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.
JERUSALEM, Israel – An Israeli company resolved the FBI's month-long standoff with Apple Inc., allowing federal investigators to access an iPhone used by one of the Islamic terrorists in last December's deadly shooting in San Bernardino.
According to The Associated Press, the Justice Department's decision to drop its legal fight against Apple also eliminated any legal avenues the company may have used to gain access to the phone.
But Bloomberg put that theory to rest, naming Cellebrite Mobile Synchronization Ltd., an Israeli company, as the mysterious "third party" that cracked the iPhone used by Syed Farook.
Following the attack, investigators learned that Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were "obsessed with Israel," CBN News reported.
Farook's father reportedly told his son "to stay calm and be patient" because Israel would cease to exist within two years.
The couple, who gunned down 14 people before police shot them dead, were married the year before at the Islamic Center of Riverside in Southern California.
The day after the shooting, President Barack Obama told reporters it may or may not have been terror related and the couple may have had "mixed motives." He later acknowledged it was a terror attack.
If you needed proof that America has lost it corporate mind, here are five compelling examples.
1. In New York City, Cooper Union College has decided to remove all "gender markings" from its bathrooms.
As reported by The Guardian, "Last fall, the oldest building on the Cooper Union campus underwent a sudden renovation. A group of students, agitating for their transgender classmates, stripped the words 'men' and 'women' off the doors of the Foundation Building's restrooms."
But rather than discipline the unruly students, "the Cooper Union administration this month moved to remove the gender designations from all the bathrooms on campus by taking down the rest of the men's and women's signage from bathrooms."
Goodbye, men's and women's bathrooms!
The school's website is actually boasting about all this, with the homepage headline declaring, "DE-GENDERED RESTROOMS ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION."
2. In Illinois, a Christian businessman has been fined $80,000 for his faith, and that's just the beginning.
Writing for the Illinois Family Institute, Laurie Higgins explains that, "Another Christian business owner has been persecuted for his faith. Jim Walder, owner of an Illinois bed and breakfast, has been fined $80,000 by the Illinois 'Human Rights' junta (also known as the Illinois Human Rights Commission) for refusing to rent his facility to homosexual couple Todd and Mark Wathen for their civil union ceremony."
I recall reading somewhere that religious liberty was one of the very foundations of our nation, but hey, that was a long time ago, and this is today, right?
Higgins continues, "Even more outrageous, the Illinois Human Rights Commission has ordered that Jim Walder '[o]ffer the Wathens access to the facility, within one year, for an event celebrating their civil union.' You read that right. This unelected, quasi-governmental commission has mandated that Jim Walder not only pay a fine for not accepting a request that violated his religious beliefs but also to offer to violate his religious beliefs. Such a mandate clearly violates Mr. Walder's constitutionally protected religious liberty."
Not only, then, was Walder found guilty of a punishable offense for simply practicing his faith, but he was fined the ridiculous amount of $80,000, as if this couple literally experienced almost $100,000 in personal damages. What's more, he is now being told that he is required to violate his faith and host a homosexual civil union celebration.
3. In Wisconsin, a Catholic university has extended the suspension of a tenured professor for expressing his commitment to the academic freedom of students to express their Catholic moral values in class.
In November 2014, after Cheryl Abbate, an instructor at Marquette University, informed a student that he could not express his opposition to same-sex marriage in class, encouraging him to drop the "Theory of Ethics" course, political science professor John McAdams blogged his disapproval in reasonable and rational terms. In response, rather than disciplining the instructor, Marquette suspended McAdams, now extending his suspension until he apologizes. (As in the just-cited Illinois case, discipline is not even enough; there must be coercion.)
David French, writing for the National Review, writes, "My former colleagues at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) are right to label the forced apology 'an age-old inquisitorial tactic used to violate freedom of conscience through compelled speech.'
Thankfully, the professor has refused to apologize, and French concludes, "I would say that it's astonishing that a Catholic university punish a professor for defending the right of students to advocate the church's teaching on marriage, but politically correct nonsense is par for the course even (especially) at many religious colleges. McAdams should be applauded—and supported—for his lonely, courageous stand."
4. In Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina, two governors and one attorney general reject common sense and religious protections, selling out to political correctness.
