Biblical News: 02/01/2007

Thursday, February 22, 2007

House of Representatives set to vote on 'hate crimes' giving homosexuals special rights

House of Representatives set to vote on 'hate crimes' giving homosexuals special rights

Contact Your Representative In Opposition to HR 254 Today!

The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on HR 254, which establishes “hate crime” legislation. HR 254 will create new special rights for homosexuals under the guise of enhancing law enforcement. It would make “sexual orientation” a protected class alongside race, religion and gender.

The only way this bill can be defeated is with a real grassroots uprising by those who care about the future of their children, families and marriages!

The intent of this law is to force the acceptance and approval of homosexuality on every American, regardless of their religious views. Here is a short summary of HR 254.

For a more in-depth review of where we are headed, click here.

Here is a partial list of what homosexual activists are trying to force on every American. While HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish these goals, it will open the door to such regulations. Once the elephant gets its trunk under the tent, the way is open for the elephant to move inside and do whatever he wants.

-Preaching that homosexuality is a sin from the pulpit will result in the preacher being charged with “hate speech.”

-Churches will have their tax-exempt status revoked if they oppose homosexuality.

-Homosexual marriage will be legalized and recognized in all states.

-Polygamy will be legalized.

-Landlords will be forced to rent to homosexuals.

-Scouts, and all non-profit organizations, will be required to hire homosexuals as leaders.

-Biblical language used to define homosexuality will be considered “hate speech.” City officials have already had a billboard removed in Long Island, NY, because it was classified as “hate speech.” The billboard read: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13)

-Employees will not be allowed to say anything negative about homosexuality in their workplaces.

-Classes promoting the homosexual lifestyle will be included in school curricula beginning with the lower grades.

-Employers will be forced to hire homosexuals.

-Adoption by homosexuals will be legalized in every state.

To read HR 254, click here.

Let me say again: HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish everything the homosexual activist’s desire. But it is the first step is to position their cause where they can achieve all their goals.

If they are successful with HR 254, rest assured they will pursue their next goal and will not stop until they achieve all their goals.

Take Action

Send the e-mail to your representative urging him or her to vote AGAINST HR 254. It all boils down to who is dedicated to their cause more — homosexual activists or Christians. Right now the homosexual activists are winning.

Please forward this to all your friends and family. The only way to stop this onslaught on Christian values and Christianity is a national uprising against HR 254, saying enough is enough!

Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

Pro-Life?

Month one

Mommy
I am only 8 inches long
but I have all my organs.
I love the sound of your voice.
Every time I hear it
I wave my arms and legs.
The sound of your heart beat
is my favorite lullaby.

Month Two

Mommy
today I learned how to suck my thumb.
If you could see me
you could definitely tell that I am a baby.
I'm not big enough to survive outside my home though.
It is so nice and warm in here.

Month Three

You know what Mommy
I'm a boy!!
I hope that makes you happy.
I always want you to be happy.
I don't like it when you cry.
You sound so sad.
It makes me sad too
and I cry with you even though
you can't hear me.

Month Four

Mommy
my hair is starting to grow.
It is very short and fine
but I will have a lot of it.
I spend a lot of my time exercising.
I can turn my head and curl my fingers and toes
and stretch my arms and legs.
I am becoming quite good at it too.

Month Five

You went to the doctor today.
Mommy, he lied to you.
He said that I'm not a baby.
I am a baby Mommy, your baby.
I think and feel.
Mommy, what's abortion?

Month Six

I can hear that doctor again.
I don't like him.
He seems cold and heartless.
Something is intruding my home.
The doctor called it a needle.
Mommy what is it? It burns!
Please make him stop!
I can't get away from it!
Mommy! HELP me!

Month Seven

Mommy
I am okay.
I am in Jesus's arms.
He is holding me.
He told me about abortion.
Why didn't you want me Mommy?

Every Abortion Is Just . . .

One more heart that was stopped.
Two more eyes that will never see.
Two more hands that will never touch.
Two more legs that will never run.
One more mouth that will never speak

If you're against abortion ... PASS THIS ON !!!

Attorney General launches religious freedom initiative at SBC meeting

Attorney General launches religious freedom initiative at SBC meeting
Feb 21, 2007
By Erin Roach
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales met with Southern Baptist leaders Feb. 20 to unveil a new Department of Justice initiative aimed at educating Americans about their religious liberties and to ask for the Southern Baptist Convention’s help in identifying and reporting abuses of those liberties.

Gonzales, in an address to SBC Executive Committee members during their Tuesday afternoon session, noted that he is charged by the president with “protecting and preserving not only the safety and security of all Americans, but also their rights, liberties and freedoms.”

“One of our most cherished freedoms, one we’ve sacrificed greatly to defend, is our religious liberty,” the attorney general said at the SBC Building in Nashville, Tenn. “Nothing defines us more as a nation and differentiates us more from the extremists who are our enemies than our respect for religious freedom. Our great country was founded on these principles, and many of us today believe it continues to thrive because of, not despite, them.”

The Department of Justice released Feb. 20 a “Report on Enforcement of Laws Protecting Religious Freedom: Fiscal Years 2001-2006,” which describes the importance of religious freedom historically in America and the role assigned to the justice department. The report also summarizes the department’s accomplishments during the Bush administration to protect religious liberty through the enforcement of civil rights laws.

AG Moves to Protect Religious Freedom

AG Moves to Protect Religious Freedom
CBN News
February 21, 2007

CBNNews.com- The Justice Department is launching a program to protect Americans from religious discrimination.

CBN News traveled with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to Nashville, where he announced the "first freedom initiative."

He told leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention the initiative creates a religious freedom task force to review policies and cases of discrimination. He says the Justice Department will enforce the law to ensure all Americans are protected.

Italy Judge Orders 13 Year-Old to Have Abortion as Parents Oppose Birth

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor

Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) -- An Italian judge has ordered a thirteen year-old girl to have an abortion because her parents are opposed to their daughter giving birth. The decision relies on laws in Italy that allow parents to make the pregnancy decisions for their teenage children.
The girl, from Torino, did not want to have an abortion but the ruling will compel her to do so.

The Italian newspaper La Stampa reports the decision has caused the teenager so much stress she has contemplated suicide and needed to receive psychological help as a result.

The unnamed girl became pregnant after have sexual relations with her 15 year-old boyfriend but she decided the best course of action was keeping the baby.

Laws in the United States vary by state about how parents are involved when a teenager gets pregnant. Some allow parents the right to be notified about a potential abortion or requires their consent to have an abortion while other states have no involvement laws.

Italian statues give parents the ultimate decision about whether a teenager can have an abortion or carry the baby to term. The way the law is worded, parents can require their children to keep their baby, give the baby up for adoption, or have an abortion.

A representative of the Catholic church said government officials should urge the parents not to force their daughter to have an abortion and said enough support exists to take care of the baby.

"The unborn baby is still a life and I defend life whatever the situation." Severino Poletto, Archbishop of Torino told the newspaper.

"Society must take of this child. I certainly oppose abortions but this case allows us to reflect on the situation. We have to take a step back and ask ourselves how this could have happened to a 13 year old girl" he added.

The incident follows two prominent cases of attempted forced abortions in the U.S.

Jefferson advocated 'gate' between church and state

Jefferson advocated 'gate' between church and state
Pastor's research says 'deist' described himself as Christian
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Posted: February 21, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Thomas Jefferson, credited with penning the famous "wall of separation between Church and State" on which many secular organization have rested their hopes of eliminating Christianity from the public square, actually believed in a "gate" allowing free passage between the two, according to a researcher who's reviewed Library of Congress documents.

How else, asked Todd DuBord, senior pastor at Lake Almanor Community Church, could Jefferson as president in 1803 recommended a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians in which U.S. taxpayers promised to pay $100 a year for seven years "for the support of a [Catholic] priest …" and made a commitment that "the United States will further give the sum of three hundred dollars to assist the said tribe in the erection of a church…"

And how else could Jefferson, as president, have held Christian church services in the executive branch buildings, the U.S. House of Representatives, and even the U.S. Supreme Court chambers? he asked.

