies a true, or real, Israelite. Jesus therefore declared that a real Israelite is a man "in whom is no guile." According to Psalm 32, the guileless man is not a sinless man but the man who honestly continues to confess his sinfulness and who finds forgiveness at the hand of a merciful God. St. Paul cites Psalm 32 and shows that this guileless man (the Israelite "indeed") is the man who is justified by faith (see Rom. 4:1-8).

      The clear teaching of Jesus about the real Israel of God is found also in the Epistles of His great apostle. Could words be clearer than the following?

        For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly: and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Rom. 2:28, 29.

        Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed by called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Rom. 9:7, 8.

        . . . even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Gal. 3:6,7.

        And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:29.

      For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Gal. 6:15,16.

      Christ the Seed of Abraham

      God made promises to the seed of Abraham. The Jews are still waiting for God to carry out His promises to them, and more amazing, many Christians are now waiting for God to carry out His promises to the Jewish nation as the seed of Abraham. This is what happens when people read the Old Testament without the light and interpretation of the New Testament.

      Now let us get two simple facts straight once and for all:

      1. God made promises to Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:19).

      2. Christ is the Seed of Abraham. ("Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of One, And to thy Seed, which is Christ.") This is why Christ is called the Mediator of the covenant. It is only by Him, in Him and through Him that God carries out any of His promises to Abraham.

      The Seed of Abraham is Jesus Christ. It includes all who are in Christ and excludes all outside of Christ. So the apostle affirms, ". . . if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3:29.

      When the apostle declares, "And so all Israel shall be saved . . . " (Rom. 11:26), he is certainly not teaching us that every member of the Jewish race will be saved. But the seed of Israel shall be saved — that is to say, all those who are in Jesus Christ — and not one shall be lost.

      Neither Jesus nor Paul are speaking in mere allegories when they tell us who are the children of Abraham. They are telling us who are real children of Abraham. Abraham was justified by faith and therefore became the father of Israel. All who are justified by faith are real children of Abraham (Gal. 3:8). The Seed of Israel is Jesus Christ. He is also the "King of the Jews." If a man is related to Jesus Christ, who can deny that he is a real Jew according to the Scriptures? For those who believe in Jesus Christ are born again (1 John 5:1), and they actually partake of the nature of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4).

      The Gentile Church Not a Separate Identity

      The Judaizers at Galatia were contending that the Gentiles had to become children of Abraham by means of certain changes in their flesh. The apostle Paul did not dispute the necessity of Gentiles becoming part of the Israel of God. Indeed, "all Israel shall be saved," and only Israel — for as Jesus said, "salvation is of the Jews." John 4:22. The apostle refuted the wrong method of trying to incorporate the Gentiles into the Israel of God. His message was clear: Abraham was justified by faith, and every Gentile who is justified by faith becomes a son of Abraham (Gal. 3:8). The promises were made to the seed of Abraham, and Christ is that Seed. Therefore, all who are truly baptized into Christ are in Christ and are part of Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:28, 29). Those who have become new creatures by faith in Jesus and walk according to the rule of faith are "the Israel of God." Gal. 6:15,16.

      Gentiles who believe the gospel become "fellow heirs" with the faithful Jews. They do not make up a separate body, but they become "fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel ..." Eph. 3:6. The Gentiles, "being a wild olive tree, were graffed in among them [the Jews], and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree . . . " Rom. 11:17. Once "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise," the Gentiles are "made nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. 2:12, 13. Being now children of Abraham, part of the commonwealth of Israel and partakers of God's promises to Israel, believing Gentiles make up "the house of Israel" to whom the new covenant promise is given:

        For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people . . . Heb. 8:10.
      The Israel of God are all those who are in Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham, the King of the Jews, the One to whom the promises were made. And in Jesus Christ all national distinctions are broken down. ". . . there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek . . ." Rom. 10:12."... ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:28. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism . . ." Eph 4:4,5. Therefore, in the things of the gospel any national distinctions deny the reality of the atonement of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:14-17) and are a Judaizing perversion of the New Testament message.

