Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts

Monday, March 14, 2016

Hiker finds 2,000-year-old gold coin in northern Israel - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL


A 2,000-year-old coin featuring a portrait of the emperor 'Deified Augustus.' (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
A 2,000-year-old coin featuring a portrait of the emperor 'Deified Augustus.' (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)


Hiker finds 2,000-year-old gold coin in northern Israel

Only one other example of token honoring Emperor Augustus known to exist; finder turns it over to Antiques Authority
 March 14, 2016  TIMES OF ISRAEL




A hiker recently found a 2,000-year-old Roman gold coin of which there is only known to be one other example, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday.
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The coin carries an image of the Emperor Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire, who ruled from 27 BCE until his death in 14 CE, and was minted by Emperor Trajan in 107 CE.
Only the British Museum in London has another coin like it, which, until the recent discovery, was thought to be the only one in the world.
Laurie Rimon, of Kibbutz Kfar Blum, was hiking with friends in the eastern Galilee in the north of country when the group arrived at an archaeological site. Rimon saw something shiny lying on the ground in the grass and, after picking it up, realized she was holding an ancient gold coin. The group contacted the IAA, which quickly sent a representative out to the location.
Laurie Rimon with a 2,000 year old coin she found while out hiking. (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Laurie Rimon with a 2,000-year-old coin she found whilef hiking. (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Danny Syon, a senior numismatist at the IAA, explained that Trajan ordered coins struck with images of previous Roman emperors to honor their memory.
“On the reverse we have the symbols of the Roman legions next to the name of the ruler Trajan, and on the obverse – instead of an image of the emperor Trajan, as was usually the case, there is the portrait of the emperor ‘Augustus Deified,’ Syon said. “This coin is part of a series of coins minted by Trajan as a tribute to the emperors that preceded him.”
“It was not easy parting with the coin,” Rimon admitted. “After all, it is not every day one discovers such an amazing object, but I hope I will see it displayed in a museum in the near future.”
Nir Distelfeld, an inspector with the IAA Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery, praised Rimon for turning over the coin.
“This is an extraordinarily remarkable and surprising discovery. I believe that soon, thanks to Laurie, the public will be able to enjoy this rare find.”
The IAA plans to reward Rimon’s honesty by presenting her with an official certificate in appreciation of her good citizenship.
Distelfeld urged members of the public who find ancient artifacts to contact the IAA immediately and arrange for a representative to meet them in the field so that the site of the find can be excavated.
“That way we can also gather the relevant archaeological and contextual information from the site,” he noted.
Symbols of the Roman legions next to the name of the ruler Trajan on a 2,000 year old gold coin found in northern Israel. (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Symbols of the Roman legions next to the name of the ruler Trajan on a 2,000 year old gold coin found in northern Israel. (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
According to Donald T. Ariel, head curator of the coin department at the IAA, “The coin may reflect the presence of the Roman army in the region some 2,000 years ago – possibly in the context of activity against Bar Kochba supporters in the Galilee – but it is very difficult to determine that on the basis of a single coin.”
Bar Kochba led an ultimately doomed Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in the land of Israel during 132-136 CE.
“Historical sources describing the period note that some Roman soldiers were paid a high salary of three gold coins, the equivalent of 75 silver coins, each payday. Because of their high monetary value soldiers were unable to purchase goods in the market with gold coins, as the merchants could not provide change for them,” Ariel said.
“While the bronze and silver coins of Emperor Trajan are common in the country, his gold coins are extremely rare,” he continued. “So far, only two other gold coins of this emperor have been registered in the State Treasures, one from Givat Shaul near Jerusalem, and the other from the Kiryat Gat region and the details on both of them are different to those that appear on the rare coin that Laurie found.”
Trajan was emperor from 98 CE until his death in 117 CE. During his reign the empire reached its greatest size and he sponsored construction projects whose remains can be seen to this day.