"I used to believe in 'a wall of separation between Church and State,'" DuBord wrote in a compilation of his research prepared for his church website. "After researching the religion and politics of Thomas Jefferson in the Library of Congress, I now understand that barrier was a gate Jefferson would often pass through."

DuBord, who was exposed to the conflict between the actual Christian heritage of the United States and what is being portrayed as the nation's secular heritage while on a tour of the Washington, D.C., and nearby areas, has researched the nation's Christian heritage through materials from the Library of Congress, and has been submitting requests that agencies responsible for that information be more accurate.

For example, WND has reported that he's been campaigning with the U.S. Supreme Court to provide information that the stone tablet in the East Wall Frieze actually represents the Ten Commandments, not the ten amendments as current public information states. His documentation on the church's website shows historical documents overwhelmingly support the Ten Commandments description.

WND earlier reported on his documentation of the other representations of the Ten Commandments in the Supreme Court Building.

His newest research includes pages of documentation of Jefferson's active support for the teachings of Jesus, even to the point of federal subsidies for the support of missionaries, the construction of churches, the publication of the Bible and other key outreaches.

Denmark to pull troops from Iraq

Denmark will withdraw its troops from Iraq by August, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said.

The troops, numbering about 460, will be replaced by a unit of about 50 soldiers manning four observational helicopters, he said.

It comes as Tony Blair announced a timetable for reducing British troop numbers in Iraq from 7,100 to 5,500.

Most Danish troops are based in the southern city of Basra, where they operate under British command.

The mandate for Danish troops to serve in Iraq is due to expire in June.

Waning public support

Mr Rasmussen said the decision to pull out was taken after consultation with the Iraqi government and the British.

British troops to start Iraq pullout by April

Philip Webster, Political Editor

British troops will start coming home from Iraq within weeks, Tony Blair will announce today almost four years after the start of the war that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

The Prime Minister will say that up to 1,500 of Britain’s 7,000 contingent around Basra could be out by the summer, with the first coming home by April, and 3,000 by the end of the year if the process of handing over control to the Iraqi security forces continues to go well, The Times has learnt.

Mr Blair will say that Operation Sinbad, the security and reconstruction plan conducted in Basra over the past six months, has been a success. Since it ended this month Mr Blair and forces’ chiefs have assessed the ability of Iraqi troops to do the job.

Mr Blair will give the go-ahead for withdrawal despite President Bush’s decision to send more than 21,000 reinforcements to Baghdad. The decision will be seen by some as a signal that the Government is prepared to demonstrate its independence from the US.

The war is seen across the parties as Mr Blair’s most unpopular policy act, and one that has probably accelerated his departure as Prime Minister. He has always been keen that the British withdrawal should start before he leaves office, and that now appears likely to happen.

Details of the announcement were scant last night. Mr Blair was criticised for not taking part in the recent Commons debate on Iraq but promised to make a statement about the future of British forces as soon as Operation Sinbad had been assessed.

There are 7,200 British troops serving in Basra. They are in Shaibha, south Basra, and in Maysan province. More than 130 British Service personnnel have died in Iraq.

Anti-American feelings soar among Muslims, study finds

Anti-American feelings soar among Muslims, study finds

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

The War on Terror has radicalised Muslims around the world to unprecedented levels of anti-American feeling, according to the largest survey of Muslims ever to be conducted.

Seven per cent believe that the events of 9/11 were “completely justified”. In Saudi Arabia, 79 per cent had an “unfavourable view” of the US.

Gallup’s Centre for Muslim Studies in New York carried out surveys of 10,000 Muslims in ten predominantly Muslim countries. One finding was that the wealthier and better-educated the Muslim was, the more likely he was to be radicalised.

The surveys were carried out in 2005 and 2006. Along with an earlier Gallup survey in nine other countries in 2001, they represent the views of more than 90 per cent of the world’s Muslims. A further 1,500 Muslims in London, Paris and Berlin are involved in a separate poll to be published in April.

The findings come in a climate of growing mistrust between Islam and the West. Another recent survey in the US found that 39 per cent of Americans felt some prejudice towards Muslims.

The Gallup findings indicate that, in terms of spiritual values and the emphasis on the family and the future, Americans have more in common with Muslims than they do with their Western counterparts in Europe.

A large number of Muslims supported the Western ideal of democratic government. Fifty per cent of radicals supported democracy, compared with 35 per cent of moderates.

Blair sees peace with 'sensible' Hamas members

Blair sees peace with 'sensible' Hamas members
Comments follow report terrorist group met with Europeans, Democrats
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Posted: February 21, 2007
3:11 p.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – "Sensible" members of Hamas can be counted on as partners for progress toward peace in the Middle East, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.

Speaking to the British Parliament prior to a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Blair said, "I think there are possibilities for progress and I hope that in the coming weeks a framework to take this forward becomes a bit clearer."

"It's far easier to deal with the situation in Palestine if there is a national unity government. ... I hope we can make progress, including even with the more sensible elements of Hamas."

Blair was referring to a national unity deal forged in Mecca earlier this month between Abbas' Fatah party and the Hamas terror group. The agreement, which aimed to end months of Palestinian infighting, does not call for the new Palestinian unity government to recognize Israel and does not commit Hamas to abide by previous peace deals with Israel, only to "respect" the previous peace deals.

Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian emissary to London, hailed Blair's remarks and urged the British prime minister to persuade the U.S. to negotiate with Hamas.

"President Abbas wants Prime Minister Blair to persuade the Americans that the Mecca deal is the only way out," Hassassian said.

"If there is any European country that can influence the Americans it's going to be the UK, given the fact that Blair is a personal friend of President Bush."

Missile shield in Poland, Czech Republic to counter Iran: Rice

BERLIN (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said here on Wednesday that a planned missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic was designed to counter a threat from Iran.

"We have a growing Iranian missile threat and we need to be able to deal with that," Rice told reporters ahead of a meeting in the German capital of the Quartet for Middle East peace.

"Everybody understands that with a growing Iranian missile threat which is quite pronounced there need to be ways to deal with that problem.

"These missile systems are for purposes having to do with post 9/11 threats," Rice said.

"Poland and the Czech Republic are independent countries. They make their own decisions" and they had decided to participate in the scheme, she added.

Rice, who has extensive knowledge of missile systems, dismissed suggestions that the planned shield posed a threat to neighbouring Russia.

Iran still defiant as nuclear deadline expires

Iran still defiant as nuclear deadline expires
POSTED: 1518 GMT (2318 HKT), February 21, 2007

VIENNA, Austria (Reuters) -- Iran vowed on Wednesday to press on with its nuclear fuel program, ignoring a U.N. deadline to freeze uranium enrichment or face broader sanctions.

However, the Islamic republic offered to guarantee it would not try to develop atomic weapons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remained defiant, even as a 60-day grace period -- that Iran had been given December 23 to stop enriching uranium for nuclear fuel -- was expiring.

Iran "will continue our work to reach our right (to nuclear technology) in the shortest possible time," student news agency ISNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in the town of Siahkal.

With the deadline running out, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been unable to verify Iran's program is wholly peaceful after three years of investigations, was expected to report to the U.N. Security Council by Thursday that Tehran was pursuing enrichment regardless of pressure to stop.

The West suspects Iran is trying to make atom bombs behind the facade of a civilian nuclear energy program. Tehran says it wants only an alternative source of electricity so it can maximize oil exports and prepare for when oil reserves run dry.

"Obtaining this technology is very important for our country's development and honor," Ahmadinejad said. "It is worth it to stop other activities for 10 years and focus only on the nuclear issue."

Political correctness is killing us. We are in the fight of our lives.

An interesting article found on the below website...

American Congress for Truth...

"America...the dream that became my address."
Brigitte Gabriel

A message from the President and Founder of www.americancongressfortruth.org
Brigitte Gabriel

War has been declared on Christians, Jews, non-Muslims and secularists worldwide by Islamic extremists...simply because we are infidels according to their belief.

As Islamic fundamentalism spreads its tentacles worldwide, it is crucial for the people of the Western world to understand the danger, know what to expect, and know what to do about it.

Threats and realities of forced conversions to Islam, beheadings, torture and murder are quickly becoming commonplace. They’re rarely mentioned in the news and when they are, it’s with a disclaimer…the word “insurgent” has replaced the truth of “terrorists.”

