WATCH: Pro-Life Prayer Movement Advances in Hong Kong, Gateway to Asia - MARISA LENGOR KWANING/BOUND4LIFE CHARISMA NEWS

WATCH: Pro-Life Prayer Movement Advances in Hong Kong, Gateway to Asia

6/2/2016 MARISA LENGOR KWANING/BOUND4LIFE  charisma news

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When Joseph Woodard answered God's call to be a light in Asia, it was more than simply stepping out of his comfort zone in suburban America. Woodard grasped the torch of pro-life prayer, a movement shining brightly since 2004 when 40 Days for Life and Bound4LIFE launched within the same month.

He moved to Shanghai, China in 2010 to teach English. Two years later, Woodard ended up in Hong Kong, where he led the first 40 Days for Life prayer campaign this past spring—part of a movement that involved more than 120,000 people praying in 273 locations across 25 nations, including daily at the U.S. Supreme Court.

To capture a snapshot of what God is doing in Hong Kong—including how the symbol of Life Tape played a role in their pro-life advocacy—we spoke with Joseph Woodard about his personal journey and why standing for life matters in every nation.

Bound4LIFE: What brought you to Hong Kong?

Joseph Woodard: Originally I had a very general calling to China and then I realized that Hong Kong would be an ideal place for long-term work in Asia.

God never told me, in so many words, to be a missionary in Asia; I simply thought of myself as a Christian whom God had called to China. I eventually decided to move to Hong Kong, specifically because I saw a special work of the Holy Spirit among churches here.

Bound4LIFE: How did you become a part of the 40 Days for Life movement, starting with the campaign this past spring? 

Joseph Woodard: I heard about it a long time ago, but only participated in one 40 Days for Life prayer gathering—for about an hour when I was a student at Ave Maria University. Honestly, I thought 40 Days for Life was a great idea, but not for me. Last summer I realized God was opening a door in Asia for pro-life ministry, which tragically has been almost nonexistent. 

When I spoke with an experienced pro-life leader for advice, he suggested 40 Days for Life would do more than anything else to serve churches to respond to the crisis of abortion. After that, I spoke to the 40 Days for Life international campaign director in London—actually while I was in the middle of watching the movie Mission: Impossible. Some would call our mission in Hong Kong "impossible," but we decided to go for it!

Bound4LIFE: What challenges did you face in assembling a team to pray continuously?

Joseph Woodard: So I had already lived in Hong Kong for over three years at this point. I had done a lot of work with a number of churches, but I hadn't initiated a prayer campaign for non-English speakers before. Honestly, I was worried about translation issues and would have preferred that someone from Hong Kong lead the campaign.

But I was able to overcome some of the language barrier by being able to type Chinese better than I can actually speak it. Nearly everybody I know uses a smartphone; even when I was talking with someone who didn't know English, we were able to communicate thanks to Google Translate.

As far as filling up the prayer schedule, we really wanted to have 12-hour shifts (8am–8pm) per day during the prayer campaign. We only actually filled up the entire 12 hours a few times during the 40 days. But at the same time, I consider the whole experience a great success. 

Thankfully, no one was against the idea of praying outside an abortion center. The problem was that the concept was completely new, even for churches I worked with. Out of 125 volunteers who signed up to pray in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic, only three had done this before. We were very moved by the number of participants.

Bound4LIFE: Over the course of those 40 days, do any experiences in front of the abortion center in prayer stand out—either yours or from your team?

Joseph Woodard: We prayed in what was probably the most unusual setup of any 40 Days for Life campaign. It was within a public area, where people often sit to drink beer or smoke. One day, I recall so many people smoking—cigarette smoke rising all around us; it happened to be the day a local House of Prayer community joined for an hour.

One of the volunteers told me later that had he wanted to put on his Life Tape and pray prayers of spiritual warfare. But the Holy Spirit told him just to worship. I believe the incense of true worship is our best weapon against the culture of death. Many of the volunteers really liked the idea of the Life Tape, being able to proclaim life on behalf of the voiceless. 

