Dozens of books have been written in recent years by liberal theologians in an attempt to demonstrate that homosexuality, homosexual relationships, and homosexual marriage are fully consistent with Biblical Christianity.  I have grown weary of reading that King David was a homosexual because he loved Jonathan, or that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of a lack of hospitality, or – my personal favorite – that the Bible never actually addresses the issue of homosexual behavior.

I would suggest that the fact that some of such foolishness comes from persons who once professed to be Christians is yet further evidence of the fact that the nation – indeed the world – is well along in the Biblically-foretold age of apostasy.  During such a period, we are warned about the prevalence of false teachers.  How can we tell whether a teacher is false?  Who can we rely on?  But for the fact that we have the Word of God, we would be adrift on such matters.

One ubiquitous question asked among Christians for a decade has been:  What Would Jesus Do?  A recent article by Dave Daubenmire thoughtfully addressed the topic:  Would Jesus Officiate at a Same Sex Marriage?  His article discusses how we can know, for certain, the answer to this question by studying exactly what His Father has revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures as to what He intended marriage to be.  If you do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God, this article may mean nothing to you.  But even if you don’t believe the Bible, I challenge you to read through it, so that you at least you can say you have heard the other side.

Before we address homosexual marriage it is imperative that we seek to know how the Definer of marriage identifies marriage.  We begin in Genesis 2:18-25, which states:

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’ Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

God is the one who said that it was not good for man to be alone.  So when He created a helper for man He created a woman – not another man.  God established monogamy as the pattern for marriage.  From Genesis 1:1, which reads, “In the beginning God … ,”  we know that the universe is not a chance happening.  God is intimately involved with our existence.  God putting His stamp on creation in a unique way creates man.  Genesis 1:26-28 states:

“Then God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

Man is created to have dominion over the earth.  Before family comes purpose.  The purpose was that mankind would have dominion. Remember, the fall of man has not occurred, yet.  Man is still in a perfect environment.  Genesis 1:31 reads, “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”  When God created man, He created the capstone of His creation whose job it is to run His creation.

In Genesis 2:18 the woman comes on to the scene:  “Then the Lord God said, it is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him.”  Woman was conceived in the mind of God, not Adam’s.  Please note that this is different than the creation of male and female animals.  Male and female animals were all created at the same time.  The first creation of man and woman occurred at different times.  I believe the reason why this happened is because male and female human beings were given the responsibility of dominion.  Animals were not.  Whenever you delegate dominion you necessarily have hierarchy.

Genesis 2:21 states, “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.”  Eve is created out of Adam.  So Adam is only half the man he used to be because he loses one side.  In order for him to become a whole man he has to get his rib back.  But his rib is now located in somebody else.  He can’t take the rib out of somebody else and put it back.  So in order to get his rib back he has to take hold of somebody else’s life, and make this somebody part of his life to get the rib back that he lost.  But getting his rib back means he gets another half he didn’t count on, because he not only gets his rib, he gets her rib, too.

That means, gentlemen, that what marriage does is bring back what you lost, with a bonus.  That is why she is different from you.  And, that means, ladies, if you are going to understand your rib, you have got to understand Adam because half of your ribs belong to him.  So in order for you to understand who you are, in the marriage relationship, you need to understand who he is, because half of what makes you who you are, is part of what makes him who he is.  So in order for both of you to become all that both of you were meant to be, both of you have to merge into each other.  If you don’t take from your mate their strengths you do not become all that you were created to be.

God performs the marriage ceremony and Adam says, in Genesis 2:23, “This is now …” (note he doesn’t say “she” is now). He says, “This is now … ,” meaning this new relationship. Ee is talking about marriage.  “This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman because she was taken from man,” said Adam.  Adam names her.  He names her after himself.  His name in Hebrew is Eish.  The Hebrew word for woman is Eisha.  In the first marriage, she takes his name.  All Eve knows when she is created is that she is there.  She doesn’t know who she fully is until she receives his name.  That is why in marriage there is a transfer of names from the woman’s last name to the man’s last name, because she is now merged into another purpose.

The Six Purposes for Which God Created Marriage and Family

There are at least six purposes for which God create marriage and family.  The first reason for marriage is procreation: having babies.  The Bible makes grand statements about having babies, the more the merrier.  Why the big deal?  Remember God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply so that you will have dominion over the earth. The reason was not just to have people that looked like them. It had to do with the theology of dominion.  Dominion meant to reproduce yourself and spread out all over the earth, so that all over this planet there would be somebody ruling under God’s authority.  Mankind cannot perpetuate itself based on homosexual marriage.

Secondly, marriage is self-realization.  “Adam I will make a helpmate for you.”  As long as you are single, God is your completeness.  When it is time to marry, God is in the process of bringing someone along to fix up the rest of us to make us complete.  The reason Adam was given a wife was to complete him.  God doesn’t give you somebody just like you.  For if both of you are the same, then one of you would be unnecessary.  He gives someone who is different from you so that you can make up the differences, so that you can fulfill the complete purpose of God that He has ordained.

Thirdly, marriage is a divine Illustration.  You are a type of Christ in the church.  The Bible says that you are the bride and Christ is the bridegroom.  You are to illustrate a greater reality of God to His people.  So a bad marriage means a bad illustration. Ephesians 5:32 tells us that this is an illustration of the relationship of Christ.  Homosexual marriage is not a reflection of divine illustration.  In fact, one could make an argument that it borderlines on blasphemy.

Fourthly, marriage brings about companionship.  God created marriage for companionship.  Genesis 2:18 states, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.’”  There is a great blessing in sharing life with the one you love – your companion.  God created Adam and Eve when He declared that it was not good for man to be alone.

Fifthly, marriage brings enjoyment.  God created sex for enjoyment, in the context of marriage.  I Corinthians 7:5 says, “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” Outside of the context of heterosexual marriage there might be “pleasure for a season,” (Hebrews 11:25) but there can be no true, lasting enjoyment.

Sixthly, marriage is for protection.  God desires a godly seed.  Malachi 2:15 reads, “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.”  God knows that marriage provides protection for the family.

But we now live in a lost and fallen world.  And America is not exempt from this broken world.  In fact, there are many reasons to believe that America, far from being an example for the nations, is now leading the nations in the wrong direction.  A recent article on systemic corruption in America is an eye-opening compendium of the near complete fallenness of government, corporations and the people.

The Book of Romans gives us a description of the end-times society when Jesus will return and God will pour out His wrath, beginning with Chapter 1: “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools.”  I have seen men with degrees, piled on top of degrees that get up and say how you and I evolved from monkeys.  Maybe they did, but I sure didn’t!  Some of the greatest intellectual minds of the universe talk about how we evolved from a single cell protoplasmic blob!  That is beyond the comprehension of the mind.  If you saw a Boeing 747 flying across the sky, wouldn’t you assume that because it could fly, it can carry people, its seats are placed in rows, and that it can do all the things it can do; wouldn’t you assume that somebody thought it up, and somebody put it together?  Certainly you would not conclude that it was the accidental product of a tornado blowing through a junkyard.  Yet, the same mind can look in the sky and see a bird fly by and say, “product of chance.”