Political correctness is killing us.

This Is The New Reality
We are in for the fight of our lives.

That we have not yet had another terrorist attack in the United States is remarkable, but it will happen. Al Queda keeps its promises.

How do I know this? I was born in Lebanon and raised as a Christian. When the Lebanese Civil War broke out, our family, and our Maronite community came under vicious attack by Islamic extremists.

They promised to destroy us, and as you know from the recent war in Lebanon, the country is now nearly Islamic.

I was nearly killed by a mortar. Our home was destroyed. We lived in a bomb shelter for seven years. Most of my childhood friends were killed. That’s how I know.

We must make the connection between individual safety and a strong national defense, increase civic preparation and political responsibility, and train all Americans to become defenders of our community safety and national security.

"All that is required for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

Anguish struck the citizens of the United States of America on 9/11 as a
handful of hateful men murdered nearly 3,000 innocent people. A heavy pall of grief covered our nation.

Many of us wondered if we'd ever laugh again.

But 9/11 wasn't the only act of terrorism. Bali, London, Madrid, Jerusalem...the list goes on and on. Yet the West does not fully realize the bloodthirsty intentions of the menace of fundamental Islam.

This enemy -- is relentless. It is determined.

Why Does Our Struggle Matter? It Matters Because...
If we don't win the war against Islamofascism other issues won't matter at all.

We won't have an economy to worry about.

We won't have equal rights for all.

We won't have our cherished freedom.

And we will live under Sharia Law.

We Must Win This War
The enemy loves death -- far more than we love life.

The enemy uses children as human bombs, mothers as suicide bombers, men driven by the glory of death and the promise of eternal sexual bliss in heaven...and martyrdom on earth.

This is the enemy reality: murder and death of "infidels" by any means for the glory of Allah.

The pain-rich attack of 9/11 changed most Americans lives forever, but it struck an especially sensitive chord with me. It reminded me that the entire world is under brutal threat and physical attack by the same radical Islamic ideology that massacred “infidels” in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.

The American Congress for Truth (ACT) was formed in June 2002 to clear away the fog of the brutal attack of September 11, 2001. Our purpose is to preserve our cherished values and freedoms.

Our Members Include:
Jews, Arabs, Christians, and non-Muslims from all backgrounds both secular and religious, liberals and conservatives.

These good people have put their differences aside to combat both anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda masquerading as anti-Imperialism and anti-Zionism:

• in the Western media
• among the intellectual elite
• on American college campuses
• in churches, synagogues and other places of worship
• in business groups and civic meetings
• wherever it exists

As America stood up against and defeated communism--now it is time to stand up and stare down the evil of religious bigotry and intolerance. So many times in history, citizens have done nothing...and evil prevailed.

"Evil unchecked grows. Evil tolerated poisons the whole system."
Jawaharlal Nehru

We can see from history that this is true. We can see that today this is true.

Join Me. Get Involved!
Together we can save our country and our freedom. You are the heroes who make our work possible.
I especially thank you for helping me protect the country that has blessed me so much.

America, the dream that became my address.

Brigitte Gabriel
P.S. Please, join us today. Get involved; help us spread the message that will save our country, and our freedom.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

A return to the original New Testament mission field

WORKPLACE MINISTRIES:
A return to the original New Testament mission field

By Jerry Higgins
Baptist Press

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Ministry in the workplace is prevalent throughout the Bible. The term “work” is mentioned more than 800 times and the Hebrew word “avodah” is the root from which we get the words “work” and “worship.”

Forty-five of Jesus’ 52 parables were about work, while 39 of 40 divine encounters in the Book of Acts occurred in workplace settings.

The workplace, whether out of the home or in the home, is a mission field, and many pastors tell their church members to go out and reach it. But according to those who specifically serve in workplace/worklife ministries, people are not getting the proper training on how to reach the workplace.

That’s why organizations like HisChurchatWork.org and Corporate Chaplains of America were formed. That’s why the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and other ministries are concentrating on ministering to the workplace.

These and other organizations are either helping churches train the masses to go out and be workplace missionaries or are actually sending out people into the workplace to minister. Henry Blackaby, founder of Blackaby Ministries International, for example, provides monthly conference calls and training sessions to corporate CEOs to help them learn to bring Christ into their corporate lives.

“People are happy in the pews letting ‘professionals’ do this,” said Doug Spada, a Navy veteran in nuclear engineering who started HisChurchatWork.org in 2002 at Journey Community Church in San Diego and now is based in Alpharetta, Ga. “We need to shift from going to church to being the church.”

Report: North Koreans enslaved in China

Report: North Koreans enslaved in China
Women targeted as 'brides,' subjected to physical and sexual attacks
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Posted: February 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

An entire industry of trafficking women from North Korea into China, where they are sold to "husbands" who hold them with physical and sexual assaults as well as demands they perform backbreaking labor, has been documented by Radio Free Asia.

The organization has reported that North Korea, which already has been documented as the world's worst violator of religious rights and freedoms and has been the subject of a series of WND reports about abuses against Christians and women, routinely lures women from regions near the Chinese border across the international boundary into what amounts to slavery.

"A woman from our village, who said she'd been to China, told me that we could make some money there, so I followed her and crossed the Tumen River," Jeong Soo-Ok told RFA. But instead of money, she found traffickers who caught her and sold her.

Crew, passengers beat up hijacker

Crew, passengers beat up hijacker
Gunman Mohamed Abderraman tackled after pilot hit brakes to knock him down
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© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

In a scene reminiscent of the heroism of United Flight 93 on 9/11, crew and passengers of an Air Mauritania jet beat an armed hijacker in a rescue plot hatched by the captain.

After realizing the hijacker, 32-year-old Mohamed Abderraman, did not speak French, the pilot flying the Boeing 737 told passengers over the intercom system he planned to make their landing in the Spanish Canary Islands especially rough in an attempt to knock down the hijacker. Then, he instructed, male passengers and crew should rush the cockpit and overwhelm the man.

Officials said Abderraman seized the jet soon after take-off yesterday from the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, demanding to be flown to France, the BBC reported.

The hijacker managed to board the plane in the northern African nation with two loaded handguns, and one report said that during the hijack, he held a gun to the head of the pilot, Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine.

"The pilot and his colleagues decided to abruptly apply brakes on landing to throw off-balance the hijacker, who was hurled to the floor by the jerk and was quickly overpowered before being handed over to the Spanish police force," a Mauritanian official told Agence France-Presse.

Flight attendants threw boiling water at the hijacker and about 10 people jumped him, according to one report.

The plane returned home today to a heroes' welcome.

10 Americans ordered to leave Belarus

10 Americans ordered to leave Belarus
The Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Ten Americans left Belarus on Friday after authorities ordered them deported for allegedly singing religious songs and reading spiritual literature, in violation of laws restricting religious activity in the former Soviet republic.

The Americans "preferred to leave Belarus voluntarily" after authorities decided they should be deported, said Interior Ministry spokesman Oleg Slepchenko.

Slepchenko said police raided what was supposed to be a seminar in conversational English at an evangelical Protestant church in the eastern city of Mogilev. He said police found bibles on the tables, and participants were singing religious songs instead of talking.

The Americans, who arrived in Belarus Feb. 5, were fined and warned they were violating the law with their activities, Slepchenko said. But authorities later caught them repeating the alleged violations, he said.

Distrust of foreign missionaries and Protestant churches is strong in many largely Orthodox Christian and Muslim nations of the former Soviet Union.