      There are some who take pride in their literal interpretation of the things of prophecy, especially Old Testament prophecy. No sound Bible scholar will deny that the Bible should be read in its historical-grammatical sense or that "literal wherever possible" is a good rule. But many prophecies of the Old Testament cannot be taken with strict literalness. The stone of stumbling to both houses of Israel was not a literal stone but Jesus Christ. Malachi's Elijah was not literally Elijah but John the Baptist. Many more examples could be given, but our point is this: How would we know the true interpretation without the New Testament? Does not the gospel determine our use of the Old Testament?

      Besides, a crass literalness is in keeping with the method of interpretation employed by the Pharisees. When Jesus gave a nonliteral application to the Messianic prophecy about delivering the captives, they were angry. They refused to have anything to do with His spiritual kingdom, which could be seen and entered only by those who were born again. When Jesus spoke of destroying the temple and raising it up again, they insisted on giving His words a literal meaning. Jesus even had to rebuke his disciples for taking literally his warning, " . . . beware of the leaven of the Pharisees . . . " Matt. 16:11. Because they thought Jesus spoke about literal bread, He asked, "Do ye not yet understand . . .?" Matt. 16:9.



      The New Israel

      Just as the Bible presents an old covenant and a new covenant, so it presents an old Israel and a new Israel. The old Israel was constituted under the twelve tribes named after the twelve sons of Jacob. When Jesus chose twelve apostles, He was taking steps to constitute the Christian church. Yet why did he deliberately choose twelve apostles? And why did the apostle James1 address the church as "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad"? James 1:1. It was because the New Testament church, comprised of Jews and Gentiles, constituted the new Israel of God.

      When Christ died on the cross, national distinctions were ended. The old national religious economy was as extinct as the old covenant. Henceforth the Christian church, founded on the teachings of the twelve apostles, would be the new Israel, the inheritor of all the promises and responsibilities of Israel of the Old Testament.

      The following chart illustrates how the New Testament church has become the new Israel:

      Old Israel
      New Israel
      Holy nation — Ex. 19:5,6
      Holy nation — 1 Peter 2:9; Matt.21:43
      Kingdom of priests — Ex. 19:5,6
      Kingdom of priests — 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6;Rev.4:4;5:10
      A peculiar treasure — Ex. 19:5,6
      A peculiar treasure — 1 Peter 2:9
      God's people — Hosea 1:9,10; Rom. 9:6-8
      God's people — 1 Peter 2:9
      A holy people — Deut. 7:6
      A holy people — 1 Peter 1:15,16
      A people of inheritance — Deut. 4:20
      A people of inheritance — Eph. 1:18
      God's tabernacle among Israel — Lev. 26:11
      God's tabernacle among Israel — John 1:14
      God walked among them — Lev. 26:12
      God walks among His people — 2 Cor. 6:16-18
      Twelve sons of Jacob
      Twelve apostles
      Twelve tribes
      Twelve tribes scattered abroad — James 1:1
      Christ married to His people — Isa. 54:5; Jer. 3:14; Hosea 2:19; Jer. 6:2; 31:32
      Christ married to the church — James 4:4; Eph. 5:23-33; 2 Cor. 11:2

      Conclusion

      Abraham was justified by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3). Just as Abraham had two sons — Ishmael and Isaac — so there were always two classes of Jews. Not all were true sons of Abraham. The prophets frequently referred to the faithful remnant, who were the real children of Abraham.

      Finally, at the time of the apostles there was a saved "remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 9:27; 11:5). This remnant were those who welcomed their Messiah and were justified by faith in Jesus. God's word had not failed (Rom. 9:6). These alone were the lineage of Isaac, and the rest were counted as Ishmaelites — illegitimate children. All Israel — that is, all who were justified by faith — would be saved according to God's promise, which could never fail (Rom. 11:26). And all from among the Gentiles who would believe on Christ and be justified by faith would become children of Abraham. There is one way of salvation, one body, one faith, one baptism. Christ is the Seed of Abraham. The promises of God are by Him, to Him, through Him and in Him. He is the Elect One (Isa. 42:1), and the chosen people are those who are chosen in Him (Eph. 1:4).