“And they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures,” reads Romans.  They worshiped the creature rather than the Creator.  We have the worship of the creature going on around us on a global scale.  Then look what happened – here is the tragic payoff. Romans continues:

“Therefore God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.”

Now look what God did, because they worshiped the creature rather than the Creator, God steps back.  It is as if God has parameters, or limits, as to how far evil can go.  He says that evil can only go so far.  But, God says if you are going to knock against those limits, and if you knock against them long enough I am going to step back.  I will let you foul your own nest and if you want to live like a pagan, you can.  When He steps back what happened?  There was an outbreak of immorality.  Does that sound familiar?

“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way the men abandoned that natural function of the woman and burned in their desire towards one another, men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own person the due penalty of their error,” continues Romans.  God says if you are going to live like that I am going to step back.  What happens?  An outbreak of sexual immorality begins.  It culminates in an outbreak of homosexuality.  We are there!  We have arrived!

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,” says Romans.  When God steps back there is an outbreak of immorality.  When we continue to push up against those limits God will step back again, and there is an outbreak of homosexuality.  When we continue to push those limits, God steps back again and turns us over to a depraved mind, “to do those things which are not proper.”  It is a time when lawlessness begins to rule and mankind does not have any standards by which to live by.  Paul finishes the chapter by listing signs of depravity:

“being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

With all the attention given to homosexuality in the media, it is no wonder that Gallup recently found that the American public estimates that 23 percent of Americans are gay or lesbian, while the actual number Gallup finds to be 3.8 percent.  And the Williams Institute finds a total of 390,000 married same-sex couples.  However, regardless of the number of homosexuals in America, the definition of marriage is not decided by plebiscite.  God has defined marriage as between one man and one woman.  If a man and a man or a woman and a woman desire to be together, that is not marriage.  Marriage has been defined from the beginning, by the One who created us male and female.

Most people know the story of Jonah: he was a prophet whom God told to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance.  Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria which was located 550 miles Northeast of Israel.  But Jonah decides he would go to Tarshish, which was 2,500 miles to the Northwest.  Jonah is a renegade preacher who does not want to do what God called him to do.  In his rebellion, he is tossed overboard of a ship and is swallowed by a big fish.  He was there three days and three nights and was regurgitated on to dry land.

After Jonah goes on the first submarine ride in history, he agrees to do what God asked him to do.  Jonah goes to Nineveh and preaches to the city, and in one day the entire city repents. Jonah 3:5-9 reads:

“Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, ‘In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flocks taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. ⁸’ But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. ‘Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.’”

Notice this about the people of Nineveh.  Conversion changed the political environment of Nineveh.  It didn’t happen because they made better laws, hired more policemen, or provided more arms for the people to reduce the violence.  The violence was removed because the people met a living God.  The thing that changes people and brings about peace to an environment is when men repent before a living God.  Nineveh still had the same King, the same Congress, the same Supreme Court, and the same city Council.  The difference now was there was a heart transformation, and that translated into actions and behavior.  That is the only thing that will help America change.  When the people of America, leaders of America, and Supreme Court Justices of America encounter the Living God who has the power to forgive, and to transform our hearts, then we will see a new America.  It doesn’t matter who is in public office; it matters if their hearts are committed to the Living God.

Dr. James Taylor, Senior Pastor at Christ’s Church of Norman in Norman, Oklahoma. http://www.ccnonline.biz. He is the author of the forthcoming book “It’s Biblical, Not Political: How to Line Candidates up Biblically.”

When you try to share what you know of the salvation message, some people try to tell you how good they are. They claim to protect animals and the environment. Atheists and agnostics try to tell you their lives are beyond reproach. They’ve never killed anyone and hardly ever lie. How was that again?! Liberals, atheists and agnostics lie all the time. The Holy Scriptures say, “Although all men are liars, God is not.”

Seldom, if ever, do atheists and agnostics actually do any societal good, especially for their fellow human beings. Instead, they try to stir up strife wherever they go. They need to have a cause, no matter how outrageous, in trying to appear righteous. They seldom, if ever, donate time or money to humanitarian endeavors, yet they are always condemning Christians who do.

The whole world knows that Christians do more good throughout the world than any and all groups of people combined, Hindus, Muslims and all the rest. If Christian relief organizations were to be numbered on a list, the names of them all would run off the edge and continue down the street. All around the world people count on Christians for relief and health management, especially after a natural disaster. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and thy neighbor as thyself.”

The ACLU is renowned for doing some good, even though they are an atheistic organization, but the bad things they advocate far outweigh the good. They have just won the right for homosexuals to be Boy Scout leaders! We all know what we can expect to happen to innocent boys just coming into puberty. Many will be raped – you can bet on it! Without self control they can’t help themselves.

Homosexuality is a choice, and like drugs it is a habit that won’t let you go easily. I can say this with authority because in my street ministry I’ve had two different men cry on my shoulder about their plight. All I could do was pray for them. Sexual pleasure can be highly addictive and can be a killer as well, yet some of the more hard core perverts demand we let them teach our children their wicked way of life.

Another glaring example of the ACLU agenda is Roe vs. Wade. While a woman’s life should be protected from certain death, it is unreal to believe that every woman who asks for an abortion is in a life and death crisis. More than likely they just want to remedy the mistake they made while being promiscuous. The percentages tell the story. The choice to kill an innocent infant is just plain evil. Thousands upon thousands of infants die needlessly because of this Godless aberration. God can’t be pleased at what Americans are doing with His greatest gift – children. If these people had their way no one would have been born after that law was put in place.

I would say to Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and other Godless clowns, don’t try and foist your twisted rationale on the Godly (those who believe in the God of heaven and earth). We are happy knowing the Father of Creation and His Son Christ Jesus. We have peace of mind and a hope for the future. Bill and Jon would have us swallow their mindless chatter; with them laughing all the way to the bank while treading on holy ground.

So where do these atheists, agnostics and the indifferent go when life seems to be falling apart? Who do they call on when they are down and out or when they’ve lost a loved one? The truth is, they have no hope and nowhere to go. They’ve made the fatal mistake of not believing in the God of the Bible, in spite of all the tangible evidence surrounding us. That’s a very bad choice.

The place to find Him is in the Holy Bible. There is no other book in the whole world like it. It tells us the beginning from the end, and of the consequences we must pay for ignoring the words of the Master of the universe. We have to pity atheists and agnostics for their ignorance, even though ignorance is their very own tragic choice. Atheists and agnostics must begin taking the God of heaven and earth seriously before it’s too late. Time is running out.