Mall shooter's body to go back to Bosnia

Talovic's body to go back to Bosnia
By Nate Carlisle and Russ Rizzo
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 02/17/2007 12:57:37 AM MST

The body of Sulejman Talovic - who shot nine people at Trolley Square, killing five - has been released to his family.
The Talovic family is preparing to transport the body to Bosnia-Herzegovina for burial, his aunt said Friday.
Ajka Omerovic said her family is trying to complete paperwork to facilitate the overseas burial. She said the body, which is in a mortuary, will be transported "hopefully next week."
Talovic's family, who were forced from their hometown in 1993 at the height of the Bosnian war, emigrated to the United States in the late 1990s. The gunman's father, Suljo Talovic, has said he wants to bury his only son in Tuzla, which is Bosnia's most ethnically diverse city.
Suljo Talovic's friends, who spoke to him after a Friday afternoon prayer service at Salt Lake City's Al-Noor mosque, said he was still trying to figure out arrangements for sending his son's body back to Bosnia.
The cost of transporting a body to the Balkans is approximately $5,000, said Travis Greenwood, director of Larkin Mortuary, which is not handling arrangements for Talovic's body.
Suljo Talovic said he and his wife are still trying to cope with Monday's events. He said his wife, Sabira, suffered a heart attack about 5 a.m. Tuesday, three hours after police informed them their son was the Trolley Square shooter.
At the mosque Friday, Suljo Talovic sat on his feet among about 90 other Muslim men and boys from Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan and other countries as Tariq Kergaye, an Iraqi member of the mosque, offered a sermon that touched on the tragedy. Kergaye called the shooting "a low point for us Muslims."
After the services, a somber Suljo Talovic thanked the community for its support.
"I'm so happy for these people, Utah people," he told the Tribune. "They bring flowers to my door."
On Friday, police revealed no new clues about what motivated Sulejman Talovic to kill.
The only clues to date are a tumultuous childhood - he was 5 when his family became victims of "ethnic cleansing" - followed by a difficult adjustment to life in Utah as a refugee.

American facing IED charges

American facing IED charges
Houston case alleges suspect planned to kill on behalf of al-Qaida
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Posted: February 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

An American who is accused of guarding a flight attendant who later was murdered by radical Muslims in Somalia, and learning how to make IEDs at a compound used by al-Qaida there, is facing a court hearing Tuesday in Houston after his arrest by anti-terrorism experts and his return to the U.S.

The case is pending against Daniel Joseph Maldonado, aka Daniel Aljughaifi, 28, formerly of Houston, who was named in the government charges filed by U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle in Houston.

"Any who seek to aid terrorists in their mission to threaten our national security will be held to account for such serious criminal conduct," DeGabrielle said.

A spokeswoman in the prosecutor's office in Houston, Nancy Herrera, told WND that the hearing on Tuesday will be on Maldonado's detention and preliminary examination, at which a magistrate judge will determine whether there is probable cause in the criminal case, and whether the government will get its request of detaining him without bond.

Maldonado was returned to the U.S. just days ago after he was captured by members of the Kenyan military on Jan. 21 as he fled Somalia to avoid the military conflict between Ethiopian and Somalian forces, according to prosecutors.

Being expelled by Kenyan authorities, he was turned over to American authorities, then flown to Houston in the company of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Already being described as another John Walker Lindh, he is alleged to have traveled on his own to Somalia in late 2006 to join the Islamic Courts Union and elements of al-Qaida to fight "jihad" in Somalia. The ICU is blamed for the suicide bombers and vehicles containing improvised explosive devices just weeks earlier that targeted the leadership of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, according to federal documents.

"While in Somalia, Maldonado was … provided an AK-47, equipped with military combat uniforms and boots in Mogadishu, and participated in training camps in Kismaayo and Jilib, Somalia," prosecutors said. "The camps included physical fitness, firearms and explosives training all in preparation to go to the front to fight for the ICU."

The complaint alleges Maldonado studied at the training camps with al-Qaida members and expressed his willingness go to the front and fight, and become a suicide bomber if he was wounded.

Death for dollars? Ukrainian infants likely killed to harvest stem cells

Rebecca Grace - AFA Journal
OneNewsNow.com
February 17, 2007

Evidence from a video obtained by the BBC points to the stomach-churning possibility that healthy babies born in a Ukrainian maternity hospital were taken their mothers and then murdered so that large amounts of stem cells could be harvested from their brains and bone marrow. A spokesman for the hospital denies it is connected in any way with the use of stem cells -- but one Ukrainian couple never saw their newborn daughter again after being told all was well and then told later she had died.

In the Ukraine, investigators are exploring the possibility that healthy infants and preborns were killed for stem-cell experimentation. It is speculated that the babies' organs were extracted after allegedly being stolen from mothers by staff at Maternity Hospital Number Six in the eastern city of Kharkov.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) claims to have a video showing the autopsy examination of 30 infants and fetuses that were exhumed from a cemetery used by the Ukrainian maternity hospital. The video was also turned over to the Council of Europe who is now carrying out its own investigation as a response to about 300 families who are coming forward with charges against the hospital for allegedly taking and killing their newborns.

Pictures from the autopsies reveal tiny dismembered bodies with missing organs and brains. Since dismemberment of bodies is not a standard post-mortem practice, it is likely the babies were harvested for the high amounts of stem cells in their brains and bone marrow.

It is a recognized practice in the Ukraine, the stem-cell capital of the world, to take stem cells from aborted fetuses with the mothers' consent. Due to the increasing worldwide demand for stem cells, it is possible healthy newborns are now being used to feed this demand. These healthy babies mysteriously "die" following a successful birth.

Such is likely the case for Ukrainian couple Dimitry and Olena Stulnev who had their baby at Maternity Hospital Number Six. "I gave birth to a healthy girl," Olena told the Daily Mail. "She was crying and moving her hands and legs. I was shown the baby. After that the girl was taken away. They told me everything was OK, and I could see her the next day."

Olena never saw her baby again. She was told the next day that her baby was dead and given conflicting stories as to the reason for the child's death. The couple began investigating the death of their child but got nowhere. The more they pried, the less information they got.

Even today, Ukrainian authorities and hospital staff remain tight-lipped about the suspected use of newborns for stem-cell research.

Solar flares might knock out cell phones

Solar flares might knock out cell phones
Activity building to crescendo some scientists say could be cataclysmic
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Posted: February 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Solar flare activity is expected to build for the next three years to a crescendo that some scientists say could be cataclysmic, causing a telecommunication blackout that would down mobile phones and navigational systems.

"The solar flares are expected to be at its maximum intensity by the year 2010," Markus Aschwanden, a solar physicist at the Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, told the Hindu News. "These solar flares and Coronoal Mass Ejections from the sun have the ability to travel all the way to the earth and create a black-out of cellular phone services and navigational systems like the GPS.

Solar flares and CMEs occur when magnetic energy built up in the Sun's atmosphere is suddenly released. The flares carrying high amount of energy, travel at high speeds and reach the Earth in a matter of hours.

"If a solar flare or a CME collides with the Earth, it can cause a geomagnetic storm," Aschwanden said, adding large geomagnetic storms have caused electrical power outages and damaged communication satellites. "A few years back, these solar flares destroyed the satellite Galaxy 4."

Pentagon rules out ground attack on Iran

Pentagon rules out ground attack on Iran
Officials find rugged terrain makes invasion virtually impossible
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Posted: February 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Democrat leaders in Congress vow they'll move to block President Bush from invading Iran, but Pentagon officials say that won't be necessary, because they have no active plans for a ground attack.

In fact, officials tell WND they have war-gamed a full-blown invasion and ruled it out because of the difficult terrain in Iran, a mountainous fortress compared to Iraq.

"It's a non-starter," said one official.

He explains Iran is ringed virtually 360 degrees by towering mountains, and even if they were passable by artillery units, unstable salt flats and high desert wastelands stand between those mountains and Tehran, the capital.

"The Great Salt Desert outside Tehran is hundreds of miles of dry lakebeds that ooze a black sticky mud that's a lot like quicksand," he said. "It won't support tanks and artillery."

It was in the Great Salt Desert, known locally as the Dasht-e Kavir, that the 1980 military mission to rescue American hostages in Tehran was aborted. Dust storms blinded pilots and caused a U.S. helicopter to crash into a C-130 transport plane, killing eight crew members.

On the other side of Tehran lie the steep, jagged Elburz Mountains, which include Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Europe and Asia west of the Hindu Kush. The average elevation of that northern range protecting Tehran is twice that of mile-high Denver.

Critics of Bush's saber-rattling over Iran – which he accuses of arming insurgents in Iraq while developing a nuclear-weapons program – worry the president is looking for a pretext to also invade Iran and carry out regime change in Tehran.

"Congress should make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president to go into Iran," warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

But even strong promoters of the war in Iraq are not talking seriously about going "into" Iran.