First, it was Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal who caved in, deciding to veto a bill that, asexplained by Ryan Anderson, "would have safeguarded clergy from having to officiate same-sex weddings, prevented faith-based organizations from being forced to hire someone who publicly undermines their mission, and prohibited the state government from discriminating against churches and their affiliated ministries because they believe that marriage is between a man and a woman."
To add insult to injury, earlier in the month, Gov. Deal pointed to the ethics of Jesus to justify his actions.
In Virginia, Governor Terry McCauliffe vetoed legislation "aimed at protecting opponents of same-sex marriage, saying it would legalize discrimination of the LGBT community and hurt the state's economy."
He stated, "We cannot have fear and persecution, people being demonized, we're not going to tolerate that."
By doing so, he fosters the persecution and demonizing of Christians, bowing down at the altar of homosexual activism rather than honoring the constitutional rights of Virginians to enjoy their religious liberties, claiming that protecting those liberties would hurt the state's economy.
And in North Carolina, after the state legislature and Gov. Pat McCrory overturned Charlotte's infamous bathroom bill, simply requiring people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their birth certificate, the ACLU launched a lawsuit in response. Attorney General Roy Cooper, himself a gubernatorial candidate, refused to defend the law, despite his responsibilities as Attorney General to defend the laws of the state.
Cooper, claiming that the law was a "national embarrassment," said, "We've got to remember here the overriding concern that this new law provides for broad-based discrimination."
All clear, Mr. Cooper. If we believe in gender distinction and want to keep men out of women's bathrooms and locker rooms, also keeping the door closed on heterosexual predators who will cause that law to their advantage, we are guilty of "broad-based discrimination."
5. The NBA has threatened to relocate the 2017 all-star game from Charlotte to another city because North Carolina wants to keep men out of the ladies' rooms, and the governor of New York has forbidden state-related travel to North Carolina.
As stated by Sister Toldjah on the Independent Journal Review, "This is not a result of genuine concern; it's a result of the manufactured outrage machines that have worked together in the past to pressure sports leagues and corporations to get out 'in front' of an issue that they, in reality, really don't care much about (until they face the prospect of negative PR from the left and the media)."
Toldjah points out that the NBA agreed to locate the all-star game in Charlotte in 2015, meaning before the overturned Charlotte bill was ever passed. Weren't they collaborating with bigotry then?
Toldjah also writes that "it's particularly confusing to be lectured on 'equality' by an organization that is expanding its reach into communist China since 2004, the same China that jails and murders political dissidents and which, for decades, forced women with more than one child to abort any pregnancy after the first one."
Indeed, the same can be said for many other companies, including Apple, which regularly threatens states like North Carolina the moment they stand for social sanity and religious freedom, yet have no problem working with countries like Saudi Arabia that execute homosexuals.
Oh, the irony.
And speaking of irony, good old Atlanta, located in a state whose governor just betrayed millions of people of faith, has offered to host next year's game should the NBA choose to relocate.
How congenial and gracious of them.
And we can't forget New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, joining the mayor of San Francisco in banning non-essential state travel to North Carolina for the terrible sin of keeping men out of women's bathrooms.
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As his term runs down, US President Barack Obama plans to make one more attempt to push Israel to the edge of a cliff. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Obama’s last-ditch effort to force Israeli-'Palestinian' 'peace' negotiations is likely to include a UN Security Council resolution which would impose a framework for a deal on Israel and ramp up the international pressure on the Jewish State. Without calling the President out by name, this is PM Netanyahu's response to the Presidents latest plan to isolate Israel.
And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land.
Rabbi Avraham Kook teaches that the Exodus, described in today's verse, is not simply part of history. It is the beginning of a redemptive process which continues throughout Jewish history. Thus, all future redemptions, including the modern State of Israel’s defeat of its enemies, are all part of the ongoing redemption that will culminate with the coming of the Messiah and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. "Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus" investigates phenomenal historical and archaeological evidence of the Exodus, in a quest to determine whether or not the famous story of the Exodus is fact or fiction. What do you think?!
After most of the winter rains have fallen, the Galilee and Golan burst alive with wild flowers. It's a national pastime in Israel to hike through the hills and valleys to enjoy the gorgeous colors.
An Israeli researcher has discovered a new method that can stop uncontrolled bleeding of victims suffering from deep wounds caused by stabbings, such as the rampant knife attacks during the current terror wave in Israel.