During Hong Kong's first March for Life, some leaders had everyone put on Life Tape, and then we marched for two hours through the busiest neighborhoods in Hong Kong. They were holding signs, many wearing Life Tape, praying and others singing. It was really amazing. That was definitely one of the main highlights for everybody.

Bound4LIFE: The freedom of public assembly is recognized by Hong Kong. How does this right influence your ability to gather with volunteers to pray? 

Joseph Woodard: Overall, Hong Kong is one of the freest places in the world. According to the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index, Hong Kong tops the list—which is an anomaly, the only very free society in the world that is not officially a democracy.

There are all sorts of public gatherings in Hong Kong every day: celebrations, public awareness events, big fundraisers, protests, etc. Hong Kong police are very helpful in facilitating the gatherings and really don't care why you're gathering, as long as you're not blocking traffic.

Right when we were starting 40 Days for Life, there was actually a series of small riots. This dominated the news cycle because—despite what you might see on the news—Hong Kong is a very peaceful place. So the police were on high alert. Thankfully, we had communicated clearly with the police about what we were doing before the campaign started, even though legally we didn't have to tell them anything.

Better to communicate directly than for the police to hear about us from the abortion center. It's hard to believe the reach of Planned Parenthood, which is directly affiliated with the abortion facility we prayed at for 40 days. Overall, we felt supported by the police. I believe the prayers we prayed months in advance gave us favor during the spring campaign.

Bound4LIFE: Can you describe the differences between Hong Kong and mainland China as it pertains to standing for life? 

Joseph Woodard: In Hong Kong there is freedom of religion, and the church is very active in public life. Even if people don't go to church and don't know anything about Christianity, there is still the opportunity to be influenced by Christian principles like the dignity of the human person and the rights that accompany that dignity.

However, in mainland China, people don't have a sense of the individual's rights including the right to life. Because of that, in some ways it is much easier for this issue to make sense in Hong Kong. Whereas in China, it is going to be even more countercultural to stand for life.

Bound4LIFE: What milestones have you seen happen with the pro-life prayer movement in Hong Kong since you relocated?

Joseph Woodard: Right after I moved to Hong Kong, a newspaper article covered a story about a major abortion center that had shut down in the central business district. The article quoted a local leader as supporting the clinic shutdown and described a gathering praying for a culture of life in Hong Kong.  

For three years, I had been looking out for anyone doing pro-life ministry in Hong Kong. But I came up empty. Then right after I decided to do 40 Days for Life, I started meeting people; it was totally providential. Within several weeks, I had met most of the main pro-life leaders in Hong Kong and many from elsewhere in Asia.

Bound4LIFE: What core message do you want the American church to know about the pro-life prayer movement in Hong Kong?

Joseph Woodard: Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to influence all of Asia. Regardless of the nature of the cause, Hong Kong has become an attractive place for people to set up shop to advocate for various causes. Whether it's animal rights or the pro-life movement or starting a new business, Hong Kong is the place to be to get things done.

For that reason, it's worth praying for Hong Kong and also worth coming. If God calls you to Asia, then Hong Kong is a good place to start.

When we started this spring, I had some health problems that made it difficult for me to walk. God has really carried me through this whole process. While I still deal with chronic fatigue, the sense I have is that I'm being carried. I believe God wants me to be a part of what He is doing in this part of the world. 

Marisa Lengor Kwaning is a writer, editor and health policy analyst who resides in Washington, D.C. She has worked in public health, disaster management, as well as foreign and domestic health policy. She earned a Masters degree in Public Policy from George Mason University. She currently consults at Final Draft: Writing Services and writes for Bound4LIFE International, a faith-based pro-life organization.

Reprinted with permission from Bound4LIFE.

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'Israel Fellows' Work to Counter Anti-Semitism on College Campuses - SHALLE’ MCDONALD/JNS.ORG CHARISMA NEWS

'Israel Fellows' Work to Counter Anti-Semitism on College Campuses

 5/27/2016 SHALLE’ MCDONALD/JNS.ORG  charisma news

An event organized by Rebecca Avera (front, far right), the Israel Fellow at Stanford University. (Rebecca Avera)

In today's climate on college campuses, Jewish students often face a fight-or-flight choice in the face of increasing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, discrimination, and even physical violence.