"I do not think anyone in the U.S. is talking about invasion," said Josh Muravchik, a Middle East expert at the American Enterprise Institute who has argued for air strikes on Iran. "We have been chastened by the experience of Iraq, even a hawk like myself."

If the initial march to Baghdad was a cake walk, a march to Tehran would be a logistical nightmare, experts agree.

Smuggler's 2nd delivery of marijuana confirmed

Smuggler's 2nd delivery of marijuana confirmed
Border agents' trial transcript shows judge ordered information withheld
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By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, the Mexican drug smuggler given immunity to return to the United States and testify against two Border Patrol agents, was involved in smuggling a second load of marijuana into the United States after he was given court protection, records have confirmed.

Newly released transcripts of the trial of Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos have corroborated WND reports that the Mexican illegal alien was involved in the second drug case, this one involving a load of marijuana brought into the U.S. in October 2005.

The incident followed his grant of immunity by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in return for truthful testimony against Ramos and Compean. The former agents are serving 11 and 12 year prison terms for their actions in a Feb. 17, 2005, incident in which they shot Aldrete-Davila as he was fleeing across the border into Mexico.

Activist organizations have made repeated calls for President Bush to pardon the former agents, who, they say, are being punished for doing their duty.

As WND also has reported Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., has sponsored a resolution calling for a congressional pardon for Ramos and Compean, and his office confirmed the resolution already has 82 co-sponsors.

Illegal aliens in Arizona could do 6 months in jail

Illegal aliens in Arizona could do 6 months in jail
Legislature considering measure to make it crime to be in state
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Posted: February 17, 2007
6:10 p.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

If a referendum measure being considered by the Arizona legislature is submitted to voters and passed, anyone who has entered the U.S. illegally would be subject to 6 months in jail if found anywhere in Arizona, with sentences jumping to 30 months for repeat offenders and five years for those caught with illegal drugs or dangerous weapons.

HCR 2022, co-sponsored by Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, essentially brings Arizona law into conformance with Title 8 of the United States Code (Immigration and Naturalization), which regulates immigration into the U.S.

Federal law provides penalties for any illegal alien who:

1)Enters or attempts to enter the U.S. at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers;

2)Eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers; or

3)Attempts to enter/obtain entry into the U.S. by false representation.

The penalty for a Class 1 misdemeanor under Title 8 is up to six months in jail and up to $2,500 in fines. The presumptive term of incarceration for a Class 4 felony is two-and-a-half years and up to $150,000 in fines. The presumptive term of incarceration for a Class 2 felony is 5 years and up to $150,000 in fines.

Pearce's measure establishes the crime of being on any public or private land in Arizona while being in violation of federal immigration law and prescribes state penalties that match federal ones.

The House Judiciary Committee approved HCR 2022 this week. It now goes to the full House.

‘Dog’ the Bounty Hunter loses extradition battle (Latest News)

Pray for him and his family!

‘Dog’ the Bounty Hunter loses extradition battle
Federal court clears way for Chapman to be sent to Mexico to face charges

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - A federal court has cleared the way for TV bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman to be extradited to face charges in Mexico, but the decision can still be appealed.

Norma Jara, a spokeswoman for the second district court in Guadalajara, said Thursday the court rejected Chapman’s injunction request, ruling there was no reason not to try him on charges he illegally arrested Max Factor makeup heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster in 2003.

“We only just heard about the Mexican court’s decision to continue with the extradition proceedings, and are still in shock,” Chapman and his wife, Beth, said in a statement issued Thursday night in Honolulu.

“Our attorneys have not even been formally informed of the court’s decision, as of yet. We are obviously deeply disappointed and fearful of what will happen, and are currently absorbing the news and discussing our options at this time.”

Once Chapman has been formally notified of the decision, he has five days to file an appeal that could block his extradition.

Mexican authorities have already asked for Chapman’s extradition from Hawaii.

Chapman’s lawyers argue he would not be guaranteed a fair trial in Mexico.

The charges against the 53-year-old star of the A&E reality series “Dog the Bounty Hunter” stem from his June 2003 capture of Luster in Puerto Vallarta. Luster had fled to Mexico to avoid trial, and his detention by Chapman led to his return to the U.S. and a 124-year prison term.

Luster’s capture shot the Honolulu-based bounty hunter to fame and led to the TV series.

FEBRUARY 16: An Associated Press report out of Guadalajara, Mexico stated that a Mexican federal court has denied Duane "Dog" Chapman's injunction request and has ruled that the star of A&E's "Dog the Bounty Hunter" should be extradited and stand trial for deprivation of liberty - a charge stemming from Dog and his posse's 2003 capture of convicted serial rapist, Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta.

Mexican authorities had asked for Chapman's extradition from Hawaii and U.S. Marshals took Dog, son Leland Chapman and associate Tim Chapman into custody back on September 14th for their role in bringing Luster to justice. Dog, Leland and Tim were released on bail and have been awaiting a ruling on their request to stop the extradition proceedings, which would otherwise require them to face trial in Mexico.

"Our attorneys have not even been formally informed of the court's decision, as of yet," Dog and wife Beth Chapman said. "We are obviously deeply disappointed and fearful of what will happen, and are currently absorbing the news and discussing our options at this time."

Andrew Luster, the notorious heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, was convicted of drugging and raping three women over a four year span. During his trial in 2003, Luster fled the country, leading to an international manhunt. In June 2003, Dog and his team tracked the fugitive Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he was living under an alias, and seized him. Luster was subsequently found guilty in the US and is currently serving a 124 year prison sentence. At that time,in June 2003, Dog, Tim and Leland were arrested by the Mexican authorities for unlawful deprivation of liberty and released on bail.

MARRIAGE DIGEST: Calif. county clerks protest 'gay marriage' ban; Indiana marriage amendment one step from 2008 ballot

MARRIAGE DIGEST: Calif. county clerks protest 'gay marriage' ban; Indiana marriage amendment one step from 2008 ballot

By Michael Foust
Baptist Press

SAN FRANCISCO (BP)--Same-sex couples across California protested the state's "gay marriage" ban on Valentine's Day by requesting marriage licenses at local county clerk offices -- and they got support from some clerks in the process.

Although the clerks didn't grant licenses to the couples, in Yolo County couples received "Certificates of Inequality," an unofficial document saying that County Clerk-Recorder Freddie Oakley disagrees with the law and backs the goals of the couples.

Clerks in San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Sonoma counties said they opposed the current law, too, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Homosexual couples across California have used the strategy for years, trying to focus attention on the current law, which protects the natural and traditional definition of marriage.

"This is my fifth year as county clerk and the fifth year in which I will be refusing marriage licenses to people of the same gender," Oakley told the Chronicle. "It gets harder every year."

Oakley's certificate read, in part, "I issue this Certificate of Inequality to you because your choice of marriage partner displeases some people whose displeasure is, apparently, more important than principles of equality." The bottom of the document said, "May the God of your choice bless you."

San Mateo County Clerk Warren Slocum had same-sex couples sign a guest book he hopes is part of the county's historical museum someday, the Chronicle reported. Marion County Clerk Michael Smith took the names and phone numbers of the couples and hopes to be able to perform their ceremony when, he says "gay marriage" is legalized.

But supporters of the current law -- which was approved by 61 percent of voters in 2000 -- say the clerks abused the power of their office and don't reflect the beliefs of the general public. Dozens of county residents protested outside Oakley's Woodland, Calif., office.

Same-sex civil unions could pass in 4 states this year; activists optimistic about chances

Same-sex civil unions could pass in 4 states this year; activists optimistic about chances

By Michael Foust
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--After suffering a series of stinging defeats last year, homosexual activists may be on the verge of significant victories this year as state legislatures consider passing same-sex civil unions bills.

Legislators in at least four states -- Hawaii, New Hampshire, Oregon and Rhode Island -- are examining civil unions bills that would grant homosexual couples the legal benefits of marriage. A fifth state, Washington, is considering a domestic partnership benefits bill that would give same-sex couples some of marriage's legal benefits.

In all five states, supporters believe they have a good chance at success. Homosexual activists see civil unions as the next-best thing to full-blown "gay marriage," as well as a natural stepping stone to "marriage." Some legislators see civil unions as a compromise. Pro-family leaders, though, disagree.

