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.
Pastor Jim and Lori talk about the upcoming election and the importance of our vote, with special guests Pastor Jim and Rosemary Garlow.
Quotes
It is not a right to vote, it is a responsibility under God to vote. What a difference. – Pastor Jim Garlow
Hillary’s knowns, and they are known, are considerably worse than Trump’s unknowns. – Pastor Jim Garlow
It’s not a case of right verses left, it’s really right verses wrong. That’s what we’re talking about in our culture today. – Pastor Jim Garlow
Scriptures
James 2:20 KJV But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Romans 13:4 NIV For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Romans 13:1 MEV Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are appointed by God.
II Thessalonians 3:10 NIV For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
James 1:27 MEV Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Exodus 20:15 KJV Thou shalt not steal.
Exodus 20:13 KJV Thou shalt not kill.
Genesis 1:27 KJV So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 2:18 NIV The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Matthew 19:4 KJV And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Pastor Jim and Lori talk about the upcoming election and the importance of our vote, with special guests Pastor Jim and Rosemary Garlow.
Quotes
You have the power to elect Godly people, and people that will stand up for the Biblical things. – Pastor Jim
The source of truth is the Word of God, the Bible. It should be coming from the pulpits to educate not only members of Congress who may be sitting in the pew, but the people who select them. – Pastor Jim Garlow
Justice is no longer blind. The blindfold is off Lady Liberty. – Pastor Garlow
Scriptures
Romans 13:6 MEV For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are God’s servants, devoting themselves to this very thing.
Luke 21:34 KJV And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Exodus 20:15 MEV You shall not steal.
Headlines
If You’re On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake – Charisma News
In early August, someone on Facebook asked Jim Garlow "the question" on how to vote. The person didn't like either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. When the San Diego pastor's Facebook reply was widely shared, Garlow decided to send it to a handful of friends, including me.
When my wife, Joy, saw it, she said it was a message we had to get out, so I asked Garlow to write something for our charismacaucus.com website. It was expected to pass a million shares today, thanks to many of you who sent it out on social media and via email to your friends.
That's because we knew many Christians wouldn't vote for Hillary's left wing pro-abortion and pro-gay agenda. But they had a bad opinion of Donald Trump, too. It looked like many Bible-believing Christians would sit out this election rather than vote for someone they didn't like.
What Garlow wrote hit a cord. As you can read below, he implores you to, if for no other reason, vote for Trump because the Republican platform is so much better than the Democratic. And, he says that for Trumps problems and the fact there are unknowns about how he would govern, it is better than what we know about Hillary's "knowns" of her platform as well as the the many scandals and Benghazi, etc.
In less than three weeks, the story has become the third most popular article we've ever published online. The second most popular is titled, "50 Reasons Why I Don't Drink," and was shared 1.1 million times, and Lee Grady's "10 Men Christian Women Should Never Marry" was shared more than two million times and is the most popular article ever on our site. If Garlow's article keeps the same pace, it will surpass that by the election.
Today we posted Garlow's article in Spanish. If you know someone who needs to read it in Spanish, please share it.
If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake
(Composite Image of Reuters Photos)
I have been asked "the question" so many times regarding Trump or Hillary. By way of background, I have followed every national convention—Republican and Democrat—from the time I was age 9, and have attended most of the GOP Conventions from 1984 to the present. I have watched the news virtually every day from the age of 8. I have never seen anything like what we are observing.
In spite of the unprecedented nature of this election cycle, I will attempt to respond to "the question." I am not demanding that anyone else share my view. But I was asked. Here is my best attempt to answer as I am able to see things at this time:
1. The Democratic and Republican party platforms are as different as night and day, in my opinion, as far apart as evil vs. good. The 51-page Democratic platform is the most leftist ever. (I don't care for the "right vs. left" nomenclature. I am far more concerned with "right vs. wrong.") The Democratic platform contains many points which are anti-biblical. (Time does not permit me here to identify what is meant by "anti-biblical," which is covered in my new book Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues.) It is thoroughly socialistic (a socialist is a communist without a gun). The 54-page GOP platform is one of the strongest GOP platforms ever. A biblically alert person could be comfortable with almost all of it. Party platforms are a big issue to me. Although some "blow off" party platforms, I do not. Nor do many people up and down the ballot who are running for office. This is a serious and very important item. I have a hard copy of both platforms in front of me now. Most people have never checked out what the party platforms say. They should. If a person is not drawn to the "top-of-the-ballot" candidate, they ought to at least consider voting for the candidate attached to the best party platform.
