Can Israel be destroyed again?

Israel Cannot Be Destroyed Again

By Daymond Duck 

www.raptureready.com

The Bible clearly says that God gave the Promised Land to the Jews forever. It’s even an undeniable fact of history that Jews have lived on the Promised Land for centuries. Even during the Babylonian and Roman dispersions there were still some Jews on the Promised Land. Nevertheless, it’s not uncommon to hear Church leaders in mainline denominations refer to major portions of the Promised Land as “occupied territory” because Jews live on it. These Church leaders claim to understand the Scriptures, but if they do they are making themselves willingly ignorant of what the Scriptures say.

GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM

God asked Abraham to move to the Promised Land. After he moved, God said, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Gen. 17:7-8).

A) God’s covenant with “thee” means with Abraham.

B) With “thy seed after thee” means with Abraham’s descendants after him.

C) In “their generations” means anytime Abraham has living descendants.

D) For an “everlasting covenant” means God’s covenant will last forever.

E) “I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land” means God gave the Promised Land to Abraham and his descendants (the Jews; see below).

F) “All the land of Canaan” means all (not part) of the Promised Land belongs to Abraham and his descendants (the Jews).

G) “For an everlasting possession” means all of the Promised Land belongs to Abraham and his descendants (the Jews) forever.

H) “I will be their God” means God made a covenant with Abraham to be Israel’s God.

THROUGH ISAAC NOT ISHMAEL

Some ask, “Does God’s covenant with Abraham go through Isaac, Ishmael or both?” God answered the question: “Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year” (Gen. 17:18-21). God said the covenant will go through Isaac not Ishmael.

This is not unfair. God loved Ishmael and promised: 1) to bless him, 2) To give him many descendants, and 3) to make him into a great nation. Ishmael now has about 300 million descendants. Ishmael’s descendants now rule in more than twenty Arab nations. God gave them billions of barrels of oil. But God didn’t give Ishmael’s descendants (the Arabs) the Promised Land. God said His covenant will go through Isaac.

The descendants of Isaac (not Ishmael) will eventually possess all of the Promised Land forever.

THROUGH JACOB NOT ESAU

The answer to this question is found in God’s covenant with Jacob. God told Jacob, “Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel . . . And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land” (Gen. 35:10-12).

WHAT IF GOD DOESN’T KEEP HIS COVENANT

If God didn’t keep His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants through Jacob, God would be a liar or the Bible is wrong. But God does not lie and the Bible is not wrong. All of the Promised Land belongs to Israel and none of the Promised Land belongs to the Arabs or Muslims.

WHAT IF THE NATIONS REJECT OR IGNORE GOD’S COVENANT

God’s Word is settled forever (Psa. 119:89). He won’t break His covenant. If the nations keep rejecting and ignoring God’s covenant by attacking Israel without His approval they will eventually wind up in a battle with God called the Tribulation Period and the Battle of Armageddon. Don’t forget that the covenant says God is Israel’s God.

WHAT IF THE JEWS SIN

God clearly said they would sin and He would put them off the land, but He would not forget the covenant. Concerning their sin, He said, “And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 26:44-45).

In the days of Jeremiah, He said, “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner” (Jer. 31:35-38). Israel won’t cease to be a nation as long as the sun, moon and stars are shining.

ISRAEL WILL EVENTUALLY OCCUPY THE LAND AND NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO REMOVE THEM

God said, “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:15).

The prophet Ezekiel spoke of a time that the Jews believe is beginning to come true today. God said, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded” (Ezek. 36:26-33).

ISRAEL IS THE KEY TO BIBLE PROPHECY

Israel must exist to be God’s people and exist in the latter years and latter days (Ezek. 38:8, 13). Israel must exist to be God’s people and God heritage at the Battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:1-2). Israel must complete all seventy weeks or 490 years of her punishment all prophecy is fulfilled and the time of everlasting righteousness begins (Dan. 9:24). Israel must exist for Jerusalem to be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone for the whole world at the end of the age (Zech. 12:2-3). Israel must exist to sign a seven-year covenant at the end of the age that will begin the Tribulation Period (Dan. 9:27). Israel must exist to rebuild the Temple (Matt. 24:15; II Thess. 2:4). Israel must exist to resume the animal sacrifices before the Antichrist can stop them (Dan. 9:27). Israel must exist to flee into the wilderness when the Antichrist defiles the Temple (Matt. 24:15-17).

WHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS

Paul addressed the question this way, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” (Rom. 11:1-2a).

Paul also said, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Rom. 11:25-30). God will not repent or change His mind about His gifts and calling of Israel.

When the angel Gabriel announced the virgin birth to Mary, he took a message from God and addressed it this way, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:26-33). Jesus didn’t sit on the throne of David or reign over the house of Jacob forever at His first coming, but He will. He will come back and the government will be on His shoulder (Isa. 9:6).

Prophecy Plus Ministries

Daymond & Rachel Duck

daymondduck@bellsouth.net

rachelduck@bellsouth.net

Revelation Chapter 20 Revealed

Revelation: Chapter 20

by Dr. David R. Reagan

www.lamblion.us

As Chapter 20 opens, Jesus is ready to begin His reign here on Earth. But, there's one last piece of business He's got to take care of. He has taken care of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. He's defeated them and their armies, and He has thrown them into the Lake of Fire, which is Hell, where they will be tormented forever and ever.

But, there's still one last rebel left, and that's Satan. So, the Lord's first business in Chapter 20 is to bind Satan and put him into a great abyss where he will be confined for the next thousand years. During that time, Satan and his demonic hoards will not be allowed to roam upon the Earth.

Who will reign?

Then, Chapter 20 says that we the Redeemed are going to reign with the Lord Jesus Christ for a thousand years. That reign is not described here in great detail. You will find the detailed description of it in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Isaiah. We are told that Jesus will rule with a "rod of iron," and we are told that some people will reign with Him, specifically, those to whom judgment has been given.

Now, who specifically will reign with Jesus? According to Daniel 7, Old Testament saints will be included in this group. "The saints of the highest one will receive the kingdom, then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the highest one."

The apostles will also be included. In Matthew 19:28 Jesus promised his apostles that, "In the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Those of us who have become saints during the Church Age will certainly be included. That promise is made in several places in the New Testament. For example, in Revelation 2 it states: "and he who overcomes, to him I will give authority over the nations; and He shall rule them with a rod of iron."

Finally, the Tribulation martyrs who die for Jesus will be included, according to Revelation 20. "And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

What will we do?

Some of us will be administrators serving as mayors, governors and kings. Jesus made this point in one of His parables that degrees of reigning authority would be part of the rewards that believers would receive, based upon their faithfulness in this life. Others of us will serve as judges. Most of us will serve as teachers. That's right, we're going to provide the worldwide educational system, serving as shepherds and priests of God. It will be our responsibility to bring each person born during the Millennium to salvation through a saving faith in Jesus.

None of us will be legislators — none of us — because the government of the world will be a theocracy in which Jesus will be both the spiritual and governmental leader. The offices of priest and king will be combined in Him. He will give the law and we will teach it and enforce it.

Who will the Redeemed be ruling over?

Where will the millennial population come from? The people who will be allowed to go into the Millennium in the flesh will be the small number of Jews and Gentiles who live to the end of the Tribulation who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You see, when Jesus returns, we're told that He will judge immediately all those left alive. The Jewish judgment is described in Ezekiel 20 and the Gentile in Matthew 25. Those who have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior at the end of that Tribulation period will be consigned to death.

You and I — the Redeemed — will be in glorified bodies, like the body Jesus has now. And, just as He mingled and interacted with His disciples after His resurrection while He was in a glorified body and they were in fleshly bodies, in like manner, we who will be in glorified bodies will live among and rule over those who are in fleshly bodies.

Jesus will reign in His glorified body as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords from Jerusalem. We're told in the Old Testament that David in his glorified body will rule as the king of Israel. And, as I said before, some of us will be administrators and some of us will be judges, and most of us will be teachers. We will be scattered all over the earth reigning over those who are in the flesh.

We're told in the book of Isaiah that life spans will be returned to what they were at the Fall in the Garden of Eden, that is, a thousand years. That means the people who enter the Millennium in the flesh and the children born to them during the Millennium will live the entire time. And, because death will be curtailed and life spans will be extended, the earth will experience a great population explosion. Most likely, by the end of the Millennium, there will be more people on the face of the earth than ever before in the history of mankind. And, it will be the responsibility of the Redeemed to bring those born during that time to salvation in Jesus Christ.

Who will be saved in the Millennial Kingdom?