God in his goodness gives us the freedom of choice. What is your choice? Will you believe in Him and his Son Christ Jesus, or scoff and reject what the Bible says about them.

“It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear the second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Amen.

By the way,

The movie “San Andreas” is playing everywhere and is a block buster. It is about the infamous San Andreas fault line that runs along the Sierra Madre mountains. A massive earthquake opens that fault line and California is decimated. The movie is a thriller.

Surprisingly, my screenplay “The Prophecies” begins and ends with that same scenario, but it is not the main thrust of the movie. The major thrust of this movie is repentance toward God in this true to life thriller. News clips of devastation and chaos from around the world intertwine throughout the story line indicating that biblical prophecy is being fulfilled today like never before. The message is that America needs to repent and seek God’s face before the fearful tribulation period arrives to test all men.

I will soon be on the crowd funding site indiegogo to seek funding for my movie “The Prophecies”.

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”

Coming from a Jewish family, I experienced what most Jews do when they meet Jesus Christ, and realize that He is indeed the Messiah. We are ostracized by our families, and it’s as if we are dead to those who once loved us. The Lord warned that this would happen:

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36)

In my walk with Jesus, there have been wonderful times, and there have been deep valleys. But with each step, I know that He is with me and that He will never leave me. That is the joy that we have abiding in our hearts. Joy and happiness are so different. Happiness depends on what is happening. Joy stays forever for those of us who love and walk with Jesus. Joy knows tears as well as the brightest of smiles. Joy knows wondrous days, but joy also knows and stays with the child of God, sitting up in the night, because they are afraid of dreadful things happening around them. Joy is knowing that He is holding us at all times.

The news of my husband being struck with cancer has traveled around our neighborhood. I’m not one of the popular ladies on my street. Most people will say hi, but Tim and I are not invited to get-togethers. People know that we are Christians, and I’ve heard in the past that some people refer to me as the Jesus freak lady. If they only knew how much I love that label! But it is times like this that I would love to have a friend close by; you know, just to share and chat with — ladies love to talk!

There is a family who lives directly behind us. They have beautiful dogs, and our dogs love them. They come to greet each other at the fence; but not so with the people. There were years that have gone by where not a word was spoken. It was very uncomfortable. I would pray to the Lord so much to please show me what to do — should I make an attempt to break the ice? I never heard Him answer that, but I did feel Him urging me to pray for them.

Today, I went outside to water the plants. I heard the woman call my name. I turned to look at her, and she said “Geri, how is Tim?” I broke down in tears as I walked to the fence. She put her arms around me and said “Life is so hard.” I agreed with her about that, but then the words that came out of her mouth so astounded and thrilled me, I could have jumped for joy!

She told me that she and her husband had rededicated their lives to Christ. She said that they had been going through the most horrible of times, and that she even considered leaving him. We talked for over an hour, sharing how good God is, and how we couldn’t imagine living without Him. I felt the presence of God all around us. All the years that had gone by; it was a precious gift from Him. He gave me a new sister in Christ at a time when He knew I needed one. He never ceases to amaze me!

“But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15)

For a few weeks I have been thinking how nice it would be to have a ladies Bible study in our home. With the beautiful weather finally here, I’ve imagined holding it in our screened porch. But then I would think —who would come? During the joyful conversation with my new sister, I talked about wanting to hold the Bible study, and she said she would come! I knew then that the Holy Spirit had put that thought in my mind about the Bible Study. He knows all things. He knows our beginning to our end.

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139: 14-17)

One thing I have not spoken of in this piece is that many years ago, before the years of silence, I shared the Gospel with my neighbor. Back then, we would call one another, and we had a pretty good relationship. She told me that she and her husband went to a Christian club together in high school. That opened the door for me to speak about my relationship with Christ. It was soon after that, the talking ceased. I heard the whispers of the evil one, telling me “You ruined the friendship — you should have kept your mouth shut!” But he is a liar, and the father of them. God was completely in control — He always is.

So, I wanted to share this with others. I want to encourage you to do what is right, and don’t listen to the devil, no matter what happens. Trust in God and pray always. He loves to hear us talking to Him! Don’t fear rejection when you want to tell someone about Jesus. Remember that your words are seeds, and God is the one who brings in the harvest. We are His vessels. Isn’t that amazing? The Creator of the Universe, who is also our Father, wants to use us to bring others to know Him. That is glorious!

“Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up forever.” (Psalm 28: 6-9)

Shalom b’Yeshua.

MARANATHA!!

grandmageri422@gmail.com

By Geri Ungurean

The fall of Damascus and Baghdad, or large slices thereof, into the rapacious hands of the Islamic State, is no longer a debatable subject of strategic forecasts. Today, the capital cities of Syria and Iraq are within the Islamists’ grasp. The Middle East is about to pay the price for President Barack Obama’s single-minded obsession with a US détente with Tehran and a nuclear accord. It is the end product of Washington’s insistence on playing down ISIS as a formidable opponent and contention that the meager US-led coalition air campaign destroyed much of its operational capabilities, which proved to be an illusion. Equally fallacious was Obama’s trust in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and its terrorist arm, the Al Qods Brigades, to curtail the Islamist momentum.

Washington’s trust has since faded. Tehran too has cooled to the idea.
In March, a group of Iraqi Shiite militias commanded by Al Qods chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani, managed to snatch parts of the Sunni Iraqi town of Tikrit from Islamist grasp. That was Iran’s first and last engagement against ISIS in Iraq. After that, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decided to pull back from engaging Sunni Muslims in an overt sectarian showdown. It was clear to him, that the battlefield was not Iran’s forte, but rather subversion, clandestine warfare and limited support for local Shiite surrogates.

As the Islamists advanced, therefore, Tehran cut back on further military intervention in Syria and Iraq and turned instead to Yemen and the Houthi rebellion as its vehicle. This is a smaller arena, which is no less strategically valuable than Iraq and Syria, thanks to its command of the globally important Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb to world shipping.

Khamenei also saw the US president had little appetite for fighting the Islamic State. He concluded that Tehran would be better off saving the Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards forces for defending its borders against potential ISIS assault from neighboring Iraq, instead of wearing them down in Iraq and Syria.

The Iranian leader also decided that if the United States could only afford a very minor-key air campaign against the Islamist terrorists, Iran’s air force should not be called on for a greater effort.

All these circumstances combined to tip America over into the heart of the fiercely burning Middle sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites. Washington’s latest plan to send arms to Iraqis of both sects who are ready to defend Baghdad looks like a certain recipe for stoking the sectarian fire, or even pushing ISIS into an offensive to seize the city.