2. Analogy #1: Both candidates are flawed. We all know that. But permit me an analogy: As a pastor, I would rather deal with a church attendee who is blatant and brash in his sinning than one who is devious, lying, cunning and deceptive. Both are problematic, but one is easier to deal with than the other. If I were a pastor bringing correction to a parishioner, I would prefer dealing with a "Trump-type" any day over a "Hillary-type." The chances of making progress with the "Trump-type" are many times greater than the "Hillary-type."
3. Analogy #2: When my (late) wife's remarkable and much loved oncologist said, "Don't take Carol to that alternative (non FDA approved) treatment." I asked, "Why not?" He said, "The unknown." I said, "Doctor, your 'known' is much worse than the alternative treatment's 'unknown.'" I took her to that alternative treatment. One year later that same oncologist went to the alternative treatment doctor to see how it was that Carol had improved so much. While this alternative treatment did not ultimately save her life, it likely stretched two to three years of life to six years of life—by the admission of another one of her brilliant young oncologists who later said, "Without any medical training or scientific fact, you have put together a protocol of treatment that has moved her into the top fraction of 1 percent of survival rates of all patients with Carol's particular cancer. Application of the analogy: Hillary's "known" is considerably worse—many times over—than Trump's "unknown."
4. Trump has lots of sins in his past (actually, we all do), and—in the present—says things he should not say. I make no attempt to defend any of the things he has said. There is no need to rehearse the wrong things he has said. We know what they are. He should not have thought or said them. But there is no need to rehash them here. So we won't. But let's turn to the other candidate. Although America has had some scandal-ridden candidates in its history, we have never seen any one major party candidate more constantly scandalous as Hillary (along with her husband). She seems to exceed all previous boundaries for wrongdoing. The scandals just don't stop. In the same way we did not take time to list all of Trump's misstatements, neither will we here rehash the seemingly continuous string of horrific scandals of the Clintons.
5. Trump is slowly being surrounded by increasingly good people. From time to time, I receive encouraging calls regarding this. Can these good people impact Trump? We will see. In contrast, I see no reason for any encouragement regarding the people who surround Hillary.
6. Trump is right on approximately 75 percent of the issues. I wish it was 100 percent. It is not. I am in hopes that those beginning to surround him can help him connect the dots on more issues. Hillary is wrong on 100 percent of the issues.
7. This next issue might be one of the most important, but I suspect few will understand its significance. Trump opposes globalism. Hillary thrives on it. Globalism is far more than "geographical" or "eliminating national borders and boundaries." It is spiritual and demonic at its core. Few—very few—understand this. This is quite likely one of the main reasons why Trump is hated. Do your homework on this one. Think "principalities and powers." Serious. Extremely serious.
8. Not voting is not a viable option, contrary to what the "purists" claim. It is not my intention to begin a war of the issue. I know that some radically disagree with this. My view? They have the right to be wrong.
9. Voting for a third party candidate is—regardless of what is said—a complete "throw-away." No third party candidate will be elected, or even come remotely close to being elected. And yes, that matters to me. And for the record, the Libertarian ticket—Johnson and Weld—is nearly as bad on many issues as Hillary. When I listen to them, I am stunned people of their ability have ever made it to elective office.
10. Trump has moved pro-life. Hillary is pro-baby killing, and prides herself on that, and honors the organization—Planned Parenthood—that actually traffics human parts from dead babies whom they have killed. This is below anything we have seen since Nazi Germany. The gall of Hillary! The Clintons have evaded justice for decades and likely will continue to. But they will someday stand before the Great White Throne. They will have to give account of their support of the ripping babies to shreds in the womb. For the record, those who vote for those who support the genocide of pre-borns will also have to give an account.
11. Trump wants to defend the nation (which is the purpose of government). Hillary has a horrific track record as Secretary of State, and due to hundreds of millions of dollars given to her and her husband's foundation, she is beholden to those who want us dead.