You may think, "Well, of course everyone will accept Jesus during the Millennial Kingdom. After all, they will be able to see Him in His glorified body, and they will experience first-hand the blessings of His rule." But remember, Jesus was here once before, and all He did was love people and heal them and feed them, and they responded by nailing Him to a cross.

The heart of man is going to be no different during this Millennial period. Sin will be less because Satan and his demonic hoards will be restrained, but there will still be sin and rebellion in people's hearts because we are born with a sin nature. According to Jesus, the evil that is in the world comes from within man. All Satan does is multiply it through temptation. In fact, that's one of the purposes of the Millennium. God is going to use the Millennium to prove that Satan's religion — humanism — is wrong when it says that the way to change the world is to change society. Humanists take that position because they believe that evil is rooted in society. But, the word of God says that evil is rooted in the fallen nature of man and that the only way to change the world is to change people's hearts.

So, God is going to put all of mankind into a perfect environment for a thousand years, and at the end of that time He's going to let Satan loose. Satan will then expose the seed of rebellion that is in people's hearts. He will do this by convincing the nations to rebel against Jesus.

How can man rebel while in a paradise?

At this point you are probably wondering, "Well, why would people rebel after experiencing one thousand years of peace, righteousness and justice?" Well, think for a moment, think what it would be like to live under "the rule of the rod of iron" in the flesh. The flesh would want all the pleasures of the world: drugs, gambling, illicit sex, and pornography. But, these things would not be allowed under Jesus' rule of the rod of iron. Any attempt to indulge the flesh would be met with swift and sure justice. Violators would be tried before judges in glorified bodies, and there would be no appeal, because the judge's decision would be perfect.

And so, people on the surface will say, "We praise you Jesus!" But, there will be seething rebellion in their hearts. Satan is going to expose that rebellious spirit.

We're told in Revelation 20:7 that Satan will be let loose to test mankind, and he will rally the nations of the earth against Jesus. This will be man's last revolt against God, and through it God will prove conclusively that we do not change people by simply changing their environment. It is their hearts that must be changed, and that can be done only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What is the final judgment?

The Millennium will conclude with God pouring out His wrath upon Satan and those who follow him. Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to join the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

And then, God will resurrect and judge all the unrighteous who have ever lived, whether in Old Testament times, the Church Age, or the Millennium. This judgment is called "The Great White Throne Judgment." It is the judgment of the damned. All those who ever lived and died outside a faith relationship with God will be judged of their works to determine their eternal destiny. And, since no man can be justified before God by his works, all those who come before the Great White Throne Judgment — all of them — will be condemned to the Lake of Fire to experience what the Bible calls the "Second Death."

Jerusalem in the Last Days

O, Jerusalem!

Dave Hunt

www.thebereancall.org

Israel is the major topic of the Bible, occupying most of its pages. The many prophecies concerning its past, present, and future are vital in understanding God’s Word. Sadly, they are ignored, explained away, or simply rejected by the vast majority of professing Christians, a growing number of whom insist that Israel has been replaced by the church.

Yet Jeremiah declares that Israel will never “cease from being a nation” (Jer 31:35-37); in just one sermon Paul refers to Israel as an ongoing entity three times (Acts 13:17, 23, 24); and on the twelve gates of heavenly Jerusalem are written the names of “the twelve tribes of the children of Israel” (Rev 21:12)—so ten tribes were not lost after all!—along with the names of “the twelve apostles of the Lamb” in the foundations (21:14). Unaware that “replacement theology” is one of several Roman Catholic doctrines that clung to Luther, Calvin, and other leading reformers, it is accepted by many as Reformation theology.

Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all who believe on Him, is, of course, the most important subject in Scripture—yet without Israel, there would be no Savior. Jesus is a Jew, descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through King David, giving Him the right to rule Israel and the world. He was born in Israel, lived there all of His days on earth, and (with few exceptions) ministered solely to Jews: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 15:24). He commanded His disciples, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles...but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 10:5,6). After the Cross and Resurrection, however, He commanded them to take the gospel “into all the world” (Mat 28:19; Mk 16:15)—but the gospel remains “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).

Last month we saw that the incredible vastness of space makes it impossible for mankind to penetrate even the fringes of the cosmos either by vehicle or radio. How staggering, then, that the Creator has selected this tiny planet and one small city on it to be eternally the center of the universe. Bypassing thousands of larger cities with greater beauty and natural resources, God chose Jerusalem, saying, “I will put my name [there] for ever” (2 Kings 21:7; 2 Chr 33:7).