The Islamists have until now held back from an all-out offensive to capture Baghdad for a variety of tactical considerations. A city of this size is a bit too large for the Islamists to swallow, hold and administer. It suits the jihadists better to hold the town to siege and under constant terrorist harassment.

The most knowledgeable sources in the region can’t explain what part the US Central Command is playing as a military factor in any of these conflicts – in particular, Gen. John Allen, whom Obama last year named Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS. Some account for their low-to-vanishing profile by their having been preoccupied in preparing a grand campaign for the recovery of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which is under ISIS rule.

Today, this plan looks like a pipe dream. ISIS has caused a Middle East earthquake after another by capturing Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria in a matter of days. Their alarmed neighbors in Jerusalem, Amman and Riyadh have been forced to conclude that their borders are in danger – not just from Iran, but also from ISIS, and they will have to confront these perils on their own.

Source Debka File

Pete does an awesome job laying out the meaning of “This Generation“.  Furthermore, this can be easily used to help spread the Gospel as we see the time approaching.  It should fire up a sense in urgency in all of us.

Pete Garcia

The time of the end has been one of the most controversial, debated, and often divisive topics within Christendom.  It would seem that as soon as Christ ascended, Christians began arguing about when He would return.  So why is it important for us to even care about when Christ will return?  Isn’t He going to return, when He returns?

Given the numerous positions and all the confusion of when and how He will return, a proper understanding eliminates certain positions which have been promulgated throughout the centuries, which both destroy the faith of many, and are counter to what the Scripture actually teaches.  Clearly, we have only one Bible.  Contained on the pages therein, lies one consistent message about when Christ would return.  What everyone is divided over then, is how to interpret the Bible.  Some say allegorically (i.e.…you can’t take it literally), and others, take it literally (you take it for what it says).

In the end, only one eschatological (end times) view can play out.  Opposing views about when and how Christ returns cannot be weighted equally, because they do not all possess either the historical facts or consistent theological message which qualifies and quantifies their particular interpretations.  The only logically, scripturally consistent method of interpretation, is to take the text for what it says.  If one were reading a medical book, or newspaper, one would take it at face value…so why can’t we apply that same level of interpretive application to God’s word?  The same God who spoke the very universe into being, is the same one who inspired the prophets and apostles to write the very words we read.  And if the naturalistic world can be understood down to the very fabric of our being (DNA), why do we arbitrarily apply some mystical level of interpretation to what the text clearly say?

If taking the text literally seems nonsensical, then we must take the text in its proper context.  Many Christian’s almost seem antagonistic to the idea that Christ would return at all.  So let us look at one controversial passage that deals with the timing of Christ’s return and see how only one interpretation can actually fit it, given the screening parameters of history, scriptural consistency, and context.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  Matt. 24:32-35.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  Mark 13:28-31

Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Luke 21:29-33

Since this was a parable (story meant to convey a deeper truth), we know that Christ was using this as a teaching tool to convey a truth about the timing of His return that would resonate with everyone.  In other words, like the sower and seed, yeast spreading through dough, master journeying on a long journey, and all the other parables Christ used to convey truths, He chooses here the fig tree, which both has historical linkages to the nation of Israel, and would be something that everyone would understand and relate too, even Gentiles.

Jesus is not speaking to all His disciples, but only to those who came to Him privately (Mark 13:3-4) to inquire about what He meant when He said that not one stone would be left atop the other of Herod’s temple.  And since Christ was speaking, we know that it is impossible for Him to lie.  Nor was Christ being elusive about this particular topic.  He was both stating when it would occur and what the conditions would be surrounding His return, which is what makes up the bulk of the Olivet Discourse.  Given that preface, we can only come to four possible conclusions about this particular passage:

1.  If this generation meant the people of Israel as an ethnic group, then the people of Israel should not exist today.  He stated ‘this generation would not pass away until’, and for those who believe in an AD70 Second Coming (primarily Preterists), that would mean that once the Romans under General Titus Vespasian conquered and decimated Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and scattered the remaining Jews out of Judah, there should not exist Jewish people today or a nation of Israel.  Clearly, the Nazi Holocaust says otherwise. This generation cannot be referring to an ethnic group.

2.  If this generation meant that it found fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem, how is that redemptive? (Luke 21:28)  In other words, if the parable of the Fig Tree found fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem, how is that something the Apostles could both look forward to and somehow find redemption in?  How does God glory in the destruction of the ‘apple of His eye’?  (Zech. 2:7-9)  Although the Olivet Discourse (primarily Luke’s account) mentions AD70’s destruction of Jerusalem, it was by no means an act of redemption.  This generation cannot be referring simply to the events surrounding AD70.

3.  If this generation meant Christ would return to that generation He was physically speaking there to on the Mount of Olives, then He was wrong when He said that He didn’t know when He would return (Matt. 24:32; Mark 13:32), because He would have known that He would return in their lifetimes.   Christ stated He did not know, and knowing that Christ did not give up any of His Deity when becoming a man, but rather, gave up the privileges of being Deity, which include surrendering to the will of the Father, the timing concerning His return.  Subsequently, if this generation meant ‘that generation sitting there with Him on the Mt. of Olives, how could it apply to them considering Luke 21:24?  And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

And how could that generation, if it was to the one He was physically speaking too, live to see this transpire, considering that Jerusalem was in Gentile hands for the better part of 2,000 years?  They couldn’t, which by very basic deductions (remove all other choices), means that either the Jews in Israel now aren’t really Jews, Israel isn’t really Israel, or that Scripture has been fulfilled with the rebirth of the nation of Israel after 1,900 years of diaspora.  The parameters of the diaspora were laid out by Moses in Deuteronomy 30:1-5, the prophet Amos in Amos 9:15, and the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37.  This being a second, global re-gathering of Jews, from the four corners of the earth, in unbelief.  So clearly, this generation could not only be referring to those alive in the first century.

4.  This generation, is speaking to that future generation who would live to see all the events come to pass, as explained in the Olivet Discourse.  These events would in birth pang fashion, find their prophetic fulfillment culmination (or crescendo) in one, single generation.  These are those who would see all the things that Christ spoke about, which means this generation who live to see all the events, can be the only logical, biblical and historical conclusion.

Assessment

Given what we know of history, we know that the events that are laid out in the Olivet Discourse, have not yet fully come to pass.  Yes, Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed by the Romans in AD70.  Yes, false messiahs have come claiming to be “the” Christ.  Yes, there have been wars, and rumors of wars.  Yes, there have been earthquakes and divers places, as well as pestilences and signs in the heavens.  What can’t be, is that ALL of those things, took place as birth pangs, meaning there would by necessity, be a slow escalation leading up to a faster and more intense escalation, all in forty years.