        For all the promises of God in Him are "yea", and in him "Amen", unto the glory of God by us. 2 Cor. 1:20.

      ——————————————————

      Footnotes:

      1 From ancient times the Epistle of James was classified as one of the "catholic epistles" — meaning that it was written to the church in general and not to a particular segment of believers.



      Source: http://www.presenttruthmag.com/archive/XIV/14-8.htm

      Justification by Faith Alone


      Justification by Faith Alone

      We believe that the good news of our salvation, acceptance, and forgiveness in Christ is proclaimed to all the world and is attended by the outpouring power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit calls and enables whosoever will to personally believe the gospel of Christ's finished work on the cross, to repent of dead works, and to be baptized for the remission of sins.

      Those who believe the gospel and repent of their sins are justified by faith alone in the perfect sinless life and atoning death of Jesus. They are pardoned, forgiven, and declared righteous in Christ. By the grace of God we are accounted perfect and sinless in His merciful reckoning and our sinfulness (legal guilt and moral pollution) is covered by His sinlessness. The Law of God finds nothing to condemn in the believer in Jesus. This is what the apostle Paul calls justification by faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ.

      Thus we were all saved from our sins at the cross of Christ, we are saved from our sins when we believe the gospel and repent of our sins, and we will be saved at the coming of our blessed Lord if we continue to believe the gospel unto the end. Thus there is no point in our lives where we are not justified by faith alone in the imputed righteousness of Christ.


      Source: http://www.presenttruthmag.com/aof-noframes/art8.htm

      REDEEMED, HOW I LOVE TO PROCLAIM IT!

      (Image) http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/AUBURN_MYSTIQUE/Angels_Encouragement%20in%20Jesus/redeemed.jpg

      Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
      Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
      Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
      His child and forever I am.

      Refrain

      Redeemed, redeemed,
      Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
      Redeemed, redeemed,
      His child and forever I am.

      Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
      No language my rapture can tell;
      I know that the light of His presence
      With me doth continually dwell.

      Refrain

      I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
      I think of Him all the day long:
      I sing, for I cannot be silent;
      His love is the theme of my song.

      Refrain

      I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
      In yonder bright mansion for me,
      And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
      At home with the Lord I shall be.

      Refrain

      Those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.” Psalm 107:2






      Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

      Words:


      Fan­ny Cros­by, in Songs of Re­deem­ing Love, by


      John R. Swe­ney, C. C. Mc­Cabe,


      Tul­li­us O’Kane, and Wil­liam Kirk­pat­rick (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: 1882).

      Music:


      Wil­liam J. Kirk­pat­rick (MI­DI, score).



      Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?




      8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

      9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

      10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

      11And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

      12And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

      13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

      14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

      15And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,

      16And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

      17And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

      Matthew 21:8-17.

      Thursday, July 24, 2008

      Iraqi Prime Minister Al Maliki visits Rome

      Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, right, ...

      Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, right, welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, left, on the occasion of their official meeting at the Premier's Chigi Palace, in Rome, Thursday, July 24, 2008. The Iraqi premier is scheduled to be received by Pope Benedict XVI on Friday for a private audience at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

      Source: http://it.notizie.yahoo.com/foto/galleria/foto-berlusconi.html?imageUrl=/ap/20080724/r_p_ap_wl_italy/pwl-italy-iraq-1d9e676-380e077293270

      The main features of the Weishaupt plan.

      “The main features of the Weishaupt plan of operation required his Illuminati to do the following things to help them to accomplish their purpose:

      1. Monetary and sex bribery was to be used to obtain control of men already in high places in the various levels of all governments and other fields of endeavor. Once influential persons had fallen for the lies, deceits, and temptations of the Illuminati, they were to be held in bondage by application of political and other forms of blackmail, threats of financial ruin, public exposure, and physical harm, even death to themselves and loved members of their families.