This beautiful handmade copper spiral keychain was designed by Israeli artist, Lily Sharon. She hand stamped it with the words of the fundamental and important Jewish prayer "Shema Israel" ("Hear O Israel"). The copper spiral comes with a golden colored key ring.
A horse farm in the northern Israeli region of Mount Gilboa. In this area, Saul and his sons died in battle with the Philistines, leading David to lament: "Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you."
To this day, there are no springs on the mountain.
I would just like to say how much I enjoy your daily emails with all the news of Israel and Jerusalem especially the videos. Keep up the good work, keep praising and keep smiling. You make my day. God bless you. Bill Hare
I love the pictures of Israel. I also love the inspiration from the words told about it. -Jacque
Defeat Radical Islam: 'Believe in Jesus, Your Values'
03-30-2016
JERUSALEM, Israel – America's massive military won't save it from Islamic terrorism if it doesn't have the values and will to fight, an expert on Islam told CBN News recently.
If America and Europe want victory over radical Islam, they need to embrace their Christian roots, said Harold Rhode, a religious Jew with extensive experience in the Muslim world.
"The Christian world is a very powerful world if it chooses to be. It has enormous 'abilitiesm,'" Rhode said. "I'm a religious Jew [and] I want you Christians – I want you to be Christian. I want you to believe in your values."
America's traditional Middle East allies have felt betrayed in the past several years. They point to weakness in President Barack Obama's policies that have paved the way for the current chaos and violence.
Historically, when Muslims see weakness they pounce. America, the leader of the West, is showing weakness.
Rhode lived and studied in universities in the Islamic world for years. He advised the U.S. Defense Department on Islamic affairs for nearly three decades. He says the view of peace takes on totally different meanings between Muslims and the West.
"Peace in the West is let bygones be bygones," Rhode explained. "Let's say you and I had terrible problems in the past. We sit down, you give a little. I give a little. We shake hands. We don't forget what happened, but we work together toward our new goals."
But Islam is different.
"Revenge is the basis of everything," he continued. "If you don't avenge something, you lose personal honor. You are shamed. I am in a lower social position because of it. So there's never peace. You do not let bygones be bygones."
And what the West calls terrorism, Muslims see as classic Islamic warfare.
"Islamic warfare comes basically from the time of the Koran. They were tribes fighting tribes out in the desert…You raid the other side," he said. "You take its property; you take its women, you take its children. Your goal is to make the other side afraid. You raid and withdraw. Now eventually, by making the other side afraid, they withdraw and you take their territory. That's what terrorism is."
But Rhode told CBN News America can fight it and win.
"America and Europe have unbelievable reserves of awesome power, but we don't seem to have to stomach now to use it," he said. "Power, without the will to use it, is irrelevant and that's how the West is acting now."
One recent example came when Iran captured American sailors after accusing them of breaching its territorial waters.
"And America did nothing. Excuse me, when Iran gave them up and got its propaganda value from them, Secretary of State Kerry [said] 'Ohm thank you. See, being nice helps.' This was shameful on the American part," Rhode said.
If Washington would stand tough, he said, many Muslims would cheer.
"You would be surprised, the amount of Muslims that would say, 'Thank God!' Would they say it publicly? Not in the beginning because they'd be afraid that they'd be killed by fellow Muslims," he said.
According to Rhode, that's where Americans need to return to its roots.
"I don't believe in Jesus. I'm a Jew, but I want Christians to believe in Jesus. I want them to observe Christian values. With that, our America is safe. Europe is safe. Israel is safe," he said.
"The world will be safe because America will stand up for the values of the founding fathers of the United States," he continued. "They based America on the values of what the Christians called the Old Testament, and we call, what we Jews call the Jewish Bible.
Do Christians Properly Understand the Mystery Concerning Israel and the Church?
(Provided by Grant Berry )
Note: As we quickly approach the last days before Yeshua/Jesus returns, the mystery to awaken and restore Israel into the family in the one new man, becomes paramount in God's glory plan to establish His kingdom upon the Earth. In this light, the Holy Spirit is shifting His focus onto a very necessary spiritual restoration that must occur between Jew and Gentile members of the family of God, so that His end-time plan can be realized through us. We call this The Reconnection, where both groups are intricately linked and greatly in need of one another, yet presently, the family of God is quite divided and separate.
