Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
An Evangelical Response to Israel's Evangelical Enemies
Tuesday, March 08, 2016 | Israel Today Staff
As Evangelical foes of the notion that Israel's modern rebirth has anything to do with the Bible gather in Bethlehem, it seems a fitting time to draw attention to this powerful video series.
What's happening at the Christ at the Checkpoint conference is nothing news. Replacement Theology has dogged the Jewish people for millennia. And its proponents have become increasingly rabid over the past half century as Israel's rebirth provided concrete evidence that God was not finished with the physical sons of Jacob.
Israel's Evangelical enemies will say it's ludicrous to continue to lay claim to land promises made thousands of years ago. They'll insist that Yeshua's coming spiritualized each and every promise God ever made to the People of Israel.
But that's a slippery and dangerous slope to go down, and jeopardizes our own claims to God's promises as Christians.
It also simply cannot account for the miraculous nature of Israel's physical reconstitution after millennia of exile, in perfect accordance with numerous biblical prophecies.
Evangelical Christians have traditionally been strong supporters of Israel and the Jewish people. Their support can no longer be taken for granted. There is now a strong movement to undermine evangelical support for Israel - and it is gaining momentum.
Conservatives and Evangelicals, please listen!Please!
Here is what we have learned about Mr. Trump in recent days.
He is neutral on Israel. “Let me be sort of a neutral guy …. I don’t want to say whose fault it is,” declared Trump as Palestinian children are stabbing and shooting Israelis everyday and Palestinian leaders do nothing to stop them. Rubio, Cruz and Carson are extremely pro-Israel. He would approach the Israeli/Palestinian conflict like a negotiator, forgetting that one side promotes inhumane terrorist actions and the other is the only true democracy in the Middle East. Since he does not read the Bible and doesn’t have a favorite verse, he is not aware of what God said to Abraham and presumably to his offspring, “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you.” (Gen. 12:3)
He is not committed to his immigration plan. More than any other subject, it was his bold comments on dealing with illegal immigration that jump started his campaign last summer. He was recorded off-the-record saying he doesn’t plan to fully implement it. Yes, it was scummy of the NY Times to admit this (as it was off the record) but it is still true! We will see if he releases the recording or not. My money is on ‘not’.
He thinks Planned Parenthood is just dandy. “Look, Planned Parenthood has done very good work for many, many — for millions of women,” said Donald last night. Once an organization starts killing live babies (after botched abortions) in order to harvest his/her body parts to sell them for profit, they need to be shut down, no matter what ‘good’ they presumably do.
Both David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and disgusting white supremacist and Louis Farakan, a Jew-hating Islamic leader, love Trump. Duke loves him for promoting the interests of white, European Americans. And Farakan loves him because he won’t take money from the Jews. I know he can’t help it if racists support him, but I have to be concerned that they like him.
He is a lying machine. Two days after disavowing David Duke, Trump, on a Sunday News show, pretended like he didn’t know who Duke was (Even though he left the Reform Party in 2000 because of Duke’s association to it). Then he blamed his stumble on a faulty earpiece, that seemed to work perfectly during the interview as he heard clearly and answered every question. He lies all the time about what he has said in the past. He claims he never said Senator McCain was not a war hero, and yet, I heard him say it loud and clear. He denies, comes up with a plausible reply and then moves on quickly before he can be challenged on his faulty explanation.
At the end of the day, we have no idea what Trump will do as president because he has been all over the place on every issue. He is smart, and he pivoted to right to tap into the anger of voters who were tired of seven years of hope, change and disaster. But this is not a principled man—by his own admission.
As a businessman, he made it clear that he would take whatever position or support whatever politician necessary to advance his business objectives.
“Before this, before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them. They are there for me.”
Friends, how can you assume that this is not what he is doing now? His goal is to be president, and he will say whatever he needs to say in order to get elected. That is who he has been all his life.
He cheated on his first wife with his second wife. He divorced her and married his third wife. He has children with all three women. The issue is not whether or not we all make mistakes or have faults—we do—the issue is a life long pattern of lying, cheating and abusive behavior in order to get what he wants. The only question is will his next victim be you?
The heart-stirring song talks about how God tells Abraham to go walk the land, for soon it will be his. For a song discussing the Land of Israel, Baruch wanted to team up with an Israeli singer who could put deep and heartfelt emotion to his composition and its accompanying words. He found that in the multi-talented Yonatan Razel. The blend of their combined voices will leave you uplifted and inspired!
We learn from today's verse about Esther's very humble and difficult beginnings as an orphan with neither father nor mother. Mordechai not only became her primary caretaker as a child, but he instilled in her the Godly values that followed her throughout life, and she never veered from his guidance. In her role as Queen of Persia, Esther became a shining light for all generations of how to preserve one's faith in exile. Today in Israel, TikvahHope provides vital services to needy children, instilling the security desperately needed in their lives.