      2. The Illuminati who were on the faculty of colleges and universities were to cultivate students possessing exceptional mental ability and who belonged to well-bred families with international leanings, and recommend them for special training in Internationalism. Such training was to be provided by granting scholarships, like the Rhodes Scholarship, to those selected by the Illuminati. All such scholars were to be first persuaded and then convinced that men of special talent and brains had the right to rule those less gifted on the grounds that the masses do not know what is best for them physically, mentally, and spiritually.

      3. All influential people who were trapped to come under the control of the Illuminati, plus the students who had been specially educated and trained, were to be used as agents and placed behind the scenes of all governments as experts and specialists. They would advise the top executives to adopt policies which would, in the long run, serve the secret plans of the Illuminati's one world conspiracy, and bring about the destruction of the governments and religions they were elected or appointed to serve.

      4. They were to obtain absolute control of the press so that all news and information could be slanted to convince the masses that a one world government is the only solution to our many and varied problems. They were also to own and control all the national radio and TV channels.

      After reading these four points of strategy, we have to admit that our mass communications media is controlled at all levels, and that at all levels our governments are also infiltrated and controlled, just like Weishaupt had planned back in the 1700's. Unfortunately, few people are aware of this fact, which is why they make little sense out of many of the world events that take place today.”

      — Myron Fagan

      Silent Posting

      Silent Posting

      With His Blog Kaboom, a Young Soldier Told of His War. Last Month, the Army Made Him Shut It Down.

      'Lt.
      Lt. Matthew Gallagher sits on a burned out Iraqi armored vehicle, early 2008. The photo was presumably taken by a member of his platoon (the "Gravediggers"). (Courtesy of Dennis Gallagher)


      Washington Post Foreign Service
      Thursday, July 24, 2008; Page C01

      BAGHDAD

      There was a boy who went to war, like many other boys before him. Maybe it made him a man, maybe it didn't. Maybe he already was a man, maybe he wasn't. Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe none of it does, maybe it all does. Maybe.

      This Story


      -- Lt. G, March 4

      He was an unlikely warrior, this scrawny boy from Reno, Nev., the son of two lawyers, raised in the suburbs.

      He had a way with words, this boy. When his Stryker unit deployed to Iraq last winter, he was a rookie platoon leader who had never seen combat. And like many other soldiers before him, he decided he'd chronicle the war on a blog. Intending to keep family and friends abreast of the follies and pitfalls of soldiering in a five-year-old war that now relies less on gunfire and more on diplomacy, this boy, under the pen name Lt. G, launched "Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal."

      An indictment of the war it was not. Lt. G's dispatches -- at turns hilarious, maddening and terrifying -- provided raw and insightful snapshots of a conflict many Americans have lost interest in.

      Word got around, and more and more readers closely followed the postings of 25-year-old Lt. Matthew Gallagher, with the site drawing tens of thousands of page views. By the time Kaboom went kaput last month -- Lt. G was ordered to take down his blog -- it had a following that would be the envy of many a small-town paper.

      The blog's downfall was a May 28 posting that, in violation of military blogging rules, Gallagher failed to have vetted by a supervisor. (That the posting depicted an officer in the unit unflatteringly might have played a role. Gallagher declined a request to comment.)



      The blogosphere, as it's wont to do, went berserk.

      "This is a disgusting decision on the part of the Army command," one reader fumed, while another wrote: "A free society would not shut down your blog." Still another drafted a template letter and urged others to contact their lawmakers to demand that Lt. G's cyber gag order be lifted.

      Dennis Gallagher, 55 -- Poppa G to Kaboom readers -- was likewise steamed.

      "I find it incredibly ironic that the day after the US Supreme Court issues a landmark decision concerning the second amendment of the Constitution, some midmanagement bureaucrat decides he can [make a mockery of] the first amendment," he wrote in the blog's comments section. "Incredible!"



      CONTINUED 1 2 3 4
      Next >

      What Does the 'Wardrobe Malfunction' Ruling Ultimately Mean?

