Tuesday, October 09, 2012

A Global Community – The Sign Of His Coming



Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org



 
Over 400,000 churches have now participated in Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven program. Quite obviously, millions of Christians have bought into the idea that the details of Christ’s return are none of our business, and we must help usher in a new reformation to eradicate the global problems facing the earth. According to Rick Warren, we accomplish this only if we all work together.

This togetherness/community mindset is the same message that [occultist] Alice Bailey referred to as “right human relations” and the same one the emerging church hopes to convey to the people of the world. A personal, individual relationship with Christ is considered self-centered,6 because it doesn’t focus on the global, common good. Communal spirituality is seen as the only path to the world’s survival. Listen to today’s new reformation thinkers:

The church is only an anticipation of the full, promised community of the whole world … the church itself is not a goal of God’s creation.7—Walter Brueggemann, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope
The Church, in all its expressions—Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Protestant and many others—has 2.3 billion followers.… Let’s use the grassroots network that is already on the ground. It’s time to lay aside our prejudices and work together.8—Rick Warren, Forbes magazine 
We are emerging into a new era of Christian faith as a “living color” global community. … It is immediately clear that this kind of emergence must lead to a convergence … a kind of relationship that has never before existed.9—Brian McLaren
Unfortunately, the “global community” so often spoken of in the emerging church camp is disguised language for a world-wide religious body that incorporates all belief systems. As [New Age leader] Neale Donald Walsch said, it’s a “global movement … which makes no one else wrong for the way in which they are doing it.”

The rate at which this global unity is developing should tell us that the return of Christ could very well be near. But not everyone who professes the name of Christ is going to be ready. Jesus Himself asked, “[W]hen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). As in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), many will not be ready when the Lord returns. Many will have fallen asleep.

Do you remember what Jesus told the disciples when they asked Him, “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3) He did not tell them the whole world would be experiencing a spiritual revival, turning to the Gospel. Rather he said:
Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24: 4-5)
Jesus warned that in the days before He came back, there would be such a great falling away that “many” would be deceived. The word many in Greek means a vast amount or multitudes. In fact, the majority of the signs Jesus said to expect dealt with spiritual deception. He even forewarned there would be false appearances or manifestations of false Christs that would be associated with lying signs and wonders (Matthew 24:23-25).

The apostle Paul also issued Jesus’ warning about a time of deception that would dupe the whole world:
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. (II Thessalonians 2:7-11)
Notice how Satan’s deceptive plan operates. As with the temptation of Eve in the garden, he will first call into question what God has said, influencing many to reject the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, or to get lost in strange interpretations of the Bible, pulling verses out of context. Next, he will undermine the Word of God as taking second place to experience. After all, doesn’t God want everyone to be happy and to “love” all? This love typically translates into accepting everyone and their strange beliefs as well. Ultimately, deception means rejecting the truth of God’s Word for a lie all the while thinking that God is being served.

Certainly, the words of warning Paul wrote to the church at Corinth regarding Satan’s seductive plans are very relevant today:
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (II Corinthians 11:3-4)

Many have forgotten these basic warnings found in Scripture regarding the last days when another gospel and another Jesus will be presented to a deceived world.



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Monday, October 08, 2012

What's in a Name?



Dragon Spacecraft in Orbit Illustration
Artist’s rendition of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft with solar panels fully deployed on orbit.
Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX's billionaire CEO Elon Musk has said that he named his spacecraft "Dragon" after the fictional "Puff the Magic Dragon," from the hit song by music group Peter, Paul and Mary. Musk said he used the name because many critics considered his goals impossible when he founded SpaceX in 2002.

This year, the company is celebrating its 10th anniversary and has a $1.6 billion deal with NASA to provide 12 unmanned cargo flights to the International Space Station. Another company, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp., is also under contract with the agency to provide supply flights to the orbiting lab.




SpaceX Dragon Blasts Off for First, Official Space Station Run



SpaceX
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station last night and is now en route to the International Space Station for its first official resupply mission.
The Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:35 p.m. Eastern Sunday, carrying the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Dragon is expected to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday morning and be attached via the station's robotic arm at 7:22 a.m., according to NASA. It will remain there for 18 days before it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean upon its return.
"Just over one year after the retirement of the space shuttle, we have returned space station cargo resupply missions to U.S. soil and are bringing the jobs associated with this work back to America," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "The SpaceX launch tonight marks the official start of commercial resupply missions by American companies operating out of U.S. spaceports like the one right here in Florida."
NASA retired its space shuttle fleet last year after 30 years to focus on more deep space endeavors. Supply missions to the ISS were handed over to private contractors, but it's not as simple as gassing up a spacecraft and blasting off with a few supplies in the trunk.
Dragon is carrying 882 pounds of supplies to the ISS, including 260 pounds of crew supplies, 390 pounds of scientific research, 225 pounds of hardware, and several pounds of other supplies, NASA said. It will return to Earth with 1,673 pounds of cargo.Earlier this year, SpaceX completed a successful demo flightto the ISS in a mission that was heralded as a new era for space exploration. Today marks SpaceX's first, official journey to the ISS as part of its $1.6 billion contract to fly 12 missions to the ISS through 2016.
The fact that Dragon can bring things back to Earth from the ISS is critical for scientists studying the effects of a microgravity environment on certain projects. "The ability to return frozen samples is a first for this flight and will be tremendously beneficial to the station's research community," NASA said.
One experiment, for example, is looking at how microgravity affects the growth of cell walls in a plant called Arabidopsis. Plants tend to expend about 50 percent of their energy by basically holding themselves up, so "understanding how the genes that control this energy expenditure operate in microgravity could have implications for future genetically modified plants and food supply," NASA said.
SpaceX is not the only private firm that will travel to the ISS. Orbital Sciences is preparing for its own demo flight to the ISS in early 2013 as part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS).
For more, see video of the Falcon 9/Dragon liftoff below. Also check out PCMag's look back at the space shuttle program above.
For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.


Source
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Sunday, October 07, 2012

The Valley of Decision





14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Joel 3:14-17. 

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Friday, October 05, 2012

The Jesuit Agenda and the Evangelical/Protestant Church


(Originally posted here on 8/6/12)


Understand the Times/Lighthouse Trails Special Report

www.understandthetimes.org

According to Bible prophecy, a one-world religion that will offer the promise of peace throughout the world is going to commence prior to Christ’s return. To most, this global body will seem like a wonderful thing and very possibly will be a pseudo-Christianity (coming in the name of “Christ”); however, contrary to how the masses will view it, it will actually help establish and set up the antichrist and his one- world government.

In order for this to happen, all religions must come together in an ecumenical plan. Today, as part of this Satanic scheme, the evangelical/Protestant church is being drawn seductively into the Roman Catholic church, largely through what we call “The Jesuit Agenda.” Incredibly, while the evidence is obvious to some, the majority of proclaiming Christians are not at all aware it is happening.

So, what should we expect if we are in the time when such a system unfolds? First, many who once were Protestant and evangelical will become ecumenical and eventually assimilate with the Roman Catholic church. Second, all religions will unite in solidarity of purpose. Understanding the Jesuit Agenda is essential if we are to understand how this worldwide deception will come about.

Who are the Jesuits?

Since its foundation, the Catholic papacy has been zealous and often brutal in its endeavor to establish the kingdom of the Pope (of whom it is believed within the Catholic church is headed by Jesus Christ). In fact, the Pope has been referred to as the “Vicar of Christ.” This determination was witnessed during the Inquisition where countless thousands, if not millions, died cruelly for resisting Rome. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs describes many of these atrocities.