Sing along to "Song of Thanksgiving" by Safam based on the joyful words of Psalm 100. Our Hebrew and English transliteration will have you learning the holy language of Psalms with ease!
Harald Eckert, Chairman of Christians for Israel International and CEO of “Initiative 27.Januar”, a coalition to improve German-Israeli relationships, recently visited Meir Panim’s free restaurant-style soup kitchen in Jerusalem to see first-hand the work of the dynamic organization.
Enjoy this 2-Disc DVD set from the Israeli “Raise Your Spirits” theater company which depicts the trials of Noah, the man destined to build an Ark that will save his family and the animal kingdom from God’s destructive flood.
I never imagined Israel could be so beautiful. The pictures are captivating.... Dina Brandonisio
Understanding the traditions of the people of God helps me to understand the Bible; it help me to see how now all these verses that I had read for so many years make sense. - Victor Fontanez
God's plan is not for you to be depressed. He wants you to experience His joy no matter the circumstances of your life.
Yet approximately 20 million people suffer from clinical depression, feeling hopeless, listless and stuck.
The voice of depression says you cannot move out of the darkness blanketing your life. But nothing could be further from the truth. There is much you can do to lift yourself out of that stuck place.
What is the difference between depression and just being sad? Licensed Family TherapistDr. Linda Mintleexplains the difference and concrete steps you can take to get help and find healing.
NEW from CHARISMA:Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here
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Posted: 06 Mar 2016 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
What is the worst possible outcome for the presidential election of 2016? Assuming that an election will actually take place, that is an easy question to answer – Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next president of the United States. She is truly evil in every sense of the word, and the implications of what four (or eight) years of Hillary would mean for our nation are almost too terrible to imagine. That is why it is so depressing watching what is happening to the Republican Party right now. The civil war in the Republican Party is ripping it to shreds, and as a result of all this warfare every plausible scenario for what will happen the rest of the way ends with Hillary Clinton winning the 2016 election. According to the Associated Press, here is how the Republican delegate count stands as of right now… Donald Trump: 384 Ted Cruz: 300 Marco Rubio: 151 John Kasich: 37 Ted Cruz looks like he is within shooting distance of Trump, but that is an illusion. The early part of the schedule was full of states where Cruz was expected to do well, but now the map is going to work very much against him. At this point, the only candidate that looks like he may be able to accumulate 1,237 delegates before the convention is Trump, and that is far from guaranteed. So far, Trump has won approximately 44 percent of the delegates during the caucuses and primaries. By the time it is all said and done, he will need to have slightly more than 60 percent of all the delegates awarded during the caucuses and primaries to guarantee himself the nomination before the Republican convention. That is because there are hundreds of delegates that are not awarded during the caucuses and the primaries, and almost all of those delegates are members of the Republican establishment. Trump can still get there by racking up large delegate totals in winner-take-all states such as California, but it will be a challenge. The entire Republican Party establishment, Fox News, Glenn Beck and a significant number of other prominent conservative voices have all declared war on Trump. In fact, there are super PACs that are going to spend tens of millions of dollars doing nothing but trying to destroy Trump. If the Republican Party actually wanted to beat Hillary Clinton in November, they should be rallying around Trump and trying to help him, because he would definitely need a lot of help to win the general election. According to Real Clear Politics, the latest three polls all have Trump losing to Clinton by at least 5 points. In key states such as Michigan, the numbers are quite a bit more dismal. Over the next few months, those numbers are likely to get even worse as Trump is savagely assaulted by the Republican establishment and relentlessly bombarded by tens of millions of dollars of negative attack ads. Meanwhile, Clinton is cruising along virtually unscathed. Of course in a just world Hillary Clinton would have already been arrested and put in prison. There is no possible way that she should be running for president of the United States. Unfortunately, we live in a deeply corrupt society, and this is the way that things work. If by some miracle he does survive to become the nominee, a significantly weakened Trump would then have to face the full power of the Clinton political machine. It is estimated that a billion dollars could be spent on the Democratic side this time around, and Trump does not have the resources to match that. Normally big Republican donors rally around the nominee, but in this case the big money is fighting like crazy to defeat Trump. In a general election matchup, it really would be David vs. Goliath, and Trump would not be Goliath. If Donald Trump does not accumulate 1,237 delegates before the convention, then we would be headed for what is known as a “brokered convention“. The rules are very complicated, but the key thing to remember is that the delegates are only bound for the first vote. After that, they can vote for whoever they want. And it is very important to note that the campaigns don’t pick their delegates. Becoming a delegate is a long and tedious process in most states, and most of them are party loyalists. In the end, a “brokered convention” would almost certainly result in an establishment candidate being chosen as the nominee. Needless to say, the names “Trump” and “Cruz” would not be on that list. Have you noticed that Mitt Romney has started to put himself out there lately? His verbal attacks on Trump have been absolutely scathing, and he told Fox News that he would not say no if he was “drafted” to become the nominee at the Republican convention…
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the Republicans’ 2012 presidential nominee, repeated remarks from last week, telling “Fox News Sunday” that he wouldn’t launch an eleventh-hour campaign for president. But he declined to reject being “drafted” at the GOP convention in July to be the party’s general election candidate. “It would be absurd to say that if I were drafted I’d say no,” Romney said.