While scoffers, both religious and non, like to point out that every generation thought they were the last one.  I would counter to them, to which generation saw the rebirth of the nation Israel?  Which generation saw the assimilation of Europe back together as a single entity?  Which generation has seen technological advancement move from the speed of horse, to the speed of sound?  Which generation has seen massive World Wars, unparalleled in human history?  Which generation has seen civilization create instantaneous, global communications?  Which generation has created a virtual reality that has literally taken over every facet of our existence?  This same virtual reality is also able to monitor and record everything we say or do, as well as everything we buy or sell?  Which other generation has seen morality turned on its head?  Which other generation has seen the rise of violent, completely anti-Christian religions on a scale unmatched in human history?  Which generation has seen the population reach back over seven billion?  Which generation has given birth to the reality of artificial intelligence?

Which generation has seen all of these happen at the same time?

This generation.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28

Courtesy of The Omega Letter

Pete’s bio is found here. Omega Letter Bio

First of all, we are all sinners, and “All our righteousness are as filthy rags.” “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

“There is none righteous – no not one, but God has laid upon Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.”

Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer of “War and Peace,” grappled with not being able to live up to what he considered to be “Christian requirements.” Although he knew right from wrong, he somehow failed to understand that we are saved by grace and grace alone. I can only conclude that this famous man didn’t read or understand the following Bible verses.

How did this man miss the following? Surely he must have read that it was his duty to study the word of God. “Study to show yourselves approved, rightly dividing (disseminating) the Word of God.” He may have fallen for the trap of tradition, repetition and humanistic thinking. It is such a pity.

Learn these verses. Let them become a part of who you are. Please read carefully, as the following verses will dispel fear, dread and doubt.

First, we must believe that God is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

“Faith comes by hearing (learning) and hearing (learning) by the word of God.”

“For by GRACE are you saved and that not of yourselves, it is a GIFT of God lest any man should boast.”

“But to him that worketh not, (trying to win God’s favor and forgiveness) but believes on Him who justifies the Godly, to him it is counted for righteousness.”

“There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

“If the Son shall set you free you shall be free indeed.”

“The just shall live by faith.”

Knowing the Word of God is the only way to be able to discern both right from wrong and have assurance of salvation. It is imperative to being all that God intends for you to be. However, we should never stop striving to please God for His grace and love toward us undeserving sinners. Needless to say, no one will ever achieve perfection while on this earth, and anyone who says they are perfect is a liar.

We may have to suffer at the beginning of the tribulation period (which may already be upon us) to cleanse us and make us ready for the hereafter, but God promises to strengthen us and enlighten us to be able to have spiritual discernment, assurance of salvation and boldness.

In these end times we should be TAKING A STAND for the Gospel of Jesus Christ by putting on the whole armor of God. “We are more than conquerors through him who died for us.”

Now that we are assured of salvation we can wear what the scriptures refer to as the Helmet of Salvation. That is that our mind is made up as to the veracity of the Bible and we can rely on the word of God for salvation having met the only requirement, which is to trust God for salvation through Christ.

Granted, we being human can at times falter and doubt, but that’s only natural as the apostle Paul found out, saying, “That which I would do, I do not; that which I wouldn’t do I find myself doing,….Oh God who shall deliver me from this cycle of sin and death. I thank God it has been accomplished by Christ Jesus.”

We are to wear the Breastplate of truth. Pilot asked Jesus, “What is Truth?” and he was staring at truth right in the face. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth; truth in the flesh. To know truth we must know what (truth) Jesus Christ said by reading His Words.

We take the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and are able to do things that can’t be done in our own human strength or wisdom which is sorely lacking. Ergo, we can’t rely on manmade philosophies to deal with life and the lost. We must use the Word. “The word of God is sharp and powerful and cuts through all the defenses and foolishness (joints and marrow) soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It is essential to know the Word of God.

We then take the Shield of faith which is the faith garnered from the Word of God; the more we know of it the easier it is to counter the fiery darts of the devil.

Our feet should be shod with the Gospel. That is to take the Gospel everywhere we go, even to the ends of the earth fearlessly. As Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He also said, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

By the way –

The movie “Little Boy” is out and received 88% favorability by one of the prominent critics; critics who are usually atheistic, extremely bias and pretentious. I saw it and joined in the applause at the end with many others. The movie is a period piece about a little boy who wants his father to come home from the Second World War. It is about love for God, love for one another and love for country.

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”

INVESTORS FOR MUCH NEEDED EVANELICAL FILM

This film is being made for the masses. It is a call to repentance in accordance with prophetic scripture. The time is right for such a film when everyone is fearful about what lies ahead for America and the world as a whole.

Repentance and the seeking of God’s face is the answer. The name is “The Prophecies” and is a true to life thriller. The story is lifted off the front pages of today’s media – featuring news clips of Isis, race riots, natural disasters and more.

This film is presently being cast and we are looking for crew members with experience as well.

For more information contact Jim T. “Towers” – jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com

There is nothing inherently wrong with making long range plans. But if you are aware of the prevailing times and how they jibe with scripture, then I suggest that you begin to live in the immediate future as well. We can’t go on pretending everything is “hunky-dory,” as we used to say in the “good old days.” Furthermore, in light of the end time happenings surrounding us, we ought to be getting our lives and priorities in order. I would suggest sincere repentance with a capitol “R”, finding your calling, studying the scriptures diligently; adhering to what is written and sincere prayer for our brethren, families, loved ones and our beloved country.

In spite of

biblical prophecy

being played out before our very eyes, we still have some, even so-called Christians, who say, “Where is he that cometh in the name of the Lord or where is the sign of his coming for since the death of the fathers these things have been prophesied.” I would caution you to wake up and smell the coffee. All of the signs of the times are cascading on our heads. Many in America today are living their comfortable lives and are not aware of what’s going on in the world, and don’t want to know. Most of them go about making long range plans as if they were going to live forever. It’s hard to believe a person can ignore the signs and wonders swirling all around him. There are even some Christians who are making plans for things they want to achieve ten years down the line! What arrogance. Obviously they don’t read or care to know scripture as it pertains to the end times.

I’m a firm believer in the inerrancy of the Bible. Lately, upon re-reading the Revelation of John for the umpteenth time, I discovered the believers under the altar of God in chapter 6 who were beheaded for their faith in Christ, and made the connection with the men who are now being beheaded in an ongoing parade by Isis. This alone should be enough to prove to anyone that we are now living in the end times. After all, those who were beheaded for their faith in Revelation chapter 6 are being beheaded right now. How did these acts happen to make their appearance at this precise time in recorded history? If that’s not enough to convince that these are the end times, just take a look at the latest Bible Code.

Although I’m still not convinced that the Bible Code is completely factual, its content is too often phenomenally correct.

Bible Code?…bahhh humbug! Now I ask you, why the God who knows the beginning and the end of things has not been able to disclose a few more tidbits in and through His Word to convince us frail human beings with limited understanding that He truly is the author of Holy Scripture? It’s like He is saying, “Hey people, I dictated what should be written in the Bible, just take a look at this ! can mankind do such a thing as this?

