John Piper's Odd Tweet‏

Hello Friends!

 

A recent tweet posted on 1/19/2012 by Minneapolis, Minnesota based Pastor John Piper implores the following blasphemously false statement and is taking the Christian Tweet/Blog world by storm...

John Piper's Odd Tweet

 
John Piper recently posted a tweet (http://mobile.twitter.com/johnpiper/status/159953341177282560) that has many Christians concerned and dismayed. The following statement is quoted directly from John Piper's posted tweet and has not been denounced from Bethlehem Baptist's headquarters:

“Muslims, Jews, Christians! Allah and Adonai are only known and loved through the crucified and risen Christ. John 8:19; 5:42-43”

Should true Bible believing Christians Know and love this unholy demonic being called Allah? Far from it! The Bible tells us he will soon be crushed by Jesus Christ who already made a spectacle of him by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead!

John Piper is by all means not a novice in theology, religion, or Tweeting. Piper is tweeting what seems to be consistent with his ecumenical, inter-faith, Post-Modern hedonism. I'm astounded at the willing blindness of some who claim to be seminary graduates and pastors, yet can't see Piper's false teaching espoused here. If Piper meant "Allah"; the name used by Arab Christians, as some are saying, then Piper should not have addressed the Muslims at the start of his statement. This only causes confusion and misunderstanding. Piper has been very clear over the years that Allah of the Koran and the God of the Bible are not the same and I don't think he has changed his opinion on this. But I cannot verify this...

Breaking it down word for word we can expose the enormous doctrinal error:

Muslims - Muslims worship Allah, a demon moon god, and believes that their "good" works (5 pillars of Islam) will get them to "Paradise". They worship (for all intents and purposes) Muhammad of the Quran.

Jews - Orthodox Jews rely on their bloodline, tradition and other works to save them.

Christians - Biblical Christians rely solely on the finished work of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, who is God, Creator, Second person in the Trinity, sole Messiah and Master and Owner: THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life – John 14:6

Allah and Adonai - Diametrically opposed opposites.

are only = no other way

known = to be no stranger to, to be familiar with

and loved = embraced,  have affection for, to be pleased with, have high regard for

through = the means of, transmission

the crucified and risen Christ. = the Jesus Christ of Scripture is the crucified and risen Lord.

Note: Roman Catholics aren't true Biblical Christians. They too, rely on works and tradition and have a false understanding of God altogether.

Jews, Muslims, and Catholics are all equally “lost” because all three religious systems reject the God of Scripture and the sole way of eternal life and forgiveness of sin, which is through Jesus Christ and His FINISHED work at the Cross alone. Piper's penchant for Roman Catholic authors and practices like Lectio Divina show his ecumenical leaning.

By combining "Allah and Adonai", Piper puts Allah, the demon god of Islam, on par with Adonai, the HOLY, HOLY, HOLY One of Israel. Allah is a creation, Jehovah is eternal. Allah and Adonai/Jehovah can only be known and loved through Jesus Christ? This statement is blatantly false! We are to love God alone (see Ex. 20).

Allah is a demon who is not Trinitarian, but Adonai most certainly is. Allah is "the greatest of deceivers" according to the Quran. The Triune God of Scripture cannot lie, but rather is the God of Truth. Allah is not holy, but Adonai is. Allah is not immutable, but Adonai is. Allah has no son, but Adonai does and His name is Jesus Christ. The Trinity cannot be chopped up. The Bible teaches that there are three distinct persons in the Godhead, each co-equally God with all the Holy attributes shared, pointing to the ONE TRUE GOD! Allah is not Creator. Adonai is Creator. Adonai prohibits all worship of anyone other than HIMSELF.

Allah therefore cannot be known nor loved through Christ, it is Christ Jesus who created Allah (the fallen angel/demon) and it is Christ Jesus who will throw Allah into Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment to burn for eternity. Allah is not to be "known" but rejected; he is not to be loved but rejected. The "love" Piper portrays here is indeed unholy!