12. Hillary claims "everything is fine" in America. This defies every single fact, but facts have never been an interest of Hillary's. Trump understands that it is 11:59 p.m. on the "cultural clock." America is near the end—morally, economically, militarily and, sadly, spiritually. There are very clear identifiable indicators—measurable ones—that America is no longer the world's leading power. That day is over. Hillary will hasten the final destruction. Trump could either slow that down—or possibly, with God's help—reverse it. Maybe.
13. Trump will address the massive government spending. Hillary will expand it above the existing unsustainable debt the U.S. currently is carrying (almost $20 trillion plus unfunded liabilities to Social Security, etc).
14. Trump will expose—and I pray, bring down—"the systemic evil" (crony, deceitful, misuse of capitalism) that reigns among many high-dollar lobbyists. Hillary thrives because of them.
15. Trump will stop the massive overreach of government. Hillary will extend it.
16. Freedoms come in "threes." Political freedom, economic freedom and religious liberty coexist together. Take one away and the other two will eventually disappear. One cannot exist without the other two. The genius of America is that it had all three, until recently. Trump fully grasps the loss of religious liberty. I have heard him speak on it in person on several occasions. He knows that economic and political freedoms are evaporating. He will reverse that. Hillary will decimate all three.
17. Every rational person knows the Supreme Court appointments are paramount. Trump has listed 11 superb potential nominees. Hillary's appointments would snuff out the tiny vestige of the three freedoms that are left (mentioned in the statement above).
18. I make no excuse for wrongdoing or wrongful, hurtful words from either candidate. Candidly, I want King Jesus. He rules in my heart. And yours too, I suspect. And I want Him to rule here—now. But that day is not fully manifested—yet. In the meantime, we prayerfully, carefully navigate this challenging election season, with great concern that above all, we honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in every arena of our lives, including the voting booth. That is my hope. I believe it is yours as well.
Dr. Jim Garlowis pastor of Skyline Church in the San Diego, CA area. His latest book is Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues. Pastors and Christian leaders may get Dr. Garlow's newest book—Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues (which outlines the scriptural issues regarding 30 political & social issues)—at a reduced rate by calling 619-660-5000 Ex 5445 or contactingWellVersed@SkylineChurch.org. Also see WellVersedBook.com, which features videos and study questions for each of the 31 chapters for use in small group discussions and an audio version of the book.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
I'm in Washington, D.C, to attend tomorrow's inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States.
Although the news media is predicting protests, what I'm seeing is that everyone is abuzz and excited by Trump's election and inauguration.
This proved especially true at a special prayer meeting today, hosted by Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in San Diego, and at several other events held at the historic Greater New Hope Baptist Church near the White House.
For two hours, dozens of Christian leaders prayed for the president, the vice president, the Cabinet, the Supreme Court and everything else you can think of. The meeting was packed with well-known evangelicals, including James Dobson, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Center and David Barton of Wallbuilders. But there were also many who were identified as intercessors. As the meeting progressed, the time of prayer grew more and more powerful until at the end, it became flat-out, fervent intercession for our country. It was one of the most powerful, Pentecostal-style prayer meetings I have ever attended.
The common theme was gratitude and thanksgiving to God for Trump's election. Several commented that Trump was by no means perfect. However, they felt his election was an answer to prayer in that the election of Hillary Clinton would have meant a continual downward spiral for our nation.
In any case, there seemed to be no bitterness or vitriol, but rather, heartfelt thanksgiving and a realization that the real work is not going to be done politically but in the spirit.
Historian David Barton shared lessons about the first inauguration in New York City in 1789—which included fervent prayer—and the way George Washington incorporated prayer three times in his first inaugural address. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said Christians must—like Nehemiah—start in prayer and then get to work. Jim Garlow told the crowd that if they claimed they were instrumental in getting Donald Trump elected, they were wrong. "This was done by God," he explained to wild applause.
James Robison told about his close relationship with Donald Trump and mentioned how open the president-elect is to Christian counsel. He also chided Christians, saying none of them would have picked Peter to preach at Pentecost because of his denial of Christ. He implied that although Donald Trump isn't perfect, that doesn't mean God won't use him. "We must lift this President up," he said.