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

BRITAIN’S MUSLIM POPULATION TO BE 26 MILLION BY 2051 - Maoz Israel Report

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February 9, 2016          
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BRITAIN’S MUSLIM POPULATION
TO BE 26 MILLION BY 2051
 By Shira Sorko-Ram 
0216 Top Britains Muslim Population

























Left: St Mary’s Church on Cable Street in East London.
Right: Friday midday prayers outside a mosque in East London. (Photography: London Media)


       Few themes in the Bible are repeated more than this: When a nation turns their
back on God, that nation begins a downward spiral, heading finally to its destruction.

       It is not a comfortable subject to think about. And yet, the Lord tells us,
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up… because your redemption
draws near.”

       However, to ignore the subject of unrepentant nations falling into chaos is not,
I believe, an accurate read of the way God wants us to respond.

      After all, the entire Bible warns us to alert our wayward nations of coming judgment.
King Solomon understood this fundamental truth before he, too, turned from God,
and his nation suffered the same tragedies.

“When Thy people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against Thee, if they turn to Thee again and confess Thy name and pray…then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel…" I Kings 8:33-34

A void has been created by Britain’s leaders, who themselves have been duped by pop stars, salacious TV series, brutal movies and the wild life of the uber-rich together with patronizing scholars and elites who have nothing but disdain for God. To fill that void, another god - Allah - is moving in. His law is Sharia. His goal is to conquer completely the British Isles.

The problem is not about different ethnic groups arriving to live in Britain. God created each ethnicity with lovingkindness. The problem is simply the West, whether it acknowledges it or not, is in a battle of civilizations. Put another way, Britain, if it continues its current path, will become an Islamic nation.

THE TRUTH IN DEMOGRAPHICS

Demographics may take more than a generation to reveal irreversible changes. But demographics reliably foretell the future if things continue as they are. Look at these figures:

- Today there are 2,900,000 Muslims living in Britain, including Scotland and North Ireland - about 5% of the population. (www.theguardian.com)
- The Muslim population is multiplying 75% every 10 years.
The demographic model widely reported in the mainstream press reveals:
- By 2021, Britain’s Muslim population will reach about 4,900,000.
- By 2031, 8,600,000
- By 2041 15,000,000
- By 2051, nearly 26,000,000 (www.thecommentator.com)

From the British non-Muslim population, its birthrate is 2.1 per female - below the replacement level.Ibid. In other words, the real numbers of non-Muslims will shrink.

It is estimated that in 2051 there will be a total of 77,000,000 British citizens. The respected Commentator newspaper concludes that “if immigration policies continue as they are…then the Muslim population projection of 26 million by the year 2051 can be rationally defended. (Ibid.)

So by the middle of this century, a third of the population will be Muslim. If the majority of non-Muslims are secular, without a personal Jesus-centered life, Britain will be rudderless in a very stormy sea.

SHARIA LAW MEANS PERSECUTION AGAINST CHRISTIANS

There is no denial that Sharia law is already being practiced throughout Great Britain by Muslims; polygamy is common, and the Islamic culture pertaining to women and other religions is replacing British law in communities with a sizable Muslim population. As the Islamic religion increases, British believers will experience severe persecution, especially in freedom of speech and liberty to preach the Gospel.

Just as genuine Christians know that they have been redeemed by the precious Lamb of God, sent by the One True God, Jehovah, so are Muslims absolutely positive that Allah is the only true god, and Jesus is not the Son of God, nor did He die for anyone’s sins.

So here we have two divergent theologies. But the lethal conflict is this: Christians and Messianic Jews believe that our God has commanded us to bring the Good News of Eternal Life to the non-believers through our testimony, our love and our faith that God will prove Himself real to any and all who seek Him with all their hearts.

Muslims believe Allah is the only true god and he has commanded his followers to conquer the world, set up a Caliphate, force Christians and Jews and all “infidels” to convert or ultimately be slaughtered. These are the commandments of Mohammed.

