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.
"...Continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house... praising God and having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47)
Persecution can serve to stoke the fire of God's people and spread the gospel, but there are also times when believers enjoy respect and favor in society, as they did for a time in the early church. This can also help the message of Jesus to be heard and bring more people into the Kingdom of God. Believing in Jesus has often been considered foolish and socially unacceptable, but here is a story where the opposite is true!
Dr. Erez Soref, President
of ONE FOR ISRAEL
MESSIANIC JEWS AND RESPECTABLE SOCIETY
Click on the picture below to watch Dr James Tour's amazing testimony as one of the top 50 most influential scientists in the world!
JEWISH APOLOGETICS
The majority of Jewish Israelis are pretty secular. Like many in Western developed nations, they often have issues with the Old Testament and struggle to see how it can apply today. The Bible can seem primitive, barbaric, and even cruel to the 21st century mind. It is vitally important that we are able to give good answers for the hope we have in Jesus and the confidence we place in the Bible. It is as true today as it ever was, but we need to give good explanations as to how to understand, appreciate and apply the Word of God to our lives today.
Some years ago, during a debate in an Israeli court, a man threw one of his shoes over the judge’s head. The severity of the punishment that he received surprised the whole nation.
“Three years in prison for the one throwing his shoe beyond Dorit Beinisch. ‘Such an incident must not occur ever again. Thus, to make an example (that they would see and fear) the severest possible punishment is applicable…’"
– Judge Feinberg about his decision.
Modern legislation took this principle, "that they may see and fear," from the Old Testament: “That they may see and know, may consider and understand …” (Isaiah 41:20)
Thus, the highest penalties in the Bible are strict so that those barbarians without culture would “see and fear.” Israel’s lifestyle was very much influenced by the cultures and nations around them. And therefore, the laws of the Bible were given in a historical, cultural and social context. God did not create a people for himself out of nothing, on a tabula rasa (blank slate). Rather, he took a group of people whose style of relationships, behavior, and ways of relating to each other were all influenced by foreign, perverse and barbaric cultures that as we will see later on were especially evil and cruel. Continue reading...
The Historical Jesus of the New Testament
Online Course
Recent scholarship has focused on both the Jewish background of the life of Jesus as well as ancient methods of documenting history.
In this course we will focus on the historical Jesus of the New Testament and on the historical and cultural context in which Jesus lived. Our discussion with Dr. Craig Evans will reveal that the four canonical Gospels are not only reliable sources, but are the best place to discover the historical Jesus.
There's no question the Singapore Summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un has been "historic," as Mr. Trump noted in his press conference. [Click here for full transcript.] Never before have the most senior leaders of the United States and North Korea ever met face to face, and they have certainly never before shaken hands or embraced each other so warmly.
The question concerns the actual motives and intentions of the regime in Pyongyang.
Is North Korea putting on a big show to buy time to build even more advanced and dangerous nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles?
Or is the Chairman truly serious about completely dismantling and abandoning his nuclear weapons program and long-rang ballistic missiles and determined to make a comprehensive and lasting peace with the U.S., South Korea and his Asian neighbors?
Simply put, the Summit has not answered these questions.
As I wrote in a March 9th Tweet: "Count me skeptical. The chances of North Korea truly giving up its nuclear weapons and ICBM development program are low. More likely, Pyongyang is playing for time to complete missiles that can reach the U.S. But President Trump is right to be willing to explore NK intentions."
For now, I stand by this view. I'm not a cynic. If the miracle we have long prayed for is coming to pass and Chairman Kim really proves to be serious, we should all rejoice and thank God and all who worked to make this day possible. But we need to be honest: we simply don't have enough evidence yet to say the danger has passed and peace has come.
The pictures and headlines out of Singapore are remarkable. The details contained in the agreement -- so far -- are less so.
The Japan Times said the agreement "vaguely worded" and "offered no specifics about how the two sides would reach these goals, while also leaving [the term] 'complete denuclearization' undefined."
The Wall Street Journalechoed this assessment. "[T]he document, which Mr. Trump described as 'very comprehensive,' provided almost no particulars on how to make the denuclearization process quick, verifiable or irreversible—often stated U.S. goals."
The Journaladded, "In many ways, the language echoed an agreement signed between North and South Korea in April. It didn’t codify Pyongyang’s unilateral moratorium on nuclear and missile tests, or contain any reference to sanctions relief. It made a general pledge to a security guarantee for North Korea but didn’t offer any specifics or make any mention of the status of U.S. military forces in South Korea."