As a result, I am in the midst of a series called, "What Is the One New Man?" In these articles we will explore and re-examine the pertinent Scriptures on the one new man, as well as issues relating to Israel and the church, and we will interview leaders from both sides of the family to gain a better understanding. However, the main goal is to help bring the body of Messiah/Christ into a greater unity and depth of understanding of this mystery; not through a Gentile or Jewish lens, but rather through our Father's eyes and heart, who longs for His family to be one and to be united into His end-time purposes and plans. In order for us to be mobilized us into the fray (John 17:23).
If you haven't read part 1 and 2 of this article, which lays the foundation for a better understanding of Romans 11, please click here first for part 1 and here for part 2.
Romans 11 Continued ... The Mystery
The unraveling of this mystery is hugely significant to our generation and those who tarry before the Lord returns; more now than ever before, in light of the timing (Rom. 11:25-27). This is the pinnacle of these writings in Romans concerning Israel and the church and it reveals three major happenings:
The lifting of the veil over the people of Israel
The fullness of the Gentile Harvest
Israel's spiritual awakening.
Thus this final section of Scripture that the apostle Paul writes comes with a caution, so that we may not be ignorant or conceited, but also understand the significance of this time, as well as its relevance to us (verse 25). Here Paul encourages us in our role back toward the Jewish people that we should not run out of patience and kindness (verse 22), thinking that Israel's judgment is final and continue to love them despite their rejection (verse 28), because ultimately when that time comes, the balance of Israel will be saved. They are the first-born in the family and they will be restored, as God's gifts and call are irrevocable (verse 29).
In fact there are several cautions in Romans 11 to our Gentile family concerning their position toward the Jewish people in how they should act toward them, while the balance of Israel are still in a broken off state—"Do not consider yourself superior" (verse 18) and "Do not be arrogant" (verse 20). But if we have become conceited concerning Israel and the Jewish people that we would repent before it is too late. It is almost as if Paul knew that there would be a great gap of time before these things would happen; that the church would turn on Israel, thinking that it had fully replaced her. That he cautions his Gentile brothers and sisters and reminds them not to forget their humble beginnings as a wild olive shoot being grafted into the olive tree of Israel (verse 24).
I firmly believe that all that was written in Romans chapters 9 and 10 and the first part of 11, are to lay the foundation to help the Gentile part of the family understand this complexity of Israel's plight and journey back to faith, because it is so challenging for us to process and comprehend. The balance of those who were called first were broken off because of unbelief, but would be restored and grafted back at the end. Here Paul tells us that Israel's hardening is only temporary, and in part (for there was a remnant of Jews who would believe—Romans 11:1-6), until the full number of Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. In other words, Israel must be restored and we are not complete without them being grafted back into the olive tree, which would happen at the same time as the last great harvest of souls. For what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (verse 15)
Paul's Insight
But where did Paul get this insight, aside from the guidance of the Holy Spirit? For at this time in his life, he could not have known the exact timing involved here for this to happen. Nor that it would take almost 2,000 years for these Scriptures to actually come to pass where the fullness of this mystery is now being revealed. I believe the answer to this question like so many others that the apostles faced, was revealed through the Hebrew Scriptures themselves, which was always their source for the answers they sought, as Yeshua/Jesus Himself had guided them into to confirm all truth. Please understand that there was no New Testament written at this point and these Jewish apostles were the lives of those who penned it.
"As it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will remove ungodliness from Jacob, for this is My covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins'" (verse 26-27).
Paul was a scholar of Scripture, and He knew the Word of God and the covenants and promises that were given to Israel that were distinct to them as a people. And today, because of Paul's quotation here in the New Testament, God has seen to it that every main section of Scripture properly testifies that despite Israel's judgment and dispersion that He would ultimately lead them back to the land of Israel and then spiritually restore them.
Deuteronomy 30:4 in the Torah; Ezekiel 36:22-27 in the Prophets among numerous others and this quote in the New Testament in Romans, all speak of God's covenant and promises solely to the people of Israel that can only be finally fulfilled through their spiritual awakening and restoration. Indeed Ezekiel tells us that it is not just for their sake, but rather for the sake of God's holy name; that our Father's words and promises are on the line. We make a grave mistake here to think that these promises and covenants relate to anything other than the physical seed of Israel, plus we would miss the whole purpose and meaning of Paul's explanation here in Romans 11, that we would fully comprehend this mystery.