Lance Wallnau, who wrote in Charisma that he believed Trump would be the 45th president, said Trump is like Cyrus in Isaiah 45: God raised him up. "He is a wrecking ball to the gates of hell," Wallnau said. He said later about Trump's election, God "did this for Israel's sake!" This got a huge reaction from the audience.
Ralph Reed said to the crowd, "Good news! Your prayers and supplications to God have been heard." Before praying, he also said there are more believers in Trump's Cabinet than in any presidential Cabinet in history and "The enemy is not thrilled."
Michele Bachmann, former Congresswoman from Minnesota, thanked God as she prayed: "People confessed our sins and cried out; thank You for turning the pages of history."
Trent Franks, a Republican from the 8th District in Arizona, said he was praying with gratitude for the election. "This breathes new hope into the nation," he said. He also predicted the Trump election would create a "bond with Israel as never before." Associate Justice Tom Parker of Alabama prayed for the justices, quoting Psalm 82:5 and Isaiah 12:6. He also asked God to "restore judges as in the days of old."
Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said in his prayer that he "submitted the Supreme Court of the United States to the Supreme Court of Jesus Christ."
Todd Starnes of Fox News prayed for the media, asking for "miracles of biblical proportion, that there would be revival in news rooms." He asked for good news to be reported instead of fake news. He reminded the crowd that in 1949, William Randolph Hearst reported on Billy Graham, launching him nationally. He asked God to "Do it once again. Raise up reporters that would seek your face."
Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, asked God to break the yoke of racial "tensions in our country." She reminded the crowd that there is only one race and one blood under Jesus Christ.
Sammy Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, prayed about the immigration issue, declaring that God is "God of the stranger" and asking that "God would make us one."
Many others prayed, including a Native American; a man from Taiwan, who prayed for relations with China; and a man from Russia, who prayed in Russian for relationships between the two countries.
With all the festivities going on in Washington, including a couple of "Christian Gala" events, I found it significant that more than a thousand believers gathered at a church to pray fervently for our nation. In fact, the gathering, only 24 hours before the actual swearing-in, started late because the line of those waiting to get through security wrapped around the block. I will report later on other inaugural events I attend, including the actual swearing-in tomorrow and the Faith, Freedom and Future Ball Friday night.
I'm praying that as you read, you'll add your own prayers in the Comments Section and forward this to others, encouraging them to pray. The entire nation needs to pray. We need a revival in America. Our answers are spiritual, not political.
Steve Strangis the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and here to sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.
Best Magazine Deal. Subscribe now and get 3 magazines for the price of 1. Get Charisma, SpiritLed Woman and Ministry Today, all for $24. YES - I want this deal!
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Click Here to draw closer to God!
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.
Why should Donald Trump—or any American presidential candidate—care about one tiny nation halfway around the world? After all, there are approximately 200 nations on the Earth. Why all the attention on just one?
A few weeks ago, my book Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues was released, laying out the biblical underpinnings to 30 political and social issues. Only one nation—of all the nations in the world—got its own chapter.
It is Israel. But why all this fascination with Israel?
Why should we care about a land mass no bigger than New Jersey? After all, it only occupies less than ½ of 1 percent of all the land in the Middle East. Why this tiny state?
My wife, Rosemary Schindler Garlow (yes, she is distantly related, by her first marriage, to Oskar Schindler of Schindler's List fame)—is about to make her 58th trip to Israel. I am about to make my 11th. Why this one nation?
And why should we care about Donald Trump's Israel policy? Why Israel?
Part One (points 1-5 below) will help us understand the background to answer that question. Part Two (points 6-14)—which will post on Wednesday—centers upon Trump's stand on Israel.
Part 1
1.Our survival. Let me cut to the chase: God has not changed His mind. Genesis 12:3 has not been repealed by Him. God's covenant cannot be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is not "supreme" on this! Neither will God's promise be nullified by the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority or ISIS.
Genesis 12:3, referring to Abraham's descendants—that is, Israel—says: "I will bless them who bless you, and curse those who curse you."
Pretty blunt, yes? So the choice is yours: Bless Israel and you get blessed. Curse Israel and you are toast.