God declared that in the last days He would cause Jerusalem to be “a burdensome stone for all people” (Zec 12:3). For that to become true, there had to be a worldwide organization. The United Nations was formed in 1945 in time to vote Israel back into existence after 1,800 years of destruction and dispersion. And Jerusalem has become such a burden that the UN has spent one-third of its time debating and condemning Israel, a miniscule nation that represents merely one one-thousandth of earth’s population. Finally, World War III will be fought over Jerusalem as Antichrist’s armies seek to frustrate God’s plans for her and to accomplish at last Hitler’s “final solution to the Jewish problem” with the destruction of Israel and all Jews worldwide.

Twice in the Bible Jerusalem is called “the city of our God” (Ps 48:1, 8), twice the “city of God” (Ps 46:4; 87:3), eight times “the holy city” (Neh 11:1; Isa 48:2; 52:1; Mat 4:5, etc.), and once “the city of the LORD of hosts” (Ps 48:8). God has decreed that never will there be a city to rival Jerusalem! It is mentioned 811 times in the Bible but not once in the Qur’an, showing the lie that it ever was sacred to Muslims. Only after Israel’s rebirth was this bogus claim invented to justify Muslim attacks against Israel as an “occupying power.” The USA, UN, EU, et al., accept this lie as the basis of a “peace” they intend to force upon Israel with Muslim neighbors determined to destroy her.

Jerusalem’s entire history, including its destruction and ultimate restoration in the “last days,” was pronounced by ancient Hebrew prophets and by Jesus Christ (“There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down”–Mat 24:2; “the city shall be built...it shall not be...thrown down any more for ever”–Jer 31:38-40). Still in process, in the face of fierce opposition from the world and Satan, the ongoing fulfillment of these prophecies (none of which could possibly apply to the church) is the greatest proof God gives of His existence and that the Bible is His infallible Word—a vital proof that replacement theology rejects.

That Christians would deny God’s purposes for Israel is beyond comprehension. Equally incredible, throughout history Israel herself has rejected God and the blessings He would impart. This rebellion has persisted in spite of spectacular displays of God’s power and protection: the parting of the Red Sea, guidance by a pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day, water from a rock, fresh manna daily, hearing God speak with an audible voice, seeing the walls of Jericho come down, and the miraculous defeat of armies far superior to its own, etc.

This inexcusable unbelief continues today on the part of most Jews worldwide, as well as in the church. The vast majority of Jews persist in rejecting Christ as their Messiah in spite of His fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies that prove His identity beyond dispute. As their own Hebrew prophets foretold, the Messiah has come and has been rejected by His people and the world. Moreover, they even join heretical replacement theologians in refusing to acknowledge God’s hand in preserving the Jews as an identifiable ethnic people and bringing them back into their land after 2,500 years of dispersion.

Nothing so exemplifies God’s passionate desire to bless Israel, and her determined rejection of Him and the blessings He wants to bestow, as does Christ’s anguished lament over Jerusalem. Viewing the city of God from the Mount of Olives, He wept over her: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Lk 13:34).

The New Testament records only one instance of Christ weeping over Jerusalem. How, then, could He claim to have wept over her countless times? Clearly, He was claiming to be the God of Israel, who sent His prophets repeatedly: “And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them...yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD” (Jer 25:3-7).

As for replacement theology, yes, there are many similarities between Israel and the church: both are called God’s “elect” (Isa 45:4; Mat 24:31; 1 Pt 1:2); both are called to be a “peculiar people” separated from the world (Lev 20:24-26; Deut 14:2; Titus 2:14; 1 Pt 2:9); both were to be hated and persecuted (even to the death) by the world (Ps 119:161; Ps 143:3; Mat 24:9; Jn 15:20; 17:14); and both are called to holiness (Lev 20:7; 1 Pt 1:15).

However, there are many distinctions: Israel is promised a country and a city on this earth, the church a home in heaven. Israel will be ruled by Christ; the church will rule Israel and the world with Him. Two-thirds of all Jews on earth will be killed under Antichrist (Zec 13:8-9); but the church will not be on earth at that time, having been married to Christ in heaven (Rev 19:7,8). Israel will recognize Christ for the first time at His Second Coming; the church will arrive with Him from heaven in triumph (Zec 14:4,5; Jude 14) as His bride, never to leave His side.