While many believers in Christ during the Reformation period attempted to spread the truth that God’s Word was truly God’s Word and could not be squandered and kept hostage by the papacy and the Catholic Church, it was not long before the Counter Reformation was founded to bring the “Separated Brethren” back to the “Mother of All Churches.”

This Counter Reformation was largely headed by Ignatius Loyola, the man who founded the Jesuit Order in the mid 1500s and launched an all-out attack against those who dared stand against the papacy and Rome. This excerpt from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs gives us an idea of the nature and determination of this Counter Reformation:

The emperor Ferdinand, whose hatred of the Bohemian Protestants was without bounds, not thinking he had sufficiently oppressed them, instituted a high court to prosecute the reformers upon the plan of the Inquisition, with this difference, that the court was to travel from place to place and always to be attended by a body of troops. This court was conducted chiefly by Jesuits and from their decision there was no appeal, by which it may be easily conjectured that it was a dreadful tribunal indeed.

This bloody court, attended by a body of troops, made the tour of Bohemia. They seldom examined or saw a prisoner, for the soldiers were permitted to murder the Protestants as they pleased and then to make a report of the matter to them afterward.(1)
You see, the Jesuits were commissioned by the Pope to do whatever it took to end the Protestant Reformation. The 1540 Constitution of the Jesuits states:


[L]et whoever desires to fight under the sacred banner of the Cross, and to serve only God and the Roman pontiff, His vicar on earth, after a solemn vow of perpetual chastity,- let him keep in mind that he is part of a society, instituted for the purpose of perfecting souls in life and in Christian doctrine, for the propagation of the faith . . . Let all members know, and let it be not only at the beginning of their profession, but let them think over it daily as long as they live, that the society as a whole, and each of them, owes obedience to our most holy lord, the pope, and the other Roman pontiffs, his successors, and to fight with faithful obedience for God. (Emphasis added.)


While most Christians think that the Counter Reformation is a thing of the past because we are not seeing Inquisitions today, this movement continues until today and with renewed effort through various avenues of the evangelical/Protestant church. In a way, it is more insidious than the Inquisitions, because now it has infiltrated Christianity and is being disguised as the “new” Christianity. (Rick Warren promotes it as the “new” or second reformation.) But disguised or not, it is the Jesuit Agenda, and it is bringing about ecumenism and a one-world religion. And at the same time, it is attempting to destroy the message that so many died for - the message that Jesus Christ is not found in a wafer and a cup of juice to be re-crucified day after day but has died once and for all for the sins of man and offers a salvation that is an entirely free gift, unearned to those who believe on Him (Hebrews 7:27; 10:11-14).

Who Was Ignatius Loyola?

After a serious injury in the military and during a lengthy rehabilitation, Ignatius Loyola (b. 1491, d. 1556) turned his focus from “military enthusiasm to ghostly fanaticism.(2) Ignatius assumed the name and office of Knight of the Virgin Mary, seeing himself as Mary’s favorite. Ignatius wanted to start a new order, The Society of Jesus (or the Jesuits) and presented the idea to the Pope. He told the Pope that the idea had been inspired by heavenly revelations. At first, the Pope hesitated, but when Ignatius added a fourth vow (in addition to the regular poverty, chastity, and obedience), “absolute subservience to the pope,” promising to do whatever the Pope wanted and go wherever he wanted, the Pope agreed and sent the new order out to “invade the world.” While other monks of other orders sought to separate themselves from the world, the Jesuits went out into the world and obeyed whatever command the Pope gave. Often this was to win the world with the sword. No violent act was withheld if the order came from their top “general.” (3)

In time, the Jesuits entered the education system, especially that of the Protestants. The Jesuit maxim was: “Give us the education of the children of this day – and the next generation will be ours.”(4) The Reverend W. C. Brownlee, D.D. stated: “They pretended to be converted and to enter into Protestant churches.” One Jesuit even boasted that the Jesuits were successfully able to imitate the Puritan preachers. They used trickery and deception to become “all things to all men.” Within 48 years, there were eleven thousand Jesuits around the world, quite a large number for back then. (5)

By 1773, the order was abolished because of their horrible reputation of bloodiness, deception, and immorality. However, they were reinstated fully in 1814 by Pope Pius VII. Even by this time, the influence and infiltration into the United States by the Jesuits was significant.

In 1857, the Reverend W.C. Brownlee, D.D. compiled a book of a translated document called Secret Instructions of the Jesuits (found on the Boston College Libraries website, for one). While Catholic sources say that the Secret Instructions of the Jesuits is an untrue document, there is enough evidence to indicate that it is true indeed. Naturally, it is so indicting against the papacy and the Jesuit Order that one can understand from a human point of view why Catholic sources would say the document isn’t true. But the facts are that the Jesuit Order was performing brutal cruel acts to bring the world to “Christ” and the Mother Church and that they were infiltrating every area of society to do so. This cannot be denied. Brownlee’s book would be a worthwhile read for those who wish to understand more of the history of the Jesuits.

The Jesuit Oath

It is said that the ancient Jesuits took the Jesuit Oath. This has been refuted by Catholic sources as a true oath taken by Jesuits of the past; nevertheless, there is evidence enough that the oath did exist to include excerpts of it in this report. We have taken these excerpts from a book titled Political and Economic Handbook by Thomas Edward Watson published in 1916, and found in the Harvard College library.

I do declare from my heart, without mental reservation, that the Pope is Christ’s Vicar General and . . . He hath power to depose Heretical Kings, Princes, States . . . that they may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the utmost of my power I will defend this doctrine. . . . I do further declare the doctrine of the Church of England, of the Calvanists [sic], the Huguenots, and other Protestants to be damnable and those to be damned who will not forsake the same.

I do further declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any of His Holiness agents in any place wherever I shall be; and to do my utmost to extirpate [exterminate] the heretical Protestant doctrine, and to destroy all their pretended power. (p. 437)

In another version of the Jesuit Oath, the Jesuit is asked to promise that he will make “relentless war” against “all heretics, Protestants” and to “hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics” (found in U.S. House Congressional Record, 1913, p. 3216).

The Jesuit Agenda Today:

While we are not saying that Jesuits today are murdering Protestants if they don’t convert to Catholicism, we are saying that the determination and efforts to convert Protestants back to the Mother Church still exist. Basically, while the methods may have changed, the plan and objectives have not. The following quote from an article titled “Essay on Popery” by Rev. Ingram Cobbin M.A. (taken from one edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs) is insightful:

The Jesuits, though at times expelled or pretendedly so from Rome, have been its awful emissaries to augment its power. The intrigues and deceptions of these men would fill volumes, and the conveniency of their creed to deny or affirm anything, or assume any profession as it may serve their purpose, is too well known to need recapitulating here. These men have at times assumed so much that every papal state has alternately ejected them; and large numbers are now in this country—doubtless many under false colours —waiting the most favourable opportunities to corrupt the rising generation, and, as much as possible, restore the dark days of former ages. The Jesuits are unchangeable.
The Jesuits were driven in the past to bring back the lost brethren, and they are driven today with the same vision. Today, that vision is part of the pope’s Eucharistic Evangelization, drawing people to the Eucharistic Christ. The Eucharistic Evangelization is discussed at length in Another Jesus: The Evangelization of the Eucharistic Christ and in several articles on the Understand the Times website.

