Showing posts with label New York Times. Show all posts

Monday, October 10, 2016

'The New York Times' Calls for Obama to Support a UN Resolution That Would Divide the Land of Israel - MICHAEL SNYDER CHARISMA NEWS

'The New York Times' Calls for Obama to Support a UN Resolution That Would Divide the Land of Israel

10/10/2016 MICHAEL SNYDER CHARISMA NEWS

While most Americans are focused on the endless circus surrounding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, a drama of Earth-shattering importance is playing out behind the scenes.

Most people seem to assume that we don't have to be concerned about Barack Obama anymore because his second term is scheduled to end in a few months, but the truth is that an absolutely critical decision is in his hands right now. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have said that they will not support a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution that would formally establish a Palestinian state, that would set the parameters for the new state, and that would grant them East Jerusalem as their capital.

So at this moment there is a tremendous amount of international pressure on Barack Obama to support such a resolution, because the U.S. veto power on the U.N. Security Council is the only thing standing in the way of formally dividing the land of Israel. I wrote about this in August, in September, and now I am writing about it again in October. If Obama is going to do this, it needs to happen by Jan. 20, 2017, and so for the next few months we are officially in "the danger zone."

On Thursday, The New York Times editorial board added their voice to the growing chorus of those calling for a "parameters resolution" in a piece entitled "At the Boiling Point With Israel."

The best idea under discussion now would be to have the United Nations Security Council, in an official resolution, lay down guidelines for a peace agreement covering such issues as Israel's security, the future of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and borders for both states.

In the article, The New York Times editorial board also strongly endorsed the U.S. State Department's recent condemnation of Israel's plan to build new housing units in the West Bank.

I have included the official State Department statement on this matter below. Just like Barack Obama did at the U.N. recently, the State Department referred to Israel's presence in the West Bank as an "occupation."

We strongly condemn the Israeli government's recent decision to advance a plan that would create a significant new settlement deep in the West Bank.

Proceeding with this new settlement, which could include up to 300 units, would further damage the prospects for a two state solution. The retroactive authorization of nearby illegal outposts, or redrawing of local settlement boundaries, does not change the fact that this approval contradicts previous public statements by the Government of Israel that it had no intention of creating new settlements. And this settlement's location deep in the West Bank, far closer to Jordan than Israel, would link a string of outposts that effectively divide the West Bank and make the possibility of a viable Palestinian state more remote.

It is deeply troubling, in the wake of Israel and the U.S. concluding an unprecedented agreement on military assistance designed to further strengthen Israel's security, that Israel would take a decision so contrary to its long term security interest in a peaceful resolution of its conflict with the Palestinians. Furthermore, it is disheartening that while Israel and the world mourned the passing of President Shimon Peres, and leaders from the U.S. and other nations prepared to honor one of the great champions of peace, plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two-state solution that he so passionately supported.

Israelis must ultimately decide between expanding settlements and preserving the possibility of a peaceful two state solution. Since the recent Quartet report called on both sides to take affirmative steps to reverse current trends and advance the two state solution on the ground, we have unfortunately seen just the opposite. Proceeding with this new settlement is another step towards cementing a one-state reality of perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state. Such moves will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from many of its partners, and further call into question Israel's commitment to achieving a negotiated peace.

As you can see on the official State Department website, that press release was issued on Oct. 5.

At the exact same time, Hurricane Matthew was rapidly gaining strength, and it ultimately became the first category 5 hurricane to form in the Atlantic since 2007. It proceeded to slam into the southeastern United States, causing billions of dollars of damage in the process. The following comes from Wikipedia:

Preparations began in earnest across the southeastern United States as Matthew approached, with several states declaring a state of emergency for either entire states or coastal counties; widespread evacuations were ordered for extensive areas of the coast. On October 6, U.S. President Barack Obama declared a federal state of emergency for Florida.[1]The federal disaster declaration was later extended to include Georgia and South Carolina.[2] In Florida, over 1 million lost power as the storm passed to the east, with 478,000 losing power in Georgia and South Carolina.

When will we learn?

For decades the pattern has always been the same. Every time we come against Israel, the consequences are immediate and they are dramatic.

Unfortunately, our leaders never seem to learn, and now we stand on the precipice of perhaps the biggest betrayal of Israel of all time. Here is more from the New York Times about why they believe it is important to put "pressure" on Israel in the form of a UN Security Council resolution.