Behind the scenes, much more is going on. In fact, CNN is reporting that Romney’s team is actively working on a plan to steal the nomination from Trump at the convention…
Mitt Romney has instructed his closest advisers to explore the possibility of stopping Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, a source close to Romney’s inner circle says. The 2012 GOP nominee’s advisers are examining what a fight at the convention might look like and what rules might need revising. “It sounds like the plan is to lock the convention,” said the source.
If Romney does emerge as the nominee, does anyone actually believe that he will defeat Clinton? Of course not. Trump’s millions of supporters will be absolutely infuriated, and many of them would absolutely refuse to cast a vote for Romney in the general election. In the end, it would be the same result – a victory for Hillary Clinton. The next few weeks are going to be very interesting. If Trump wins Florida and Ohio, there is going to be a lot of pressure on Marco Rubio and John Kasich to get out of the race, and the path to 1,237 delegates would appear to be clear. However, Mitt Romney could attempt to derail the Trump bandwagon by jumping in the race after March 15th. Romney’s goal would be to capture enough delegates in winner-take-all states such as California to keep Trump from getting to the magic number of 1,237. If Romney could do that, he knows that he would likely come out of a brokered convention as the nominee. But no matter what happens on the Republican side from this point forward, it is going to take a miracle of epic proportions to keep Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency. Every plausible scenario ends with her in the White House, and that is a truly horrible thing to imagine.
Recently I heard a meteorologist on the Weather Channel say something profound—No one knows when, or where the next devastating storm will come. But we do know this; there will be another storm."
Sounds a lot like life, doesn't it?
It has been said that we are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or about to enter a storm.
Is this just a fatalistic attitude, or is it the reality of living in a fallen world?
Remember what Jesus said? "In the world you will have tribulation." (John 16:33). The Greek word for "tribulation" literally means affliction, trouble, anguish, persecution and burdens.
Paul tells us that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) and the ruler of "the cosmic powers over this present darkness ... the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, authority and power were given over to Satan.
No wonder we face so many storms in life!
Some of these are: the loss of a child, depression, anxiety, a doctor's unwanted diagnosis, a loveless, lifeless marriage, prodigal children, and financial difficulties. The list goes on and on—from one storm to another.
We too often desperately struggle to find relief and wonder how to survive—mentally, physically, and especially spiritually.
It is interesting to see the statements Jesus precedes, and then follows his "tribulation" statement with—all in the same verse. He begins with "In me you may have peace" (John 16:33).He finishes with "but take heart; I have overcome the world."
Jesus tells us that life will be full of storms. But the storms are sandwiched between His peace and His overcoming power. These are two powerful truths that give us a new perspective on the daily struggles of life.
Perhaps that is what John meant when he declared " ... for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4).
While we live in a fallen world which is for now under the authority of the evil one, Someone greater—all powerful—almighty—everlasting in love—eternal—allows us to run to Him in the midst of the storm, and experience His peace ... and His overcoming power.
King David understood this all too well. At one point, trying to avoid death at the hand of Saul, he found himself hiding in a cave. His words ring true even today—" Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me! For my soul seeks refuge in You; in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until the ruinous storm passes by" (Psalm 57:1, MEV)
"Until the hurricane blows over." I don't know about you, but more than once life has felt like a category 5 hurricane—complete with 155 mph winds, rain blowing sideways and an 18 foot ocean surge with lightning and thunder all around.
During these times—and we all have them—remember that the storm is wedged in between the peace of Jesus ... and His overcoming power.
Take heart. Those two divine, eternal truths won't remove you from the storm—but they will change your perspective and you will overcome.
Prayer Power for the Week of March 6, 2016
This week thank God for His overcoming power and that His peace can sustain and carry you through any storm you have to face. Thank Him that He is faithful to His promise to never ever leave or forsake you. Allow His Spirit to produce His fruit of righteousness in you so that you can continually walk in joy, peace and all the other fruit of the Spirit. Continue to pray for our spiritual and government leaders, for worldwide revival, the expansion of God's kingdom, and the persecuted church. Pray that Israel fulfill God's purpose in this hour. Lift up our military and their families. Pray for the upcoming elections (John 16:33; Gal. 5:22-26; Matt. 9:38).