Jesuit (Mystical) Spirituality and the Protestant/Evangelical Church

So if the methods of converting lost or prodigal souls back to Rome have changed, what is the method to accomplish these goals today? It is largely through what is called Jesuit Spirituality. A 2002 book titled Contemplatives in Action: The Jesuit Way reveals how the Jesuit order has had and continues to have a “great influence” in people around the world. It attributes this “vitality” to “its spirituality” which has also “evoked fierce loyalty and fierce opposition.”(6)

What is the spirituality of the Jesuits that was so controversial? By their very roots, Jesuits are proponents of mystical prayer practices. The founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola, created “spiritual exercises” that incorporated mysticism, including lectio divina. Today, millions of people worldwide practice the “Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola.”

One Jesuit priest who resonates with the mystical spiritual outlook is Anthony De Mello (d. 1987), author of Sadhana: A Way to God. De Mello is often quoted today by contemplative and emerging authors and embraced the mysticism of Hinduism. He stated:

To silence the mind is an extremely difficult task. How hard it is to keep the mind from thinking, thinking, thinking, forever thinking, forever producing thoughts in a never ending stream. Our Hindu masters in India have a saying: one thorn is removed by another. By this they mean that you will be wise to use one thought to rid yourself of all the other thoughts that crowd into your mind. One thought, one image, one phrase or sentence or word that your mind can be made to fasten on. – Anthony de Mello, Sadhana: A Way to God (St. Louis, the Institute of Jesuit Resources, 1978), p. 28 (cited from A Time of Departing, by Ray Yungen, p. 75).
Ray Yungen explains that Sadhana “is very open in its acknowledgment of Eastern mysticism as an enrichment to Christian spirituality.”

It doesn’t take a long search to find De Mello within the evangelical/Protestant camp. In fact, Richard Foster, one of the pioneers of the evangelical spiritual formation (contemplative) movement wrote the introduction to one of De Mello’s books, The Sacrament of the Present Moment. In A Glimpse of Jesus, popular contemplative author Brennan Manning quotes De Mello. Amazon shows that De Mello’s book, The Sacrament of the Present Moment is cited in 82 books, some of which are written by some of evangelicalism’s most popular authors: John Ortberg, Richard Foster, Jan Johnson, Philip Yancey, and Calvin Miller – incidentally all these are contemplative advocates.

Another example of Jesuit influence in the evangelical/Protestant church is the Be Still DVD, where Richard Foster quotes 18th century Jesuit priest, Jean Nicholas Grou as saying: “O Divine Master, teach me this mute language which says so much.” This “mute language” Grou speaks of is the mystical “silence” practiced by contemplatives and mystics throughout all religions.

One of the key figures in the “new” progressive Christianity today is Leonard Sweet. Sweet has partnered on a number of occasions with Rick Warren and speaks at evangelical events frequently. In Sweet’s book, Quantum Spirituality, he states:

Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center. . . . In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing.” [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. (p. 76)
How fitting that Sweet would quote a Jesuit priest’s prediction about the “Christian” of the future.

Tony Campolo, another popular figure in the evangelical church, reveals something quite interesting in his book, Letters to a Young Evangelical. In the book, he explains the role mysticism had in him becoming a Christian. He explains:

I learned about this way of having a born-again experience from reading Catholic mystics, especially The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola. (p. 30, see “Coming to Christ Through Mysticism,” Oakland )
For skeptics who may need further evidence that Jesuit Spirituality has come into the evangelical/Protestant church, consider this. In 2006, Baker Books, one of evangelicalism’s top book publishers, released a book titled Sacred Listening: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola written by James Wakefield. A publisher description of the book states:

Central to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Spiritual Exercises is a manual used to direct a month-long spiritual retreat. Now adapting these time-honored Exercises specifically for Protestant Christians, James L. Wakefield encourages readers to integrate their secular goals with their religious beliefs and helps them reflect on the life of Jesus as a model for their own discipleship.(7)

Wakefield’s book, devoted to the Jesuits and Ignatian Exercises, should be proof enough that the Jesuit Agenda has entered the Christian church and that mysticism is the tool by which the Jesuit Agenda is largely being brought into the lives of countless evangelicals and Protestants. Is it any wonder Wakefield’s book found praise within the Jesuit community? Armand M. Nigro, professor emeritus at the Jesuit school, Gonzaga University, said:

As a Jesuit for 62 years, I have been formed by the Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, our principal founder. I rejoice, then, at the long-awaited publication of Sacred Listening. It will be for its readers, I hope, a classic manual for spiritual growth in genuine mystical prayer. (on back cover of book)
Incidentally, Eugene Peterson, author of The Message wrote an endorsement of Wakefield’s book on the front cover.

These are just a few of a great many examples where the “Jesuit Spirituality” has come into the Protestant church; thus this new modern (post-modern) mystical method to accomplish the goals of the papacy is working.

If Protestants and evangelicals can be convinced to practice mysticism (i.e., contemplative), this conditions them to begin embracing Rome and even all religions. It’s important to understand that mysticism is the bridge that unites all the religions of the world. In order to unite them, there would need to be a uniting, common denominator, so to speak. That common uniting medium is mysticism. Thomas Merton recognized this. In a conversation he was having with a Sufi master, the topic of Christian atonement arose. The Sufi master said this was an area they could never agree on, to which Merton replied:

Personally, in matters where dogmatic beliefs differ, I think that controversy [atonement] is of little value because it takes us away from the spiritual realities into the realm of words and ideas . . . in words there are apt to be infinite complexities and subtleties which are beyond resolution. . . . But much more important is the sharing of the experience of divine light, . . . It is here that the area of fruitful dialogue exists between Christianity and Islam.(8) (Emphasis added.)

Tilden Edwards, co-founder of the Shalem Institute (where Ruth Haley Barton was educated), would agree with Merton. He said, “This mystical stream [xe "contemplative prayer"xe "contemplative prayer"xe "contemplative prayer"contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality” (Spiritual Friend, p. 18). And in a New Age book titled, As Above, So Below, the author states (quoting Aldous Huxley) that “the metaphysical [mystical] that recognizes a divine reality” is the “highest common factor” that “links the world’s religious traditions.” And even evangelical-turned-emerging author Tony Campolo recognizes this commonality in mysticism when he states: “Beyond these models of reconciliation, a theology of mysticism provides some hope for common ground between Christianity and Islam” (pp 149-150).

Incidentally, when we say all the religions of the world uniting, we include the New Age movement (perhaps one of the largest “religions” in the world today). New Agers believe that in order to enter into an age of enlightenment (or Age of Aquarius), the world needs to become “vibrationally sympathetic,” meaning that a sufficient mass (critical mass) of people will need to engage in mystical prayer.(9)

The Counter Reformation Continues

Jesuit influence in the world today is everywhere: in the business world, in education, in government, and yes, in the evangelical/Protestant church. According to Contemplatives in Action: The Jesuit Way, there are over one million people living in the United States alone who have graduated from Jesuit high schools, colleges, and universities (Introduction, p. 1)

While there have often been tensions between the Pope and the Jesuit Order over various issues, the current Superior General of the Jesuit Order, Adolfo Nicolas Pachon, reassured the Jesuit commitment to Rome when he stated:

The Society of Jesus was born within the Church, we live in the Church, we were approved by the Church and we serve the Church. This is our vocation...[Unity with the pope] is the symbol of our union with Christ. It also is the guarantee that our mission will not be a 'small mission,' a project just of the Jesuits, but that our mission is the mission of the Church."(10)


Where Else in Evangelicalism is the Jesuit Evangelism Showing Up?