Ironically, instead of knowing the demon of Allah and loving him through Christ, the Bible teaches something all together different:

Col 2:15 - When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. 

Rom 16:17 - Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

Rom 16:18 - For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 

Rom 16:19 - For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 

Rom 16:20 - The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

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Zakaria Bortos: Tell Them The Truth about Islam!‏

Hello friends!

In my recent studies to learn the contrasts and comparisons of Christianity and the religion of Islam as well as the lives of Jesus Christ and Islam’s prophet Mohammed, I was "introduced" to Zakaria Bortos. If you desire to know the truth of Islam from firsthand accounts and experiences, Mr. Bortos is a sincere and “seasoned” resource for your studies. In fact, I would implore you to study this man’s insights into the worldview of Islam thoroughly and decide for yourself.

There may be devout Muslims in your sphere of influence that will indeed be eternally grateful to you for sharing the truth of the laborious and damning religious system they have come to embrace, imprisoning their souls in complete and desperate bondage.  

Zakaria Bortos: Tell Them The Truth About Islam!

Zakaria Botros, known as Islam's "Public Enemy #1," is reaching hopeless, lost and desperate Muslim souls throughout the epicenter of the Middle East and around the world.

From approximately the years 2005-2010, this 76 year-old Coptic priest was Islam's bane. Appearing weekly on Arabic satellite, where he was viewed by an estimated 60 million people worldwide, mostly Muslims, he meticulously exposed any number of theological problems with Islam - all from Islam's own books - while simultaneously evangelizing from his own book, the Holy Bible.

His mission "is to attack Islam, not to attack Muslims but to save them because they are deceived. As I love Muslims, I hate Islam."

And he has been effective. Mass conversions to Christianity, open and clandestine, have resulted. Years back al-Jazeera aired a segment complaining about Zakaria's "unprecedented evangelical raid" on the Muslim world; similarly, one Sheikh Ahmad al-Qatani lamented that as many as six million Muslims annually "apostatize" to Christianity.

Unsurprisingly, Zakaria's exploits caused al-Qaeda to proclaim him "one of the most wanted infidels in the world," putting a $60 million bounty on his head; undeterred, the priest kept going, his viewers and converts multiplying by the week.

Then, in May 2010, after a particularly graphic episode on Muhammad, his shows inexplicably stopped airing. His enemies exulted. Muslim leaders, preachers, and sheikhs appeared on TV, gleefully announcing that Allah had silenced the great enemy of Islam. Imagine that!

Yet, over a year after his many foes - external and internal, Muslim and non-Muslim - have managed to stifle him, Zakaria is back on satellite, now with his own station Fady TV (Redeemer TV), "a channel for those searching for the truth."

Though other Islam-critics and evangelists have appeared on Arabic satellite since, many with a good following, it is clear that people respect and trust Zakaria, the original trailblazer of open and honest talk on Islam – “the original scourge of Islam.”

The first episode of his new show, "Knowledge of the Truth," was like witnessing a reunion between a lost flock and its spiritual shepherd. Viewer after viewer - Christians and Muslims, much more of the latter - called in to express how much they appreciate this man, some in tears, others in joyous laughter.

Why is Zakaria so loved - and hated? For starters, as a native Arabic-speaker, he takes his message straight to the heart of the Islamic world; as a man of God, he takes his message straight to the heart of Muslims - something the Western approach cannot achieve.

You see, while Western critics are limited to making secular arguments against specific aspects of Islam - for instance, that it is illiberal, intolerant, sexist - he makes spiritual arguments against the very foundations of the religion itself.

This is not to say that Western polemics are not beneficial; they are, in that they awaken Western peoples to the nature of Islam. However, arguing or even proving that Islam falls short of Western/secular standards has little impact on Muslims - except perhaps to make them more tenacious of their faith - the inevitable result of comparing apples and oranges.

