Jews vs. Christians: An Us vs. Them Mentality? - SAM NADLER CHARISMA NEWS

Jews vs. Christians is the wrong mentality. (iStock photo )

Jews vs. Christians: An Us vs. Them Mentality?

12/4/2015 SAM NADLER  charisma news

To the Jewish person who is only aware of the issues of history (touched on in my last article), but not of what Yeshua taught, there remains no other conclusion: Christianity is anti-Semitic.

Therefore, when Jewish people are shown the prophecies in Scripture regarding Messiah (Is. 7:14, Is. 53; Mic. 5:2; and more), they cannot imagine that these would refer to Yeshua. After all, they reason, how could Jewish Scripture point to a Jewish Messiah who is the leader of an anti-Jewish religion?

Exception or Rule?

Throughout history there have been many individual Christians who have loved the Jewish people, such as Corrie ten Boom, who sacrificially rescued Jewish people in her home during the Holocaust. Today, many Christians would point to her as a representation of their concern for Jewish people. Unfortunately, however, to the Jewish people, believers such as Corrie appear as the exception, rather than the rule.

The Kiss of Death

Some well-meaning Christian leaders have responded to Christendom's persecution of the Jewish people by affirming: "Let's not offend our Jewish friends any further by preaching the gospel to them." This unbiblical stance perpetuates the false belief that 'Jewish people don't need Jesus,' effectively cutting them off from their only hope for eternal life (John 14:6).

A Hardened Heart

Still other Gentile believers disregard history, the scriptural instruction to "Speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) and common sense. Rather, they attempt to justify a continued insensitivity to Jewish people. How do they do this? Instead of preaching that salvation is received when one turns from sin to God, a "cultural gospel" is proclaimed for one to turn from his Jewishness, and be converted to "Christianity."

History has handed down to Jews and Christians an "us vs. them" mentality. Thus, Jewish people are often made to feel that being Jewish is a sin, and that once they believe in Yeshua, they should turn their back on their Jewish heritage (forget Passover, Hanukkah and so on). This is confusing and presents a false view of the issues of sin and forgiveness. Scripture is clear that being Jewish is no sin, lest Yeshua be the chief sinner, for He is the King of the Jews.

God's Solution: Living the Truth in Love

If, because of history, Jewish people cannot "see" Yeshua in the Scriptures, and if it is unscriptural to be insensitive to Jewish people in our witness, what then are we as believers to do? Our Jewish friends need to see us as Yeshua's representatives. Our committed love and concern for Jewish people, and all people, is needed in order to overcome the historical horrors that have been said and done "in Jesus' Name." Let us not allow the sad history of the past 19 centuries to be the only witness that our Jewish friends have. Rather, let us become "living epistles" (2 Cor. 3:2-3), demonstrating God's love for Israel. We can help Jewish people look at the Scriptures with "new eyes" and favorably consider Yeshua as Lord and Messiah.  

Satan has done all he can to ruin our Lord's testimony to Israel. Although he has deceived even church leaders regarding God's program for Israel, still the Bible says, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). True believers in Yeshua can, with their testimony, gain victory in the Lord!

I know personally that this victory is real, for years ago, non-Jewish believers simply and sincerely shared Jesus with me. I mocked them at first, because of course I "knew" from history what Christianity is all about. Still, a spiritual seed was planted in my heart, and soon after, I came to believe the truth about Yeshua and was wonderfully saved.

Here are three lessons for our lives from these issues we've looked at through these articles:

Part 1) The Word of God: Scripture is the sole authority for faith and practice.

Part 2) The work of God: The sacrifice of Messiah is the sole necessity for our redemption by faith.

Part 3) The witness of God: Love is the sole testimony for all people, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.

You, too, can make a difference. God has strategically placed you in the lives of your Jewish friends to demonstrate the love of God, so that my people chosen by the Lord will never again say, "Anyone but Him." Instead, may they say with confidence and joy, "No one but Him!"

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus and has been in Messianic Jewish ministry for over 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Good News to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit: wordofmessiah.org. 

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27 Major Global Stocks Markets That Have Already Crashed By Double Digit Percentages In 2015 - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

27 Major Global Stocks Markets That Have Already Crashed By Double Digit Percentages In 2015

Posted: 03 Dec 2015  Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Anyone that tries to tell you that a global financial crisis is not happening is not being honest with you.  Right now, there are 27 major global stock markets that have declined by double digit percentages from their peaks earlier this year.  And this is truly a global phenomenon – we have seen stock market crashes in Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East.  But because U.S. stocks are only down less than a thousand points from the peak earlier this year, most Americans seem to think that everything is just fine.