Earlier this year, Understand the Times released an article titled Jerry Boykin and the Calvary Chapel Connection. It was a difficult article for many to read. People do not want to think that Christian leaders and pastors they have trusted for years would be so foolish as to associate with and promote someone who is part of a group that wants to bring the “lost brethren” back to the Mother Church. But the fact is that a high officer in the Vatican’s Jesuitical, “Knights of Malta” was a featured speaker at a Calvary Chapel sponsored Preach the Word prophecy conference.

Another example, and I believe an important one, has to do with one of the most well-known and influential evangelical organizations in America. Robert Siciro is a Protestant turned Catholic Paulist priest, and he is one of the featured speakers in the very popular Truth Project by Focus on the Family. While the Paulist Order is not a Jesuit Order, it has basically the same objective as the Jesuit order with regard to winning souls for the Catholic church. According to one Catholic source , the Paulist order is “A community of priests for giving missions and doing other Apostolic works, especially for making converts to the Catholic faith.” Robert Siciro is President of the Acton Institute, an ecumenical think tank where, incidentally, there are scores of articles by or about those in the Catholic faith, including a number of Jesuits. Now, through the Truth Project, thousands and thousands of evangelical/Protestant Christians have been introduced, by way of proxy, to the Eucharistic Evangelization.

The Fatima Plan

For those who are not convinced that we are headed toward a one-world religion for “peace,” take a trip some time to Fatima, Portugal where annual pilgrimages bring people from the religions of the world to pray to “the queen of heaven,” also called “our lady of Peace.”
Pope John Paul II was dedicated to Mary and especially “Our Lady of Fatima.” He believed this entity saved him from an assassin’s bullet on May 13, 1981, on the anniversary of the so-called apparition’s appearance (to have first occurred in 1917).

People from all around the world have been coming to Fatima to pray to “Our Lady.” At a gathering for “world peace” in Fatima, Jesuit priest Jacques Dupuis stated:

The religion of the future will be a general converging of religions in a universal Christ that will satisfy all. The other religious traditions in the world are part of God's plan for humanity and the Holy Spirit is operating and present in Buddhist, Hindu and other sacred writings of Christian and non-Christian faiths as well. The universality of God's kingdom permits this, and this is nothing more than a diversified form of sharing in the same mystery of salvation.(11)

Fatima is just another avenue through which the Jesuit Agenda is being accomplished.


In Summary

Perhaps the best way to understand the Jesuit Agenda that undermines biblical Christianity is to recognize the move toward a so-called “social gospel” that unites the religions of the world for the cause of peace. Like mysticism, this social gospel is a vehicle through which all religions will be united. Who would have believed this could have happened to the Protestant evangelical church? But we have already been warned in Scripture that Satan’s ministers are “transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15).
Rick Warren has been one of the many pied pipers of this move to unite through “good works.” Called “America’s pastor,” Warren has become the evangelical/Protestant spokesperson for a one-world religion. His Purpose Driven model has become the battle cry for let just all get along and do good. We can work together as one for one common purpose – peace in the world.

Willow Creek has helped to escalate this global religious body through their Global Leadership Summits, where they are “bringing people together from all nationalities to complete our shared Kingdom assignment in the Church and beyond”(12) (emphasis added). Warren and Hybel’s global agenda is moving full force throughout the earth today.

Rick Warren and Bill Hybels - protégés of Peter Drucker, by the way - have advanced the Jesuit Agenda by leaps and bounds. Many of these “new” Christianity, new reformation leaders have ignored the prophetic warnings of Jesus Christ’s soon return based on the signs we see from Bible prophecy. Instead, they promote the establishment of the kingdom of God with all the world’s religions.

The emerging church movement, which has been widely propagated by Warren, Hybels, and a host of other Christian figures, has been used by Satan to quickly bring about this worldwide deception by introducing mystical experiences and the social gospel to an entire generation of young people. Sensual experiences that tickle the flesh of the postmodern generation are often the same ones that Rome has used in the past to convince the faithful that they have encountered the God of the Bible. History reveals that history is repeating, and the same tools of delusion are being used over and over.

Those who shine the light on the Jesuit Agenda are considered to be conspiratorial crackpots. The prophets of the past when they exposed the Babylonian worship by the leaders of Israel were also deemed to be crazy, as have been Bible-believing Christians since Christianity began. One of those was John Huss (1372-1415). John Foxe describes what happened:

[Huss] compiled a treatise in which he maintained that reading the books of Protestants could not be absolutely forbidden. He wrote in defense of Wickliffe's book on the Trinity; and boldly declared against the vices of the pope, the cardinals, and clergy of those corrupt times. He wrote also many other books, all of which were penned with a strength of argument that greatly facilitated the spreading of his doctrines. . . . (13)
Eventually Huss was arrested, and when he was brought before the council (of the papacy), he was mocked and called “A ringleader of heretics,” to which he replied,

My Lord Jesus Christ, for my sake, did wear a crown of thorns; why should not I then, for His sake, wear this light crown, be it ever so shameful? Truly I will do it and willingly.(14)

At 43 years of age, John Huss was burned at the stake, singing hymns during the brutal execution. Why was he called a “ringleader of heretics”? For standing up for biblical truth against the Pope and Rome.

Discerning Christians should be asking many questions. But one question that stands out foremost is: why are so few saying anything about the Jesuit Agenda? Do they see it but are afraid to speak? Or do they see it and are part of it?

Speaking of questions, Jesus asked one: “[W]hen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He find it in the pastors and theological professors? Will He find it in your own church? Or will He only find those who have remained silent?

Just as God raised up others to carry the torch of truth after Huss was eliminated from this earth, God will and is raising up others today who are willing to risk all to stand for the truth and speak against the lies.

To believers who are standing fast, look up, for “your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).


Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. . . . See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:6-11, 15-17)



Notes:

1. John Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing edition), p. 169.
2. Rev. W.C. Brownlee, D.D., Secret Instructions of the Jesuits, http://www.archive.org/details/secretinstructio00brow at Boston College Libraries archives
3. Ibid
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6. https://lists.ateneo.edu/pipermail/blueboard/2004-May/003422.html
7. From the Publisher’s description at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Listening-Discovering-Spiritual-Exercises/dp/080106614X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309703869&sr=8-1#_
8. Rob Baker and Gray Henry, Editors, Merton and Sufism (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999), p. 109, as cited in A Time of Departing, p. 60.)
9. Ken Carey, The Starseed Transmissions (A Uni-Sun Book, 1985 4th printing), p. 33
10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolfo_Nicol%C3%A1s and see http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801316.htm
11. Jesuit theologian Father Jacques Dupuis, at the 2003 interfaith congress "The Future of God; http://www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c19.shtml
12. http://www.growingleadership.com/summit/speaker_brenda_salter_mcneil.asp
13. John Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (Eureka, MT, Lighthouse Trails Publishing edition), pp. 160-164
14. Ibid




San Francisco archbishop jokes about his DUI arrest in speech

October 5, 2012 | 6:33 am




The new Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco, arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in San Diego in August, joked about the incident Thursday as he formally assumed his new position in the church.