      Wednesday, Jul 23

      FBLA Exclusive: What Does the 'Wardrobe Malfunction' Ruling Ultimately Mean?

      ALeqM5iHzm4lne8fp70Jp8bMKJdUsNE5Rg.jpgIn light of all the news about the federal appeals court's decision to throw out the FFC's $550,000 fine against CBS over the infamous Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction," we talked to Paige Gold, who helped write the Media Access Project's friend-of-the-court brief in the case.

      Gold tells us that what we kinda sorta thought -- but what many media outlets missed: The ruling alone isn't much of a setback for the FCC.

      "The way broadcast indecency rules are interpreted shifts according to who is in the White House. The FCC has 5 members, 3 from the party holding the White House, and 2 from the other party. If Obama is elected in November, the balance will shift, Kevin Martin will no longer be in charge, and the big issue will not be indecency, but whether the FCC should have the right to regulate cable channels," Gold says.

      In other words, if Obama loses, don't expect the FCC's crusades to end.


      Dozens Protest Outside Fox News Headquarters

      Wednesday, Jul 23

      Dozens Protest Outside Fox News Headquarters

      NasCUFNC_7.23.jpgWhat brings out MTV News, AllHipHop.com, Access Hollywood, The Colbert Report and, well, us? A Nas-led protest outside News Corp. today, home of Fox News Channel.

      The hip-hop star (left) joined about 50 protesters, (less than another anti-FNC protest in 2004) from two organizations: ColorofChange.org and MoveOn.org who called on the network to, "stop its racist smears against the Obamas and other Black Americans."

      Also in attendance — more than 620,000 signed petitions. Andre Banks, deputy director of Color of Change, told TVNewser the plan was to bring the boxes in one by one, but in the end, "They refused to accept the petitions. They just don't want to hear it."

      BoxesFNC_7.23.jpgThe protesters stood quietly for about an hour until Nas appeared, most holding pre-made or hand-made signs. Many Fox News employees came to check out the scene, including Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld and some of the show's staff. "This is quite possibly the most boring protest ever," he told us.

      But that was before Nas arrived. The hip-hop star emerged from an SUV to a flutter of cameras, made his way to the front of the protesters and gave a short speech, before heading back into the SUV.

      A Fox News spokesperson tells TVNewser, "Fox News believes in all protesters exercising their right to free speech, including Nas, who has an album to promote."

      About 15 minutes after leaving, Nas returned, and he had something to say.


      FNCNas_7.23.jpg"They messed with the wrong person," said Nas. "They know what time it is."

      He said he was disappointed the petitions weren't able to be delivered, but "we're going to work on it." Banks tells TVNewser the next step will be to compile the petitions in a spreadsheet and email it to Fox News.

      The protesters' grievances include the terrorist fist jab comment, Liz Trotta's Obama-Osama mix-up and Bill O'Reilly's lynching comment.

      Nas and Fox News have a history going back to last fall. It led Nas to produce the song "Sly Fox" on his new album. John Gibson took on the rapper in October over his purported album title. Gibson may address the protest today on his radio show — a staffer was on hand to get audio for a possible segment.

      But Nas vs. O'Reilly has been the biggest story. Last August, O'Reilly questioned the decision to have the rapper at a Virginia Tech tribute show, and Nas fired back, including challenging O'Reilly to a debate. Today on The Radio Factor, O'Reilly talked about the protest.

      We asked Banks how he thinks FNC handled the Rev. Jesse Jackson off-air comments. He said it was, "good to see Fox exercise restraint in how they cover things."

      As for any bias against Barack Obama, FNC announced yesterday that Bill Hemmer will interview Obama in London on Saturday, and Fox News has two seats on the press plane during the presumptive nominee's overseas trip.

      > Update: As expected, John Gibson talked about the protest on his radio show tonight. Johnny Dollar has the audio.