The truth, of course, is that everything is not fine.  We are witnessing a pattern similar to what we saw back in 2008.  Back then, Chinese stocks and other major stock markets started crashing first, and then U.S. stocks followed later.

And it appears that we may have entered the next leg down for markets in the western world this week.  The Dow was down another 252 points on Thursday, and all of the major stock indexes in the U.S. are now negative for the year except for the NASDAQ.  Unless there is a major turnaround in the coming weeks, the six year winning streak for U.S. stocks is likely over.

But when you step back and look at what has been happening globally, a much more ominous picture emerges.  I spent much of the afternoon looking at stock market charts for the largest economies all over the globe.  What I discovered was financial carnage that was much worse than I anticipated.

It turns out that there are 27 major global stock markets that have fallen by more than 10 percent from peaks that were set earlier this year.  If you want to verify this information for yourself, just go to Trading Economics.  As you can see, many of these stock market declines have been quite impressive…

1. China: down more than 30 percent
2. Saudi Arabia: down 26 percent
3. Germany: down about 13 percent
4. United Kingdom: down close to 12 percent
5. Spain: down 15 percent
6. Brazil: down more than 22 percent (13,000 points overall)
7. Malaysia: down 17 percent
8. Turkey: down 16 percent
9. India: down close to 12 percent
10. Chile: down 11 percent
11. Columbia: down about 30 percent
12. Peru: down more than 40 percent
13. Bulgaria: down more than 20 percent
14. Greece: down more than 30 percent
15. Poland: down about 19 percent
16. Malaysia: down 10 percent
17. Egypt: down 32 percent
18. Indonesia: down 18 percent
19. Canada: down 12 percent
20. Ukraine: down 45 percent
21. Morocco: down 13 percent
22. Ghana: down 17 percent
23. Kenya: down 27 percent
24. Australia: down 13 percent
25. Nigeria: down more than 30 percent
26. Taiwan: down 15 percent
27. Thailand: down 20 percent

We have not seen numbers like these since 2008, and trillions of dollars of stock market wealth has been wiped out globally.  So the “nothing is happening” crowd is simply dead wrong.  Stocks are already crashing all over the planet.  Just because the big U.S. stock market crash has not happened quite yet does not mean that a major global financial crisis is not happening.

But do you know what is crashing here in this country?

Junk bonds.

At this point, yields on the riskiest junk bonds have risen to levels that we have not seen since the last financial crisis.  As I have discussed repeatedly, yields on junk bonds spiked dramatically just before the stock market crash of 2008, and now it is happening again…



This is precisely the kind of behavior that we would expect to see if a major U.S. stock market crash was imminent.  Personally, I watch the junk bond market very, very closely because it is such a key leading indicator.  And according to Jeffrey Snider, it appears that “something” is starting to cause junk bonds to sell off at an alarming pace…

There isn’t much as far as confirmation, but it increasingly appears as if “something” just hit the triple hooks (CCC) in the junk bond bubble. At least as far as one view of it, Bank of America ML’s CCC implied yield, there was a huge selloff that brought the yield to a new cycle high (low in price) above even the 2011 crisis peak.

But just like in 2008, a lot of people will not heed the warnings because they don’t have the patience to watch long-term trends play out.

We live in a society where we expect constant instant gratification.  We have instant coffee, video on demand and 48 hour news cycles.  If something does not happen immediately, most of us quickly lose patience.

On my other website, I include a lot more stories about things that are trending in the news.  For example, earlier today I wrote about the horrible shootings in San Bernardino, California and I explained why I believe that Islamic terror is now more of a threat to the American people than ever before.

But on this website I like to take a broader view of things.  For months, I have been warning that conditions were perfect for another major global financial crisis, and since that time events have been unfolding in textbook fashion.

And as you can see from the numbers above, we have already entered a new global financial crisis.  If you tried to tell someone in China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia that a financial crisis was not happening, they would just laugh at you.  We need to start learning that the world doesn’t revolve around the United States.

Of course the U.S. is heading for tremendous difficulties as well.  This is something that I covered yesterday.  All of the fundamental economic numbers are absolutely screaming “recession”, and yet most of the “experts” are still forecasting good things for the coming year.

Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  None of the problems that caused the crisis the last time around have been fixed, and most of our “leaders” seem blind to what is happening at this moment even though the exact same patterns that played out in 2008 are playing out once again right in front of our eyes.
If you have been waiting for the next global financial crisis, you can stop, because it is already here.
As we move toward the end of 2015, let us hope for the best, but let us also get prepared for the worst.

Donald Trump Headed to Israel: “I’ve Always Wanted to Visit” By Lea Speyer - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

(Photo: Official Facebook Page of Donald Trump)

Donald Trump Headed to Israel: “I’ve Always Wanted to Visit”

By Lea Speyer December 4, 2015  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)

Republican presidential candidate and billionaire Donald Trump will make his way to Israel before the year’s end, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed. according to The Jerusalem Post.

An anonymous official revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump, who has been consistently leading in the polls for the GOP nominee over the last several months.

Netanyahu has a policy of meeting with all major presidential candidates, regardless of party affiliation, should they visit Israel.

While the Trump camp has yet to officially confirm details of the trip, Trump stated on Wednesday that he plans to visit Israel “soon.”

Speaking at a rally in Manassas, Virginia to an audience of Jewish Republicans, Trump said, “I love Israel…Israel is our real strong supporter,” adding that he has “always wanted to visit.”

While Trump has been very outspoken on a host of policy issues, one issue that has remained unclear is how, if elected president, he would take on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

In an interview with the Associated Press published Thursday, Trump said that he would take the first six months of his presidency to analyze whether peace could in fact be achieved.

“If I win, I’ll let you know six months from the time I take office,” he said. “I have a real question as to whether or not both sides want to make it.”

The GOP candidate added that should Israel not want to cut a peace deal with the Palestinians, he would understand.

“A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal –whether or not Israel’s willing to sacrifice certain things,” Trump explained. “They may not be, and I understand that, and I’m OK with that. But then you’re just not going to have a deal.”

Regarding pushing for a two-state solution as the ultimate goal of peace talks, when asked if that’s something he wishes to achieve, Trump answered: “Well, I’m not going to even say that.”

While Trump acknowledged many presidents have tried and failed to garner peace in the Middle East, he made clear that trying his hand is something he is looking forward to should he be elected president.

“I think if I get elected, that would be something I’d really like to do,” he said. “Because so much death, so much turmoil, so much hatred – that would be to me a great achievement. As a single achievement, that would be a really great achievement.”

Feast of Dedication - Hanukkah - Festival of Lights by Mary Fairchild

Photo by Steve Martin - our home Hanukiah (Hanukkah menorah)

Feast of Dedication

Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah, Festival of Lights

Mary Fairchild, About Religion

Christianity Expert

Feast of Dedication - Hanukkah - Festival of Lights:

The Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, is a Jewish holiday. It is also known as the Festival of Lights. We will look at the Feast of Dedication from a Christian perspective, explaining its biblical basis, traditional observances, seasons, facts, and an interesting section revealing the fulfillment of the Messiah, Jesus Christ through the feast.

Time of Observance: Hanukkah is celebrated during the Hebrew month of Kislev (November or December). It begins on day 25 of Kislev and lasts for 8 days.


• See Bible Feasts Calendar for actual dates.


Scripture Reference: The story of Hanukkah is recorded in the First Book of Maccabees, which is part of the Apocrypha. The Feast of Dedication is mentioned in the New Testament Book of John, chapter 10, verse 22.

About the Feast of Dedication: Prior to the year 165 BC, the Jewish people who dwelled in Judea where living under the rule of the Greek kings of Damascus. During this time Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greco-Syrian king, took control of the Temple in Jerusalem and forced the Jewish people to abandon their worship of God, their holy customs and reading of the Torah, and he made them bow down to the Greek gods.

According to the records, this King Antiochus IV defiled the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and spilling its blood on the holy scrolls of Scripture.

As a result of the severe persecution and pagan oppression, a group of four Jewish brothers, led by Judah Maccabee, decided to raise up an army of religious freedom fighters. These men of fierce faith and loyalty to God became known as the Maccabees.

The small band of warriors fought for three years with "strength from heaven" until achieving a miraculous victory and deliverance from the Greco-Syrian control.

After regaining the Temple, it was cleansed by the Maccabees, cleared of all Greek idolatry, and readied for rededicated. The rededication of the Temple to the Lord took place in the year 165 BC, on the 25th day of the Hebrew month called Kislev.

So Hanukkah received its name, the Feast of Dedication, because it celebrates the Maccabees' victory over Greek oppression and the rededication of the Temple. But Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, and this is because immediately following the miraculous deliverance, God provided another miracle of provision.

