Tuesday, August 15, 2017

'Keep Your Eyes on Jesus,' Not the Eclipse - CBN News Julie Stahl

Created by Don Davis with NASA HEC support © Rice University 2017

'Keep Your Eyes on Jesus,' Not the Eclipse

08-15-2017

JERUSALEM, Israel – God can speak to us through signs in the heavens, but the primary way God speaks to Christians is through His Son, said Stephen Bridge, the director of Jerusalem's Garden Tomb.

Some 300,000 Christians from around the world are expected to visit the Garden Tomb this year. Many believe that it's the garden and sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea, and therefore a possible site of the resurrection of Jesus.

In light of the upcoming solar eclipse, which will be visible across parts of the United States on August 21, CBN News asked Bridge if he thinks God is still speaking to us by signs in the heavens.

"I think that some of that depends on our own personality – and I'm not downplaying that – but the biggest way God speaks is through His Son," Bridge said.

"So the writer to the Hebrews draws that out. In former times God spoke in many and various ways through the prophets, but in the last days He's spoken through His Son and so for us that Jesus is the revelation, Jesus is the Word made flesh, Jesus is the ultimate sign and His death and resurrection, the ultimate sign of that," Bridge said.

The Bible tells us there were three hours of darkness when Jesus was hanging on the cross and the moment he gave up his spirit "the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks split."

"The four Gospel writers each pick out different facts that are not in any way contradictory but they are highlighting different facts in order to make strongly the points they particularly are trying to make," Bridge explained.

Matthew is the only Gospel that mentions the darkness. But the central theme of all is that "that the word became flesh and the flesh, the Word of God, died on a cross just outside the city walls of Jerusalem and that in so doing God carried in His own body of the Messiah the sins of the world and through Him reconciled all things to Himself," he said.

Could that darkness have been an eclipse and what did it mean?

According to NASA, a solar eclipse, when the sun is darkened, only lasts a few minutes. Based on that information, it couldn't have been an eclipse.

"We have no explanation of what it was or even what it meant, but it certainly would have invoked in the people who were there a profound sense of something monumental, which indeed it was," Bridge said.

So how should believers relate to the upcoming astronomical events?

"Keep our eyes on Jesus," Bridge he said, pointing out that so far everyone who predicted a date for the return of Jesus or the start of the tribulation has been wrong.
"So I think we just need to be cautious, fix our eyes on Jesus, hold firmly to scripture and keep proclaiming the mystery and the profound victory of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah."

Archaeologists Unearth Roman Era Stone Water Pots near Biblical Cana - CBN News Tzippe Barrow,Julie Stahl

Archaeologists Unearth Roman Era Stone Water Pots near Biblical Cana

08-15-2017 CBN News Tzippe Barrow, Julie Stahl

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli archaeologists are excavating a 2,000-year-old stone quarry and production center for stone vessels not far from the ancient city of Cana where Jesus performed his first recorded miracle, turning water into wine.

Archaeologists uncovered the small cave during construction work for a municipal sports center by Reina's local council. They are excavating two sites at Reina, about a kilometer (half mile) apart, just south of the modern village of Kafr Kanna in the lower Galilee. Scholars believe Kafr Kanna may be the site of biblical Cana.

"On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine...Now there were six stone water jars set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty to thirty gallons each." (John 2:1-3, 6)

The excavations at Reina are the third and fourth such workshops uncovered to date in Israel. The other two were discovered decades ago near Jerusalem.

Excavation director Dr. Yonatan Adler, who is a senior lecturer at Ariel University, said the discovery attests to the importance of ritual purity in the lives of Galilean Jews during Jesus time.

"The reason for this curious choice of material seems to have been religious. According to ancient Jewish ritual law, vessels made of pottery are easily made impure and must be broken. Stone, on the other hand, was thought to be a material that can never become ritually impure, and as a result ancient Jews began to produce some of their everyday tableware from stone," he said.

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Yardenna Alexandre, an expert in the Roman Era Galilee, says fragments of Roman era stone vessels have been found alongside pottery fragments in both rural and urban Jewish settings over the years.

"The fact that Jews at this time used stone vessels for religious reasons is well attested in the Talmudic sources and in the New Testament as well," Alexandre said. "It is possible that large stone containers of the type mentioned in the wedding at Cana of Galilee story may have been produced locally in [the] Galilee."