The most plausible pressure would come from Mr. Obama's leading the Security Council to put its authority behind a resolution to support a two-state solution and offer the outlines of what that could be. That may seem like a bureaucratic response unlikely to change anything, but it is the kind of political pressure Mr. Netanyahu abhors and has been working assiduously to prevent.

No, such a resolution would not just be "a bureaucratic response."

A U.N. Security Council resolution would be legally binding on both Israel and the Palestinians, and whoever is elected in November would not be able to go back and undo it.

Such a resolution would permanently divide the land of Israel, it would give formal U.N. recognition to a Palestinian state for the very first time, and it would hand East Jerusalem over to the Palestinians.

And according to the Times of Israel, the U.N. Security Council could begin discussing these matters as soon as next Friday.

The Security Council is expected to hold a session next Friday under the official banner: "The settlements as the obstacle to peace and a two-state solution."

The meeting, initiated by the Palestinians, is considered the opening salvo to a resolution condemning Israel for settlement activity.

This process could result in just a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, but there is also a tremendous amount of concern that Obama could use this as an opportunity to "leave a legacy" in the Middle East. Here is more from the Times of Israel:

Israeli government members have been worried that Obama, before leaving office in January but after a successor is chosen in November, may seek to impose or advance a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or at least set out parameters for how it should be solved, including through the Security Council by not using the US veto for any anti-Israel resolutions.

According to a Channel 2 report Thursday, an Israeli official charged that the "disproportionate criticism" from Washington over the latest construction plans was "an alibi" to cover plans by Obama to take anti-Israel actions in the final weeks of his presidency.

If this happens, it will be the worst thing that Barack Obama has done during his entire time in the White House.

Whether it is Barack Obama or someone else, the truth is that someday the U.S. government will have a major role in dividing the land of Israel, and it is one of the most important prophetic markers that we are watching for.

Because once the land of Israel gets divided, all hell is going to break loose in America.

I have discussed the potential consequences for dividing the land of Israel on television, and in my new book I warn about all of the historic disasters that are coming to this nation.

If we get to Jan. 20 and another president takes over and there has been no U.N. Security Council resolution, perhaps we can breathe a little bit of a sigh of relief.

But if Barack Obama does what The New York Times and so many others are urging him to do, the consequences for this country and for the world will be absolutely unimaginable.

So while you are keeping up with the latest insults that Trump and Clinton are hurling at one another, don't forget about Obama, because what he decides to do regarding Israel in the months ahead is going to have dramatic implications for all of us.

Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of End Of The American Dream. Michael’s controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled "The Rapture Verdict"is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog: Steve Forbes calls #TheFirstHostage a “stunning, spine-tingling, steroid-paced” tale.

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Steve Forbes calls #TheFirstHostage a “stunning, spine-tingling, steroid-paced” tale. Here’s his new review in Forbes magazine.

by joelcrosenberg

(Dallas, Texas) -- Just read the review of The First Hostage by Steve Forbes in the latest issue of FORBES magazine and I wanted to pass it along to you all.

Thanks so much, Steve -- I'm so glad you enjoyed the novel this much. I couldn't be more grateful! Now, let's get this thing turned into a major Hollywood blockbuster.

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FORBES BOOK REVIEW

The First Hostage -- by Joel Rosenberg (Tyndale House Publishers, $26.99). If you’re not already a fan of Joel Rosenberg, whose books–fiction and nonfiction–have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, you’ll be one once you’ve read this latest novel. It combines Joel’s ability to spin stunning, spine-tingling, steroid-paced tales with his impressively deep knowledge of the Middle East.

The First Hostage is the second in a new series of action thrillers whose main character is New York Times journalist J.B. Collins. Although this is an exciting stand-alone read, you might first want to dive into its precursor, The Third Target. These novels involve ISIS terrorist attacks; espionage, with a possible highly placed, pro-ISIS American mole; weapons of mass destruction; and intrigue galore.

This book begins where the first left off: at a meeting in Amman, Jordan, where the king of Jordan, the U.S. President, Israel’s prime minister and the head of the Palestinian Authority are about to sign a historic peace agreement. ISIS launches a massive attack, and in the confusion the President goes missing. Collins is there covering the event but before long finds himself suspected of being a mole. There are many mind-boggling twists and plenty of suspense before the book ends.

Joel Rosenberg, who in a previous life served as the director of research for my 2000 presidential campaign, knows his subject well. An evangelical Christian who lives in Israel with his wife and children, he has addressed audiences around the world; been interviewed for his insightful analyses on hundreds of TV and radio programs; and advised world leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Joel knows too much to ever share President Obama’s delusion that what’s unfolding in the Middle East isn’t much of a threat to the West.