The Church's Role
However, the fullness of the mystery is not complete; nor is the text, until we fully recognize our own unique role here in the church, which is to release the mercy of God back toward the Jewish people and here is the calling. "For just as you once were disobedient to God, but have now received mercy through their disobedience, so these also have now been disobedient, that they also may receive mercy by the mercy shown to you" (verse 30-31). And have we not also been given the gospel to make Israel jealous? (verse 11).
For there is a vital connection for the body of Messiah/Christ to see during these days and a major role for us to play out, so the end may actually come that is different from what we have been taught up to this point. Similar if you like, to those generations when the gospel was first poured out to the Gentiles, except now the roles are reversed; whose understanding was also hidden from previous generations (Eph. 3:1-11).
There is a family circle that must be completed here, so the bride is prepared for His coming that re-includes the branches of Israel that have been broken off, plus those that are yet to be restored, which is the full understanding of this mystery, but also how we are associated to it. Just as Israel was used to bring us life through Yeshua/Jesus, so now in turn God's children from the nations would be used to bring that life back to them. And in so doing, the natural outflow of this and our focus upon it, is the resurrection power to reach both groups, Israel's spiritual awakening and the fullness of the Gentiles (verses 25-26); the very revival that the church is so hungry for.
The two are intricately linked together, which is why we must now reconnect spiritually to Israel, in order for this transaction to take place through us, because the church is not a separate entity, as it has been since Rome broke it away from its roots and heritage, but rather a commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12-22). For the gospel was never just to the Jews, nor the Gentiles, but rather to both.
The Ezekiel Generation
I called my second book The Ezekiel Generation for a specific purpose, as it is grounded on Ezekiel 37:9-11, which speaks prophetically of Israel's spiritual restoration. But it is not God who speaks to the breath, nor to the four winds to awaken Israel, rather He tells Ezekiel to do it. And if you will accept it, we (the end-time generations of the church) are the prophetic fulfillment of this Scripture. "So that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" (Eph. 3:10). This is our intercessory role now for Israel: "Do not keep silent; give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a glory in the earth" (Isaiah 62:6-7). That His mercy that we have received from Him, would be released through us towards them, that they would come back to life to complete the family and ready us for His return. This is why Israel and their spiritual awakening are the golden key that unlocks the rest and one now that we must take hold of to fulfill our end-time destiny upon the earth.
Church, are you listening?
Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of God in the last days. His website is reconnectingministries.org.
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Posted: 30 Mar 2016 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Financial experts Robert Kiyosaki and Harry Dent are both warning that the next major economic crash is in our very near future. Dent is projecting that the Dow will fall to “5,500 to 6,000 by late 2017″, and Kiyosaki actually originally projected that a great crash was coming in 2016 all the way back in 2002. Of course we don’t exactly have to wait for things to get bad. The truth is that things are not really very good at the moment by any stretch of the imagination. Approximately one-third of all Americans don’t make enough money to even cover the basic necessities, 23 percent of adults in their prime working years are not employed, and corporate debt defaults have exploded to the highest level that we have seen since the last financial crisis. But if Kiyosaki and Dent are correct, economic conditions in this country will soon get much, much worse than this. During a recent interview, Harry Dent really went out on a limb by staking his entire reputation on a prediction that we would experience “the biggest global bubble burst in history” within the next four years…
There will be… and I will stake my entire reputation on this… we are going to see the biggest global bubble burst in history in the next four years… There’s only one way out of this bubble and that is for it to burst… all this stuff is going to reset back to where it should be without all this endless debt, endless printed money, stimulus and zero interest rate policy.
And of course he is far from alone. Without a doubt, we are currently in the terminal phases of the greatest financial bubble the world has ever known, and it is exceedingly difficult to see any way that it will not end very, very badly. Ultimately, Dent believes that we could see U.S. stocks lose two-thirds of their value by late next year…
The Dow, I’m projecting, will hit 5,500 to 6,000 by late 2017… just in the next year and a half or so. That’ll be most of the damage… then it will rally and there’ll be some aftershocks into 2020… my four cycles point down into early 2020 and then they start one after the other to turn up… I think the worst will be over by 2020, but the worst of that will be by the end of 2017.