There are numerous ways that Jewish advocacy groups advise students to counter the hatred on campus, ranging from holding demonstrations to simply ignoring the threats. 

Promoting a positive connection to Israel is instrumental in countering anti-Zionism, according to The Jewish Agency for Israel, which together with Hillel International created the Israel Fellows program—a network of 75 Israeli young professionals serving as "ambassadors" at more than 100 North American university campuses. The fellows come from Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Indian, European and central Asian backgrounds.

According to the Jewish Agency, the goal of the program is "to promote connections to Israel and Israelis, create positive Israel-related experiences and educational opportunities, and combat rising anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Semitism on campuses."

The Israel Fellows focus on demystifying Israel for those who have little knowledge about the country.

Shachar Levi, an Israel Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), told JNS.org that the program is not about "positive or negative" views of Israel, but about "variety" in terms of providing students with a more nuanced connection to Israelis and their diverse culture. 

Levi, 28, was raised in Tel Aviv, served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and studied government, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism. He said each fellow can share a personal narrative about Israel to students who simply "don't have enough knowledge" about the Jewish state. Levi hopes that sharing personal stories will provide a more realistic picture of Israelis in lieu of one-sided, negative portrayals in the media—both for Jewish students who aren't very connected to Israel and for the wider campus community.

The Israel Fellows aim to organize events in which students from different cultures can discover shared values, fostering a climate of mutual respect. One of Levi's events, for instance, brought together Indian students celebrating the Diwali festival and Jewish students celebrating Hanukkah around the same time. Both holidays are known as their culture's festival of lights.

Rabbi Daniel Septimus, executive director of Texas Hillel, said Levi's efforts have made a significant difference for the discourse about Israel on campus.

"Shachar's creative spirit is exciting and inspiring to our students," Septimus said. "He provides an informal way to learn about Israel through one-on-one conversations, and helps students navigate their personal relationships to Israel by providing the cultural and historical context only an Israeli can offer."

Rebecca Avera, the Israel Fellow at Stanford University in California, is an Ethiopian Israeli from Haifa. Her parents were Jewish refugees from Ethiopia who raised nine siblings with a strong Jewish identity.

Realizing that many students who meet her are seeing a black Jew for the first time, Avera has successfully built connections with not only Jewish students, but also African-American and Asian students, particularly by collaborating on events with the campus associations representing students of color.

Last December, during Hanukkah, Avera centered an event around the Ethiopian-Jewish holiday "Sigd." The event taught more than 200 attendees about Ethiopian-Jewish dress, dance and food. Avera shared her family's story, highlighted by her mother's journey to Israel, in which she walked hundreds of miles across northern Africa to Sudan and was ultimately rescued by the IDF.

Avera's outreach to other student communities is enabling more people to learn about the realities of Israeli life. In a coffee date with a freshman student from Stanford's Black Student Union, Avera said she spoke about her personal challenges related to being black in Israel. The student was so impressed that she now wants to organize an event about Avera's life story.    

In reaching out to campus minorities, Levi and Avera attempt to use diversity to Israel's advantage on campus, countering anti-Israel groups' usual recruitment of minority students to support the Palestinian cause—most often through comparing Israel to apartheid-era South Africa and eventually convincing black students to support the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Avera said she has noticed a decrease in the aggression of the anti-Israel voices on her campus, explaining that the pro-Palestinian student group at Stanford now tends to focus on educational and cultural issues rather than BDS. While a resolution encouraging the university to divest from Israel passed last year in Stanford's student government, this year "they don't want to focus on [divestment]," she said.

Levi believes many college students participate in anti-Israel protests because there is "a lot of pressure to build strong opinions." Students tend to embrace the anti-Israel movement because they mistakenly "think it's a human rights issue," he said.

Last year, UT Austin's Palestinian Solidarity Committee student group disrupted a lecture by a visiting professor who was speaking about Israeli military culture. After protesters shouted "free, free Palestine" and "long live the intifada," the confrontation became physical and the police needed to intervene.