      Source: http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/dozens_protest_outside_fox_news_headquarters_89972.asp

      'The End justifies the means'

      Pontifical Gregorian University

      'The End justifies the Means' is a maxim which originated in an accusation made by Protestants against the Jesuits. Although few would openly proclaim such a cynical maxim, it is clearly the conception which justified the atrocities of Stalinism and the use of terror by some who claimed to be pursuing the socialist objective. The idea that some means (such as the use of violence against political opponents, or lying to the working class) which is inconsistent with the aim (world peace, socialism) can in some way serve that end is untenable. There is always some "tension" between Ends and Means – Means refer always to existing conditions as they are while the End refers to how things ought to be.

      Reference: ^ Brian Basgen & Andy Blunden (2007-04-24). "MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of Terms - Means and Ends". Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.

      Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequentialism

      Collision Closes 29 Miles of Mississippi River, Likely for Days

      Wednesday, July 23, 2008


      NEW ORLEANS — It might be several days before a stretch of the Mississippi River at New Orleans can reopen after a 600-foot tanker and a barge loaded with fuel oil collided Wednesday, breaking the barge in half, officials said.

      No one was injured, but heavy, almost tar-like fuel oil spilled from the barge, forming a slick 12 miles long, said Lt. Cdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. About 29 miles of the river was closed.

      The barge "was T-boned and split in half," she said.

      It held more than 419,000 gallons of fuel oil in three tanks. Investigators don't know whether all three tanks broke but "are assuming the worst-case discharge of all 9,980 barrels," said Capt. Lincoln Stroh, Coast Guard captain of the port of New Orleans.

      The double-hulled tanker Tintomara was loaded with about 4.2 million gallons of biodiesel and nearly 1.3 million gallons of styrene, but did not leak, said Michael Wilson, president of ship management company Laurin Maritime (America) Inc. in Houston.

      It probably will be at least several days before the river can reopen so the water can be cleaned, Stroh said. Late Wednesday morning, 25 ships were backed up, 10 heading upriver and 15 downriver, he said.

      The crews of both vessels reported the accident immediately about 1:40 a.m. CDT, just upriver from the twin bridges between New Orleans' east and west banks, said Lt. Anastacia Visneski, a U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman.

      American Commercial Lines Inc. of Jeffersonville, Ind., which owns the barge, brought in four oil spill cleanup companies with about 200 people and 10,000 feet of boom to keep oil away from water intakes and environmentally fragile areas, said Paul Book, vice president of operations facilities.

      A smell which many people thought was diesel was noticeable in the French Quarter and parts of New Orleans' central business district.

      Tugs held the two halves of the barge against the river's swift current; only a corner of each half was visible.

      It had just been filled at Stone Oil Co. in Gretna, across the river from the accident site, and was on its way to Memphis, said W. Norbert Whitlock, executive vice president of American Commercial Lines.

      The tanker was fully manned with a crew of 22 and was heading downriver, said Wilson, who heads the U.S. subsidiary of Laurin Maritime AB of Goteborg, Sweden. The tanker is owned by Whitefin Shipping Co. Ltd. of Gibraltar, and Laurin America's technical director was sent to the scene, he said.

      Neither company nor Coast Guard officials would comment about the investigation.

      "We don't know what the facts are," Whitlock said.

      He said American Commercial Lines is directing the cleanup because the barge owner is responsible for its cargo.

      The Liberian-flagged tanker had only minor damage, company spokesman Darrell Wilson said. He said the styrene, taken on at Carville, and some of the biodiesel taken on at St. Rose were bound for Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the rest of the biodiesel was going to Hamburg, Germany.

      Styrene is used to make plastics and rubber, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Products containing styrene include insulation, fiberglass, plastic pipes, automobile parts, shoes, drinking cups and other food containers, and carpet backing, according to the registry Web site.

      Ben-Iesau said the state Department of Environmental Quality made sure that all water intakes and sensitive environmental areas downriver from the spill were boomed off to keep the fuel oil out.

      "Drinking water for the city is safe," Stroh said.

      The state, Coast Guard and others were checking past incidents to see where spilled oil is likely to collect.

      Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,389307,00.html