That said, here are seven things you need to know:
President Trump has vowed that he and his team have studied and absorbed the lessons of previous failed diplomatic efforts with North Korea and are determined not to repeat past mistakes. Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama were not able to persuade Pyongyang to truly make peace. Let's give Mr. Trump sufficient time to prove his deal-making instincts and experience before writing the Summit off as a mere photo-op.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton -- the two advisors working most closely with the President during the Summit and months of negotiations -- are smart, experienced and honorable men. They are vilified by the media and the Left. But I know these men and I believe it's possible that they could actually succeed. At present, they are telling reporters that the Summit will set into motion an accelerated process of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Let's be patient and see if this does, in fact, come to pass at all, much less quickly.
The peace process is like a marathon. The race has finally begun. But the runners have only completed the fifth of 26.2 miles. It's been a remarkable five miles, but there is a long way to go.
Any final and comprehensive nuclear agreement that the Trump administration makes with North Korea should be submitted to the U.S. Senate for approval as a formal treaty. Many analysts (myself included) made this argument regarding the Iran nuclear deal (in that case, I argued that it should be submitted yet defeated in the Senate). The principle remains the same here. Any agreement that binds U.S. behavior and affects the national security of the American people must meet with approval by two-thirds of the Senators accountable to those people.
If there is one thing that has defined North Korea's diplomatic process in the past it is the consistent use of deception. In my recent political thriller, The Kremlin Conspiracy, the leaders of Russia and North Korea announce a big "denuclearization" agreement. However, it is a ruse -- a deceptive ploy designed to fool the world to lower their collective guard while laying the groundwork for a Russian-North Korean-Iranian nuclear alliance that is planning to attack the United States, Israel and the Western alliance. Could we be seeing this fictional premise play out in real life? (Indeed, I take the premise even further in my next novel, coming out next March.) Perhaps -- but let's hope not.
Some 25 million souls are enslaved by the North Korean regime -- with no freedom of speech, no freedom to assemble, no freedom of religion or freedom of the press or any other basic human rights. They don't have enough food. They don't have enough fuel. They don't have enough electricity. Whatever happens, let's pray faithfully and consistently for their freedom from tyranny and oppression.
Another 51 million souls live in South Korea. They live in a vibrant democracy, a thriving free market economy, and tens of millions have converted from Buddhism and other religions to faith in Jesus Christ over the past half century. Yet they are under the constant threat of attack from the North. The stakes, therefore, are very high. Let us, therefore, be faithful to pray for all the people of Korea -- that they would be reunified and that the people of the North will finally enter an era of peace, freedom, spiritual revival and economic growth and opportunity enjoyed by their brothers and sisters in the South.
Massive eruptions of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano and Guatemala's Fuego volcano have captivated the entire world in recent days, and now it looks like even more volcanoes are starting to wake up. In fact, yellow alerts were just issued for Mexico's Mt. Popocatepetl and Alaska's Great Sitkin volcano.
Mt. Popocatepetl and Great Sitkin both sit along the "Ring of Fire" that roughly encircles the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean, and many are becoming concerned that we may be witnessing some sort of "chain reaction" as volcanoes all over the globe begin to exhibit signs of increased activity. This even includes some unusual happenings at Yellowstone, and we will cover that near the end of this article. But to start with, let's take a look at the yellow alert that was just issued for Mt. Popocatepetl. The following comes from a government website in Mexico:
In the last 24 hours, through the monitoring systems at Popocatépetl volcano, were registered 30 exhalations with emissions of steam and gas (image 1). At night was possible to observed incandescence that increase with some exhalations.
At the time of this report the emission are dispersed to the south-southwest direction.
CENAPRED emphasizes that people SHOULD NOT go near the volcano, especially near the crater, due to the hazard caused by ballistic fragments (image 2) and in case of heavy rains leave the bottoms of ravines by the danger of landslides and debris flows.
1. Explosive activity of low to intermediate level.
2. Ash fall in nearby towns.
3. Possibility of short-range pyroclastic flows and mudflows.
Any signs of activity at Mt. Popocatepetl should always be taken very, very seriously.
It is known as the most dangerous volcano in North America for a reason. Experts tell us that centuries ago this volcano actually "covered entire Aztec cities" with super-heated mud...
Historians tell us that Popocatepetl had a dramatic impact on the ancient Aztecs. Giant mud flows produced by massive eruptions covered entire Aztec cities. In fact, some of these mud flows were so large that they buried entire pyramids in super-heated mud.
But we haven't witnessed anything like that in any of our lifetimes, so it is hard to even imagine devastation of that magnitude.
In addition to Mexico City's mammoth population, there are millions of others that live in the surrounding region. Overall, there are about 25 million people that live in the immediate vicinity of Popocatepetl. Thankfully, we haven't seen a major eruption of the volcano in modern times, but at some point, that will change.
In a worst-case scenario, Mt. Popocatepetl could absolutely devastate Mexico City, kill countless numbers of people and collapse the Mexican economy overnight.