But an attack on the veracity of the religion itself - an attack articulated through a spiritual as opposed to a secular paradigm - MUST be confronted by Muslims. In short, Zakaria's success rests in the fact that he fights fire with fire; that he speaks the same language Muslims do - not just literally, Arabic, but more importantly, figuratively, the language of religion and faith, the language of God. He cannot simply be ignored.

For example, during this, his first episode, he discussed Sheikh Huwaini's recent assertions that Islam advocates plundering, enslaving, buying, and selling infidels. Many have written about this anecdote either to show that Islam is intrinsically violent, or that "radical Islamism" is spreading, or that Islamic teachings are incompatible with the West.

But Zakaria takes it a step further - takes it right to the heart of the matter. After asserting that "God created mankind in his image," he sincerely addressed his Muslim viewers:

"Would God truly want you to kill your neighbor, to enslave him? Would the Almighty truly want believers to buy and sell other human beings like animals? Think people! Use your minds; listen to your hearts—for your souls are at stake!"

The same reason the secular mindset may find this approach too simplistic or "unsophisticated" is the same reason it is far from comprehending Islam.

Still in its early stages of development and financially challenged, Fady TV has yet to reach the Middle East, where the real battle for souls is waged, though the priest is hopeful. The station is set to air entire programs dedicated to examining various topics in depth, including the Koran, the Hadith, Muhammad, and Allah.

The difficult but important issues of the character and life of Islam’s prophet Mohammed must be addressed if one is to understand the true nature of Islam and its root doctrines and beliefs. See for example these interviews "The Perverse Sexual Habits of the Prophet" and "Was Muhammad a Messenger from God or Satan?" for a sampling of the lifestyle and history of “God’s perfect prophet.”

For more information on this great man of God, read Zakaria's exclusive 2009 FPM interview, wherein he discussed his life story, including the torments he experienced for preaching to Muslims in Egypt. Also, to get a feel for his very "non-dhimmi" approach, watch his famous "Ten Demands of Islam."

 
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Shane K. Morin <><

 

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The Church of Rome: A One-World Order?‏

Hello Friends!

 

Revelation 17 gives great detail as to the description of the harlot church known as the women that rides the beast and will include all false religions, cults and apostate evangelicals who have missed the Rapture of the true Christian Church. They were left behind to experience what the Bible refers to as the Tribulation - seven years of hell on earth. 

 

While we cannot guarantee that the convergence of the world’s religions is based in Rome and led by the Church of Rome, the evidence seems to point to this fact.  The Catholic Encyclopedia itself notes Rome to be the city of seven hills...

 

The Church of Rome: A One-World Order?

 

The women sitting on the city of seven hills as outlined in the book of Revelation, is this Rome?

 

In October of 2011, the Vatican released an 18 page report that called for a "global public authority" and a "central world bank" and "a supranational authority" with "universal jurisdiction". The 18 page document released by the Vatican contained the often used communitarian (a toxic mix of capitalism and socialism) phrase “common good” some twenty-two times. (Source: Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority, The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Vatican City, October 24, 2011)

All the evidence seems to point to the fact that The Church of Rome will play a big role in the coming New World Order. Untold millions of Catholics have now been informed that their leadership is okay with global government. Although there are six billion more inhabitants on Earth that must be convinced, with record-setting global and individual debt loads, this will likely be an easy process to achieve.

 

The history of the Jesuit Order also proves they are working to bring about a counter reformation and turn the world’s religions back to the Church of Rome. Hitler admitted that what he learned he learned from the Jesuits. Hitler boasted to Bishop Berning in 1936 “I am only doing what the church has done for fifteen hundred years, only more effectively.” One Jesuit declared that the dialectic process was key to the future of the Church of Rome. The Jesuits set up the conflict between opposites in the area of economy, religion, as well as Communism verses Marxism.  What was their objective in doing so?