America has great strengths, but we also acknowledge America's many "national sins," including violations of treaties with and horrific treatment of Native Americans, and the kidnapping and enslavement of Africans. We recall our mistreatment of Jews in the horrific 1939 St. Louis ship incident that gave Hitler the green light for "The Final Solution"—the killing of all Jews.
We are aware of FDR's full knowledge of the concentration and death camps and the fact that the Allied Forces could have taken out the railroad track to these killing centers, which would have saved countless Jewish lives. We confess the Jim Crow laws against blacks. We mourn the killing of 56 million of our citizens before they even descended the birth canal. We just witnessed the Supreme Court's June 2015 definitional decimation of marriage, robbing many children of the right to have both a mommy and a daddy.
Given that list, don't we wonder why God has not already destroyed this nation? Allow me to shake your thinking a bit. Is it possible that the only reason America has escaped full and complete judgment is because our country has—at least until quite recently—been a nation that "blesses" (key word) Israel? The blessing of Israel may be our last remaining key to survival. Ponder that.
2.Our treatment of Israel. Unfortunately, President Obama has sent mixed signals regarding Israel. Yes, he has continued financial aid, but that may be where the good news ends. Obama's egregious snubbing of Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House in March 2010, leaving the Prime Minister sitting and waiting while the U.S. president went to the private quarters of the White House for dinner, is iconic Obama-to-Netanyahu treatment.
When the pouty president did not get what he demanded out of Bibi, "Mr. Obama rose from his seat declaring: 'I'm going to the residential wing to have dinner with Michelle and the girls,'" leaving the Prime Minister sitting alone.
Next consider Obama's objection to Netanyahu addressing Congress in May of 2015.
Why did the GOP Congressmen invite the Israeli Prime Minister to speak? The short answer is: Because Obama didn't.
3.Our betrayal of Israel. Worst of all is Obama's "love affair" with Iranian leadership that wants Israel gone, followed by the killing of all Christians. (Doubt this? What do chants of "death to America" mean to you?)
To ensure that the Israelis were protected from Iranian nuclear bombs, Obama's Secretary of State, John Kerry, arranged for an absurd provision: Iran to report on itself, to make sure that Iran is telling the truth about its own nuclear bomb capability.
The moral equivalency? Imagine Hitler monitoring himself to make sure he is not gassing the Jews. Imagine ISIS "self-reporting" to us that they are not beheading anyone. Imagine Planned Parenthood as its own accountability partner, so they can tell us that they are not dismembering babies in the womb. Or, Satan filing reports that he is not doing harm! For good reasons, Donald Trump called the Obama/Kerry (and Hillary affirmed) arrangement "the worst deal ever made."
So Obama's "support of Israel" is obliterated when you consider that he has set up the most terrorist-prone nation in the world to be in a posture to (soon?) attempt to obliterate Israel, and others. And for good measure, Obama threw in $150 billion and then another $400 million ransom cash we only recently discovered.
4.Land for peace. But the most historically uninformed Obama statement was when he called for Israel to give land for peace. Does he not know about such an offer in 1937? And again in 1947? And Israel making the offer in 1967? And again in 2000? And in 2008?
The Palestinian Authority does not merely want some land. They want all the land. What's more, they want Israel wiped off the map. They actually have maps in which Israel does not exist!
In May of 2011, Obama called for Israel to go back to its "pre-1967 borders." Have you been to Israel? Do you know what that means? Israel would only be seven miles across at one point and would not be able to defend itself. This absurd policy is a way of saying "we want Israel gone."
5.The two-state solution. This is once again a strategy to carve off more of Israel's tiny land mass. There is already a de facto "two-state solution." It is called Jordan. Seventy-five percent of what could be Israel is now Jordan.
Note: This is part one of a two-part article on "Donald Trump and Israel." Stay tuned for part two on Wednesday.
Dr. Jim Garlow, isauthor of Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues; commentator on "The Garlow Perspective," a one-minute commentary on 850 radio outlets daily; pastor of Skyline Church in the San Diego area; and co-founder of The Jefferson Gathering, a weekly worship service for members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol Building. Garlow has a Ph.D. from Drew University in historical theology, and master's degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Asbury Theological Seminary and Southern Nazarene University.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.