As long as Muslims are a small minority, it is more difficult to perceive their ultimate goals. But today, across the world, those devout Muslims, whose greatest desire is to return to Mohammed’s seventh century original Islam, are experiencing an Islamic revival.

ISLAM EXPANDING IN BIG TOWNS AND SMALL

Today in Britain, the trend is already noticeable. In a blog written by Paul Wilkinson called “The Islamization of England, One Town at a Time,” he describes little towns like Whitley Bay, a resort in the Northeast of 10,000 souls. Despite being only 0.3% Muslim, Wilkinson describes the numerous “Indian” restaurants - a proper word for “Middle Eastern” and another half a dozen Muslim-owned fast food takeaways on the main drag. Passing by another small village, he came upon a large mosque that had just been built.

Or take larger cities like the Bradford area with somewhat more than half a million citizens. Here there are over 100,000 long-time immigrants from Pakistan. In their area the stores appear to be 100% owned by Muslims; children are heading to the numerous local madrassas to learn about strict Islam. The Pakistanis like to import imams from the mother country. You get the picture.

In the January and February 2015 Maoz Israel Report, I wrote a detailed summary of the plans that Islamic fundamentalists have to take over Western democratic countries. That, of course, includes Great Britain. Muslim journalists and media personages, professors, sports icons, literary personalities and artists - all help in increasing Islamic influence in democratic nations. One of their most important goals is to elect Muslim candidates into government.

SHARIA JUDGE PROMOTES POLYGAMY

Last summer, the UK’s first female Sharia judge said that the UK government has no right to prohibit Islamic polygamy.

According to The Times, some 100,000 Muslims in the UK are currently married under Sharia not recognized by UK law. Many of these marriages are polygamous.

Earlier this year a report found that Muslim women across Britain were systematically oppressed, abused and discriminated against by Sharia law courts that treated women as second-class citizens. The 40-page report by Baroness Cox, a leading human rights campaigner, found women were pressured by their communities to use Sharia courts rather than civil courts and were threatened and intimidated if they did not comply.

One woman said, “I feel betrayed by Britain. I came here to get away from this and the situation is worse here than in the country I escaped from.”

DE-CHRISTIANIZE BRITAIN?

Spiritually speaking, humanist and atheistic activists are assisting the spread of Islam. By demanding that schools suspend teaching from a Christian point of view and by removing all Biblical signs and values from the public square, they leave an enormous void which Islam is more than happy to fill.

Baroness Butler-Sloss’s two-year commission involving leading religious leaders from all faiths has concluded that Britain is truly no longer Christian and recommends that public life should be systematically de-Christianized. (www.christiantoday.com)

As the children of Christian parents wander from the faith of their fathers, the younger generation of more secular Muslim parents are becoming much more devout. In short, most children of Christians have left the faith, while the children of Muslims are returning to theirs.

Outside of massive revival of the magnitude of George Whitfield, John Wesley, and others, the British Isles will be unrecognizable by 2051. Revival has swept the British people in the past. It can sweep the land again.



WARNING TO GREAT BRITAIN

0216 - Britain Map

A Prophecy from David Noakes

“Nation of Britain, I have loved you with a love which has not ceased, despite the state of apostasy and degradation into which you have fallen. My anger toward those church leaders who have taught false things in my Name, and encouraged others to believe and act as they do, is intense and my judgment upon them will be severe. Yet I have compassion upon those who have been like sheep without Godly shepherds; and My heart still longs to exercise mercy upon a nation whose forefathers upheld my Name and took my Word to the ends of the earth; a nation whose belief in the truth of my Word framed Godly laws and inspired a culture of uprightness.

“Rather than rely on Me and my faithfulness to you, you chose, for worldly purposes, to join yourself to an institution [i.e. EU] which has denied my Name and refused to acknowledge Me in its councils. My fierce anger is upon that institution on account of its rebellion, its defiant rejection of Me and its hardness of heart towards my ancient people Israel.