After perusing the internet the other night and casually checking what the latest Bible Code says about 2015-2016 on you tube, I couldn’t help but sit up and take notice of what is said about the very things that are in play right now. Names and places were spelled out as well as key words such as abortion, judgment, America, homosexuals, sin, rapture, repentance. Obama and Netanyahu were mentioned repeatedly! Another thing that blew me away is the naming of seven angels, one after the other. Here are their names, Ramiel, Samiel, Asael, Yuriel, Somiel, Shlinmiel, Raphael, Meshhiel, Azazel, and Abbadon, (Abbadon is another name for the fallen angel – Satan). Could this be the seven angels of Revelation 8:2, plus the other three in that same chapter?

Why are they all referred to in this time frame? Is God trying to tell us something? Could it be that the timing coincides with the actual events described in Revelation chapter 8? If so, then the world can expect to see some pretty fearful and amazing things in the very near future. (Remember, we’re talking about 2015 and 2016.)

I found it amazing that all these words were in close proximity to one another and all you had to do is fill in the blanks as though it were a crossword puzzle. I remember one of the prophets saying that God gives a warning before He passes judgment on mankind, and this could just be it; a message hidden in the pages of the Bible for those who would be living in the final days before the Great Tribulation. Remember too that during the last vision of Daniel, God told him to seal the last revelation up until the end when travel and knowledge would increase. Flight and the internet came to mind. I realize that not all Christians subscribe to this phenomenon, but I say better safe than sorry.

If you’re a skeptic, please don’t try to tell me that you know better than the greatest living mathematicians in the world and a host of other cryptology experts who know about such things. This phenomenon was also written about in notable scientific journals a few years ago, but somehow the general public was only listening to what atheists (who don’t even believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God) had to say about this fantastic find, and didn’t put much stock in it. I think too that the rate of information is such today that we have a tendency to forget what happened yesterday in order to try to follow what’s happened today. Or it could simply be information overload.

I know, I know,….not to worry, we’ll be gone before then, in the rapture… maybe, and maybe not. God may have to dust us off a bit before we take flight, and if we’re only concerned about ourselves and no one else, then I wonder what God thinks about that? Are you really ready to meet your maker?

I don’t know about you, but I want to stay abreast of all that’s going on in the world each and every day, so that I can talk to others about things that pertain to their lives. In sharing this pertinent information with others, inevitably they will say something that makes it possible to share the Gospel with them. I’m using this approach more and more, and it works since everyone has been blindsided by today’s events and no one has an answer, except “Born Again” Christians.

Christians making long range plans are out of touch with what’s happening in the world today. It may be time to quit playing church and do something about these atrocities. I’ve even had some say to me that they don’t watch the news anymore because it’s too disheartening to see what’s going on in our country and the world at large. What ignorance!!

In the meantime, twenty one Egyptian Christians were beheaded by Isis just yesterday, and it seems to be an ongoing event. Already Isis, Al Qaida, Boko Haram and other Islamic extremist groups have killed tens of thousands of men, women and children, mostly Christians.

If what we see going on in our country and the world is any indication of the last days, then by all means we must quit playing church, repent of our apathy and hardheartedness and seek God’s face in earnest.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:3, “And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. Oh you hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but you cannot discern the signs of the times?”

By the way,
It’s my understanding that a movie named “David and Goliath” is out right now in limited release around the country. It isn’t showing in my area.
You realize, of course, that a movie “David” was made years ago staring Richard Gere. I think I’ll see it again to see if I can find any discrepancies in the story line.
Yet another football movie entitled “Wood Lawn” is coming out in the fall. What’s with all the Christian football movies? Obviously the screenwriters of these movies have been living their lives vicariously at football stadiums.
YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”

By Geri Ungurean
As I watch in horror as anti Semitism spreads like a cancerous tumor throughout Europe, and as our White House shows such disdain for Israel and PM Netanyahu, I ponder as to why these things are happening. WHY is there such hatred for my people? Is this something new in the country touted as being Israel’s only friend in the world?

This led me to take a look at history, and what I am finding is this: Although America has proclaimed to be the only friend that Israel has in the world, the actions of our country toward Israel have never backed up the rhetoric — they only expose the evil that America feels and has always felt toward the Jews in their own land.

I thought back to the 1967 miraculous Six-Day War. I was a teen when that broke out. The Lord must have had His hand on me, so many years before I came to know Yeshua as my Lord and Savior. I remember that my heart was so broken, thinking about little Israel, and the magnitude and power of the armies of her enemies converging upon her. Surely this would finish that which Hitler began – the annihilation of my people.

I remember when Israel emerged victorious against her enemies, and how overjoyed I felt. I was so thankful. Back then I didn’t know how much God loved His Chosen; I just kept thinking that Israel must have an incredible and ferocious military! I smile when I think about this now, because it was a miracle from the Lord. He kept Israel “on the map” as He will always do.

Of course, there were lost Israeli lives in that war, but Israel emerged victorious against all odds.
I researched that war recently. It was eye-opening to say the least. I’ve taken much of the rest of this article directly from jewishvirtuallibrary.org

THE SIX DAY WAR – MYTHS VS FACT
MYTH
“Arab governments recognized Israel after the Suez War.”

FACT
Golan Heights, 1949-1967
Israel consistently expressed a desire to negotiate with its neighbors. In an address to the UN General Assembly on October 10, 1960, Foreign Minister Golda Meir challenged Arab leaders to meet with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to negotiate a peace settlement. Egyptian President Nasser answered on October 15, saying that Israel was trying to deceive the world, and reiterating that his country would never recognize the Jewish State.

The Arabs were equally adamant in their refusal to negotiate a separate settlement for the refugees. Nasser made clear that solving the refugee issue was not his concern. “The danger of Israel,” he said, “lies in the very existence of Israel as it is in the present and in what she represents.”

Meanwhile, Syria used the Golan Heights, which tower 3,000 feet above the Galilee, to shell Israeli farms and villages. Syria’s attacks grew more frequent in 1965 and 1966, while Nasser’s rhetoric became increasingly bellicose: “We shall not enter Palestine with its soil covered in sand,” he said on March 8, 1965. “We shall enter it with its soil saturated in blood.”

Again, a few months later, Nasser expressed the Arabs’ aspiration: “the full restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. In other words, we aim at the destruction of the State of Israel. The immediate aim: perfection of Arab military might. The national aim: the eradication of Israel.”

MYTH
“Israel’s military strike in 1967 was unprovoked.”

FACT
A combination of bellicose Arab rhetoric, threatening behavior and, ultimately, an act of war left Israel no choice but preemptive action. To do this successfully, Israel needed the element of surprise. Had it waited for an Arab invasion, Israel would have been at a potentially catastrophic disadvantage.