In part one of this article, we covered five key points that lay out the background for understanding Donald Trump's view of Israel. Today, part two will cover the nine key points with allow us to understand Trump's stand on Israel:
1.Trump and Israel. So how does Donald Trump view Israel? (I have made it known in other writings that I was originally for Huckabee, and then when his campaign ended, supported Cruz. And I have commented here why I am supporting Trump over Hillary.)
Succinctly stated: Trump supports Israel. Yes, I am aware of his February statement about being "neutral" in negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, which is restated in this online video. Frankly, that is unrealistic. One cannot be "neutral" with two parties when one party would merely like to peacefully exist in its own tiny country and the other party has in its charter that it wants the other side dead and provides proof of that with suicide bombers sent into shopping centers. What are clues to where Trump stands on Israel.
2.Israel adviser. Who is Trump's closest adviser on Israel? His name is Jason Greenblatt, an acquaintance of mine. Who is he? He is a Jew. He has been Trump's attorney for 20 years. He is the executive vice president/chief legal officer of the Trump Organization and he is co-chairman of Mr. Trump's Israel Advisory Committee. Mr. Greenblatt's voluminous writing provides clues as to where Trump stands.
There are those who attempt to paint Trump as an anti-Semite. This charge is so absurd, I will respond only briefly. The July 8, 2016, Washington Post headline for Jason Greenblatt's op-ed column says it all, "I'm a Jew who has worked with Donald Trump for years. He's no anti-Semite."
3.Jerusalem as capital. Imagine with me if the rest of the world demanded that the U.S. keep its capital in a city of their choosing, but not Washington, D.C., as we have chosen. That is what has happened to Israel. The U.S.—and others—have demanded that Israel not be allowed to select its own capital city!
Donald Trump rightly believes that Israel should choose its own capital (CNN, published June 29, 2016). What a novel thought: A nation getting to select its own capital! By the way, the capital of Israel was resolved approximately 3,000 years ago! Clue: It's Jerusalem.
4.BDS. If you don't know what those three letters mean, you should. This is an attempt by the American "left" (I don't care for the "right vs. left" delineations since I believe this is actually a case of "right vs. wrong." However I will use "left" here as common jargon.) to strangle Israel's economy by: B (boycotting Israeli products), D (divesting of funds in Israel's growing and glowing economy) and S (sanctioning or ostracizing the nation). There is a name for BDS. It is called anti-Semitism. Trump stands against BDS anti-Semitism (Fox News, published June 9, 2016).
5.War. The people of Israel want peace, but they can't have it. Within 24 hours after they came into existence, surrounding nations attacked them! They fought their War for Independence from 1947 to 1949 and wars have continued: 1956, 1967, 1973, 1971-1983 (Palestinian aggression from Lebanon), 1982, 1987-93, 2000-2005, 2006, 2008-10, 2014.
When can Israel just be left alone? By all indications, Trump seems to understand this.
6.The T-shirt. My favorite T-shirt was purchased in Jerusalem. It states, "Civilizations, nations and empires that have tried to destroy the Jewish People." Following that are two columns: one with "nation," the other with the "status."
Working down the columns: "Ancient Egypt—Gone. Philistines—Gone. Assyrian Empire—Gone. Babylonian Empire—Gone. Persian Empire—Gone. Greek Empire—Gone. Roman Empire—Gone. Byzantine Empire—Gone. Crusaders—Gone. Spanish Empire—Gone. Nazi Germany—Gone. Soviet Union—Gone. Iran—???" The implication of the "???" is essentially saying: "Your time is coming!"
Across the bottom of the T-shirt are these words: "The Jewish People: The smallest of nations but with a Friend in the highest of places! So...BE NICE!" How true!
I repeat, God will bless those who bless Israel. Curse Israel and ... you get the picture. If for some reason you won't stand with Israel, God will! At donaldtrump.com, there is a brief video in which Trump states, "I love Israel. I am very pro-Israel. ... Israel, I love you." Are these words important? They would be to me if I were an Israeli. Given the fact that God will bless those who bless Israel, they are important to me as an American as well.
7.While in Israel. I am now preparing to leave for my 11th trip to Israel as my wife prepares for her 58th trip. Thus we are in Israel with frequency. While in Israel, I would feel considerably safer with a Trump presidency than a Hillary presidency. All our Israeli friends feel the same way.