In the Temple, the eternal flame of God was to be lit at all time as a symbol of God's presence. But according to tradition, when the Temple was rededicated, there was only enough oil left in the Temple to burn the flame for one day. The rest of the oil had been defiled by the Greeks during their invasion, and it would take a week for new oil to be processed and purified. But at the rededication, the Maccabees went ahead and lit the eternal flame with the remaining supply of oil, and God's Holy presence caused it to burn miraculously for eight days, until the new sacred oil was ready.

This is why the feast is also called the Festival of Lights, and why the Hanukkah Menorah is lit for eight consecutive nights of celebration. Jews also commemorate this miracle of oil provision by making oil-rich foods, such as Latkas, an important part of Hanukkah celebrations.

• Learn more about Hanukkah traditions and celebrations.

Jesus and the Feast of Dedication:  John 10: 22-23 records, "Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade." (NIV) As a Jew, Jesus most certainly would have participated in the Feast of Dedication.

The same courageous spirit of the Maccabees who remained faithful to God during intense persecution was passed on to Jesus' disciples who would all face severe trails because of their faithfulness to Christ. And like the miracle of God's presence expressed through the eternal flame of God burning for the Maccabees, Jesus became the incarnate, physical expression of God's presence, the Light of the World, who came to dwell among us and give us the eternal light of God's life.

More Facts About Hanukkah 

Hanukkah is traditionally a family celebration. 

The lighting of the Menorah is the center of the Hanukkah traditions. 

Fried and oily foods are a reminder of the miracle of the oil. 

Dreidel games are traditionally played by children and often the whole household during Hanukkah. 

Probably because of Hanukkah's proximity to Christmas, many Jews give gifts during the holiday. 

More about Hanukkah.

Source: Bible Feasts

Things to Remember When You've Failed - ROSILIND JUKIC CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Have you failed or done something that you regret? Remember this. (iStockPhoto | Chepko)

4 Things to Remember When You've Failed

 12/3/2015 ROSILIND JUKIC  charisma magazine

I'm sitting here typing with a heavy heart.

I've been carrying it around for a day and a half now ... it's kind of a heavy load to bear.

You see, yesterday I messed up.

I'm in a tough place momentarily because I need an operation that I have to wait for(please don't worry too much, I'll be OK. Really. I promise). 

I thought I was going to have the operation Monday, but instead I spent the day having tests and getting medicated. My type-A personality was getting stomped all over because I wanted to get it done.

Don't waste time.

Just do what needs to be done and let me recover, because I have super-important things to do and this is just in the way.

Get me?

I am a doer. I am a get-'er-done-er type person. I don't saunter. I march.

The problem is that I wanted to march in and take control of a situation over which I have no control.

And that's where I messed up first.

I lost control over my schedule and that made me crazy.

I spent a whole day subjected to someone else's schedule, which to me equated wasting time. I actually laid there in the hospital bed counting how many hours I'd wasted on this "fool's errand." That made me super cray-cray!

And rather than allowing the peace of the Lord to calm my heart (because, let's face it, I was in a situation where someone else was in control. So I should have just sat back and enjoyed a day off.), I allowed the loss of control to not only steal my peace, but my joy and my testimony.

By the time I arrived home, I was not only in physical pain, but I was tired, cranky and bitter.

May I give you a piece of unsolicited advice?

When you are in pain, tired, cranky and bitter do not talk to anyone but Jesus.

Whenever we are these things, our tongue has a way of running away with itself and if the only person we talk to in that unbridled moment is Jesus, we at least still have our testimony and reputation intact.

Unfortunately, I had a moment of temporary amnesia and forgot to only talk to the Lord and I went on ...

wait for it ...

Facebook.

I can hear the collective groan right now.

Fortunately for me, the amnesia wasn't so bad that I posted to my wall. No, but to whom I posted was bad enough. In my anger and bitterness I made a few insulting remarks about the country I live in, shut the laptop and went to bed.

I wish I could erase that moment.

I really do.

It was beneath me to say what I said, and you're probably thinking, "Don't be so hard on yourself. We've all done it. People get over it and move on."

That's true.

But, the one who made the mistake sometimes has trouble moving on.

I'm that type of person.

I'm harder on myself than I am on anyone else I know.

I extend grace liberally to those around me, but I'm very stingy with myself. Everyone else is allowed second, third, fourth, 20th chances, but I have only one chance to get it right.

Zero tolerance for mistakes.

What do you do when you've messed up and you feel like you can't move on from it?