"We think civil unions as they are proposed here in Hawaii are exactly the same as marriage, but with a different title," Hawaii Family Forum Executive Director Kelly Rosati told Baptist Press. "So, we don't see it as much of a compromise."

Last year, supreme courts in New York, Washington state and New Jersey ruled there was no constitutional right to "gay marriage." Although it was a banner year for conservatives, the pendulum could be swinging back in the other direction. Maryland's highest court could issue a "gay marriage" decision any day. California's top court will hear such a case this year, and Connecticut's highest court could as well.

Civil unions are legal in three states: Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey. But even with civil unions, all three states remain embroiled in political or legal squabbles over "gay marriage." In Vermont, a bill that would legalize "gay marriage" is pending in the state legislature. In Connecticut, a lawsuit that would legalize "gay marriage" currently is before the Connecticut Supreme Court, although justices have yet to decide whether they'll hear it. And in New Jersey, the new civil unions law is just now going into effect, and homosexual activists already are pledging not to give up until the legislature allows "marriage" for same-sex couples.

Anti-Christian rage hits previously quiet area

Anti-Christian rage hits previously quiet area
Mob breaks through barricades, stabs and murders man in his home
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© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

While persecution of Christians – largely by radical Hindus – is far too routine in India, in the past there have been areas of that nation where the level of animosity has been lower, including Kerala State. But that has changed suddenly, according to reports from Voice of the Martyrs, with the unprovoked attack on a Christian man and his wife by a mob of youths.

Officials with VOM, a U.S.-based Christian group helping members of the persecuted Christian church worldwide, said the attack happened in Pavaloor, in Kerala State, just last week, when a mob stabbed and killed a 58-year-old Christian man, identified as S. Stanley.

Sources within the region told VOM that a mob of youths assembled in front of the Stanleys' house, shouting abuses against Christians.

3,000 Policemen Guarding Temple Mount

3,000 Policemen Guarding Temple Mount
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Police Chief Moshe Karadi has raised the alert level around the country to Level III, the second-highest. Jerusalem is of special concern, because of the Moslem rioting violence and threats regarding the construction of a ramp to the Temple Mount from the Western Wall plaza.

As a security precaution, entry to the Friday prayers at the Al-Aksa mosque are restricted more tightly than they have ever been, and only those aged 50 and older will be allowed in.

Three Arabs were arrested shortly before the noon-time prayers began when they tried to evade policemen and ascend to the Mount.

The walkway in question is the only passage by which Jews can enter the Temple Mount - the holiest site in Judaism, the location of the First and Second Holy Temples, and the place where the Binding of Isaac took place. The ramp was heavily damaged during a snowstorm three years ago, and is being replaced. Before the construction can take place, however, Israeli law requires that preparatory archaeological excavations take place to determine if important findings lie below.

Arab leaders have raised an uproar over the works, and have called for another intifada to "save the Al-Aqsa Mosque [on the Temple Mount]." This, despite the fact that the works are underway well outside the Temple Mount. Israeli-Arab Sheikh Raad Salah, who heads the northern branch of the radical Islamic Movement in Israel, was arrested and has been distanced from the Old City for the next two months. He is also charged with attacking policemen.

Launched Rocket Jettisons Five Satellites

Launched Rocket Jettisons Five Satellites
By Michael F. Haverluck
February 17, 2007

CBNNews.com -- CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- One hour after blast-off, a single rocket jettisoned five scientific satellites into space.

University of California at Berkeley scientists report from their ground station that approximately half-an-hour after the five satellites separated from the rocket, they were able to initiate signals from each one.

"Everything looks picture-perfect," remarked a NASA spokeswoman.

After approximately two months, the probes will begin relaying information to scientists for many years into the future, if things go as planned.

When the five satellites begin their intended functions, they will magnetically map the region of North America every four days for a duration of about 15 to 20 hours, which will work in conjunction with 20 separate ground stations.

The $200 million Themis mission was launched in order to figure out the cause of powerful geomagnetic substorms discovered in the earth's atmosphere.

Potential problems initiated from the storms range from inoperative power grids, disabled communications satellites and high radiation levels cast on spacewalking astronauts and airline passengers traveling over northern latitudes in the earth's atmosphere.

Congressman says banking privileges for illegals a national security threat

Jim Brown
OneNewsNow.com

U.S. Congressman Ted Poe (R-Texas) feels Bank of America is hindering the war on terrorism by encouraging illegal aliens and others to obtain credit and bank cards without Social Security numbers. It is hard enough for American citizens to obtain credit, the lawmaker insists, without banks "playing preference" to illegal immigrants by allowing them to open card accounts without the proper documentation.

"And it's all in the name of money," Poe says. "It's not what's best for America. It's all about money and maybe what's best for Bank of America," he contends.

The Texas conservative says that financial institution, by extending its services in this way, is sending the wrong message to drug cartels and terrorists. These "people who want to do us harm look at this as another opportunity to open accounts, to store money for a later time to be used against the rest of us," he asserts.

Poe feels this move by the Bank of America demonstrates that the company is interested in profit at the expense of national security. "Certainly, the Patriot Act applies," he says; "but all this does is weaken the concept of accountability as to what persons are opening these accounts."

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Pastor describes how Christians should be ‘salt of the earth’

Pastor describes how Christians should be ‘salt of the earth’

By Rachel Waligorski
Baptist Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--When Christians follow Jesus’ call to be salt of the earth, they need not be impressive, Kansas City native Charles J. Briscoe told a chapel audience at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“As salt, we are called not to impress, but to influence,” said Briscoe, who was honored Feb. 6 with a presidential medallion from the Missouri seminary.

Briscoe served 35 years as senior pastor of Paseo Baptist Church in Kansas City until his retirement in 2003. He now serves as urban director of PastorServe, a ministry that supports pastors in the greater Kansas City area by seeking to foster reconciliation across denominational and racial lines.

In a message from Matthew 5:13, Briscoe underscored how Christians should have a Kingdom influence on those around them, yet defer all glory to God, keeping nothing for personal glory.

“We’re not here to parade ourselves,” Briscoe said. “[As salt,] we’re here to purge, preserve and to purify. We’re to purify our culture with the Kingdom agenda.”

Briscoe encouraged believers to confront the world in spite of opposition and personal sacrifice.

“As salt, we are not to hold on, to save ourselves, to keep ourselves in a selfish way,” he said. “We are here to give ourselves away. Salt does not fulfill its purpose until it looses itself.”

While being salt in the world may be costly, Briscoe reminded Christians that it will be far more costly if they refuse to be the salt God has called them to be.

The Almighty Dollar No More?

The Almighty Dollar No More?
By Paul Strand
CBN News

CBNNews.com - THE FEDERAL RESERVE - Recently the American dollar fell to a two-year low against the euro.

You might not think that affects you, but it may be a warning of a dollar disaster that could hit you right in your wallet.

The dollar is the symbol of the world's strongest, most respected economy.

Economic giants like China and Japan have traditionally put their massive savings into safe havens based on the dollar - like U.S. government securities.

China has the world's largest reserves -- more than $1 trillion worth.

But what if the Chinese get worried the greenback might start plunging in value? Or they can get a better deal elsewhere?

Economic consultant Morgan Grace said, "They might want to perhaps find another currency in which to place their valuable reserves."

China's premier hinted they might be thinking along those lines last month when he said they may consider diversifying away from the dollar.

And the equally cash-rich oil producing countries a couple of months back started quietly shifting some of their holdings from dollars into euros.

Strict Abortion Bill Revisited in South Dakota

Strict Abortion Bill Revisited in South Dakota
By Joe Kafka
Associated Press Writer

CBNNews.com -- PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Lawmakers who watched as a near-total ban on abortions failed in South Dakota voting booths last year have revived the legislation with changes that may make the difference in public acceptance. But the bill's success is far from assured.

None of the Legislature's leaders, notably some sponsors of last year's bill, are joining the effort this year because waging last year's fight was so exhausting.

"It's far too soon to put our state through something of such a difficult nature again," said Democratic Sen. Julie Bartling, a prime sponsor of last year's abortion bill.

"The state needs to heal, and I just don't feel that we need to take this up in this legislative session again," she added. "The people have spoken."