Israel has always been in almost total unbelief, even in the days of Moses (Ps 81:8-13), but the church was faithful at the beginning and only goes into apostasy in the “last days” (Acts 20:29,30; 2 Thes 2:3). In spite of the complaint that the Israelis don’t deserve to be there because of their rebellion and rejection of Christ, their unbelief is no worse now than when God first brought them into the land under Joshua. Israel constantly rebelled and worshiped idols even under Moses on the way to the Promised Land.

Israel will come out of apostasy in a total transformation and restoration on this earth (Eze 36,37); but the church sinks ever deeper into apostasy until the Rapture (Acts 20:29-31; 2 Thes 2:3; Jude 3,4, etc.) and will only be perfected in heaven. Israel had already fallen away from the very beginning: the church began well but is in the process of falling away as the apostasy worsens in the last days. At my recent meetings in many places throughout England, a large percentage of those attending had fled apostate churches.

As Israel went into idolatry, adopting the gods of the nations around her, so the church, through the growing ecumenical movement, embraces false doctrine. Englishmen, whose forebears stood firmly against Rome’s grievous heresies in spite of flame and sword, now boast of their unity with the whore of Babylon. While there I thought repeatedly of Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley, in 1555, bound to the same stake at Oxford for refusing to accept the alleged “transubstantiation” of a wafer into the literal body of Christ. As the flames mounted, Latimer exclaimed, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day by God’s grace light such a candle in England as I trust shall never be put out.” Tragically, that flame is barely visible. The 16th-century Reformation that transformed England and Europe is now repudiated by the vast majority of Christians and church leaders.

Billy Graham says his beliefs are basically the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics. He claims that the Mass is “straight and true to the gospel” and boasts that the RCC has welcomed him everywhere. Chuck Colson, an architect of ECT, advocates joining Rome and attends Mass with his Roman Catholic wife. Rick Warren, James Dobson, et al., surely know better, yet work with Catholics and their Church and give no warning that Catholicism is the road to hell. I’d like to see these men visit Lourdes, France (as Ruth and I have just done) without being grieved in their spirits and smitten in their consciences.

Our hearts broke for these poor deceived people arriving at Lourdes in a continual stream by the thousands each day, many in wheel chairs or on pallets. As the long line moves slowly through the grotto, where “Mary” appeared to Bernadette in 1858, hands reach out to caress its walls, hoping to receive a healing or blessing. Some are whispering under their breath the “Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes: ‘O immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, you are the refuge of sinners, the health of the sick, and the comfort of the afflicted....By your appearance at the Grotto of Lourdes you made it a privileged sanctuary where your favors are given to people streaming to it from the whole world....Therefore I come to you with limitless confidence....Obtain, O loving Mother...my requests...I will endeavor to imitate Your virtues, that I may one day share in your glory.’” Mother of Mercy...refuge of sinners...your glory? What blasphemy!

This Catholic “Mary” is the dominant figure everywhere one turns. Jesus appears only as a babe in her arms (even in heaven!), hanging on the Cross, or lifeless on her lap at the foot of the Cross. In the main cathedral, behind the altar hovers a huge “Mary,” with the words, Par Marie à Jésus [“Through Mary to Jesus”]. Yes, Jesus is the acknowledged mediator with God, but Mary is the only way to Jesus. Any exaltation of Jesus is conspicuously absent. On hundreds of the stones with which the cathedral has been built are inscribed praises of and prayers to “Mary.”

Throngs of deluded souls, bearing candles of many sizes (purchased nearby at varying prices), walk the 100 yards or so past the grotto to two rows of adjoining metal stalls, where candles are put into position and lit with the flame of another to add to the continual conflagration. Thousands of these candles burn simultaneously, day and night, the melting wax dripping down through the grill into metal boxes that are replaced with empty ones and wheeled back to the factory to be recycled into more candles to make more money for the Church. Above and behind the candles in each section are written the words in several languages: in French—Cette lumière prolonge ma prière [“this light extends my prayer”].

The devout followers of “Mary” can also purchase Masses to be said for one’s “intention” somewhere in the world. Outside the fenced grounds, the town streets are lined with shops whose cash registers are ringing up sales of indulgences, crucifixes, and all manner of holy hardware that the Church has devised for passing on blessings from the “Virgin”—at a price. Among the biggest sellers are varying sizes of plastic bottles shaped like the “Virgin Mary” to be filled with water from the sacred spring.