Salvatore Joseph Cordileone was installed as archbishop amid ceremonial splendor at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco."I know in my life God has always had a way of putting me in my place. I would say, though, that in the latest episode of my life God has outdone himself," Cordileone told the audience, according to the Associated Press.

Cordileone, 56, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless driving in the case, court records indicate. He had been set to be arraigned Oct. 9.

An attorney for Cordileone entered the plea Monday in San Diego County Superior Court. Cordileone was sentenced to three years' probation, a $1,120 fine and attendance at a panel discussion sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

The penalty is consistent with plea bargains given to other drivers arrested under similar circumstances, the city attorney's office said.

A native of San Diego, Cordileone had been at dinner with his mother when he was stopped at a routine late-night checkpoint near San Diego State University and taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving. He was booked into county jail.

Within days he apologized for his actions and the embarrassment it caused the church.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego and Shelby Grad

Photo: Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone. Credit: Marcio Joseph Sanchez / Associated Press




U.S. citizen opens fire at Eilat hotel, kills worker, is then shot dead by police

The shooter, in his twenties, from New York, was working at the Leonardo Club Hotel as part of a program for U.S. youth in Israel that is affiliated with Masa Israel Journey.


By Yanir Yagna, The Associated Press and Haaretz | Oct.05, 2012 | 9:46 AM


Police outside the Leonardo Club Hotel in Eilat. Photo by Jacky Poms



Armando Abed. Photo by Zohir Mata / ahlan.co.il



RELATED ARTICLES
After fatal shooting, Jewish Agency to probe how U.S. gunman was accepted onto Eilat program



Oct.05,2012 | 9:46 AM

A 33-year-old Eilat hotel worker was killed on Friday morning by a gunman who stole a firearm from a security guard at the Leonardo Club Hotel in the southern city, and opened fire.

The shooter, a 23-year-old American citizen from New York, also an employee of the hotel, was later killed by police during an exchange of gunfire. The hotel worker, 33-year-old Armando Abed of the West Galilee, was employed in the hotel as a chef.

Guests were instructed to remain in the rooms, following the original shooting. Shortly afterwards, a large police contingent, and counter-terrorism unit arrived on the scene. They started investigating the incident and searched for the suspect.

Guests were allowed to leave their rooms after the shooter was killed by police fire.

Eyal, a guest at the hotel, spoke to Haaretz about the incident. “We were in the dining room, and suddenly we heard shots fired. Both guests and hotel workers were very frightened. No one understood what was going on."

"Ten seconds later the dining room was blocked off and we were asked to go to our rooms and stay inside,” he said.

Naomi Sela, who is staying at the hotel with her husband and four children, told Haaretz, “We had just arrived to receive our rooms at the reception desk, and suddenly we saw a fight break out between two hotel workers near the entrance. One of the workers took the security guard’s pistol, and even though people tried to break them up, the guy managed to pick up the pistol after it fell.

“When I saw the pistol waving in the air and I heard the gunshot, I ran into the hotel with my kids. Suddenly there were shots, and my husband, who is an amputee, took cover in the lobby, and ran towards the children.

Suddenly he noticed the worker running with the pistol, and thought that the shooter was targeting him, but it turns out he was aiming for someone next to him. The shooter ran away with the pistol, and then my husband fell, and was hurt.”

The gunman was participating in a program called “Oranim,” Israel Police said. Ofer Gutman, head of Oranim, which is affiliated with Masa Israel Journey, said that the program brings Jews to Israel for work and studies. Masa is a joint project of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

"He was a normal guy," Gutman told The Associated Press. "There was nothing that indicated what would happen in the end." Gutman declined to give the attacker's name.




Police on the scene at the Leonardo Club Hotel in Eilat.Jacky Poms



Gutman spoke by telephone before boarding a flight to Eilat, where he hoped to calm the gunman's fellow program participants. "It's terrible what happened," he said.

The man arrived in Israel about two months ago on the Oranim program, combining Hebrew study, travel and work in an Eilat hotel along with a university course on hotel management, Gutman said. On Tuesday, the hotel and the program decided, together with the man, to terminate his work at the hotel, and the Oranim staff was planning to reassign him to another workplace, Gutman said.

Gutman did not say why it was decided to end his work at the hotel, but said participants sometimes transfer to other workplaces based on their personal preferences.

According to Israeli media reports, there was a conflict between the shooter and one of the other workers. According to other employees, he was in the process of being fired, and there was some kind of money-related dispute. It is not known why the specific employee was shot and killed.

Zechi Heller, a Magen David Adom spokesperson said that “at precisely 9:06 A.M., we received reports of a shooting at the Leonardo Club Hotel in Eilat. Because the nature of the incident was unknown, we sent large teams to the scene."

“When we arrived we found a man with a severe wound to the head, and our team was forced to declare him dead. A few minutes later, we treated another 9 patients for shock, who were then transferred to the Yoseftal Medical Center."

A spokesman for the Negev region police, Doron Ben-Amo, also spoke with Haaretz. “At around 9 A.M. a report of a shooting at the Leonardo Club Hotel was received. The incident ended quickly, and further harm to civilians was prevented by fast, and effective action undertaken by Eilat and special forces. The event was strictly of a criminal nature. Initial investigations point to a conflict between two workers, over money,” said Ben-Amo.


OIC calls for ban on attacks on religious symbols


Representatives of the 57 member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) pose during the OIC conference in Libreville on April 19, 2012.

Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:37AM GMT

"We acknowledge the importance of freedom of expression, but at the same time stress the need to ensure that this freedom should be exercised by all with responsibility and in accordance with the relevant international human rights laws."


The Organization of Islamic Cooperation

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‘US fuels anger throughout Muslim world’

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called for the adoption of international laws to criminalize all forms of attacks against Islam and other religions.

On Friday, OIC foreign ministers issued a joint statement after a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling on governments around the world "to take all appropriate measures, including necessary legislation against these acts that lead to incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence.”

The foreign ministers of the 57-nation bloc issued the statement in response to a blasphemous movie produced in the United States and a French magazine’s publication of cartoons that insult Islam and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

They condemned "intolerance, discrimination, profiling, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, religious hatred and violence against Muslims, as well as denigration of their religion" caused by the blasphemous materials.

"These Islamophobic acts stand in violation of the freedom of religion and belief, guaranteed by international human rights instruments, and have deeply offended" Muslims across the world, the statement added.

"We acknowledge the importance of freedom of expression, but at the same time stress the need to ensure that this freedom should be exercised by all with responsibility and in accordance with the relevant international human rights laws."

The OIC ministers called for "global awareness about the dangerous implications of incitement to religious hatred, discrimination and violence."


Anti-US demonstrations, which began on September 11 over the blasphemous movie, continued on Friday, with protesters chanting slogans against Washington, marching on US embassies, and torching US flags in several Asian cities.
Muslims in Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Iraq, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Australia, Britain, the United States, France, Belgium, and several other countries have held many demonstrations to condemn the blasphemous movie over the past weeks. Protests were also held in Kashmir and the Gaza Strip.

GJH/MHB/MA


Mika: Obama's Debate Performance 'Makes Me Sick To My Stomach'

By Mark Finkelstein | October 04, 2012 | 15:42


Did Frank Rich, back in his drama-critic days, ever pan an actor's performance this profoundly?