 

The Bible tells us in Revelation 17 that the coming one-world religion that will represent the woman that rides the beast will give credibility to a one world leader that will turn against the Jewish people and slaughter them just as religious leaders gave credibility to Hitler and set him up to eventually murder six million Jews. Does the Church of Rome have a history of anti-Semitism? During the brief pontificate of Pope Paul IV, the population of Rome was decimated by almost half, with the Jews the main victims. Three hundred years earlier the church had put Jews in ghettos and “obliged them to wear on their chest, to their public shame, a yellow circle of cloth.”  Sound familiar?

 

Barack Obama gives credit to his fast grass-roots operation in his first run for president to Gregory Galluzzo, a former Jesuit who brought him to Chicago to be a Saul Alinsky-type of community organizer. The Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci who influenced Saul Alinsky studied the infiltration of the Jesuits into a culture and nation. Why are some Jesuits Marxists and some Capitalists? How has the Church of Rome used Communism to its advantage? TIME magazine writes about Jesuits being on both sides of an issue. Stalin and Castro were influenced by Jesuit education. The Jesuits have infiltrated the press and the pulpit for generations in many countries. It is a historical fact that Hitler trained his SS troops to actually mimic how Ignatius Loyola trained his Jesuit Order. History also proves that the church of Rome helped to prop up Hitler and the Vatican also assisted Nazi war criminals to flee to South America.

 

The Bible has prophesied about a coming one-world religious, political and governmental system that will be formed by a man the Bible refers to as Antichrist and will establish himself as world leader and eventually as god over all the planet. This is not speculation.  The exact details are yet to unfold, but the Word of God, the Bible, has spoken and will once again, prove itself to be perfect, true and accurate. Amen!

Time is very short.  Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!  

 

Keep looking up!  Jesus’ call for His Church (the Rapture) is eminent!  MARANATHA! – Come quickly Lord Jesus!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

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Jesus: Not a Tame Preacher!‏

Hello Friends!

 

Have you ever wondered how Jesus' preaching might come across if He were to address a stadium filled with typical twenty-first-century evangelicals? Because let's be candid: Jesus' style of preaching was nothing at all like most of the popular preaching we hear today - and His style of preaching isn't likely to generate the kind of enthusiastic arm waving and feel-good atmosphere today's Christians typically like to see at their mass meetings and outdoor festivals…

 

Jesus: Not a Tame Preacher!

 

What we think of Jesus Christ will thoroughly color how we think about everything else. This is a critical truth in the life of every believer. Our view of Jesus affects the way we view God, the world, ourselves and everyone of our life decisions.

As we consistently see in the Scriptures, the truth mattered more to Jesus than how people felt about it. He wasn't looking for ways to just make people "like" Him; He was calling people who were willing to bow to Him unconditionally as their Lord. He wasn't interested in reinforcing the "common-ground" beliefs where His message overlapped with the Pharisees' worldview. On the contrary, He stressed almost exclusively the points on which He disagreed with them, He never acted as if the best way to turn people away from the damnable heresies of Pharisee-religion was to make His message sound as much as possible like the popular beliefs of the day. Instead, He reiterated again and again the points of doctrine that were most at odds with the controversial wisdom of these Pharisees.

In Matthew 23, Jesus provides a powerful onslaught of rebuke against the religious sins of Israel and her leaders in particular. How supremely significant it is that the One of whom it was said, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17) made His last public sermon an extended message of condemnation. He used some of the sharpest language ever employed. He called them names. He let loose with waves of condemnation against their hypocrisy, their scripture-twisting and their self-righteousness. He pronounced woe after woe against them. And the expression "woe" was no mild imprecation; it was the strongest conceivable prophetic curse. And you can be certain its meaning was not lost on them.  