Ancient chisel marks covering the walls, ceiling and floor of the cave indicate it was a hewn cave.

Adler explained that the production waste unearthed in the cave indicate workers produced mainly mugs with handles and various sizes of bowls.

"The finished products were marketed throughout the region here in Galilee, and our finds provide striking evidence that Jews here were scrupulous regarding the purity laws," he said.

Photos and Video, Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority, Samuel Magal

Ben Shapiro, Lila Rose and the Rising Tide of Young Conservatives - MICHAEL BROWN CHARISMA NEWS

Ben Shapiro, Lila Rose and the Rising Tide of Young Conservatives

8/15/2017 MICHAEL BROWN CHARISMA NEWS

If there's anything that opinion polls teach us, it's that the younger generation is much more liberal than the older generation, especially when it comes to LGBT issues. This younger generation, we are told, has grown up without many of the biases and bigotries of the older generation, and they are not as constrained by religious dogmas.

That's why they are more embracing of same-sex "marriage" and transgender identity, and that's why their children will be even more embracing than they are. Accordingly, the narrative goes, once the older generation dies out, resistance to LGBT activism will be virtually gone.

This certainly does sound like a reasonable argument, and it carries a certain air of inevitability. But is it inevitable? Are there are any signs suggesting that things may not be so cut and dry?

On the one hand, the polls certainly confirm this narrative, and it could well be that our society has made an irreversible turn.

On the other hand, there are several factors that make me wonder if the future is as fixed as it appears.

First, many young people become more conservative as they get older. As the old (exaggerated) saying goes, if you're not a liberal when you're young, you don't have a heart. If you're not a conservative when you're old, you don't have a brain.

Second, the left in general, along with the LGBT activism in particular, has a habit of overplaying its hand, thereby creating resistance to its agenda. How many James Damores are there in the Googles of this world, ready to push back against the diversity thought police? How many young people are becoming uncomfortable with the intolerance of the tolerant, finding "progressivism" to be quite repressive?

Third, liberalism really doesn't work. What happens when the promises of socialism fail to deliver? What kind of backlash will that produce? What happens when the ever-evolving family structure starts to collapse? What will the failure of the radical left agenda leave in its wake?

Fourth, there is a rising tide of young conservative voices, implying that there is a growing number of young conservatives. Not everyone is drinking the Kool-Aid, and perhaps some on the left are being persuaded by the arguments on the right.

The National Review recently noted that Ben Shapiro's podcast had moved up second place on iTunes, behind only Oprah Winfrey, which is quite an amazing accomplishment. And is there any ambiguity on where Shapiro, himself just 33 years old, stands on today's moral and cultural issues?

Shapiro's podcast is ahead of TED talks, ahead of Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History, ahead of the Joe Rogan Experience. Not only so, but when Shapiro recently appeared on Rogan's show, their YouTube video immediately went viral. And note that their conversation included a lengthy exposé of transgender talking points, which also went viral when it was posted by itself. As of this writing, that segment on YouTube showed 13,704 Thumbs Up to 1,182 Thumbs Down.

And who makes up the majority of Shapiro's audience? When I emailed him that question a few days ago, he wrote back, "The majority of our audience is under age 35."

What do you know!

And what about people like Lila Rose, leader of Live Action, and one of a growing army of young, pro-life activists?

Rose is just 29 herself, but she has been an unstoppable force of godly opposition to the Goliath called Planned Parenthood. The momentum of her movement is increasing, not decreasing. In fact, many young pro-lifers believe that their generation is more opposed to abortion than their parents' generation.

If the tide could shift here, why not in other cultural areas as well? At the least, the alleged inevitable, national embrace of abortion that we were told to expect years ago has not materialized.

Roe v. Wade settled nothing. Instead, it became the rallying point of the pro-life movement, which is still pushing back more than four decades later. Could the same thing happen one day with Obergefell vs. Hodges?

Other young voices, like the popular blogger Matt Walsh, or the radio sensation Steven Crowder, or groups like Campus Reform, all point in the same direction: Lots of young people are not going along with today's PC narrative, and that means that the future is not as fixed as our friends on the left would suggest.

And let's not forget the voice of young conservative scholars like 35-year-old Ryan T. Anderson, refuting leftist arguments with academic acumen and grace.