In addition to Nasser’s verbal threats, Israel was under actual attack from Arab terrorists. In 1965, 35 raids were conducted against Israel. In 1966, the number increased to 41. In just the first four months of 1967, 37 attacks were launched.

Meanwhile, Syria’s attacks on Israeli kibbutzim from the Golan Heights provoked a retaliatory strike on April 7, 1967, during which Israeli planes shot down six Syrian MiGs. Shortly thereafter, the Soviet Union—which had been providing military and economic aid to both Syria and Egypt—gave Damascus information alleging a massive Israeli military buildup in preparation for an attack. Despite Israeli denials, Syria decided to invoke its defense treaty with Egypt.

On May 15, Israel’s Independence Day, Egyptian troops began moving into the Sinai and massing near the Israeli border. By May 18, Syrian troops were prepared for battle along the Golan Heights.

Nasser ordered the UN Emergency Force, stationed in the Sinai since 1956, to withdraw on May 16. Without bringing the matter to the attention of the General Assembly, as his predecessor had promised, Secretary-General U Thant complied with the demand. After the withdrawal of the UNEF, the Voice of the Arabs proclaimed (May 18, 1967):

“As of today, there no longer exists an international emergency force to protect Israel. We shall exercise patience no more. We shall not complain any more to the UN about Israel. The sole method we shall apply against Israel is total war, which will result in the extermination of Zionist existence.”

An enthusiastic echo was heard on May 20 from Syrian Defense Minister Hafez Assad:

“Our forces are now entirely ready not only to repulse the aggression, but to initiate the act of liberation itself, and to explode the Zionist presence in the Arab homeland. The Syrian army, with its finger on the trigger, is united. I, as a military man, believe that the time has come to enter into a battle of annihilation.”

On May 22, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to all Israeli shipping and all ships bound for Eilat. This blockade cut off Israel’s only supply route with Asia and stopped the flow of oil from its main supplier, Iran. The following day, President Johnson declared the blockade illegal and tried, unsuccessfully, to organize an international flotilla to test it.

Nasser was fully aware of the pressure he was exerting to force Israel’s hand. The day after the blockade was set up, he said defiantly: “The Jews threaten to make war. I reply: Welcome! We are ready for war.”

Nasser challenged Israel to fight almost daily. “Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel. The Arab people want to fight,” he said on May 27. The following day, he added: “We will not accept any coexistence with Israel. Today the issue is not the establishment of peace between the Arab states and Israel. The war with Israel is in effect since 1948.”

King Hussein of Jordan signed a defense pact with Egypt on May 30. Nasser then announced:

“The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are poised on the borders of Israel to face the challenge, while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation. This act will astound the world. Today they will know that the Arabs are arranged for battle; the critical hour has arrived. We have reached the stage of serious action and not declarations.”

President Abdur Rahman Aref of Iraq joined in the war of words: “The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified. This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear—to wipe Israel off the map.” On June 4, Iraq joined the military alliance with Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

The Arab rhetoric was matched by the mobilization of Arab forces. Approximately 250,000 troops (nearly half in Sinai), more than 2,000 tanks and 700 aircraft ringed Israel.

By this time, Israeli forces had been on alert for three weeks. The country could not remain fully mobilized indefinitely, nor could it allow its sea lane through the Gulf of Aqaba to be interdicted. Israel’s best option was to strike first. On June 5, 1967, the order was given to attack Egypt.

MYTH
“Nasser had the right to close the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.”

FACT
Israel, 1949-1967
In 1956, the United States gave Israel assurances that it recognized the Jewish State’s right of access to the Straits of Tiran. In 1957, at the UN, 17 maritime powers declared that Israel had a right to transit the Strait. Moreover, the blockade violated the Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, which was adopted by the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea on April 27, 1958.

The closure of the Strait of Tiran was the casus belli in 1967. Israel’s attack was a reaction to this Egyptian first strike.

President Johnson acknowledged as much after the war (June 19, 1967):

“If a single act of folly was more responsible for this explosion than any other, it was the arbitrary and dangerous announced decision that the Strait of Tiran would be closed. The right of innocent maritime passage must be preserved for all nations.”

MYTH
“The United States helped Israel defeat the Arabs in six days.”

FACT
The United States tried to prevent the war through negotiations, but it could not persuade Nasser or the other Arab states to cease their belligerent statements and actions. Still, right before the war, President Johnson warned: “Israel will not be alone unless it decides to go alone.”

Then, when the war began, the State Department announced: “Our position is neutral in thought, word and deed.”

Moreover, while the Arabs were falsely accusing the United States of airlifting supplies to Israel, Johnson imposed an arms embargo on the region (France, Israel’s other main arms supplier, also embargoed arms to Israel).

By contrast, the Soviets were supplying massive amounts of arms to the Arabs. Simultaneously, the armies of Kuwait, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were contributing troops and arms to the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian fronts.

MYTH
“Israel attacked Jordan to capture Jerusalem.”

FACT
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol sent a message to King Hussein saying Israel would not attack Jordan unless he initiated hostilities. When Jordanian radar picked up a cluster of planes flying from Egypt to Israel, and the Egyptians convinced Hussein the planes were theirs, he then ordered the shelling of West Jerusalem. It turned out the planes were Israel’s, and were returning from destroying the Egyptian air force on the ground. Meanwhile, Syrian and Iraqi troops attacked Israel’s northern frontier.

Had Jordan not attacked, the status of Jerusalem would not have changed during the course of the war. Once the city came under fire, however, Israel needed to defend it, and, in doing so, took the opportunity to unify the city, ending Jordan’s 19-year occupation of the eastern part.

MYTH
“Israel did not have to fire the first shot in June 1967.”

FACT
By using the element of surprise, Israeli forces managed to break through the enemy lines after just six days of fighting and were in a position to march on Cairo, Damascus and Amman. A cease-fire was invoked on June 10.

The victory came at a very high cost. In storming the Golan Heights, Israel suffered 115 dead—roughly the number of Americans killed during Operation Desert Storm. Altogether, Israel lost twice as many men—777 dead and 2,586 wounded—in proportion to her total population as the U.S. lost in eight years of fighting in Vietnam.19 Also, despite the incredible success of the air campaign, the Israeli Air Force lost 46 of its 200 fighters. Had Israel waited for the Arabs to strike first, as it did in 1973, and not taken preemptive action, the cost would certainly have been much higher and victory could not have been assured.

MYTH
“Israel expelled peaceful Arab villagers from the West Bank and prevented them from returning after the war.”

FACT
After Jordan launched its attack on June 5, approximately 325,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank fled. These were Jordanian citizens who moved from one part of what they considered their country to another, primarily to avoid being caught in the crossfire of a war.