“I warn you now that the European institution will not repent, even though I bring disaster and destruction upon it. I urge you, O Britain still beloved by Me for the sake of your Godly forefathers, come out of her, so that you may not be caught up in that same destruction, for I am even now arising in judgment to bring to nothing what she has sought to achieve. If you will separate yourself from her declared rejection of God, I will have mercy upon you and restore my hand of protection; and I will use you once again to bring light to many lost in the darkness which is now steadily increasing.

“Hear Me, O once Godly nation and respond to my call, or you also will come to ruin in that same judgment of destruction. This is not My will for you, but you must choose the course which you will take. I urge you to respond to Me and choose life under My hand of discipline and protection, rather than death in the disaster which is even now coming upon Europe.”

David Noakes ministers through the Issachar Ministries Trust. Given at a Ministry Leaders meeting November 2015. Printed with permission.

According to the Bible, prophecy is to be both desired and judged. (I Corinithians 14:39,29)
~ Editor.


BRITAIN IS NO LONGER
A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY!

0216 - Dwindling Flock
(Photo: LONDON MEDIA) Dwindling Flock: St Mary’s Cable Street in East London was built
to hold 1,000 People. Today, the Congregation numbers around 20.

By Clifford Denton

It’s official! Well, that is, according to the report released by former senior judge, Baroness Butler-Sloss. The thin end of the wedge is getting thicker...

Baroness Butler-Sloss’s two-year commission involving leading religious leaders from all faiths has concluded that Britain is no longer Christian and recommends that public life should be systematically de-Christianized.

Because of the rise of other faiths, including Islam, the report says that a “new settlement” is needed to give a public voice to those of all religious persuasions and none. This would gradually neutralize any Christian influence in our schools, taking overt Christian teaching from public school lessons and assemblies and challenging the existence of faith-based schools.

A case is also built for the reduction of the number of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords giving their places to a wide variety of input from other faiths and denominations.

There is also a recommendation for all national and civic events - including the next coronation - to be designed to reflect “the pluralist character of modern society.”

THE THIN END OF THE WEDGE IS GETTING THICKER

For some time, we at Prophecy Today have realized there is a ‘thin end of the wedge’ regarding subtle attacks on the Christian foundations of our society. All too quickly we are now down to the thicker part of the wedge that is being driven in by humanists and those with multi-faith persuasion.

Though this report does not have a direct impact on the laws of the UK, it clearly demonstrates how far we have gone during just one generation. There will be many who have no concern for our nation’s history and heritage who will draw strength from this report and the battle lines are being drawn for the defense of the Faith in our nation.

Of course, we ourselves have monitored with concern the declining numbers attending church and have noted the numbers of those of other religious persuasions increasing across the nation, but our use of the data must be quite different from that of Baroness Butler-Sloss’s committee.

In reality, Britain is not - and never was - a ‘Christian country’ in an absolute sense. The country has never been entirely full of born-again believers. Yet, when the leadership of the nation has upheld biblical truth and when our laws have been molded to conform to biblical precepts, Almighty God has protected and prospered us so that the world around has recognized us as, at heart, a Christian country.

The basis of our constitutional position, is the central tenet of the 1953 Coronation Oath: the Queen’s promise to “maintain the laws of God and true profession of the Gospel.” Thank God this promise and foundation stone remains in place during our Queen’s reign. Not only is this Her Majesty’s commitment, it is also the commitment of every member of the House of Commons and House of Lords, made through their own oath or affirmation entering office.

Though a baroness can lead a committee to seek to erode this away, it is in accordance with our constitutional principles and laws that they themselves - including the baroness - have made this commitment. That far we are a Christian country - a backsliding Christian country perhaps, but nevertheless committed to the God of the Bible by strong personal oaths.

WHO IS DEFENDING THE FAITH?

It is often said that the UK has an unwritten constitution, which gives the impression that our position is vague and therefore, to some degree, subject to matters of opinion. This is not true when studied from the viewpoint of the Coronation Oath and the many centuries of development of laws and customs that brought us to today. Yet it can be treated as vague if one has a mind to do so and if the nation is led by those who choose to ignore the central principles that were passed on.