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March is a breakthrough month and it will be the start of God releasing new "marching orders." There will be a lot of shifting and changing happening. We will see a sudden acceleration of favor and rapid advancements.
Expect to see a lot of movement as God is realigning you to operate at higher levels than you have in the past. The saying, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" is going to be reversed. We are going to go out like a lion. We will see the start of new things. They might look small, but the result will be a greater impact.
March Breakthrough
Last September I received two major prophetic words that are being fulfilled in our lives starting this month. God spoke to me that we are all walking through a season of pruning similar to John 15. Pruning is when God reveals and removes things that might have worked in the past but are no longer effective for the present time. The result will bring us greater spiritual authority, allow us to operate in greater anointing, and most of all, bring the deeper intimacy that many have longed for. You can read that full prophetic word here.
The second prophetic word is exciting as we are in a countdown to liftoff in March. Last year on Yom Kippur (September 23, 2015) I got a prophetic timetable based on the number 24. Many people are going to see a major change in their lives 24 weeks after Yom Kippur, which is the week of March 9, 2016.
God also spoke to me that when we (in the U.S.) set the clocks forward in the spring, things will begin to "spring forward" in the spiritual realm. The date for this is March 13, 2016. Watch for the first two weeks of March to bring some radical changes. We are going to see many sudden 24-hour turnarounds over the next 24 months. You can read more here.
Hooks and Limitations are Being Revealed
As part of the pruning process we are all in, God is revealing the places that the enemy has gotten hooks in us. Some of these attacks have been hidden or covert but they are coming to light right now. It is important to respond and tend to these as they are revealed.
Begin asking God to show you what the enemy does not want you to see. In order to operate effectively in the new season we are in, we will need to fix a few things. One is our understanding of what is possible. We tend to limit God to our own understanding or experiences. It is time to let God out of the box of our understanding and prepare to be stretched!
One thing that God is doing right now is sending out invitations and God is beginning to move in the lives of people everywhere. God is interested particularly in those who have lost hope, or have been in a hidden season and those who have been rejected or wounded by Christianity. In order to do this God is releasing new keys to help us cross over to this new season.
Fishing Story
In Luke 5, Jesus entered the boat of Peter and told him to put out to deep water. He instructed them where to let down their nets and they caught so many fish that their nets broke. They had to signal for help from another boat and they caught so many fish that both boats nearly sank.
Fish can often be symbolic of people and water can represent the Spirit or the Kingdom of God. Indeed the early church, in the Book of Acts, experienced this as many began to follow them. To them it was equivalent to being in deep water and the disciples were stretched as God opened salvation to people groups that were outside of the disciples' comforts or belief systems (Acts 10).
Luke 5 was a prophetic parable of what Jesus is now calling us to. But there was also another fishing encounter that Peter and a few disciples had with Jesus in John 21. During a time when things looked discouraging, Jesus stood on the shore and called out to them to let down their nets. But this time He told them to cast them on the other side of the boat. Again, they caught a large number of fish, but this time the nets did not break.
The prophetic message in the John 21 experience is that they had to cast their nets on the opposite side of the boat. God is drawing people but they are not where we might think. Also in John 21, Peter had previously denied the Lord three times and felt like he had messed up. But it was in this encounter that Peter was restored to his Kingdom calling. Many people who have felt that they either messed up or have been hidden or forgotten are suddenly going to have an encounter with the Lord.
God's Call to Us Now
Look again at Luke 5 where God is calling us to mend the holes we have in our nets. The holes represent gaps in our understanding that have kept us from drawing in people that need His love and acceptance. He is also calling us to network just as they had to call over other boats to help with such a large harvest. Immediately after the large fish encounter, Jesus asked them to lay down their nets and follow Him. This is a sacrifice that God is calling people to right now.
This year many people are being called to lay down their own ministries and businesses for a time and help those who are starting to experience greater favor. The result will expand the Kingdom much more quickly and it will bring a blessing to those who make the sacrifice. It is time to share Kingdom resources with churches and ministries that are about to emerge.
Watch for These Things to Happen:
Hooks that the enemy has placed in us are being revealed.
We need to mend the holes in our nets, which are the things that have prevented people from experiencing God's love through us.
God is calling us into "deep water" experiences, which are experiences outside of our comfort zones.
We will need to try doing things differently than we have in the past (cast our nets on the other side of the boat).
Many people will be called to lay down what they are doing to help others for a season, and as a result, they will also share in the blessing.