Israel Fellows, according to the Jewish Agency, have been able to respond in a proactively positive way to more than 100 incidents of campus tension through hosting discussion groups, speakers, cultural programs and leadership development opportunities. While anti-Israel groups at UT Austin "try to separate people," said Levi, Israel Fellows "try to bring people together." 

For the original article, visit jns.org.

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Barack Obama Warns Americans ‘To Be Prepared For A Disaster’ - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Barack Obama Warns Americans ‘To Be Prepared For A Disaster’ Posted: 02 Jun 2016 Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG When Barack Obama speaks to the public, it is very rare that he does so without a specific purpose in mind.  So why is he urging Americans “to be prepared for a disaster” all of a sudden?  On May 31, Obama took time out of his extremely busy schedule to deliver an address at the FEMA National Response Coordination Center in Washington.   During his speech, he stressed that every American is responsible for preparing for disasters, and that includes “having an evacuation plan” and “having a fully stocked disaster supply kit”.  These are basic steps that I have been encouraging people to do for years, but if they won’t listen to me, perhaps they will listen to the man currently residing in the White House.  The following excerpt from Obama’s speech comes directly from the official White House website… One of the things that we have learned over the course of the last seven and a half years is that government plays a vital role, but it is every citizen’s responsibility to be prepared for a disaster.  And that means taking proactive steps, like having an evacuation plan, having a fully stocked disaster supply kit.  If your local authorities ask you to evacuate, you have to do it. Don’t wait. This speech was timed to coincide with the beginning of the hurricane season, although hurricanes have not posed much of a threat lately. In fact, a major hurricane has not made landfall in the United States for 127 straight months. But without a doubt, we all need to be preparing for disaster.  Hurricanes can create a short-term emergency that can last for a few days, but there are other threats that could create a major emergency that could potentially last for an extended period of time.  That list of potential threats includes a major volcanic eruption, a natural or engineered pandemic, a west coast earthquake, a New Madrid earthquake, a tsunami on either the east or west coasts, a meteor impact, Islamic terror, war, an EMP burstthat takes down the power grid, cyberwarfare, economic collapse, and civil unrest resulting in the imposition of martial law. Of course the items that I just mentioned are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, in different scenarios we could actually see multiple events happen in rapid succession. It is interesting to note that during his speech Barack Obama also noted that the American people seem to have become very complacent about getting prepared… And what we’ve been seeing is some public complacency slipping in; a large portion of people not having preparedness kits, not having evacuation plans. This is exactly what I have been noticing as well.  There appears to be a tremendous amount of apathy out there, and relatively few people really seem to feel much urgency to get prepared these days. My contacts in the emergency preparedness industry have been telling me that sales are way down right now.  There was a big peak last fall, but since then it is like interest in prepping has just fallen off the map. Ultimately, those companies are going to be okay because interest will pick back up shortly as global events begin to spiral completely out of control.  However, of much greater concern is the fact that people have not been using this period of relative calm constructively. Just like we have seen in Venezuela, time to prepare eventually runs out.  And someday there will be millions of parents that are absolutely horrified when their children come to them crying out for food and they don’t have anything to give to them because they didn’t heed the warnings and they didn’t get prepared. When that day arrives, many of those families may be forced to turn to whatever help the government is offering at the time. One more thing that I found particularly noteworthy about Obama’s speech was that he said that there is now “a FEMA app” that can direct you to the nearest “FEMA shelter” in the event of a major emergency. If you need information about how to put together an evacuation plan, how to put together a disaster preparedness kit, as Craig said, we’ve got an app for everything now.  We have a FEMA app in English and in Spanish to help you prepare your family for a disaster.  You can update the National Weather Service alerts.  You can get safety tips for more than 20 kinds of hazards.  It provides you directions to nearby shelters. Could you envision yourself and your family having to take refuge in a “FEMA shelter” someday? If not, you should do what you can to get prepared now.  Over the next couple of days, my wife and I will be releasing a couple of new videos about preparation on our YouTube channel.  I hope that many of you will check them out. Unlike Venezuela, it looks like we may still have a little bit more time to prepare for what is ahead.  Some people will relax and use this time to party, but those that are wise will work diligently and will do what they can to get ready for the exceedingly challenging times that are rapidly approaching. Hopefully you are listening to the warnings and are heeding what the watchmen are saying. If not, the consequences for what will happen to you and your family will ultimately be on your own hands.