Concerned by this, a few years ago I set about writing around to see if I could pin down who is responsible for the checks and balances of maintaining our constitutional position. Starting with the Palace, I tried to ascertain how the Queen viewed her Oath and how she would seek to fulfil her vows especially when a new law came up that was against biblical principles. Many of her subjects have also urged her to lead the nation in prayer as did her father in the Second World War.

‘THERE IS NO MECHANISM...’

The answers I have received constantly refer questions back to the Government - most often to the Home Office. The Queen certainly takes her Oath seriously at a personal level but has assumed the role of a ‘Constitutional Monarch’ who defers to her ministers and signs without question whatever is passed into law through Parliament. Finding the Home Office non-committal, the next point of inquiry was to try to find the governmental office responsible for constitutional issues, with the question as to whether there is any department in the government that specifically tests government decisions for their conformity to the Coronation Oath. This is the reply I received in full:

Dear Dr. Denton,

Thank you for your letter of 17th
January 2010. We are the team responsible for Constitutional Policy and the relationship between Church and State, and have been asked to respond to your letter.

“The Government does not accept that The Queen has signed any Acts of Parliament which contradict the Coronation Oath. The Coronation Oath is a personal Oath, sworn by the Monarch during the Coronation, when she was asked ‘Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?’

There is no mechanism or particular office in place to assist Her Majesty in upholding her Coronation Oath, nor would it be appropriate for such a mechanism or office to exist. (my emphasis)

The conclusion is that responsibility for maintaining the Oath and defending the Faith has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government and, despite the Oaths and Affirmations made on entering governmental office, no-one is designated to protect our sworn status before God that Britain will seek to be a Christian country.

WHAT TO DO?

In reality, the only people who will be concerned for our Christian heritage are Christians. Baroness Butler-Sloss’s committee has opened an issue that will deepen even further in the coming days, raising many questions for Christians about faith in the public life of the nation. Should Christians still be defending the heritage that is being systematically attacked and dismantled, encouraging our national leaders to fulfill the solemn promise to God that was made on 2 June 1953? Or should we accept that the days of ‘Christian Britain’ are long over - and move on?

Should the Church fight for a voice and an influence in the public realm, or should we live quietly and seek to witness where we are placed? Should we defend the use of biblical laws and principles in civic life as what’s best for the wellbeing of the nation, when the nation has forsaken God himself?

In my view, answers to these questions depend on whether they are tackled during or after the reign of Queen Elizabeth. A call to repentance across the entire nation has clear context whilst the present Coronation Oath is in force. Now is the time for the rallying cry to sound out to return to our national commitment to the God of the Bible. It may be different when this reign ends. Nevertheless, whether before or after, it remains the responsibility of Christians to seek God for what he is doing and what, by implication, we should be doing. At all times this is the bottom line.

CRITICAL YEARS AHEAD

This issue will not go away. I would suggest that the Lord God himself will not let it be ignored. If the day comes when the foolish recommendations of Baroness Butler-Sloss’s Committee are adopted, then our decline as a nation will be under the Hand of God as much as our reaping the consequences of our foolishness. This is how critical the next few years will be at an escalating pace.

Permission kindly granted by the Rev. Dr. Clifford Hill, Editor in Chief of Prophecy 


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Friday, October 30, 2015

Islamic State Planning Mass Attack On Britain, Warns Head Of MI5 - II&ET

Islamic State Planning Mass Attack On Britain, Warns Head Of MI5 

Oct. 30, 2015 II&ET
ANDREW Parker says current level of threat from homegrown jihadis the highest he has seen in a career spanning 32-years


Islamic State terrorists are planning mass casualty attacks in Britain the head of MI5 has warned.


Andrew Parker, director general of the security agency, said threats from homegrown jihadis who want to fight for the militant movement showed no sign of abating.


He also publicly admitted for the first time that MI5 had to carry out computer hacking attacks against terror networks to crack their communications.