Making it much worse is that Mika Brzezinski knows and avidly supports the actor in question: Barack Obama. On today's Morning Joe, Brzezinski exclaimed that Obama's disastrous debate performance "makes me sick to my stomach." View the video after the jump. Hat tip reader cobokat.



David Remnick of The New Yorker tried to ride to Obama's defense, but poor Mika was inconsolable. I'll be back with the transcript, but in the meantime, sympathize with Mika's distress.



MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, if you can't engage on that level. If you can't just get in there and get in someone's face and engage, then perhaps the problem is people are going to tie that performance to his inability to get things done in Washington. That, that makes me sick to my stomach. He needs to regain for the next debate, Chuck Todd, thank you. What's so funny?

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, it makes me sick to my stomach.

DAVID REMNICK: He accomplished a tremendous amount. This was a catastrophic, he inherited --

BRZEZINSKI: No, I'm sorry. But that's what I saw.

REMNICK: He inherited a catastrophic economy and did a tremendous amount to rescue it from getting worse and worse and worse. How did this theme not get played out last night?

BRZEZINSKI: I don't know. But it's going to have to be fixed.


About the AuthorMark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters Senior Contributor. Click here to follow Mark Finkelstein on Twitter.

Source: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2012/10/04/mika-obamas-debate-performance-makes-me-sick-my-stomach#ixzz28QmoYFV1

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Thursday, October 04, 2012

James Arrabito The Inroads of Spiritualism



Uploaded by TheMedien on Jan 9, 2011

No description available.

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The Bible - Quotes from Famous Men





“We account the scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy.
I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever."



Isaac Newton, English mathematician and scientist, 1642-1727





“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”

President George Washington, First President of the United States




“It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.”

Horace Greeley, Editor and Politician



* surprising it is, that the people who barely know the Bible their whole life have come to believe that it is the word of God."

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Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Symptoms Of A Prevalent Antichrist Spirit!

Last Trumpet Newsletter

Volume XXXI Issue X October 2012
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org





"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."  John 5:43

"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."  Matthew 24:23-24

"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, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."  II Thessalonians 2:3-4

"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."  I John 2:18


In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will shine a light on the spirit of antichrist, which has now risen up in these last days. This strange spirit, which often takes on a blasphemous messianic tone, has grown increasingly prevalent in these latter days, and with the 2012 presidential election in the United States set to take place in the coming weeks, this unclean antichrist spirit is manifesting again.

In the book of I John, chapter 2, verse 18, we are warned that many antichrists would rise up in "the last time." One such example of an antichrist is none other than the current president of the United States, Barack Obama. This fact became clear to all discerning Christians when Obama ran for president the first time in the 2008 election. While campaigning for the office of the presidency, Barack Obama made the following statement during a speech in New Hampshire on January 7, 2008, "A light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you. You will experience an epiphany… and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama." (1) Despite his assertion that he is a Christian, Barack Obama has done nothing to discourage people from worshipping him. In one such example, an associate editor for a campus newspaper by the name of Maggie Mertens was quoted as saying, "Obama is my homeboy. And I'm not saying that because he's black - I'm saying that in reference to those Urban Outfitters t-shirts from a couple years ago that said 'Jesus is my homeboy.' Yes, I just said it. Obama is my Jesus." (2) It was also in 2008 when Louis Farrakhan, the leader of a religious group known as the Nation of Islam, declared that Obama was a "herald of the Messiah." "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about. That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking," Farrakhan declared. He further went on to say, "Brothers and sisters, Barack Obama to me, is a herald of the Messiah. Barack Obama is like a trumpet that alerts you to something new, something better is on the way." (3) Pop singer Gordon Sumner, who is commonly known as Sting, also expressed his admiration for Obama. In an article published in October 2009, Sumner was quoted as saying, "In many ways, he's (Obama) sent from God, because the world's a mess." (4)

Despite many broken campaign promises and a lackluster job performance since 2009, a large contingent of people still continue to offer their worship and devotion to Obama. One such example is a book entitled "The Gospel of Barack Hussein Obama According to Mark," written by Mark F. Bozzuti-Jones and published on March 20, 2012. Regarding the book, Bozzuti-Jones stated that it "is designed to initiate the reader into a meditation on what it means to be human, what it means to be a manifestation of God, and how Barack Obama is a unique and important manifestation of God's desire for human flourishing." (5) Yet another example of Obama-related idolatry was found at the recent Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. A sixteen-month calendar, entitled "Keep the Dream" and published by a man known as James Hickman, features a blasphemous page for the month of August. The page features a picture of Barack Obama's purported birth certificate and a caption with the words "Heaven Sent." Underneath those words, the text of John 3:16 is displayed, which reads, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." (6)

First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, has also used messianic overtones to describe her husband. Speaking at a campaign rally on April 17, 2012, Michelle Obama declared, "We have an amazing story to tell. The president has brought us out of the darkness and into the light." (7) In her statement the First Lady has taken an attribute of God and applied it to her husband. For as it says in I Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."

When we examine the facts, it becomes obvious that Barack Obama is an antichrist. Although I do not believe he is the "son of perdition," spoken of in II Thessalonians 2, I do believe that he is an integral part of Satan's plan to overtake the world and establish a new world order. As Christians, we must always be mindful that we should never give our worship and devotion to a man. For as Jesus told Satan in Luke 4:8, "… It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

It is worthwhile to note that although there are many people with an unnatural and unholy devotion to Barack Obama, there are also many people in the United States who oppose him. In fact, a county judge by the name of Tom Head in Lubbock County, Texas, has warned that there could be serious repercussions if Obama is given another four years as president. "He's going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the UN, and what is going to happen when that happens? I'm thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. And we're not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations; we're talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy," opined Judge Head. (8) Will there be civil unrest in America? Only God knows for certain, but when we consider the fact that so many people are discussing this potential danger in the United States, all discerning Christians should be prompted to fall to their knees and seek God all the more fervently as we watch and pray in the uncertain days ahead.

Incidentally, my father, Pastor David J. Meyer, produced a DVD in 2008 on the subject of Barack Obama entitled Profile of An Antichrist. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this DVD, you may write to our postal address and request one. As with everything we offer, there is no price for the DVD. We operate entirely on donations and have done so for nearly thirty-two years.

A Film To Incite The Islamic World!

On July 1, 2012, a mysterious film appeared on the video-sharing website known as YouTube. This video, which has been known by various titles, including The Real Life of Muhammad and The Innocence of Muslims, depicts the man that the Islamic world consider to be their prophet as a murderous child-molesting buffoon. (9) The fourteen-minute film was later dubbed into Arabic, and on September 8, 2012, an excerpt was broadcast on the Egyptian Islamist television network known as Al-Nas TV. (10) In the wake of the release of the film, violent protests have swept throughout the Middle East, and at least forty-seven people have been killed. (11) Followers of the Islamic faith consider any depiction of Muhammad, whether on film, in drawings, paintings, or any other method, to be blasphemy and a crime punishable by death. Numerous figures in the Islamic world have now called for retaliation against the United States and Israel, while others have called upon the United States to outlaw blasphemy against their prophet. "The offense caused to the messenger (Prophet Muhammad) will put all American interests in danger and we will not forgive them for that," declared Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaib al-Haq militia in Iraq. (12) In several countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia, protestors set American flags on fire and chanted, "Death to America!" The protestors, which sometimes became violent, did not shy away from expressing their hatred for the United States. "We will defend our prophet until we have blood across our bodies. We will not let anyone insult him. Americans will pay for their dishonor," said one protestor in Kabul, Afghanistan. (13) In Beirut, Lebanon, leader of the terrorist group Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made the following proclamation to thousands of Lebanese people who gathered in protest of the film, "Prophet of god, we offer ourselves, our blood, and our kin for the sake of your dignity and honor." (14) The government of Iran also condemned the film and promised to pursue the filmmakers who are responsible for it. "Certainly we will search for, track, and pursue this guilty person who has insulted 1.5 billion Muslims in the world," First Vice-President of Iran, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, stated. (15) Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed of the Islamist organization known as Jamatud Dawa called on the United States to outlaw blasphemy against their prophet at a protest rally in Pakistan. "The US must make a law against blasphemy - or we will not let the US consulates in Pakistan function," Saeed declared. (16)