The Lost Story of How One Christian Sect’s Biblical Beliefs Kept 250 Jewish Children Alive By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The Lost Story of How One Christian Sect’s Biblical Beliefs Kept 250 Jewish Children Alive

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS  June 2, 2016

“And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’” Genesis 28:14-15 (The Israel Bible™)

In a new book, a member of an obscure Christian sect has set out to document a chapter in the Holocaust that brought Jews and Christians together, not in belief or even friendship, but as one family living under the same roof.

Following Kristallnacht in November 1938, Britain, the only willing host country, began the Kindertransport, taking in over 10,000 Jewish children from Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. Conscientious objectors and shunners of politics, the Christadelphians, an obscure Christian sect, were unlikely hosts, but in the face of the growing evil that threatened the Jews, they decided to take action. Their participation in the Kindertransport saved 250 Jewish children from almost certain death.

The Christadelphians were, and remain, an obscure branch of Christianity. There are about 50,000 Christadelphians today who follow the 19th century teachings of John Thomas. With no central authority, different groups vary, but all Christadelphians are Biblical Unitarians, emphasizing the Bible as divinely inspired. Daily Bible reading is a central part of their religious devotion.

Jason Hensley (Photo: Courtesy)

According to Christadelphian belief, the Hebrew Bible is truly about the Jewish people, bringing a recognition that God made eternal promises to Abraham, and fostering a desire to work on the Jews’ behalf.

Jason Hensley, a Christadelphian school principal from California who recently authored a book about his co-religionists’ part in the Kindertransport, claims that it is this Bible study that brought them to a greater affinity towards the Jews. So great was their love for God’s Chosen People that they saw Jewish children as their own.

He named the book “Part of the Family”, because that was the phrase he heard almost every time he interviewed a survivor who was saved by the Christadelphians.

The book project came as a result of Hensley’s visit last year to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC for a national conference of educators. Hensley was so affected by what he learned that he created a Holocaust course in his school. The message from the conference that impressed him most deeply was the reminder that the Holocaust is not about statistics, but about individuals.

“Every person has a story,” Hensley told Breaking Israel News. He sought out the Kindertransport survivors for interviews, eventually connecting with 35, and was amazed at what he heard.

Hensley’s book tells the unknown story of the Christadelphian families who took in Jewish children and cared for them as their own while allowing them to maintain their faith. Hensley interviewed ten of the survivors saved by the Christadelphians.

One of those survivors was Ursula Meyer, nee Eichmann, who left her family at the age of 14 in Westfalia, Germany in August 1939, one month before war broke out. Her parents watched the Kindertransport train leave. It was the last time they would ever see her. She was received by the Sawyer family, Christadelphians who lived in Birmingham, England.

Usula Meyer (Photo: Part of the Family/YouTube screenshot)

Ursula told a moving tale of her relationship with the Sawyers. At the height of the Blitz, Birmingham was heavily targeted by German bombers. Windows had to be covered so no light could show. A passing warden saw the reflection of car headlights on the Sawyer’s windows and thought someone inside was signalling the Nazi bombers, directing them to their target. He broke down the front door, saw a German teenage girl, and assumed she was a spy endangering the entire city. He drew his pistol and pointed it at Ursula. Her adoptive father Norman Sawyer stepped in front of her, saying, “You shoot me first.”

At the end of the war, Ursula, like almost all of the Kindertransport children, was left without parents. Out of 35 people interviewed, only two ever saw their birth parents after the war.

“Kindertransport was meant to be a temporary measure. The families had volunteered to take the children in until the danger passed,” Hensley explained to Breaking Israel News. “After the war, when the children realized they had no family, they had to go to the family and ask, ‘Can I call you mom and dad?’” In every case, the families agreed.

In a number of cases the children of the survivors thanked Hensley. “They wanted their parents to talk about it but they didn’t. It was too painful. One of the survivors was going through the pictures from the war and her grown daughter said that she had never seen the pictures before.”