Delivering the Lord Mayor of London’s annual defence and security lecture, he said the current level of threat was the highest he had seen in a career spanning 32-years. In the past 12 months his agency has thwarted six terror plots in the UK and another seven abroad.


Mr Parker said four fifths of the 4,000-strong agency’s resources were directed at stopping terrorist attacks, with an increasing proportion of them linked to Syria and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).


He said: “More than 750 extremists from this country have travelled to Syria, and the growth in the threat shows no sign of abating.

“We are seeing plots against the UK directed by terrorists in Syria; enabled through contacts with terrorists in Syria; and inspired online by Isil’s sophisticated exploitation of technology.”

Britons are being rapidly radicalised online and then encouraged to carry out low tech but deadly attacks.

He said: “On top of that, in a range of attacks in Europe and elsewhere, this year we have seen greater ambition for mass casualty attacks.”

While the rise of Isil had dominated the headlines in the past 12 months, he said there was still a threat from al-Qaeda terrorists who are also planning massive attacks in the UK.

He said: “All of this means that the threat we are facing today is on a scale and at a tempo that I have not seen before in my career.”

He went on: “We have thwarted six attempts at terrorist attacks in the UK in the last year, and several plots overseas.

“It may not yet have reached the high water mark, and despite the successes we have had, we can never be confident of stopping everything. The death of 31 British nationals in the Sousse attacks in June was an appalling reminder of the threat.”

The scale of the threat meant MI5 had to update its “toolbox” of methods to fight terrorists, including using computer attacks.
He said: “This includes the ability to conduct operations online and to mount IT attacks (known as equipment interference), under a warrant authorised by the Home Secretary, against terrorist networks, so that we can access their communications.”

Defending the agency’s ability to access communications data, he said: “We use these tools within a framework of strict safeguards and rigorous oversight, but without them we would not be able to keep the country safe.

“As I have said before, we do not, and could not, go browsing at will through the lives of innocent people.”

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Pro-Palestinian Rallies Await Israeli PM in London

Pro-Palestinian Rallies Await Israeli PM in London

Associated Press photo


JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, left for a two-day state visit to England Wednesday, where British Prime Minister David Cameron awaits them, along with pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Demonstrations are less than what 107,000 signatories of a petition to arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes wanted, referring to theIDF's military incursion in the Gaza Strip last summer in response to Palestinian rocket fire and terror tunnels dug under Israel's border.
Earlier Wednesday, terrorists opened fire on an Israeli woman near the Tapuach Junction, not far from Nablus (biblical Shechem).
Miraculously, she was unhurt, though shaken up by the attack and the bullets that penetrated her car. The IDF dispatched soldiers to search for the shooter.
A few days ago, the European Union announced it was putting the finishing touches on its Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) package, the same week the SodaStream factory in Samaria gets ready to close and move to its new location in the Negev. 
SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum says BDS supporters just don't get it.
"It's propaganda. It's politics. It's hate. It's anti-Semitism," Birnbaum said. "It's all the bad stuff we don't want to be part of."
Meanwhile, skies remained hazy Wednesday, following Tuesday's massive sandstorm that blanketed Israel from north to south, as well as Syria, in a thick yellow, sand-filled haze. Israeli media reported it was the most massive sandstorm in 15 years.
Environmental Protection Ministry warned people with heart or lung problems to stay indoors. Domestic flights were cancelled and many people held scarves to their faces as they walked the streets.
Sweltering temperatures that accompanied the sandstorm are expected to last through the start of Rosh Hashanah, literally "head of the year," which begins Sunday at sunset.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, light-rail construction to outlying neighborhoods, along with school and holiday traffic, snarled city streets.
But despite boycotts, sandstorms, terror attacks, traffic jams and anti-Israel protests, there's a pervasive and undeniable optimism as Israelis prepare to celebrate the New Year. Everywhere people wish one another Shana tova u'metuka, a good and sweet New Year.