The Islamic rage of recent days has also resulted in attacks against American Embassies in certain countries, such as Libya, Yemen, and Egypt. One such incident occurred on September 13, 2012, in Yemen when an angry mob stormed the Embassy of the United States, smashed windows, burned the American flag, and replaced it with a black banner declaring, "There is no god but Allah." (17) Sadly, another attack, which occurred on September 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya, resulted in the death of United States Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. (18) The terrorist group known as Al-Qaida rejoiced over the slayings of the Americans and urged Muslims to take further action, declaring the need to "purge our land of their filth in revenge for the honor of the prophet." (19)

In the United States, government officials have criticized the anti-Islamic film and have attempted to persuade Google, the company which owns YouTube, to remove the video from circulation. However, Google has rejected the request, choosing rather to censor it only in countries where it is illegal. "We've restricted access to it in countries where it is illegal such as India and Indonesia, as well as in Libya and Egypt, given the very sensitive situations in these two countries," Google stated. (20) The refusal of Google to censor the film has raised the ire of Islamic figures such as Khalid Amayreh, a prominent journalist in Hebron. "Yes, we understand the First Amendment and all of this stuff. But you must also understand that the prophet (for us) is a million times more sacred than the American Constitution," Amayreh stated. (21)

It is unfortunate that a fourteen-minute film is capable of sparking such anger, hatred, and violence around the world. The Islamic position of avenging the honor of their prophet stands in stark contrast to the principles which Christian people adhere to. In Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus instructed us as follows, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." The Apostle Paul also admonished us not to seek vengeance in Romans 12:18-21, which states, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

Preparations For War!

For many months, the countries of Israel and Iran have traded threats of war back and forth, and much speculation has been made regarding when and if a military conflict might begin. These "rumours of war" have not abated, and many figures involved on both sides of the conflict make the notion that there will soon be a war between these two nations sound like a forgone conclusion.

Recent reports have now surfaced indicating that the Obama Administration has sought to distance itself from Israel in recent weeks. The shaky relations between Obama and Israel were highlighted in a report by a Jewish newspaper known as Yedioth Ahronoth, which made the claim that the United States had used back-channels to communicate a message to Iran that indicated that it would not back Israel in an attack as long as Iran refrained from targeting American interests in the region. However, the United States has flatly denied these allegations. "I can tell you that there is absolutely no daylight between the United States and Israel when it comes to the necessity of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," insisted White House spokesman Jay Carney. (22) It is worth noting that Barack Obama rejected a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold a meeting in the United States ostensibly to discuss potential military options. (23) This rejection came after Netanyahu launched a thinly-veiled verbal attack against the Obama Administration when he declared, "The world tells Israel 'wait, there's still time.' And I say 'Wait for what? Wait until when? Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel." (24)

Meanwhile, according to a report by Channel 2 News in Israel, Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak have "almost finally" reached a decision to attack Iran. (25) Former American Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, has also declared that there is a high likelihood that war will break out within the next six months. "There is still time, perhaps six months, even by Prime Minister Netanyahu's own time table to try and see if a negotiated solution can be worked out," Indyk said. However, he warned that if negotiations fail there will likely be war in 2013. "I am afraid that 2013 is going to be a year in which we're going to have a military confrontation with Iran," Indyk told reporters on the CBS news program "Face the Nation." (26)

As various public figures have continued to express their thoughts on the possibility of war, the nation of Iran has made attempts to flex its military might. On Friday, September 21, 2012, the Iran military paraded thousands of military personnel, plus tanks and missiles, for the public to see during a celebration of the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. (27) Iran has also deployed a Russian-made submarine to the Persian Gulf, even as the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, announced upgrades to Iranian military forces. "The armed forces should be upgraded in a way that no one will be able to violate the reinforced fortress of Iran," Khamenei declared. (28) One such upgrade to the Iranian military is the new Meshkat Cruise Missile, which reportedly has a range of 2,000 kilometers, or 1,242 miles. Such missiles are reportedly capable of striking many cities in Israel, including Jerusalem. (29) The government of Iran has made it clear that they are expecting Israel to attack. "Their threats only prove that their enmity with Islam and the revolution is serious, and eventually this enmity will lead to physical conflict," stated Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. He further went on to say, "A war will occur, but it's not clear where or when it will be. Israel seeks war with us, but it's not clear when the war will occur." (30)

The nations of Israel and Iran may soon be at war. The repercussions of such a conflict could be far more devastating than many people anticipate and even lead to a third World War. I pray that such a tragedy can be avoided; however, both sides seem more determined than ever to destroy each other. In fact, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi has great anticipation for the conflict, because he believes it will lead to a great war, and the reappearance of an Islamic religious figure known as the twelfth imam Mahdi. This imam, according to certain Islamic traditions, is expected to kill all who oppose Islam and raise the flag of their religion in all corners of the world. (31) With so much uncertainty in the days, it is of the utmost importance that we continue to watch and pray.

A New Conflict In Asia!

Even as we see the Islamic world assembling in violent protests and a buildup to a possible war between Israel and Iran, a conflict has now surfaced in Asia as well. Tensions have flared between Japan and China over a disputed chain of islands, which each country claims as their own. The controversy began when the Japanese government purchased three islands in the Senkaku island chain (Diaoyu Islands in China) from private owners, which effectively nationalized them. (32) In response, China sent six surveillance ships into the disputed area and issued a warning to the Japanese ships located near the islands. "The actions of your ships violate China's sovereignty and rights. Any unilateral act from your side regarding the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands is illegal and invalid. Please stop any infringing acts. Otherwise, your side will bear the consequences caused by your actions," declared a Chinese Marine Surveillance officer in a radio message to the Japanese ships. (33)

Japan's decision to purchase the islands has sparked a nationalistic fervor in China with thousands of Chinese citizens gathering to protest against Japan. One such protest occurred at the Japanese embassy in Beijing, China, on September 15, 2012. Riot police were called to the scene to control a crowd of an estimated two thousand angry protestors, some of which were throwing stones and other items at the Japanese building. (34) Due to dangerous conditions and threats against Japanese people and companies, numerous businesses were forced to temporarily shut down their operations in China. Some of these companies include Mazda Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Company, Canon, and Panasonic. (35) Regarding the massive protests which occurred in China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei issued the following statement, "The gravely destructive consequences of Japan's illegal purchase of the Diaoyu Islands are steadily emerging, and the responsibility for this should be borne by Japan." (36) United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed great concern over the conflict between China and Japan. "Obviously we're concerned by the demonstrations and the conflict over the Senkaku Islands. It is extremely important that diplomatic means on both sides be used to try to constructively resolve these issues," Panetta stated. In another grave statement issued to reporters, Panetta also declared, "It raises the possibility that a misjudgment on one side or the other could result in violence, and could result in conflict. And that conflict would then have the potential of expanding." (37) Panetta also made it clear that the United States would support Japan in the event of a conflict with China. "Obviously we stand by our treaty obligations. They are longstanding, and that does not change," Panetta said. (38)

The Impact Of Obama's Economic Plan!