One of the most remarkable aspects of the story was the fact that though the children were placed with devout Christadelphians, almost all of the survivors retained their Jewish identities – with the help of their Christian families.

Ursula Meyer cherishes the photos she has of her family members who perished in the Holocaust. (Photo: Part of the Family/YouTube screenshot)

“Almost unanimously they said there was no religious pressure,” said Hensley. “Often the families helped them keep a connection with Judaism, and in most cases the kids went back to Judaism after the war.”

While the story of the Kindertransport is not a new one, Hensley’s book uncovers a previously unknown, Biblically-motivated aspect of that story: a community of Christians whose firm belief in the Hebrew Bible was the direct catalyst for the saving of hundreds of Jewish lives. By welcoming these Jewish children as a “branch” on their Biblical family tree, the Christadelphians represented the roots of today’s growing movement towards mutual respect and a sense of brotherhood between the two faiths.

THE NEW TESTAMENT WARNS AGAINST REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY By Shira Sorko-Ram - MAOZ ISRAEL REPORT

The Islamization of Bethlehem can be seen by one of the many mosques now found in the city.
Muslims feel compelled to build wherever ancient Jewish and Christian sites are found throughout ancient Israel.

THE NEW TESTAMENT WARNS AGAINST
REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY

By Shira Sorko-Ram  MAOZ ISRAEL REPORT  June 2016

Replacement Theology teaches that God’s covenant with the Jews ended with Christianity. The Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan; the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, and God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel. Instead, the Christian Church is God’s chosen people. And in the New Testament, after Pentecost, the term, "Israel" refers only to the Church.

Covenants given to Israel, and the plans, purposes and promises of God to Israel are now fulfilled exclusively in the Christian Church. It follows that many of the promises that God made to Israel must be spiritualized. When it speaks of Israel being restored to the land, this really means that the Christian Church will be blessed.

The fruits of Replacement Theology (also known as supersessionism - from the word “supersede”) have been the foundation of almost two millennia of Jew-hatred known as anti-Semitism. Its doctrine has enabled fallen man’s evil instincts to enjoy unlimited acts of horror, terror and extreme violence towards the Jewish people.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of episodes rooted in historical Jew-hatred have manifested themselves under the guise of this doctrine - for example, the infamous Spanish inquisition when 200,000 Jews were expelled from Spain by the Catholic Church. Ten’s of thousands were slaughtered, purposely drowned in the sea, or their bodies ripped open after rumors spread that Jews who were fleeing had swallowed their gold and silver items.

Even today, the “blood libel” fiction claims that Jews kill children to drink their blood on Passover. Internet bloggers this Passover accused Jews of killing Palestinian children to mix their blood with their matza.

Replacement Theology played a prominent role in Hitler’s plans to extinguish the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; he comfortably appropriated the Church’s anti-Semitism down through the ages, which rose to new heights through Martin Luther’s demonization of the Jewish people.

IT STARTED 1900 YEARS AGO

The truth is that Replacement Theology was already spreading its tentacles even during the Apostle Paul’s lifetime. Paul strongly refuted this doctrine in Romans chapter 11. Arrogance and false teaching against the Jews was taking root among the new Gentile Christians and Paul warned them against this evil.

Paul made it clear that God has not deserted the Jews, and it was incumbent upon the Gentiles (i.e. the nations) not to boast nor be puffed up against the Jewish people even though most had not accepted Yeshua as their Messiah:

I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not… God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. (Romans 11:1-2)

And if some of the [Jewish] branches were broken off, and you [Gentiles], being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. (vs 17-18)

THROUGH ISRAEL’S FAILURE CAME SALVATION

Secondly, Paul explains that through the failure of the Jewish people, the Gentiles have received salvation through the Sacrificial Lamb of God who died at the hands of the Roman government at the demands of the Pharisaical religious leaders.

An amazing parallel in the Old Testament is seen in the life of Joseph. His brothers hated him, thought to kill him, and then gave him to the Gentiles to be rid of him.

Through that terrible offense, Joseph became the second ruler of the Gentiles (Egyptians) and also saved his own family who, when they recognized Joseph, humbly and in sorrow acknowledged their sin.