Israel’s apostasy, including idol worship, is no worse than what Rome practices and with which evangelicals have joined in ecumenical partnership. The world is in rebellion against God, but so is the church. Proof of that rebellion is everywhere.

In one Normandy cemetery, I stumbled heartbroken through hundreds of the more than 9,000 stark white marble crosses marking, in perfect rows, the graves of men who died in the June 1944 invasion that freed Europe. Each marker bears the name, rank, outfit, and date of death. Unable to fathom such horror, I sobbed uncontrollably, my chest heaving, crying out, “Lord, why did you make man? You knew all the evil and suffering that would result. What is the point of these crosses? How many of these men believed in the Christ who died for their sins?”

Here and there was a white marble Star of David. A surprising number of these monuments had no names but only the caption, “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.” I thought of the many who were not resting but were in agony in the flames of hell. And once more, with heaving chest and irrepressible sobs, I gasped again and again, “Why, Lord? Why?”

I knew that God had created man to bestow His love and blessing upon him. This present evil world is not what God made and He cannot be blamed for it. This is the world man has made in defiance of God, by trying to act as his own God.

My sobs were only an echo of the cry of God’s own heart—which should touch ours. The Father grieves over this world, whether for the centuries-long rejection of His love by His chosen ones, the Jews, or for the apostasy of today’s “Christian” church, or for the lost who thumb their noses at His offer of forgiveness for their sins and eternal life in His presence.

Let us pray that true repentance will yet come to the church and to the world to gladden the Father’s heart and that Christ will see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.

We hear the lament O Jerusalem! echoing through the centuries undiminished, though Jew and Gentile crucified Him there. Now He weeps for the entire world. May we as envoys of His compassion do all we can to rescue as many as possible before it is forever too late.

Global Warming or End Time Catastrophic Climatic Imbalance?

Global Warming's True Believers 

Jack Kinsella 

Omega Letter Editor 

www.omegaletter.com 

Despite the realities of the situation, not the least of which is the sudden and total lack of evidence, the faith that True Believers have in anthropomorphic global warming is truly inspiring.

'Anthropomorphic' means 'man-caused' and that is a key element to the entire global warming swindle. If it is man-made, then an argument can be made that man should do something about it.

In such a case, some of the various schemes being advanced, like cap-and-trade, carbon credits and carbon-neutral footprints would make sense. (Almost).

The True Believers don't just have to have faith that the earth continues to warm even as the temperature falls. True Believers must not only have have faith that global warming causes falling temperatures, they have to be willing to make the argument in public.

True Believers must have faith that, despite all that is known about historical weather patterns, this time it is going to be catastrophic unless "something" is done to prevent it.

And more than anything else, True Believers must have faith that global warming is the direct result of human activity. That faith must be unshakeable, otherwise they wouldn't be True Believers. Indeed, one could argue that it is at this point that global warming passes from the realm of science into that of religion.

First off, the earth is carbon-based, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the earth emits carbons into the atmosphere. What would one expect a carbon-based planet to emit?

The planet's atmosphere is designed to function as a greenhouse. Were it not for the canopy of greenhouse gases surrounding our earth, water would boil in the noonday sun, and freeze solid every night. (If water could exist at all).

Let's consider the greenhouse gases themselves, for a second. The big one is carbon dioxide (82%). Carbon dioxide is what you breathe out after you've extracted all the oxygen. Plants breathe in the carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Without carbon dioxide, plants would suffocate and we would suffocate soon afterwards.

Nitrogen is another pollutant, say the True Believers. Nothing on this earth that grows, a cornfield to a baby nursery, can grow without nitrogen. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen together account for about 90% of greenhouse gases.

According even to Al Gore, ninety-six percent of all the global-warming causing greenhouse gases are emitted by the oceans. That leaves four percent. Two percent of the remaining total is caused by land-locked natural events outside of human control.

That leaves about two percent of the global-warming causing greenhouse gases that one might argue are 'optional' -- that is to say, that can be affected by human behavior, or 'anthropomorphic'. Two percent.

The True Believers claim that human activity is responsible for 14% of global warming gases is almost true. It is actually fourteen percent of the two percent of the whole greenhouse gas cycle. (Cow flatulence accounts for eighteen percent -- so humans aren't even the worst offenders.)

Anthropomorphic greenhouse gases account for a tiny percent of a tinier percent of the whole picture. One can have fun with numbers and demonstrate how greenhouse gases have increased over certain periods of time and then point to rising temperatures.