1. Realize that your guilt is probably really pride. My inability to grant myself grace is really pride. I have to be perfect. You know why? Because I have to be the best. I have to be 100 percent on my game all the time because I only want people to see the best of me now.

I know, I'm also very self-deprecating. It's an odd balancing act of sharing my past faults, "but look at me now. Now I'm perfect. I've moved on. Improved."

Not so much. Because yesterday I proved that I still haven't bridled my anger nor my tongue!

2. Realize that fruit takes time to grow. The fruit of the Spirit can't be ordered at a drive thru as you sail through life. "Ummmm ... yes, hello. I'd like an order of self-control, meekness and could you throw in some joy with that too? Thank you!"

Wouldn't that be nice?

But no. When you plant a tree, you don't get fruit on it for several years. And the first year, you may get just a few apples. It takes time, growth, pruning and a lot of care to grow fruit.

So we need to be patient with ourselves, because God is obviously patient with us. Otherwise, He'd have used a different illustration, such as vegetables. You can plant vegetables and have a harvest in just a matter of months, as opposed to fruit that takes years!

3. Forgiveness is extended in two directions. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Especially when you have high expectations of yourself. Sometimes it's easier to forgive others because you don't expect as much from them as you do yourself. But when you don't allow yourself to fail, you have trouble extending forgiveness to yourself when you do.

But refusal to extend forgiveness to yourself will drive you into a rut of self-condemnation.

As you rehearse your failure, you continue to heap condemnation on yourself until you stumble under the sheer magnitude of its load.

Let. It. Go.

Forgive yourself.

Surely others have forgiven you. And if they haven't, then that's an issue between God and them because God has forgiven you.

I'm writing this to myself tonight and already I feel better.

But the best thing we can do for ourselves when we've failed is:

4. Learn from our mistakes. Don't use your failure as a switch to constantly batter yourself, use your failure as a pointer to teach yourself a lesson.

Same tool, different purpose!

God wants to use our failures as launching pads, if we'll just surrender them into His hands.

I have.

Will you?

Rosilind Jukic, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together they live with their two active boys where she enjoys fruity candles, good coffee and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. Her passion for writing led her to author her best-selling book The Missional Handbook. At A Little R & R she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. You can also find her at Missional Call where she shares her passion for local and global missions. She can also be found at on a regular basis. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

A Nugget for Living Life by Steve Martin - "Honor"

A Nugget for Living Life

Steve Martin

"Honor that which God honors

and you too will experience

His goodness.”

1 Timothy 1:17

Love For His People, Inc.

P.O. Box 414

Pineville, NC 28134

loveforhispeople.blogspot.com

loveforhispeople@gmail.com

Shabbat Shalom Israel!

Here's to our friends in Israel and around the world!

SHABBAT SHALOM!

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People

www.loveforhispeople.blogspot.com

loveforhispeople@gmail.com

The Harbinger Man (Day 4) - Jonathan Cahn - The Jim Bakker Show (Jubilee, Hanukkah and more)

Jim & Lori Bakker

Watch here: The Harbinger Man (Day 4) - Jonathan Cahn - The Jim Bakker Show

Jubilee, Hanukkah and more

Jim Bakker was the host of The 700 Club for its first six years.

In 2015 The 700 Club celebrates 50 years on the air. The longest running Christian show of all time.

The Jim Bakker Show 

Morningside Studios in Branson, MO

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

Jim Bakker Show 2015 | Show# 2889 | Aired on December 3, 2015

Acts, Amos, Ezekiel, I Corinthians, I Samuel, II Corinthians, Isaiah, James, John, Luke, Matthew, Micah, Proverbs, Revelation, Romans

Jim Bakker Show © 2015 • Morningside Studios

Home » Video Archives » The Harbinger Man (Day 4)

Love for His People Editor's Note: I ordered Jonathan's story today. Hope you also support Jonathan Chan's ministry and Jim Bakker's.  Steve Martin

Here's Everything That's Happened Since the 4th Blood Moon - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Here's Everything That's Happened Since the 4th Blood Moon

12/3/2015 JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma news

The fourth blood moon came and went with little apparent apocalyptic drama earlier this year. But as the world keeps spinning on its axis, disaster continues to strike.  

"Little babies, that blood moon belongs to God," televangelist Jim Bakker said in response to people asking why nothing happened on the specific blood moon dates. 

However, in the few months since the tetrad cycle ended, humanity as we have known it has taken a dive.  

Let's start with the United Nations raising the Palestinian flag at its headquarters in New York.  