8.Platforms matter. The GOP platform has Trump's tacit approval. The Democratic platform has Hillary's. The platforms are a "window" into the candidate. The allows us to see what the respective parties actually believe. These two platforms are different.
The Republicans rejected a "two-state solution" and refuse to call Israel an "occupier." The GOP platform states:
"We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for the immediate termination of all U.S. funding of any entity that attempts to do so. Our party is proud to stand with Israel now and always."
The Democratic Platform states:
"We will continue to work toward a two-state solution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict negotiated directly by the parties that guarantees Israel's future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders, and provides the Palestinians with independence, sovereignty and dignity."
One problem: the Palestinian leaders don't merely want the above listed items. They want the Jews dead and Israel gone.
Reminder: The phrase "two-state solution" is a way of lopping off a big piece of Israel, thus rendering the Jewish state defenseless. How would you like it if some nation or nations demanded that we surrender a huge section of America to give it to people who want us dead or at least driven out?
Based on the party platforms, you have two clear choices this election: 1) a party that calls for Israel to become defenseless, that is, a vote for Hillary, or 2) a party that recognizes Israel's right to exist and defend itself, which is, a vote for Trump.
9."Occupier." To her credit, Hillary prevailed on her party platform not to call Israel an "occupier." However her motivation was faulty. She claimed that it might enflame the emotions in the Middle East. However, this is not about "enflaming emotions." It is about speaking truth. Just for the record: Israel does not "occupy" the land. It owns it!
Dr. Jim Garlow, author of Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues, commentator on The Garlow Perspective, a one-minute commentary on 850 radio outlets daily, pastor of Skyline Church in the San Diego area, and co-founder of The Jefferson Gathering, a weekly worship service for Members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol Building. Garlow has a Ph.D. from Drew University in historical theology and master's degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Asbury Theological Seminary and Southern Nazarene University.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.
It comes as no surprise that this is one of the strangest political seasons in history. Two highly polarizing candidates have left many Americans, including many Bible-believing Christians, on the fence.
Yet at a "Pastors and Pews" event in Orlando last week, I heard former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee say: "Every year, everyone says it's the most important election of our lifetime. But folks, I'm not messing—this really is the most important election of our lifetime."
In the primaries, I backed Ted Cruz, but the day he dropped out of the race I endorsed Donald Trump—not because he's a perfect candidate, but because he's an effective leader and because the alternative, Hillary Clinton (and the platform of the Democratic Party) are 100 times worse.
I had the opportunity to interview Donald Trump last week for the cover story of the October issue of Charisma. I will write about that more later. But today I'm calling to your attention an article we ran on Charisma News last week by Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in San Diego, California that has gone viral.
Jim sent me something he posted on his Facebook page, which made a very strong argument that Christians must get out and vote. I sent it to my wife and a few friends. My wife, Joy, was really impressed because his arguments took the election out of the realm of personalities (a lot of Christians don't like either Trump or Hillary so they won't vote for either) to the level of what future we want for the nation. She's right, so I asked Jim to write it as an opinion piece. So far, the article has gathered more than 30,000 shares and more than 498,000 page views. You can read it here in eight minutes. It's so important that we're going to put a version of it in the October issue of Charisma Magazine. But, I need you to help me get out the word now by posting it on your own social media.
I recorded a 20-minute podcast about this article in which Garlow articulates that the party platform of the Republicans is so good from a biblical point of view—contrasted with the Democratic platform, which is almost socialist—that it alone should cause Christians to vote and to do everything they can to back Trump. You can listen to it here for his other very interesting points.
I know this is very divisive (the comments on my own Facebook page tell me that). But this is too important to sit it out. There are other sources of information about this election. But, I believe the podcast and article by Jim Garlow sums everything up with this headline (that I personally wrote): "If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake."
Steve Strangis the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him onTwitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and hereto sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.
Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.
Get to know the Holy Spirit and how to interact with Him on a daily basis. Learn to enter God's presence and hear His voice clearly for yourself! Go deeper in your faith with Life in the Spirit and change your life and destiny. Are you ready to start your journey?
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.