Furthermore, Paul revealed that the day is coming when the Jewish people will return to their God, and through the revelation of their Messiah, they will continue to bless the world.

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! … Now if their transgression is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fulfillment will be! For if their rejection is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (vs. 11-12,15)

Paul actually warns that a contemptuous attitude towards the Jewish people risks themselves being cut off.

Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. (vs. 20-21)

A PROMISE ONLY GOD COULD MAKE

Then comes Paul’s reinforcement of the promise in the Old Testament that the Jewish people will one day be redeemed. The promise is found in a Psalm that all Israel sang on their way up to Zion for the annual holy feast days.

O Israel, hope in the Lord:
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities. (Psalm 130:7-8)

Paul confirmed this promise in Scripture that gives every Messianic Jew in Israel and abroad hope:

And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be uninformed of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

The Deliver [Messiah] will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins. (vs. 23-27)

Paul again recognizes the fact that most of our Jewish people are not yet in a personal relationship with the God of Israel through the Messiah, Yeshua, but insists that God has still elected or chosen the Jewish people because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:

Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (vs. 28-29)

SO THE HISTORICAL CHURCH HAS BEEN SPOTLESS?

In my mind, the most ridiculous aspect of the Replacement dogma is the absolute blindness of any person who thinks he or she is without sin, not to mention the believing corporate Church over the last 1900 years. Has it acted righteously and without sin? There is no more pharisaical attitude than this.

Think about this concept - that the Church has replaced Israel because of Israel’s sin and rejection of God. The history of the Church is so incredibly full of sin, violence, and evil, that a person has to be in deep dark blindness to be unaware of the Church’s own historical wretchedness. Sexual abuse by Catholic Church leaders, perfidy of Protestant wars, hatred, greed, and so much more. How much clearer could the Bible be than to let the world know that all - Jews and Gentiles - have sinned and come short of the glory of God!

Of course, there are godly people in the Church, past and present. But if God has forever forsaken His chosen people because of their sins, how could He not forever forsake the Church for all its sins as well?

God has not forsaken Israel. Some 6,400,000 Jews now live in their ancient homeland. And, among our Jewish people, the number of Messianic Jews is growing exponentially!

In parallel, there are countries like China and in South America where the same phenomenal growth with Christian conversions is taking place. Because of God’s mercy, all of us are looking forward to a last-day world awakening both among Jews and the nations!

For as you [Gentiles] were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [the Jews] disobedience, even so these [Jews] also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you [Gentiles] they [the Jewish people] also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all [Jews and Gentiles] to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all [Jews and Gentiles]. (vs. 30-32)

The dogma of Replacement Theology has probably brought more sin and evil to the world than any other Christian doctrine.

THE NEWEST BRAND: FULFILLMENT THEOLOGY

And yet, in these last days its heresy has expanded into a newer version of anti- Semitism.

Called Fulfillment Theology, now it’s not the Church that replaces Israel but Yeshua Himself!!! The argument goes like this: Since Yeshua fulfilled in His life all the redemptive work, his promises to the Jews including the Promised Land is null and void.

What a travesty and hodgepodge of God’s word! Yeshua didn’t come to replace Israel. Yeshua came to redeem Israel and all who are grafted into “Israel’s Olive Tree.”

Have all things been fulfilled? Obviously not. Yeshua has not yet returned for His bride as the Bible promises. Peter explained what was yet to happen on earth before the Second Coming of the Messiah when he spoke to the Jewish people who had gathered around him after a lame man was healed by the power of Yeshua’s Name. He told them:

Repent therefore and return that your sins may be wiped away… that He may send Yeshua, the Messiah appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. (Acts 3:19-21)

PALESTINIAN LIBERATION THEOLOGY

Yet, can you believe? Now Palestinians’ Liberation Theology careens even farther from the core truths of the Bible, if that were possible.

This theology denies the words of Yeshua when He said, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)

It denies the words of Yeshua who said, “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles [i.e. the nations] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 24:21

It denies the promise Yeshua made to the unbelieving Jewish leaders when he said,

“For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:39)

It denies the greatest promise to Israel: “All Israel shall be saved.” (Romans 11:26)

There isn’t a single mention of Philistines, Palestinians or Palestine in the New Testament. 