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joelcrosenberg | January 20, 2016 at 7:13 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-40i

Friday, January 8, 2016

Jonathan Cahn Says Mystery of Shemitah Has Been Confirmed - TROY ANDERSON CHARISMA NEWS

Jonathan Cahn says the media has identified the Shemitah of 2015 as the "worst year for the market since 2008."

Jonathan Cahn says the media have identified the Shemitah of 2015 as the "worst year for the market since 2008." (Jim Bakker Show )

Jonathan Cahn Says Mystery of Shemitah Has Been Confirmed

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Headlines that 2015 was the "worst year for the market since 2008," more market turmoil this week and concerns by financial experts about a possible global recession are a "striking confirmation of the Shemitah and its phenomenon," New York Times best-selling author Rabbi Jonathan Cahn told Charisma News.

This week, media outlets worldwide reported that 2015 was the worst year for the financial markets since the last Shemitah and the financial crisis of 2007-08, and financial forecasters raised concerns about the potential of a global recession beginning this year. In addition, the year opened with global markets dropping precipitously, a phenomenon that resumed Wednesday, according to news reports.

"It's the central revelation in The Mystery of the Shemitah," Cahn said about his book detailing a seven-year biblical cycle that marked numerous economic downturns. "The fact that this confirmation is now coming from the secular media is all the more striking. We've never had so many secular sources confirming the central thesis of the Shemitah."

Cahn's book, The Mystery of the Shemitah, details how each of the last seven Shemitahs since 1966 were marked by recessions or stock and bond market crashes. The Shemitah, or Sabbath year, is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the land of Israel. Cahn first introduced readers to the Shemitah in The Harbinger that described how it related to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and subsequent historic stock market drops that year and in 2008.

Some people thought that there had to be an economic calamity in September, something The Mystery of the Shemitah never says.

"Many got sidetracked by putting all their focus on September and on a single-day crash of Wall Street they believed had to take place on a set date," Cahn says. "I've cautioned from the beginning against date setting and the idea that anything had to take place on any date, season or in any year.

"But the predominant pattern of the book is not of a day crash that has to take place on a set day, but rather on a long-term crash or collapse of Wall Street, taking place over a period of months. And this is exactly what happened in the Shemitah of 2015. The market peaked in the spring and then began a long-term collapse over months into the summer. The effect of the Shemitah of 2015 was so great that by its end, it had wiped away $11 trillion dollars from world markets."

Another part of the template revealed in the book is that the effects of the Shemitah intensify as the year approaches the Hebrew month of Elul, or August and September.

"This, too, is exactly what took place in the Shemitah of 2015," Cahn says. "This year, Elul began on August 16. Less than 10 days after its start, the world would witness one of the greatest collapses in Wall Street history and, beyond that, in world history, with the onslaught of Black Monday.

"It is not that something had to happen this year, or that the phenomenon had to manifest in every cycle—but the fact is—it did. That phenomenon concerns a specific biblical seven-year cycle of financial, if not economic, downturn. And now, as we begin 2016, financial sites and news services all over the world are proclaiming that 2015 was the 'worst year for the market since 2008.' It's an extremely powerful confirmation. As 2008-2015 is exactly that—a seven-year cycle. And not just a seven-year cycle, but the specific seven-year cycle ordained in the Bible, the cycle of the biblical Shemitah."

Cahn's remarks come amid a stock market rout on Monday that saw market indexes drop hundreds of points, including a 582-point Nikkei Stock Average drop in Asia and a 276-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Meanwhile, financial experts have raised questions whether a global recession is beginning. "Could the Economy Tank in 2016?" a Politico headline asked. "Brazil Heads for the Worst Recession Since 1901, Economists Forecast," Bloomberg reported.

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Monday, December 21, 2015

Joel Rosenberg - My new novel is about a catastrophic attack by ISIS against the President of the United States.

Joel Rosenberg's latest book out Dec. 29, 2015

My new novel is about a catastrophic attack by ISIS against the President of the United States. THE FIRST HOSTAGE launches Dec. 29th. Pre-order today.

by joelcrosenberg Dec. 21, 2015

“The president of the United States . . . is missing.”

This is how my new novel -- THE FIRST HOSTAGE -- begins, with a catastrophic plot against the American Commander-in-Chief.

With these words, New York Times journalist J. B. Collins, reporting from the scene of a devastating attack by ISIS terrorists in Amman, Jordan, puts the entire world on high alert.

The leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority are critically injured, Jordan’s king is fighting for his life, and the U.S. president is missing and presumed captured.

As the U.S. government faces a constitutional crisis and Jordan battles for its very existence, Collins must do his best to keep the world informed while working to convince the FBI that his stories are not responsible for the terror attack on the Jordanian capital.

And ISIS still has chemical weapons....

Struggling to clear his name, Collins and the Secret Service try frantically to locate and rescue the leader of the free world before ISIS’s threats become a horrific reality.

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joelcrosenberg | December 21, 2015 at 5:25 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3zJ

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Joel Rosenberg - Front-page NYT story examines ISIS prophecies about an apocalyptic showdown in Syrian town of Dabiq.

Front-page NYT story examines ISIS prophecies about an apocalyptic showdown in Syrian town of Dabiq. Story looks ripped from THE FIRST HOSTAGE, my forthcoming novel about a showdown over Dabiq.

by Joel Rosenberg Dec. 8, 2015

(Dallas, Texas) -- Readers of this column know that I have been trying to draw the attention ofleaders in Washington and Jerusalem, U.S. presidential candidates, journalists,Evangelical leaders, and the American people more broadly to the emerging threat of what I call "Apocalyptic Islam" of both the Shia and Sunni varieties.

My last series of political thrillers -- The Twelfth Imam, The Tehran Initiative and Damascus Countdown -- imagined a scenario in which Iran's Shia Muslim leaders, driven by their genocidal belief in End Times Islamic prophecies, built an arsenal of nuclear weapons and set into motion a plan to annihilate Israel and the United States.

Now, my latest political thriller series -- The Third Target (which was published in January 2015), and my forthcoming novel, The First Hostage (which releasesDecember 29th) -- imagines a scenario in which the leaders of ISIS are driven by a Sunni version of genocidal End Times prophecies to capture chemical weapons in Syria and launch a series of horrific attacks against U.S., Israeli, and Sunni Arab leaders. At the heart of the series is a fictional New York Times reporter trying to understand what Apocalyptic Islam is and get ahead of the coming attacks.

As The First Hostage unfolds, ISIS leaders are trying feverishly to draw the U.S. and the Western powers ("the forces of Rome") into a bloody ground war in Syria. Why? In order to fulfill Islamic prophecies about an apocalyptic End Times battle in an obscure Syrian town called Dabiq and establish a global Islamic kingdom or caliphate.

No matter how many speeches I've delivered, or columns and blogs and interviews I've given, it's been challenging, to say the least, to get leaders to focus on the genocidal intentions of our enemies and the Islamic eschatology that is driving them.

That said, I'm encouraged by three recent developments:

The first was the publication in August of an absolutely excellent non-fiction book called,The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. It was written by a Brookings Institution scholar, Dr. Will McCants. It is extremely well-written and carefully sourced and explains the significance of these Islamic prophecies, including those concerning Dabiq. I have already highly recommend it to various presidential candidates and Members of the House and Senate, and I hope it is widely read among the general public, as well.

The second is that two GOP presidential candidates -- Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Santorum -- are speaking out clearly about the threat not just of Radical Islam but specifically of Apocalyptic Islam, including at the recent conference organized by the Republican Jewish Coalition. (to read more, click here) My hope that other candidates and current office-holders, military leaders and intelligence experts will start studying and publicly discussing this matter.

The third source of encouragement -- and amazement -- is a front-page story in theNew York Times this morning, headlined, "U.S. Strategy Seeks To Avoid ISIS Prophecy." I commend it to your attention. Indeed, in reading the article, it was a bit eerie. After all, a real-life New York Times reporter is trying to understand Apocalyptic Islam and is reporting about a possible U.S. showdown with ISIS in the Syrian town of Dabiq, something ripped right out of my novels. Unreal.

Here are a few excerpts:

As the debate on how best to contain the Islamic State continues to rage in Western capitals, the militants themselves have made one point patently clear: They want the United States and its allies to be dragged into a ground war.

In fact, when the United States first invaded Iraq, one of the most enthusiastic proponents of the move was the man who founded the terrorist cell that would one day become the Islamic State, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He excitedly called the Americans’ 2003 intervention “the Blessed Invasion.”

His reaction — ignored by some, and dismissed as rhetoric by others — points to one of the core beliefs motivating the terrorist group now holding large stretches of Iraq and Syria: The group bases its ideology on prophetic texts stating that Islam will be victorious after an apocalyptic battle to be set off once Western armies come to the region.