Survey the current plethora of websites devoted to supplying today's preachers with prefabricated sermon material and you'll get a very clear picture of what constitutes "great preaching" in the minds of most twenty-first-century evangelicals: trendiness; funny anecdotes; slick packaging; clever audio-visual aids; and short, stylish, topical homilies on themes borrowed from pop culture. Favorite subjects include marriage and sex, human relationships, self-improvement, personal success, the pursuit of happiness and anything else that pleases audiences - especially if the topic or sermon title can easily be tied into the latest hit movie, must-watch TV series, or popular song. In the trendiest churches, you are more likely to hear the preacher quote lyrics from Bono and U2 than from David and the Psalms.

One mega-church sponsored a four-part sermon series in which their pastor did a word-by-word exegesis of passages taken from Dr. Seuss books, starting with Horton Hatches the Egg. Unbelievable! The pastor of one of America's five largest churches put a king-sized bed on the platform as a prop while he preached a five-week series on sex. A year or so later, the same church made national headlines by promoting yet another series with a "sex challenge" so blatantly inappropriate that even some in the secular media expressed shock and outrage.

Such shenanigans come under the rubric of relevance in the catalog of contemporary church-growth strategies. Sermons featuring straight Biblical exposition, precise doctrine, difficult truths, or negative-sounding topics are strongly discouraged by virtually all the leading gurus of cultural relevance. And the people filling evangelical pews "love to have it so" (Jeremiah 5:31). "Speak to us smooth things" (Isaiah 30:10) is their constant demand. Teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) are out. Catering to itchy ears is in (cf. 4:3). No truly clued-in preacher nowadays would think to fill his message with reproof, rebuke, or exhortation (cf. 4:2). Instead, he does his best to suit the felt needs, preoccupations and passions of the audience. Many contemporary pastors of today study pop culture as diligently as the Puritans used to study Scripture. They let congregational opinion polls determine what they should preach, and they are prepared to shift directions quickly if the latest survey tells them their approval ratings are beginning to drop. That, of course, is precisely what Paul told Timothy not to do. "Preach the word!... in season and out of season" (v. 2).

The contemporary craving for shallow sermons that please and entertain is at least partly rooted in the popular myth that Jesus Himself was always likable, agreeable, winsome and at the cutting edge of His culture's fashions. The domesticated, meek-and-mild Savior of today's Sunday-school literature would never knowingly or deliberately offend someone in a sermon - would He? As we see in the Scriptures, even a cursory look at Jesus' preaching ministry reveals a totally different picture. Jesus' sermons usually featured hard truths, harsh words and high-octane controversy. His own disciples complained that His preaching was too hard to hear!

That's why Jesus' preaching heads the list of things that make Him impossible to ignore. No preacher has ever been more bold, prophetic or provocative. No style of public ministry could possibly be more irksome to those who prefer a comfortable religion. Jesus made it impossible for any hearer to walk away indifferent. Some left angry; some were deeply troubled by what He had to say; many had their eyes opened; and many more hardened their hearts against His message. Some became His disciples and other became His adversaries. But no one who listened to Him preach for very long could possibly remain unchanged or apathetic.

We can learn a lot from observing how Jesus dealt with false religion and its purveyors. The boldness with which He assaulted error is very much in short supply today, and the church is suffering for it. Someone who makes a loud profession of faith but constantly fails to live up to it needs to be exposed for his own souls sake. More than that, those who set themselves up as teachers representing the Lord and influencing others while corrupting the truth need to be renounced and refuted. For their sake, for the sake of others who are victimized by their errors, and especially for the glory of Christ, who is Truth incarnate.

If Christ Himself devoted so much of His time and energy during His earthly ministry to the task of confronting and refuting false teachers, surely that must be high on our agenda as well. His style of ministry ought to be the model for ours, and His zeal against false religion ought to fill our hearts and minds as well. 

Has Jesus touched your life? Come to Him today. Now is the time to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior!

"Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation" - 2 Corinthians 6:2

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

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Shane K. Morin <><

 

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"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

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Happy New Year!‏

Hello Friends!