A Palestinian refugee, who was an administrator in a UNRWA camp in Jericho, said Arab politicians had spread rumors in the camp. “They said all the young people would be killed. People heard on the radio that this is not the end, only the beginning, so they think maybe it will be a long war and they want to be in Jordan.”

Some Palestinians who left preferred to live in an Arab state rather than under Israeli military rule. Members of various PLO factions fled to avoid capture by the Israelis. Nils-Göran Gussing, the person appointed by the UN Secretary-General to investigate the situation, found that many Arabs also feared they would no longer be able to receive money from family members working abroad.

Israeli forces ordered a handful of Palestinians to move for “strategic and security reasons.” In some cases, they were allowed to return in a few days. In others, Israel offered to help them resettle elsewhere.

Israel now ruled more than three-quarters of a million Palestinians—most of whom were hostile to the government. Nevertheless, more than 9,000 Palestinian families were reunited in 1967. Ultimately, more than 60,000 Palestinians were allowed to return.

After the Six-Day War ended, President Johnson announced his view of what was required next to end the conflict: “Certainly, troops must be withdrawn; but there must also be recognized rights of national life, progress in solving the refugee problem, freedom of innocent maritime passage, limitation of the arms race and respect for political independence and territorial integrity.”

MYTH
“During the 1967 War, Israel deliberately attacked the USS Liberty.”

FACT
The Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was a grievous error, largely attributable to the fact that it occurred in the midst of the confusion of a full-scale war in 1967. Ten official United States investigations and three official Israeli inquiries have all conclusively established the attack was a tragic mistake.

On June 8, 1967, the fourth day of the Six-Day War, the Israeli high command received reports that Israeli troops in El Arish were being fired upon from the sea, presumably by an Egyptian vessel, as they had a day before. The United States had announced that it had no naval forces within hundreds of miles of the battle front on the floor of the United Nations a few days earlier; however, the USS Liberty, an American intelligence ship under the dual control of the Defense Intelligence Agency/Central Intelligence Agency and the Sixth Fleet, was assigned to monitor the fighting. As a result of a series of United States communication failures, whereby messages directing the ship not to approach within 100 miles were not received by the Liberty, the ship sailed to within 14 miles off the Sinai coast.

The Israelis mistakenly thought this was the ship shelling its soldiers and war planes and torpedo boats attacked, killing 34 members of the Liberty’s crew and wounding 171. Ships from the Sixth Fleet were directed to launch four attack aircraft with fighter cover to defend the Liberty, but the planes were recalled after a message was received at the White House that the Israelis had admitted they had attacked the ship.

Tapes of the radio transmissions made prior, during and after the attack do not contain any statement suggesting the pilots saw a U.S. flag before the attack on the ship. During the raid, a pilot specifically says, “there is no flag on her!” The recordings also indicate that once the pilots became concerned about the identity of the ship, by virtue of reading its hull number, they terminated the attack and they were given an order to leave the area.

A CIA report on the incident issued June 13, 1967, found that an overzealous pilot could mistake the Liberty for an Egyptian ship. In 1981, the National Security Agency concluded: “While these [signal intelligence of Israeli communications] reports revealed some confusion on the part of the pilots concerning the nationality of the ship, they tended to rule out any thesis that the Israeli Navy and Air Force deliberately attacked a ship they knew to be American.”

Initially, the Israelis were terrified that they had attacked a Soviet ship and might have provoked the Soviets to join the fighting. Once the Israelis were sure what had happened, they reported the incident to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and offered to provide a helicopter for the Americans to fly out to the ship and to supply any help they required to evacuate the injured and salvage the ship. The offer was accepted and a U.S. naval attaché was flown to the Liberty.

In October 2003, the first Israeli pilot to reach the ship broke his 36-year silence on the attack. Brig.-Gen. Yiftah Spector said he had been told an Egyptian ship was off the Gaza coast. “This ship positively did not have any symbol or flag that I could see. What I was concerned with was that it was not one of ours. I looked for the symbol of our navy, which was a large white cross on its deck. This was not there, so it wasn’t one of ours.”

The Jerusalem Post obtained a recording of Spector’s radio transmission in which he said, “I can’t identify it, but in any case it’s a military ship.”

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara told Congress on July 26, 1967: “It was the conclusion of the investigatory body, headed by an admiral of the Navy in whom we have great confidence, that the attack was not intentional.” Twenty years later, he repeated his belief that the attack was a mistake, telling a caller on the “Larry King Show” that he had seen nothing in the 20 years since to change his mind that there had been no “cover-up.”

In January 2004, the State Department held a conference on the Liberty incident and also released new documents, including CIA memos dated June 13 and June 21, 1967, which say that Israel did not know it was striking an American vessel. The historian for the National Security Agency, David Hatch, said the available evidence “strongly suggested” Israel did not know it was attacking a U.S. ship. Two former U.S. officials, Ernest Castle, the United States Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv in June 1967, who received the first report of the attack from Israel, and John Hadden, then CIA Chief of Station in Tel Aviv, also agreed with the assessment that the attack on the Liberty was a mistake.

Israel apologized for the tragedy and paid nearly $13 million in humanitarian reparations to the United States and to the families of the victims in amounts established by the U.S. State Department. The matter was officially closed between the two governments by an exchange of diplomatic notes on December 17, 1987.

Many of the survivors of the Liberty remain bitter, and are convinced the attack was deliberate. None of Israel’s accusers, however, can explain why Israel would deliberately attack an American ship at a time when the United States was Israel’s only friend and supporter in the world. Confusion in a long line of communications, which occurred in a tense atmosphere on both the American and Israeli sides, is a more probable explanation.

“The Arabs say they want their territory back, but they don’t want to talk to us, and they don’t want to negotiate with us, and they don’t want to acknowledge us.” ~ Abba Eban [1]

FAST FOWARD TO 2015

Does the statement by Abba Eban have a familiar ring to it? The reality of Israel’s entire history since the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948 is that her Arab neighbors do NOT acknowledge the right of Israel to exist.

This has always been why Bibi Netanyahu will not sign any peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority. He has said this repeatedly – that until Abbas and his government say that Israel has a right to exist; Israel’s government will not sign any treaty.

We know that the Antichrist will present a treaty for peace, and that Israel will be tricked into signing it. It’s with much trepidation that I think of the upcoming elections in Israel. Just as America has ultra liberals, so does Israel. If a liberal wins the election in Israel, that will set the stage for Antichrist to be revealed, and for Israel to sign the dreaded document.

As they say — the rest is history. We, as believers in Yeshua, know much of history before it happens. We know the One who is charge of history.

He knows and holds the rest of the story in His hand.

“Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.” (Isaiah 41:11-12)

“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)

MARANATHA!

grandmageri422@gmail.com