In July 2012, Barack Obama spoke at a fundraiser in Oakland, California, where he declared while speaking of his economic policies, "We tried our plan - and it worked." (39) If Obama considers his economic policies successful, we must stop and ask ourselves what exactly he was hoping to accomplish in the first place. In fact, there are numerous news reports which have surfaced in recent days indicating that the American people are far worse off than they used to be.

Although the official unemployment rate fell from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent in September 2012, the decrease was mainly caused by Americans leaving the labor force rather than new jobs being created. In fact, a news report published by Bloomberg stated that 368,000 Americans stopped looking for work in August 2012. (40) Amazingly enough, more Americans were employed during the recession than those who are employed right now, according to a report by The Weekly Standard. At this present time, only 58.3 percent of all working-age Americans are employed. This percentage was 59.4 percent during the recession. (41)

If one of Barack Obama's goals was to transform the United States into a poverty-stricken welfare state, he has succeeded in that regard. Sadly, 265,000 Americans were added to the food stamp program from April to June 2012. This is a figure which exceeds the amount of Americans who were able to find a job in that same time period. (42) The total recipients of food stamps reached 46.7 million people in June 2012. (43) Meanwhile, homelessness in New York City has risen to 41,000 people, with 19,000 of those people being children. This sad state of affairs prompted Patrick Markee of the Coalition for the Homeless to say, "Not since the grim days of the Great Depression has New York City had 20,000 children sleeping homeless each night." (44)

Even as the United States government continues to increase the national debt at a staggering pace, warnings around the world are being sounded, declaring that the future in the United States could be very bleak. "Ahead of the election in the United States there is great uncertainty about the course American politics will take in dealing with the U.S. government's debts, which are much too high. We need to remind ourselves of that sometimes and the global economy knows that and is burdened by it," stated German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. (45) With the national debt in the United States now exceeding sixteen trillion dollars, (46) credit rating agency Egan-Jones has once again downgraded their credit rating for the United States. One of the reasons given for the downgrade was a decision by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke to institute another round of quantitative easing, which will pump forty billion dollars into the American economy each month for an undetermined duration of time. (47)

In closing, I know there is much more that could be said about these uncertain times in which we live, and we will cover some of those topics in subsequent issues of the Last Trumpet Newsletter. One thing I am certain of is that we must look to God and put our hope and trust in Him. I would not want to face the challenges of this world without the guiding hand of our Saviour, and thankfully we know that He will never forsake us. For as Jesus told us in John 14:16-18, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." If you have not yet fully given your heart to God, I encourage you to do so now.

Thank you to all who so generously support this ministry. It is a humbling thought to know that we are deemed worthy of your consideration, and we thank God for the resources and the abilities He has given us to carry out this ministry. If you have any prayer requests, small or great, please feel welcome to send them our way. We know from experience that God truly hears every prayer. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.Samuel David Meyer

Acknowledgments
01. WorldNetDaily, October 10, 2008, By WorldNetDaily, http://wnd.com.
02. WorldNetDaily, October 16, 2008, By WorldNetDaily, http://wnd.com.
03. WorldNetDaily, October 10, 2008, By WorldNetDaily, http://wnd.com.
04. WorldNetDaily, October 29, 2009, By WorldNetDaily, http://wnd.com.
05. Amazon.com, The Gospel of Barack Hussein Obama According to Mark, Official Book Description, By Mark F. Bozzuti-Jones http://amazon.com.
06. Breitbart, September 3, 2012, By William Bigelow, http://breitbart.com.
07. The Weekly Standard, April 17, 2012, By Daniel Halper, http://weeklystandard.com.
08. Fox 34 News, August 23, 2012, By Fox 34 News, http://myfoxlubbock.com.
09. Wikipedia, Innocence of Muslims http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocence_of_muslims.
10. Ibid.
11. Associated Press, September 21, 2012, By Associated Press, http://news.yahoo.com.
12. Reuters News Service, September 13, 2012, By Suadad al-Salhy, Baghdad, Iraq.
13. Reuters News Service, September 17, 2012, By Mirwais Harooni, Kabul, Afghanistan.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. The Express Tribune, September 17, 2012, By Rana Tanveer, http://tribune.com.pk.
17. Associated Press, September 13, 2012, By Associated Press, Sanaa, Yemen.
18. Ibid.
19. Associated Press, September 18, 2012, By Maamoun Youssef, Cairo, Egypt.
20. Reuters News Service, September 17, 2012, By Gerry Shih, San Francisco, California.
21. Associated Press, September 18, 2012, By Gillian Flaccus, Cerritos, California.
22. Associated Press, September 14, 2012, By Daniel Estrin, Jerusalem, Israel.
23. Reuters News Service, September 11, 2012, By Jeffrey Heller, Jerusalem, Israel.
24. Ibid.
25. The Times of Israel, August 11, 2012, By Times of Israel Staff, http://timesofisrael.com.
26. The Times of Israel, September 17, 2012, By Michal Shmulovich, http://timesofisrael.com.
27. France24, September 21, 2012, By Blade, http://france24.com/en.
28. Associated Press, September 18, 2012, By Nasser Karimi, Tehran, Iran.
29. The Washington Free Beacon, September 10, 2012, By Adam Kredo, http://freebeacon.com.
30. Reuters News Service, September 22, 2012, By Yeganeh Torbati, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
31. WorldNetDaily, By Reza Kahlili, September 20, 2012, http://wnd.com.
32. Associated Press, September 14, 2012, By Malcolm Foster, Tokyo, Japan.
33. Ibid.
34. AFP News, September 16, 2012, By Neil Connor, http://news.yahoo.com.
35. Reuters News Service, September 17, 2012, By Kazunori Takada and Chris Buckley, Shanghai/Beijing, China.
36. Ibid.
37. AFP News, September 17, 2012, By Dan De Luce, http://news.yahoo.com.
38. Ibid.
39. The Washington Examiner, July 24, 2012, By Joel Gehrke, http://washingtonexaminer.com.
40. Bloomberg News, September 7, 2012, By Shobhana Chandra, http://bloomberg.com.
41. The Weekly Standard, September 10, 2012, By Jeffrey H. Anderson, http://weeklystandard.com.
42. The Weekly Standard, September 21, 2012, By Daniel Halper, http://weeklystandard.com.
43. Bloomberg News, September 4, 2012, By Alan Bjerga, http://bloomberg.com.
44. The Huffington Post, September 10, 2012, By The Huffington Post, http://huffingtonpost.com.
45. Reuters News Service, September 11, 2012, By Reuters News Service, http://reuters.com.
46. Fox News, September 4, 2012, By Greg Wilson, http://foxnews.com. 47. CNBC, September 14, 2012, By CNBC, http://cnbc.com.

Special Note: A new tribute website for Pastor David J. Meyer can now be accessed at http://pastormeyer.org.

Comments regarding this newsletter or topic suggestions may be submitted to editor@lasttrumpetnewsletter.org.
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