We at Encouraging Concepts speak blessings over you!  We pray you will enjoy a wonderful coming new year that is full of joy and increased revelation of God's perfect love for you!

The LORD bless you and protect you!
The LORD deal kindly and graciously with you!
The LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!

- Numbers 6:24-26

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

 

God bless you and yours!

 
If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

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Shane K. Morin <><

 

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Merry Christmas: The Reason for the Season‏

Hello Friends! 

When I meditate on the person and work of Jesus Christ, I have a sense of wonder when I consider the many paradoxes revealed in His Word. As we celebrate the glorious birth of Jesus this Christmas season, let us give thanks with hearts full of praise for all He is and all that He accomplished for us.

The Reason for the Season

Jesus Christ was born without sin so that He could die for sin. He was beaten so that sinners could be healed. He was rejected by men so that sinners could be accepted by God. He used the foolish to confound the wise and the weak to subdue the strong. He makes His enemies His friends, the poor rich and sinners righteous. He exalts the humble and sets captives free. He taught that giving is better than receiving, that believing must precede seeing, that one must lose his life to find it, that one must die to self to live and the last shall be first. He divides earthly families while uniting His heavenly family - the Church.

 The Lord's incarnation began with the miracle of His conception and culminated with the miracle of His resurrection. He held no degree, yet He became the greatest of all teachers. He was not a doctor, yet He healed multitudes of people where ever He went. Only once did He cross a border, yet His presence has been felt in every nation of the world. He never wrote a book yet countless books have been written about Him. He was raised as a carpenter only to be nailed to a cross made of the very wood that He created. Herod could not kill Him, Satan could not defeat Him, death could not destroy Him and the grave could not hold Him. There has been no greater triumph than His resurrection and no greater defeat than His victory over sin, death and Satan. Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. It is His birth that signifies this blessed day - He is the Christ in Christmas! 

One day, whether we like it or not, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. MARANATHA! - Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" - Matthew 2:1—2

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

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Shane K. Morin <><

 

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World Peace?‏

Hello Friends!

World leaders in America, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East are working to bring about a peace in the Middle East even as three peace agreements between Israel and their neighbors are actually unraveling and may not be in effect for very long.  Let’s take a look at these failed attempts to bring “peace to the Middle East” and what the Bible has to say about this subject…

World Peace?

With three different peace agreements between Israel and her neighbors in place the Middle East peace process is in bad shape but it will be rescued according to Bible prophecy.

In 1979, Israel and Egypt signed the Camp David Accords, the first peace treaty that Israel ever signed with an enemy state. However, it is almost a thing of the past with the present situation in Egypt.

In 1993, the Palestinians and the Israelis also came to an agreement on peace with the Oslo Accords. This one has never been normalized and is not a working agreement because the radical Islamists among the Palestinians have no regard for the treaty and in fact are calling for an armed struggle to eliminate the Jewish state.

In October of 1994, the late King Hussein of Jordan and the late Yitzhak Rabin prime minister of Israel both signed a Peace Treaty between the two nations, with most Jordanians today wanting to dissolve that treaty.

Common to all of these peace agreements is that they have never been normalized!

Even with the peace envoy for the Quartet (USA, European Union, United Nations, and Russia); Tony Blair has not been successful in bringing about peace.

A Prophetic Prospective

However, Bible prophecy does call for a world leader (known as the Antichrist) to come on the scene who will be successful in putting a peace treaty in place that he will make work.

Daniel 9:27 says that the Antichrist will confirm a treaty between Israel and her neighbors. It does not state that he will sign a treaty, but rather confirm, strengthen, and “cause” the treaty work. In order for this to happen, there must be a peace treaty (or three peace treaties) on the table that is not working, in which the Antichrist will then confirm.

In closing

Currently, there are three peace treaties on the table not working, waiting for the Antichrist, a world leader, to appear.

 

Keep looking up!  Jesus’ call for His Church (the Rapture) is eminent!  MARANATHA! – Come quickly Lord Jesus!