If that does happen, it will be a far worse crash than what we experienced back in 2008, and the economic consequences will be absolutely terrifying. Another highly respected financial expert that is making similar claims is Robert Kiyosaki. My wife is a big fan of his books, and I have always held him in high regard. But what I didn’t realize is that he had actually predicted that there would be a major financial crash all the way back in 2002…
Fourteen years ago, the author of a series of popular personal-finance books predicted that 2016 would bring about the worst market crash in history, damaging the financial dreams of millions of baby boomers just as they started to depend on that money to fund retirement. Broader U.S. stock markets are recovering from the worst 10-day start to a year on record. But Robert Kiyosaki — who made that 2016 forecast in the 2002 book “Rich Dad’s Prophecy” — says the meltdown is under way, and there’s little investors can do but buy gold or silver and hope the Federal Reserve slows the slide.
I agree with Kiyosaki that one way that investors can shield their wealth is by getting gold and silver. In a recent article, I explained exactly why I believe that silver in particular is ridiculously undervalued right now. Kiyosaki also believes that the coming crash could be delayed a bit if the Federal Reserve decided to embark on another round of quantitative easing. But even if that happens, Kiyosaki is absolutely convinced that eventually “it’s all going to come down”…
Kiyosaki told MarketWatch that the combination of demographics and global economic weakness makes the next crash inevitable — but the Fed could stave it off with another round of quantitative easing, which might stimulate the economy. The Fed turned more dovish at its March meeting, with the central bank penciling in fewer interest-rate hikes this year than were previously part of its implied framework. The Fed signaled those hikes would happen more slowly than had been anticipated earlier, owing to a weak global economic environment and a volatile stock market. “The big question [whether] we do ‘QE4,’” said Kiyosaki. “If we do, the stock market will come roaring back, but it’s not rocket science. If we stop printing money, it crashes; if we print money, it goes up. But, eventually, it’s all going to come down.”
Another voice that I have come to respect is Jim Rickards. He is not quite as apocalyptic as Kiyosaki or Dent, but without a doubt he is deeply concerned about where the global economy is headed…
Global growth is slowing both because of weakness in developed economies like Europe and Japan, and weakness in some of the emerging markets champions such as China, Brazil and Russia. The limits of monetary policy have been reached. The evidence is now clear that negative interest rates don’t stimulate spending; they are only good for devaluation in the ongoing currency wars. World trade is shrinking; a rare phenomenon usually associated with recession or depression.
And he is exactly right. The economic downturn that we are witnessing is truly global in scope. Brazil has plunged into an economic depression, the Italian banking system is in the process of completely melting down, and Japan has implemented negative interest rates in a desperate attempt to keep their Ponzi scheme going but it really isn’t working. In fact, Japanese industrial production just crashed by the most that we have seen since the tsunami of 2011. Here in the United States, investors are generally feeling pretty good right now because stocks have rebounded substantially in recent weeks. However, Rickards is warning that this rebound is very temporary…
Stocks are clearly in a bubble. The stock market is ignoring the strong dollar, which in turn hurts exports and devalues overseas earnings. It is also ignoring declining corporate earnings, imminent defaults in the energy sector, and declining global growth in general. Never mind. As long as money is cheap and leverage is plentiful, there’s no reason not to bid up stock prices, and wait for the greater fool to bid them up some more.
There is so much that we could learn from all these three men. Sadly, just like we saw in 2008, most Americans are ignoring the warnings. The mainstream media has conditioned the public to trust them, and right now the mainstream media is insisting that everything is going to be just fine. So will everything be just fine as the months roll along? We will just have to wait and see…
Thus this final section of Scripture that the apostle Paul writes comes with a caution, so that we may not be ignorant or conceited, but also understand the significance of this time, as well as its relevance to us (verse 25). Here Paul encourages us in our role back toward the Jewish people that we should not run out of patience and kindness (verse 22), thinking that Israel's judgment is final and continue to love them despite their rejection (verse 28), because ultimately when that time comes, the balance of Israel will be saved. They are the first-born in the family and they will be restored, as God's gifts and call are irrevocable (verse 29).