I'm 62 years old, clearly part of the older, supposedly more bigoted generation. But my single largest audience on social media is in the 25-34 year-old bracket. In fact, on our page Facebook, we have slightly more followers aged 18-24 than aged 55-64. Not surprisingly, wherever I go to speak, young people, many in their teens, thank me for taking a stand and being their voice.

Let's also not forget about conservative schools like Liberty University, currently with a student body of 110,000, roughly 15,000 on campus and 95,000 online. A professor there told me that Liberty is now producing half of all military chaplains. What does this say about the future?

And as secular universities lurch farther and farther to the left, how many parents and teens will seek out other schools of higher learning?

There's also a spiritual factor that greatly encourages me, as the large majority of Christians devoted to day and night prayer for America are young people. Surely this is another good sign. Perhaps God has something to say about our future as well

Again, I know how the polls look, and I know how dramatically our nation has shifted, especially in terms of the consistent, far-left message put out so much of the media.

But the rising tide of young conservative voices cannot be denied, and I assure you that they will not be silenced.

Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Saving a Sick America: A Prescription for Moral and Cultural Transformation. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

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Douglas Murray demonstrates exactly how to deal with Muslim apologists - Israel Video Network

Aug. 15, 2017

Douglas obliterates panelist attempting to make muslims out as the the victims.

Douglas Murray belongs to a growing number of analysts who recognize that radical Islam is a major problem of this generation. Why, he asks, are Britons ignoring obvious Muslim sympathies for Sharia values - values that are blatantly contradictory to the British way of life?

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In the Wake of Racist Attacks, Christians Like Greg Laurie Turn to Hope - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

White nationalists are met by a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. ( REUTERS/Joshua Roberts TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

In the Wake of Racist Attacks, Christians Like Greg Laurie Turn to Hope

8/14/2017 JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

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

After white supremacists stormed Charlottesville, Virginia, Christians like Greg Laurie refuse to let evil win.

Later this month, the pastor and founder of Harvest America will share hopeful messages with more than 100,000 as part of SoCal Harvest 2017.

"In a weekend marked by a form of violence and hatred seemingly more reminiscent of 1967 than 2017, I am reminded of the words from Scripture: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus' [see Gal. 3:28]. As a Christian and as an American, I am heartbroken by what took place in Charlottesville," Laurie says.

"What's most important is what we do now, in the aftermath of Charlottesville. We must be united against racism in all its forms especially against anti-Semitism, white-supremacy and all associated ideologies. Above all, we must pray that faith, hope and love will win the day in our country. Let those of us in the church lead the way in condemning such vile and evil thinking and lift up a better way, one free of fear, bigotry and hate. Let us lift up the good news of Christ who taught us that it is by our love that they will know us. May God grant us the strength to be a church marked by His love for all people, in all corners of our country and the world, in all situations and at all times," Laurie says.

Laurie isn't the only believer deeply shaken by the weekend's events. Nor is he the only one who knows where to turn in times of distress.

Winfred Neely, a professor of hermeneutics and homiletics at Moody Bible, Institute says:

A Unite the Right protest this past weekend, conceived in hatred, fear, and the heretical doctrine of racial superiority, gave birth to twins: violence and death. One of the protesters, James Alex Fields, a 20-year-old Nazi sympathizer, plowed his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring others. The image of his car plowing into a crowd of counter protesters is eerily reminiscent of recent terrorist attacks in Nice and London. As followers of Christ, we must stand against white supremacy or any other kind of racial or ethnic supremacy. At the same time, we should follow the example of the psalmist and lament the Charlottesville situation. "O Lord, how long?" (Ps. 6:3).

God is omnipresent; He is everywhere at the same time in the fullness of His being. God was not absent in Charlottesville; He was present. He observed the violence, the hatred and the death this past weekend. Moreover, Jesus, His Son, understands the pain and ugly face of hatred the scarred the residents of the quaint university town of Charlottesville, having experienced himself the hatred of people (John 15:18), and the violent death of the cross (Rev. 5:9), bearing in His own glorified body the scars of Calvary (Rev. 5:6).