The bill introduced in January includes exceptions for victims of rape or incest and if continuing the pregnancy would harm the woman's health significantly.

Last year's ban exempted only abortions needed to save a woman's life, and the lack of more exceptions was cited when voters repealed the ban in November. Public opinion polls have shown that a ban with rape and incest exceptions would pass muster with South Dakotans.

Pastors Wary of Christian Government Plan

Pastors Wary of Christian Government Plan
CBN News

CBNNews.com - ANDERSON, S.C. - A group called Christian Exodus is moving thousands of Christians to South Carolina to reestablish a Christian government there, according to its Web site, ChristianExodus.org.

But some South Carolina pastors say they're concerned by a group who wants to move to their area to take over local politics.

The Reverend Tom Ritchie, pastor of a Presbyterian church in Anderson, says he has difficulty finding Scripture that suggests Christians should take over government.

Women of Terror: Dying to Kill

Women of Terror: Dying to Kill
By John Waage and Salam Eid
CBN News
February 13, 2007

CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM - Every week in Israel, authorities prevent dozens of potential suicide attacks from Palestinians. But hundreds, even thousands in the West Bank and Gaza Strip continue to volunteer to attack Israelis.

And, a growing number of them are women.

Some of the women in training are part of a terror group called the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades.

And in the strange world of the Middle East, although their group is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, they're also part of the Fatah Party, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, America's designated partner for Middle East peace.

They train in Gaza's olive groves, learning to move out as a unit.

They also learn to operate light weapons, part of their training diversity.

Om Jandal is a Martyr's Brigades commander. She's in charge of the "army of women" based in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp. And she's the mother of four children.

"In the battlefield I can be a soldier, and when I am back at home, I will go back to motherhood and be a wife to my husband," said Jandal.

Om Jandal claims to have 300 women prepared to sacrifice to kill Israelis.

Israel launches Arrow anti-missile system

Steinitz: Arrow test gives Israel advantage over Syria, Iran

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies

Israel's latest test of its Arrow missile defense system proves Israel has a jump on its fiercest enemies, Iran and Syria, a senior lawmaker on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said Monday.

Israel successfully tested the Arrow anti-missile system Sunday night, in its first nighttime trial, intercepting a test target that simulated the warhead of a long-range Iranian surface-to-surface Shihab-3 missile.

"The test yesterday was exceptional," said MK Yuval Steinitz, a former head of the committee. "It proved it can bring down any kind of ballistic missile, a capability no power in the world possesses."

He said that, "Even if Iran or Syria were to develop more sophisticated missiles than they now have, Israel is one step ahead."

Lieutenant Colonel Moshe Fattal, a senior official in the Defense Ministry department responsible for the project, said Sunday that the successful test firing of the Arrow missile shows that Israel can now defend itself against an Iranian nuclear missile threat.

"The test proves that Israel is prepared to deal with a missile attack from Iran, including a nuclear one," Fattal told Army Radio.

"The missile is capable of dealing with future Syrian and Iranian threats as we see them, as of now. I believe that the citizens of Israel can sleep peacefully."

A defense establishment official took issue with Fattal's assessment, however. "There is no significance to the results of the test," the radio quoted the unnamed official as saying Monday. "There is simply no such thing as defense against nuclear missiles."

Temple's location found, says Israeli archaeologist

Temple's location found, says Israeli archaeologist
Study of ancient cisterns pinpoints sacred site,– Muslim Dome of the Rock outside confines
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© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Using maps created in 1866 by a British explorer and passages from the Jewish Mishnah, an Israeli archaeologist and professor at Hebrew University says he has pinpointed the location of the sacred Jewish Temple, twice built and twice destroyed in ancient times.

While popular consensus places the Temple, built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. and rebuilt by Jews who returned from Babylon in the 5th century B.C., on the site of the present Muslim Dome of the Rock, Prof. Joseph Patrich says archaeological remains show its exact location – and the consensus is wrong.

According to Patrich, the Temple, its corresponding courtyards, chambers and gates were oriented in a more southeasterly direction, sitting diagonally on what is the modern Temple Mount. The difference in orientation and the placement further eastward varies from the east-facing orientation of other scholars who believe the Temple was closer to today's Western Wall.

However, that difference is why, Patrich says, the Temple did not sit over the rock believed by Jews to be the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac and where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven.

Patrich's siting of the Temple is derived from information collected by British engineer Sir Charles Wilson in 1866 on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. Wilson mapped a series of ancient cisterns below the present Temple Mount platform. One of those, Patrich says, preserves a vestige of the Temple that stood until it was destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70.

The cistern mapped by Wilson, approximately 15 feet wide, 170 feet long and 45 feet deep, was located near the Temple Mount's southeast corner. It was oriented in a southeasterly direction with branches extending north and south.

Olmert 'caved to Muslims' on Temple Mount

Olmert 'caved to Muslims' on Temple Mount
Israeli PM criticized for approving plan for minaret, but not synagogue
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By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to allow Muslims to construct a massive minaret on the Temple Mount will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state and signal that violence and terrorism are working, according to a group of prominent rabbinic leaders in Israel.

The Rabbinical Congress for Peace, a coalition of more than 300 Israeli rabbinic leaders and pulpit rabbis, said in a statement today Olmert "does not have the moral or historic right to hand over even one inch of Israeli territory to foreigners."

"The mere fact of giving up sovereignty of the Temple Mount – the holiest site of the Jewish People – is an indication of how far the Israeli government has deteriorated and is prepared to forfeit Jewish rights and ownership of Israel granted in our holy Torah, the most authoritative book in the world," the rabbis said.

The rabbis were responding to a story first reported by WND that Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.

There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables.

Navy may deploy anti-terrorism dolphins

By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer

SAN DIEGO - Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.

The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states.

Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.

"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Program.

LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When a Navy dolphin detects a person in the water, it drops a beacon. This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious swimmer.

Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were sent to do this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last time the animals were used operationally in San Diego was in 1996, when they patrolled the bay during the Republican National Convention.

Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff around the person's leg. The individual can then be reeled in for questioning.

The Navy is seeking public comment for an environmental impact statement on the proposal.

Tentative Deal in N. Korea Nuclear Talks

By JAE-SOON CHANG
Associated Press Writer

BEIJING (AP) -- Negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps for North Korea's nuclear disarmament, the U.S. envoy to the talks said Tuesday.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the agreement outlined specific commitments for North Korea and would set up working groups to implement those goals to begin meeting in about a month. He declined to give other details.

"I'm encouraged by this that we were able to take a step forward on the denuclearization issue," Hill said.

The agreement could mark the first step toward disarmament in more than three years of inconclusive negotiations and deadlock. The process reached its lowest point in October when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test explosion.

Too late to halt Iran's N-bomb, EU is told

Iran will be able to develop enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear bomb and there is little that can be done to prevent it, an internal European Union document has concluded.

In an admission of the international community's failure to hold back Iran's nuclear ambitions, the document – compiled by the staff of Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief – says the atomic programme has been delayed only by technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure. "Attempts to engage the Iranian administration in a negotiating process have not so far succeeded," it states.

'Who's Who' list challenging Darwin grows

'Who's Who' list challenging Darwin grows
100 more of the world's top scientists express skepticism of theory
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© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

The list truly is a "Who's Who" of prominent scientists in the world today, and now another 100 ranking leaders have added their signatures to a challenge to Darwin's theory of evolution.

It's for those who have reached the epitome of their fields, but still are questioning the validity of the Darwinian philosophy and want to put their concerns in writing.

The names include top scientists as MIT, UCLA, Ohio State, University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, University of Georgia, Harvard, the College of Judea and Samaria, Johns Hopkins, Texas A&M, Duke, University of Peruglia in Italy, the British Museum and others.

"Darwinism is a trivial idea that has been elevated to the status of the scientific theory that governs modern biology," said Michael Egnor, a professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics at State University of New York, Stony Brook, and an award-winning brain surgeon who was picked as one of New York's top doctors by "New York Magazine."

"We know intuitively that Darwinism can accomplish some things but not others," said Egnor, who has signed the statement. "The question is what is that boundary? Does the information content in living things exceed that boundary? Darwinists have never faced those questions. They've never asked scientifically, can random mutation and natural selection generate the information content in living things."