Should that invasion happen, the Islamic State not only would be able to declare its prophecy fulfilled, but could also turn the occurrence into a new recruiting drive at the very moment the terrorist group appears to be losing volunteers....

The Islamic State’s propaganda is rife with references to apocalyptic prophecy about the last great battle that sets the stage for the end times. Terrorism experts say it has become a powerful recruiting tool for the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which sells potential fighters on the promise that joining will give them the most direct chance to battle Western interests and will bring ancient Islamic prophecies to fruition.

The specific scripture they are referring to describes a battle in Dabiq as well as in al-Amaq, small towns that still exist in northern Syria. The countdown to the apocalypse begins once the “Romans” — a term that militants have now conveniently expanded to include Americans and their allies — set foot in Dabiq...

Fascinating. I'll do my best to keep you posted as this drama unfolds....

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Saturday, September 5, 2015

Roast Chicken With Plums Gets a Touch of Spice for Rosh Hashana - Melissa Clark

It’s one thing to wish your family and friends a sweet new year. But at Rosh Hashana, Jews bring the sentiment to the table throughout the meal.

You’ll get honey drizzled on apples, sugar in the gefilte fish, orange juice in the tsimmes (a dish of carrots and prunes), and possibly all three in brisket. And that’s not even mentioning the honey cake for dessert. A sweet new year’s meal is one of the finer aspects of Jewish tradition.

The only problem: When things veer from pleasing to cloying. The job of the cook is to play up the sour as well as the sweet, and let them temper each other into a happy balance.

Usually this means a splash of vinegar or squeeze of lemon or lime. But sumac, a spice crushed from a tart red berry that thrives all over the Middle East, accomplishes the same goal, adding a mild earthy fragrance along the way.

I started cooking with sumac after a trip to Turkey several years ago, where it’s sprinkled over all manner of salads, grilled meats and olive-oil-rich dips. The coarse, ruddy powder is celebrated in the region for its brightness in both color and taste.

Roasting two birds at once is no harder than roasting one. Credit Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

In this recipe for roast chicken, I use sumac as part of a garlicky spice rub to season the birds (there are two), along with allspice, cinnamon and black pepper.

Photo Credit: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

It’s also in the honeyed plum chutney that cooks simultaneously underneath the birds. As the chickens roast, their sumac-imbued drippings season the plums, adding just the right sour and complex note. Then the plums become the a sweet-tart sauce for serving. Perfect for Rosh Hashana, or any other festive gathering where a touch of sweetness is desired.

Continue reading the main story

NYT FoodRosh Hashanah Recipes

See On

I made this recipe with two chickens because it is meant to feed a crowd, and roasting two birds at once is no harder than roasting one. You just need a bigger pan. A large roasting pan with a rack, the kind you’d use at Thanksgiving for the turkey, is ideal, and it’s nice to put it to use before November rolls around. Continue reading the main story

As with many dinner-party-friendly recipes, you can and should do most of the prep work for this in advance, up to a day ahead. Then pop the pan into the oven as your guests arrive. Other than carving, your work is done.

Which will give you plenty of time for dipping apples into honey, and other sweet pursuits.

Recipes: Roast Chicken With Plums |More Rosh Hashana Dishes

Source: The New York Times

Rosh Hashanah 2015 begins in the evening of Sept.13.

Sunday, September 13

and ends in the evening of

Tuesday, September 15

Monday, July 27, 2015

With ISIS on the rampage, “is this the end of Christianity in the Middle East?” - Joel Rosenberg

(source: New York Times)

With ISIS on the rampage, “is this the end of Christianity in the Middle East?” So asks a must-read feature story in the New York Times.

by joelcrosenberg

(Denver, Colorado) -- In my recent novel, The Third Target, a New York Times reporter criss-crosses the Middle East, trying to understand and explain to the world the rise of the Islamic State and the objectives of its leaders. Among the questions my fictional character -- J.B. Collins -- is trying to answer:

Why are ISIS jihadists are so blood-thirsty?
Why do ISIS leaders want to establish an Islamic kingdom or caliphate?
Are ISIS leaders are really serious about slaughtering and/or enslaving all of the Christians of the region, in addition to annihilating Jews and all Muslims who don't subscribe to their theology or eschatology?

Now, in real life, a must-read feature story has been published in the New York Times magazine by a reporter who has crisscrossed the epicenter, documenting the slaughter of Christ-followers by ISIS, and asking the provocative but very relevant question: "Is this the end of Christianity in the Middle East?"