In the attempt to help people who have lost loved one in Charlottesville's turmoil, theological about where was God may not be what people need at this point. The best comfort we may offer to the grieving is the ministry of presence, the ministry of tears and the ministry of silence (Job 2:11-13). Job's friends were at their best when they were silent; when they started talking things went downhill for 28 chapters (3-31)

One of the most important ways the church can shine in our hate-filled world is to learn from past church failures in the area of race and ethnic relations. It is imperative today that the church be a prophetic voice instead of an echo of the racially divided culture. We must demonstrate in an observable manner the oneness of the body of Christ (John 17:11, 20-21). As we embrace our common mission and purpose, we will be able transcend our ethnic, cultural, and class differences, lament past failure, learn from present hurt, and construct a better and more biblically shaped future.

Support and encourage the vigorous planting and nurturing of multi-ethnic congregations. I pastor a multi-ethnic congregation in Chicagoland; we strive to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). The fact that we worship and serve the Lord together with mutual understanding and respect has apologetic force, giving us some credibility in our immediate ministry context.

We must dismantle all forms of racial superiority in our evangelical and Christian institutions. The doctrine of white supremacy has been the scourge our nation and the church. We must dismantle it and make sure that we do not substitute it with another form of racial or ethnic superiority. Unless we do this, we will not have credibility in the world. Of course, we must dismantle the doctrine of racial superiority in the larger society as well, but the church must be an example in this regard. God loves the entire human family and our attitudes should reflect the scope of God's love (John 3:16).

Sam Rohrer of the American Pastors Network says:

The deplorable circumstances in Charlottesville should indeed get the attention of all Americans. Yet, in the midst of this event, for which both sides share blame, these questions must not be overlooked: What has happened in America to produce such increasing hostilities and anger among our people? And can unity be achieved just by our leaders demanding it?

In reality, we didn't get to this place by accident nor overnight. The rejection of moral truth, healing and [the] transformative power of redemption and forgiveness available only through Jesus Christ is where it started. The coarsening of society is assured where life in the womb is cavalierly discarded, where God's plan for the family and human sexuality is jettisoned, where a "selfless others focus' is replaced with a 'selfish-only focus" and where duty is replaced with "right." Such it is today.

Is unity again achievable? The answer is yes. But, for some, even this statement may be dividing—yet it is nonetheless the truth. Unity is not the goal but a byproduct. Unity never demands full agreement in all things by all people. Yet what unity does demand is an agreement on a common body of truth. In the United States, that common body of truth was found in the Judeo-Christian scriptures, where there is God who created life and then 'endowed certain unalienable rights' to the people, who 'under God' agree with God that He is perfect; that mankind is sinful and not naturally good.

But that redemption and healing through faith in Jesus Christ alone can transform the mind and the heart, and heal families, communities and the nation. No one race, no one color, no one nationality has a claim to this truth. Yet, true equality, true justice and true unity can, in fact, result when people from all walks of life agree with God on these truths.

Any nation or people who believes these things can experience peace, security and unity. Our nation once did—not ever perfect, of course—but overwhelmingly embraced this view, and God blessed it as no nation ever before it. We will now, in this time of increasing need, either look to God and agree with Him and do what He says and regain the freedom we so love, or we will look to ourselves, to government or to some man or woman and descend into the abyss of slavery and totalitarianism. There is no other choice.

Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association says:

For Christians, there can never be any compromise with hate, and there is perhaps no more vile expression of satanic violence than Nazi ideology and the Nazi swastika.

Our nation is polarized to a degree not seen since the late 1960s, and our prayer is for the public discourse to remain vigorous yet peaceful. We must respect each other's right to hold divergent views, while not giving into the temptation to turn our differences into an excuse for vengeful violence.

Nevertheless, while Americans enjoy great freedoms to express virtually any idea in the public square, it is important that we simultaneously maintain the right to clearly and forcefully denounce abhorrent ideas—such as white supremacy, racism or hatred of the Jewish people.

AFA calls on members of the body of Christ, especially, to pray for healing in America, and we humbly ask God to forgive our many sins and pour out His spirit on our land once more.

Jessilyn Justice is the director of online news for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor's family in Alabama, she attended Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She's passionate about sharing God's goodness through storytelling. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.

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Contents List

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

'Keep Your Eyes on Jesus,' Not the Eclipse - CBN News Julie Stahl

Does the Eclipse Herald 'Signs in the Heavens?'

The Rare Eclipse You Don’t Want to Miss: It’s ‘a Blessed Time in the History of Our Solar System’

Today's Headlines Signal Convergence with 'End of Days' Scenario, Rabbi Says