So let us pray that we don't see a major eruption there any time soon.
Meanwhile, a yellow alert has also been issued for Alaska's Great Sitkin volcano. The following comes from the Alaska Volcano Observatory...
AVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice
Volcano: Great Sitkin (VNUM #311120)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY Previous Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW Previous Aviation Color Code: GREEN
Issued: Sunday, June 10, 2018, 1:26 PM AKDT Source: Alaska Volcano Observatory Notice Number: Location: N 52 deg 4 min W 176 deg 6 min Elevation: 5709 ft (1740 m) Area: Aleutians
Volcanic Activity Summary: Earthquake activity at Great Sitkin Volcano has been elevated over the past five days, and earlier today at 11:39 AKDT (19:39 UTC), a signal that may represent a short-lived steam explosion was detected by seismic data. AVO is thus raising the Aviation Color Code and Alert Level to YELLOW/ADVISORY.
Great Sitkin Volcano is monitored by a five-station seismic network on Great Sitkin Island and with additional seismic stations on the nearby islands of Igitkin, Adak, Kagalask and Kanaga. A six-element infrasound array to detect explosions (atmospheric pressure waves) was installed on Adak Island in June, 2017, although it is currently (June 2018) only partly operational. AVO also uses satellite imagery to monitor Great Sitkin Volcano.
Remarks: Great Sitkin Volcano is a basaltic andesite volcano that occupies most of the northern half of Great Sitkin Island, a member of the Andreanof Islands group in the central Aleutian Islands. It is located 43 km (26 miles) east of the community of Adak. Great Sitkin erupted at least three times in the 20th century, most recently in 1974. That eruption produced at least one ash cloud that likely exceeded an altitude of 25,000 ft above sea level. A poorly documented eruption occurred in 1945, also producing a lava dome that was partially destroyed in the 1974 eruption. A seismic swarm occurred from July 2016 through the end of 2017.
Unlike Mt. Popocatepetl, Great Sitkin is located very far away from any large population centers, and so even a full-blown eruption of that volcano would not be that catastrophic.
Of course, the same cannot be said about Yellowstone. As I have written about many times, a full-blown eruption at Yellowstone could potentially change all of our lives in a single moment. That is why the unusual activity that is happening there right now is such a concern...
Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser, the largest in the world, has now erupted eight times in less than three months, in a geological puzzle that has fascinated scientists working at the site.
The most recent Steamboat eruption occurred Monday just after 9 a.m. "It was unbelievable," Jamie Farrell, a geologist at the University of Utah who happened to be at the geyser during the eruption, told Newsweek. He's seen plenty of other geysers go off—but not Steamboat, which is capable of the largest eruptions of all currently active geysers.
Eruptions of Steamboat do not happen that often. As Mac Slavo has noted, the last one was in September 2014...
Until this recent series of eruptions, the last time Steamboat blew was in September 2014. Steamboat's latest eruption was Monday morning when the geyser shot boiling hot water hundreds of feet into the air. Steam billowed from the geyser for hours longer. Steamboat is located in the Norris Geyser Basin, known to have the hottest and most changeable thermal area in nearly 3,500-square-mile wilderness park that sits on a volcanic hot spot called a caldera. That accounts for the geyser's towering columns of steam (it's very, very hot underground) but leaves a major fear-provoking question unanswered: Why now, and is it a sign the giant volcano is waking up?
We better hope that Yellowstone is not awakening. In a previous article, I described what a full-blown eruption of Yellowstone might look like...
Hundreds of cubic miles of ash, rock and lava would be blasted into the atmosphere, and this would likely plunge much of the northern hemisphere into several days of complete darkness. Virtually everything within 100 miles of Yellowstone would be immediately killed, but a much more cruel fate would befall those that live in major cities outside of the immediate blast zone such as Salt Lake City and Denver.
Hot volcanic ash, rock and dust would rain down on those cities literally for weeks. In the end, it would be extremely difficult for anyone living in those communities to survive. In fact, it has been estimated that 90 percent of all people living within 600 miles of Yellowstone would be killed.
Experts project that such an eruption would dump a layer of volcanic ash that is at least 10 feet deep up to 1,000 miles away, and approximately two-thirds of the United States would suddenly become uninhabitable. The volcanic ash would severely contaminate most of our water supplies, and growing food in the middle of the country would become next to impossible.
In other words, it would be the end of our country as we know it today.
Throughout human history, great societies have been taken down by natural disasters, and despite all of our advanced technology we are extremely vulnerable as well.
So the fact that our planet is becoming increasingly unstable is a major concern, and I believe that this is going to have major implications for our future.
Michael Snyderis a Republican candidate for Congress in Idaho's First Congressional District, and you can learn how you can get involved in the campaign on his official website. His new book entitled "Living A Life That Really Matters" is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.