But Israel is mentioned 78 times. Judea 46 times. Samaria 12 times. Galilee 64 times. Jews and Jewish 173 times. Yeshua’s Jewish genealogy is listed twice, as a son of AbraAbraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name God changed to Israel.

Palestinian Liberation Theology has been born out of hatred and jealousy of the Jewish people, reinforced and buttressed by Islamic theology.

This Palestinian Christian Theology meshes perfectly with Islamic theology concerning the extinction of the Jewish people and the dispossession of their promised land.

Now a growing list of influential ministers and ministries in America and Europe has embraced the lie - names well known to you if I listed them. And they are pulling many Evangelicals into their theological web. They are doing great harm in their attempt to destroy the State of Israel. But in the end, according to the Scriptures, the damage will be much greater to themselves.

GOD’S ARAB PEOPLE

I must always add that God loves the Arab people. He sent His Son to die for the sins of all the Arab people in the world. Satan has stolen God’s gift of salvation and replaced it with a religion that stands for murder, hatred and forced conversion.

How utterly tragic to be born into this theological prison, with no possibility to have a personal relation with the God of Israel through Yeshua, King of the Jews. Yet we keep hearing of incidents around the world where Yeshua is appearing to Muslim individuals in dreams and visions, resulting in their turning to the One True God. We must earnestly pray for and love Muslims, and do all we can to bring them the truth.

How would you like to be born a Syrian, a Libyan, a woman in Afghanistan, a boy soldier snatched by Boko Haram? How about being one of the millions of sex-slaves under the charge of Mohammed’s followers?

Disaster will certainly happen to the Palestinian Christians if a Palestinian State is created. According to all polls, Hamas will win the elections in the West Bank if elections are allowed. Ask the born-again Christians in Gaza about their freedom to follow their Lord there. They won’t be able to tell you much - for fear of their lives.

Ex-Witch: How Tattoos Relate to Occultic Blood Rituals - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Ex-Witch: How Tattoos Relate to Occultic Blood Rituals

 6/2/2016 JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma news

Join us on the new C-Pop podcast where Taylor and Jessilyn discuss, debate and sometimes deride pop culture with a strong sense of humor and a focus on Christ. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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As old-school theologians and hipster believers debate the biblical commands not to tattoo the body, a deeper truth lurks.  

Ex-witch Beth, who herself has a handful of tattoos, says one cannot ignore the similarities to occult blood rituals.  

"A blood ritual is a satanic ritual that is done as a covenant or pact. There are at least two people involved in this type of ritual. The person who is shedding their own blood, and the person who is invoking a demon and its power," Beth writes on her blog, The Other Side of Darkness. 

"The person who is shedding their blood is the recipient in this transaction. They are giving their blood (life) in order to receive some sort of benefit, such as life, prosperity, fame, fortune or power. The cuts are now an open doorway for the entrance of evil spirits (demons) (that) you have granted permission. By agreeing to and participating in the shedding of your blood, you have (given) the devil a right to you. Often people who participate in a blood ritual also give over rights to future generations," she continues.  

Beth recognizes a tattooed body is not necessarily one and the same as blood rituals. Even Christians who passionately serve Jesus have tattoos to mark their faith.  

But one cannot ignore the parallels between tattoos and blood rituals.  

"However, you are piercing your skin with a needle between 50 to 3,00 times a minute. You are also shedding your blood, and you are making a choice to pierce your skin and shed your blood," Beth writes.  

"You also have to consider the person who is doing the tattoo. Where are they at religiously or spiritually? If they are another religion or hold spiritual beliefs of the New Age or occult, what does the tattoo mean to them? The one who holds the tattoo gun is the one who is shedding your blood. That is a very powerful position over you. If they are praying over you to their god or goddess, how does that affect you while you are openly submitting to them shedding your blood? Does it really matter if your tattoo is of a cross or a Bible verse in this case?" 

Watch the video to see more of her explanations. 

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