Then, Russia launched airstrikes on Turkey, and President Vladimir Putin wants to destroy the dollar, Bakker says.  

"People, it's all happening, but we're not looking," Bakker says. "We become movie Christians. If it doesn't happen in 90 minutes, we're on to something else." 

Watch the video to see what else has happened since the last blood moon. 

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

Murdered Pastor's Wife Amanda Blackburn Wrote This Love Letter to Jesus Hours Before She Died - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Davey and Amanda Blackburn with their son, Weston. (Courtesy)

Murdered Pastor's Wife Amanda Blackburn Wrote This Love Letter to Jesus Hours Before She Died

12/3/2015 JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma news

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

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As reports circulated of the murder of Amanda Blackburn, everyone from her husband to her father to her sister focused on one fact: Blackburn was in love with Jesus. 

Her husband, Davey Blackburn, recently tweeted Amanda's last journal entry, mere hours before her death.  

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus," she scrawls, noting the classic hymn. "Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace." 

Below the music, she described her church family.  

"What an amazing Sunday yesterday," she wrote. "Truly filled my (heart) to see so many people in your church. Learning, growing, meeting You and taking next steps. Thank You for letting me get to see all of this (with) my own eyes. I love You, Lord. Glory and praise to You." 

Amanda's alleged murderers have now been arrested. "The Kill Gang," as they call themselves, reportedly broke into another house in the Blackburns' neighborhood before breaking and entering Davey and Amanda's home where they sexually assaulted and shot Amanda. 

Despite the violence against his wife, Davey has maintained an attitude of forgiveness and focus on his faith.  

His Twitter account is full of Bible verses about sorrow and gratitude, joy and resting in the strength of the Lord. 

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta) 130-Year-Old Testimony of Jewish Life in Shiloah (Silwan), Jerusalem

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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130-Year-Old Testimony of Jewish Life in Shiloah (Silwan), Jerusalem Posted: 03 Dec 2015 An annotated picture found in the British Library's Endangered Archives collection Annotated picture of Shiloah (Silwan) from the Bonfil albums digitized by the British Library (circa 1890s) The Shiloah (Silwan) village south of Jerusalem's Old City dates back to Biblical times. Water from its spring was used in the Jewish Temples. Jewish royalty was buried in its caves with Hebrew inscriptions naming the deceased. Over the centuries the hill was inhabited by Christian monks and Arab families. Below is one of the first photographs taken in Palestine in 1844 showing Silwan's small size.  It was taken by Girault de Prangey, a student of  the inventor of photography, Louis Daguerre.  View more of de Prangey's photographs here. Many of his photographs are now online at the French National Library. The village of Shiloah (Silwan) in 1844 and the Kidron Valley (Smithsonian Magazine) The 3,000 Maison Bonfils photographs from the Fouad Debbas Collection in Beirut digitized by the British Library have the barest of captions -- with the exception of one album with lengthy English annotations. The first photograph above provides an example. It describes the Yemenite Jewish community that moved into the Shiloah village in the 1880s.  Below is the handwritten caption. The caption on the photograph reads, "The village of Siloam on the east bank of the Kidron Valley.  The Pool of Siloam is opposite to the village on the west bank.  The inhabitants are Mohammedans except at the extreme south (right hand of picture) where the Yemenite Jews live in a small colony of tiny stone buildings as shown in a long low patch of white." On the right side of the picture, adjacent to the Jewish housing, the album owner wrote, "The Yemenite Colony." Photographers of the 19th century focused their lenses on the Yemenite residents, especially the photographers from the American Colony where the Yemenites' arrival in 1882 was viewed as the "Gaddites" returning home and as a messianic harbinger. We had the privilege of providing an essential detail to the Library of Congress' picture in its archives of the "village of Siloah" (circa 1901). The man, we explained after consultation with Yemenite historians, is a Yemenite Jew, originally from Habani in Yemen. He was probably among the residents of Shiloah. The American Colony photographers took scores of pictures of Yemenite Jews and helped provide food and shelter to the poor immigrants. Poor Yemenite Jewish family (circa 1890s). An American Colony caption read "Group of Yemenite Jews"  "A scene in a Jewish Yemenite Quarter," according to the Library of  Congress caption. The picture, possibly shot in Shiloah, was taken in  the 1930s when the Jews of Silwan (Shiloah) were suffering  from attacks from their Arab  neighbors. They eventually fled  their homes. Today, Jewish families have returned to Shiloah.