John West, associate director of the Center for Science & Culture, said more scientists than ever before are "standing up and saying that it is time to rethink Darwin's theory of evolution in light of new scientific evidence that shows the theory is inadequate."

Research: God did speak world into existence

Research: God did speak world into existence
Student's scientific documentation offers evidence of biblical account
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© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

A science student in Kentucky says when the Bible records God spoke, and things were created, that's just what happened, and he can support that with scientific experiments.

"If God spoke everything into existence as the Genesis record proposes, then we should be able to scientifically prove that the construction of everything in the universe begins with a) the Holy Spirit (magnetic field); b) Light (an electric field); and c) that Light can be created by a sonic influence or sound," Samuel J. Hunt writes on his website.

"There are several documented and currently taught laboratory experiments that accurately portray the events in Genesis in sequential order, the most important being that of sonoluminescence," he wrote.

That, he described to WND, is the circumstance in which sending a sonic signal into bubbles in a fluid causes the bubbles to collapse and they release photons, or create light.

That aligns with one of the earlier descriptions of the creation by God, when, in Genesis 1:1-3, the Holy Spirit moved upon the face of the deep, which generally is considered water, and said "Let there be light," he explained.

God was sending a sonic influence into the waters, and basically creating light, Hunt said. He's documented his theory, and the experiments he believes back it up, in his "Episteme Scientia, the Law of All That Is."

Researchers at institutions no less than UCLA and the University of Chicago have verified the production of light from bubbles when sound is passed through a liquid, called sonoluminescence.

Hunt said he was spurred on in his work because the advanced physics and other courses he was taking were advancing propositions that sometimes didn't match up.

"The further I went, the more my questions seemed to be being answered in the Genesis record," he told WND.

Death threat against Christian opponent of homosexuality

Jim Brown and Jeff Johnson
OneNewsNow.com

Police in Durham, North Carolina, are investigating a death threat against Illinois family advocate Peter LaBarbera that was posted on a popular homosexual website.

Pro-family activist Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth has been the target of a death threat posted on a popular homosexual website.

The origin of the threat comes from "Pam's House Blend," a site operated by lesbian activist and Duke University Press employee Pam Spaulding. Not long after LaBarbera's address was posted on the site, someone identified as "Barry G. Wick" posted a comment that read: "It's across from a park in an area with cul de sacs. I'd bet it's a residence ... and across from a park. Snipers take note."

"Wick" went on to justify violence against people like LaBarbera as a way to serve the larger homosexual cause. LaBarbera says he's not ignoring the threat, which he describes as "over the top."

"We have to take [the threat] seriously because some of the fringe elements and the nastier homosexual activists are consumed with hatred, unfortunately," LaBarbera shares. "They hate Christians because they hate God's norm of sexuality. Our family is [taking it seriously], and we just hope by exposing this, maybe this kind of extremism will fade away."

LaBarbera has contacted the FBI and Durham, North Carolina police, who are investigating whether the threat constitutes an Internet crime. The family advocate wonders what the authorities' response would be if the scenario were reversed.

Friday, February 9, 2007

The Second Advent of Christ

By Pastor Gary Fox
Author of Semper Reformanda:

We have turned our attention here on Semper Reformanda to the topic of the Second Advent of Christ. As we said last time, we are going to focus not on the sensational, the conspiracy or the conjecture…just the facts…which are deep and rich, exciting and frightening.

Frightening? Indeed. Startling, astonishing, surprising, shocking, astounding and upsetting are all words that can be used to describe the images set forth about this topic in the Bible. The Second Advent of Christ will be a day of wrath, violence, death and conquest. When read in context and really pondered upon the Second Advent of Christ is truly stunning in its scope.

The reason of course that we are so stunned by these images is because we generally lack an appreciation or understanding that God has hatred. God hates. Did you know that? It’s true.

“For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.” Isaiah 61:8 niv

“You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors.” Psalm 5:4-6 niv

Yikes.

In 1741, the great reformed preacher Jonathan Edwards preached a message that sent shock waves across this country and ultimately the world. So thoroughly shaken was the congregation when he first preached this sermon that there broke out screaming and wailing…in a reformed church! The people began clinging to the building columns and chair rails…anything solid…because the congregation suddenly fell into a state of panic and paranoia…fearing that the floor they stood on would at any time open up and swallow them into the pits of hell! The sermon was titled: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Here is an excerpt… “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God… Hell, the very expression of divine wrath, is prepared; the fire is made ready; the furnace is hot now; the flames do now rage and glow… unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen.''

Needless to say…this kind of preaching is basically unheard of today. Do you want to know what else is unheard of today? Wide spread revival. And of those rare pockets where such proclamation is made…it will be seldom proclaimed in a culturally relevant way. In Edwards’s day, his message was both bold and delivered in a relevant way…and revival broke out….hmmm…a bold and confrontational message delivered in a relevant way…hmmm…

Obviously since we hear so little about the wrath of God upon the unconverted and unrepentant it is no real surprise that we have lost almost the entire concept that Christ is furious with “the nations” and that He is going to return to earth and destroy them, physically, utterly and violently.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Revelation 19:19-21 niv

Let me attempt to tie all this together. Why is it that we water down our message and proclamation? So many preachers and teachers do all that they can do to remove the teeth from the message! How foolish it is of us to think that we can tweak the message and make it more palpable! How foolish! Look here in Revelation 19…when the kings of the earth and their armies see Christ, physically and with their own eyes…they will not fall down and repent, they will not call out for mercy…they will not see the error of their ways and suddenly realize that they have been wrong all along! No! They will raise their weapons skyward! They will, in one ultimate act of defiance and rebellion, attempt to “make war” against Christ and His kingdom! Ponder that! The world hates our message because the world hates Christ! Our manipulation of the message can not and will not change that my friend!

The nations hate Christ. The nations have always hated Christ. The nations will continue to hate Christ until the great and terrible day of the Lord…on that day…there will be no more unbelievers...just unbridled Christ haters.

Charts of the possible order of End Time events

Charts of the possible order of End Time events:

Click above for full size!

The subject of today is the End Times

James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

If this is true, which we know it is, then we need to devote our short life on Earth to seeking God, trusting in Jesus as the only way of salvation (that He provided freely for us), repenting of our sins (turning from them), obeying God like never before, and loving our spouse, our children, our family's, our friends, our enemies, and one another in a Biblical way! Remember, our time left is but a vapor!

Just as Anna Nicole Smith did not know her time was up, and she was about to be face to face in Judgment with God the Creator, so we too do not know when our time will be up! You may not finish reading this before you are swept away into eternity of Heaven or Hell! You may finish reading this and live for yet a little while, but take warning not to get caught up in worldly things, and lose focus of the only hope of eternal life we have...that which is only found in our Lord and Savior, and the price of our sin He paid, which allows us to be forgiven! Thank You Jesus!

The subject of today is the End Times
by Pastor Gary Fox:
Author of Semper Reformanda:

“I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:63-64

With all the discussion about end times theology and teaching have we lost the power and impact of this promise? Here is Jesus… arrested… beaten… scorned… mocked… humiliated… called by the High Priest Caiaphas to reply under oath of what His identity actually is. We can only guess at the atmosphere of this moment, but in my mind, I have a feeling that everyone shut up and all who could hear Jesus swallowed nervously. I have a feeling that He did not mumble or slur…that suddenly He was filled with the Holy Spirit and His mind was clear…I just have this feeling that there was a regal, powerful and undeniable strength in His voice when He made it plain, “you will see the Son of Man…coming on the clouds of heaven…”

I’d like to consider the Second Advent for the next several posts on Semper Reformanda. I’m not interested in theories on Raptures or bar codes or the European Economic Union…I’d just like to center our attention on the promise of His return.

By means of introduction…without commentary, let’s just read some scripture and let God speak for Himself regarding the Second Advent of Christ…

Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. See, the day of the LORD is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. Isaiah 13:6-9 niv

For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near—a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. Ezekiel 30:3 niv

“The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head." Obadiah 1:15 niv

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11 niv

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. Matthew 16:26-27 niv

For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:27 niv

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 niv

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21 niv

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20 niv

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Friday, February 9, 2007

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