I highly recommend that you read and share the article with others. But I also urge you not to be discouraged. Here's why:

Bible prophecy is clear that wars and revolutions will increase and intensify in the Middle East and around the world in the "last days" as the return of Christ draws increasingly near. "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things aremerely the beginning of birth pangs." (Matthew 24:6-8; see also Luke chapter 21, Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 12-14, etc.)
Bible prophecy is also clear that persecution of Christ-followers will increase and intensify in the last days before Jesus returns. "[T]hey will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name." (Matthew 24:9)
The prophecies found in the Biblical book of Revelation indicate that many Christians in the Middle East will be martyred for their faith. "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also." (Revelation 6:9-11)
The prophecies of Revelation also make clear that many followers of Jesus Christ will specifically be beheaded in the last days before the Lord's return. "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God..." (Revelation 20:4)
That said, Bible prophecy further makes clear that amidst all the wars and persecution of believers in the last days, the good news of God's offer of salvation and forgiveness and eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be communicated to every person in every nation, including throughout all of the Middle East. That is, as chaos and carnage spread, the boldness of Christians to share the Gospel with all those who are lost -- including throughout the Muslim world -- will also deepen and intensify. "This Gospel of the kingdom [of Jesus Christ] will be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come." (Matthew 24:14)
Not only will all people in the Middle East (and around the world) hear the Gospel during the End Times, so many will repent and receive Christ as Savior and Lord that the total number of new believers will be difficult to count. "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm brancheswere in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.' And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God..." (Revelation 7:9-11)

In short: yes, this is the most dangerous moment in the history of the Middle East for Christianity, but no, this is not the end of Christianity in the epicenter -- rather, this is the dawn of Christianity's greatest waves of evangelism, conversion and discipleship. Even now, millions of Muslims are converting away from Islam and becoming truly devoted disciples of Jesus Christ, as I have written about in my non-fiction book, Inside The Revolution, and in blog columns like this one.

I'll discuss this more at the August 6th event I'll be speaking at in Denver. (please click here to register).

For now, here are excerpts from the New York Times article:

One hundred years ago, the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War I ushered in the greatest period of violence against Christians in the region. The genocide waged by the Young Turks in the name of nationalism, not religion, left at least two million Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks dead. Nearly all were Christian. Among those who survived, many of the better educated left for the West. Others settled in Iraq and Syria, where they were protected by the military dictators who courted these often economically powerful minorities.
From 1910 to 2010, the number of Christians in the Middle East — in countries like Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Jordan — continued to decline; once 14 percent of the population, Christians now make up roughly 4 percent. (In Iran and Turkey, they’re all but gone.) In Lebanon, the only country in the region where Christians hold significant political power, their numbers have shrunk over the past century, to 34 percent from 78 percent of the population. Low birthrates have contributed to this decline, as well as hostile political environments and economic crisis. Fear is also a driver. The rise of extremist groups, as well as the perception that their communities are vanishing, causes people to leave.
For more than a decade, extremists have targeted Christians and other minorities, who often serve as stand-ins for the West. This was especially true in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, which caused hundreds of thousands to flee. ‘‘Since 2003, we’ve lost priests, bishops and more than 60 churches were bombed,’’ Bashar Warda, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Erbil, said. With the fall of Saddam Hussein, Christians began to leave Iraq in large numbers, and the population shrank to less than 500,000 today from as many as 1.5 million in 2003.
The Arab Spring only made things worse. As dictators like Mubarak in Egypt and Qaddafi in Libya were toppled, their longstanding protection of minorities also ended. Now, ISIS is looking to eradicate Christians and other minorities altogether. The group twists the early history of Christians in the region — their subjugation by the sword — to legitimize its millenarian enterprise. Recently, ISIS posted videos delineating the second-class status of Christians in the caliphate. Those unwilling to pay the jizya tax or to convert would be destroyed, the narrator warned, as the videos culminated in the now-infamous scenes of Egyptian and Ethiopian Christians in Libya being marched onto the beach and beheaded, their blood running into the surf.
The future of Christianity in the region of its birth is now uncertain. ‘‘How much longer can we flee before we and other minorities become a story in a history book?’’ says Nuri Kino, a journalist and founder of the advocacy group Demand for Action. According to a Pew study, more Christians are now faced with religious persecution than at any time since their early history. ‘‘ISIL has put a spotlight on the issue,’’ says Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, whose parents are from the region and who advocates on behalf of Eastern Christians. ‘‘Christianity is under an existential threat.’’

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joelcrosenberg | July 27, 2015 at 6:21 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3k2

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Monday, October 10, 2016