But that doesn't change the equation. If man-made activity accounts for 14% of 2% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, if we doubled our emission levels and temperature fluctuations today, it would still account for just 28% of 2%.

If we totally eliminated man-made emissions, it would reduce greenhouse gases by 14% of 2% of the total.

No matter how one spins the numbers, in reality, human activity is just a drop in the proverbial bucket.

Here's a news flash from 1755: "Scientists Link Sun To Global Warming!"

Scientists have been tracking solar activity since 1755 when astronomers noted a relationship between sunspots and the climate, so they began recording their findings. sunspots come and go in roughly eleven-year cycles, but during the 17th century, they had all but disappeared.

That period of solar inactivity is called the "Maunder Minimum" after the astronomer who discovered it. Since then, science has noted that when the sun’s activity is high and low are related to warm and cool climatic periods.

The weak sun in the 17th century coincided with the so-called Little Ice Age. Coincidence? Sunspot activiy took a dip between 1790 and 1830 and the earth also cooled a little. It was weak during the cold Iron Age, and active during the warm Bronze Age.

During the 20th century the sun was unusually active, peaking in the 1950s and the late 1980s. Dean Pensell of NASA, says that, “since the Space Age began in the 1950s, solar activity has been generally high. Five of the ten most intense solar cycles on record have occurred in the last 50 years.”

Mysteriously, (from the perspective of the True Believers) the sun became increasingly active at the same time that the Earth warmed. And since the turn of the century, sunspot activity has all but disappeared. And mysteriously, so has any evidence of global warming.

The UK Independent recently quoted Marc Hairston of the University of Texas saying of solar activity, "This is the lowest we’ve ever seen. We thought we’d be out of it by now, but we’re not.”

In a recent speech, Hillary Clinton announced: "The science is unambiguous, and the logic that flows from it is inescapable: climate change is a clear and present danger to our world that demands immediate attention."

Here's a clue (from a Fox News report): "A greenhouse gases trading system funded with the support of then-Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama, which is likely to play a major role in his $650 million cap-and-trade initiative, lists five present or former top-ranking U.N. officials on its advisory board who've had enormous influence over climate change matters -- including one who received $1 million from a convicted South Korean lobbyist.

The most controversial figure of the five, Maurice Strong, was one of former Secretary General Kofi Annan's key aides at the U.N. for years until the Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal forced him to leave. Since then Strong has lived mostly in China. Calls to the exchange for comment about Strong's role, and that of other U.N. figures, were not returned."

Why is it, do you think, that belief in anthropomorphic global warming is primarily a liberal religion? The Bible says, "by their fruits, ye shall know them."

Maurice Strong is serves as Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and as Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank.

He is also, among many other things Chairman of Strovest Holdings, Chairman and Director of Technology Development Corp, Director of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and Chairman of the Earth Council. Strong's former appointments include Secretary General of the World Bank and Director of the Rockefeller Foundation. He is a leading Bilderberger, and member of the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations and Club of Rome.

Maurice Strong is to the New Age and environmental movement what George Soros is to the Fascist Far Left. Strong is a Rockefeller socialist proponent of a one world government and one world religion (New Age) with links to the Lucis Trust (formerly Lucifer Trust) founded by Alice Bailey.

One of his more famous quotes sounds a lot like what is now unfolding before us: "We may get to the point where the only way of saving the world will be for industrial civilization to collapse."

There are several things I want you to take note of before we move on. The first is the actual science, to wit: the sudden and inexplicable collapse of solar activity. The second is the corresponding collapse of any evidence pointing to global warming.

The third is the refusal by the fascists, socialists, New Agers and US 'progressives' like Obama, Gore or Clinton to consider the obvious connection between the sun and the weather. (That one never ceases to amaze me).

The fourth is the religious nature of the debate. Scientists who question the global warming 'consensus' are dismissed using the distinctly religious epithet, 'heretic'. Global warming champions revel in the label 'true believers'. Evidence is irrelevant.

Finally, note the way the fear of global warming has reshaped the debate. The fear-mongering is almost cartoonish. The stakes are enormous. Nobody on either side of the debate knows what to do next. Those who advocate doing nothing are even worse than heretics -- it is surreal.

Until one considers it from the perspective of Bible prophecy.

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring: Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. . . . "

"And when these things BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:25-26, 28)