 
If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

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"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
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Occupy Wall Street: Truth for Thought

Hello Friends!

Here are some thoughts concerning the mayhem that took place around the world this past summer and the truth behind the driving factors involved...
 

Occupy Wall Street: Truth for Thought

This past summer, thousands of the younger class of the unemployed, joined by an equal number of lawless teenagers, misfits, drug addicts and unhappy foreign immigrants (mostly Muslim), went on a rampage in London - burning, killing, robbing and rapping at will. Untold damage was done before the rioting was brought under control by the army and law enforcement united from several English cities.

As history has proven, countries such as Russia, China, Mongolia and Cuba succumbed to the social unrest of the discontent which has been used in each of these countries to overturn political systems in favor of the murderous communist systems that killed hundreds of millions. The church in each revolution has been practically eliminated.  In the summer of 2011, the demonic spirit of these past tragic movements to overturn God's order of human government appeared in our own nation under the name of "Occupy Wall Street."

Although Wall Street banking establishments may very well be guilty of some general financial manipulations, the root cause of America's present economic disadvantage and unemployment situation is due to Bill Clinton forcing banks to underwrite millions of housing loans for those who didn't have jobs, as well as illegal immigrants. Bush 41 & 43 also performed much of the heavy lifting for the current Administration. One-world proponents in our political system also opened foreign markets and put the American worker in direct competition with three billion foreign workers earning one dollar or less a day.

The actual guilty money takers such as George Soros and socialistic politicians (representing both parties) like our own president, now point to Wall Street banks and say "they did it." So the "community organizers" of our day - Saul Alinsky style - collected enough of the undisciplined, unemployed, thugs and freeloaders of several other segments of the social order to invade lower Manhattan and occupy Wall Street. Now the movement, as controlled and directed, has expanded to "take over Oakland"; "take over Denver"; and if allowed to continue unchecked, "take over America" is quite possible.

A recent list of those who are supporting the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is as follows:

• Communist Party USA
• The American Nazi Party
• Revolutionary Communist Party
• Black Panthers
• Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan
• Iran's Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini
• Hugo Chavez
• Revolutionary Guards of Iran
• The government of North Korea
• Communist Party of China
• Hezbollah
• CAIR

The main politicians who have applauded the "Occupy Wall Street" movement have been President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. Whether "Occupy Wall Street" will die out of its own repugnant nature or its own inept volition remains to be seen. If allowed to grow, there is a real danger that this "land of the free and home of the brave" may end up like other nations in the past such as Russia or China. This is a serious problem for America.

Another thing that is not good for our nation is the control of the new media by sub-moralists and pro-communists. Any prospective presidential candidate that is suggested to oppose Obama in 2012 is immediately destroyed by the newspaper and TV commentators.  The news media "Baskerville hounds" are determined to give Mr. Obama and his gay agenda four more years to destroy our nation. The tragedy that has recently occurred at Penn State University is another example of what is happening across supposedly God-fearing America.

A Final Danger:
If there is sufficient social unrest in the wake of this sick social insanity, President Obama may declare that a general election in 2012 in such conditions could be impossible, making Martial Law a real possibility for our nation.

Please join me in praying for our nation, our safety and our salvation alone in Jesus Christ - time is short.  EVEN SO, COME LORD JESUS! 

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

American Manufacturing: Can it Become Competitive Again?‏

Hello Friends!

Here are some thoughts centered around the Biblical principle of proper stewardship and how it contrasts with the sin of greed.

To illustrate these competing ideals, you will find below is a true story that fully demonstrates the power of character and resolve to do the right thing - God's way...
 

Can American Manufacturing Become Competitive Again?

Since the late 1960s, the United States trade balance has been negative. This means that we are importing more goods and services than we are exporting; hence, we are a net consumer funding our buying binge with our savings and debt. We are experiencing the economic version of the second law of thermodynamics. This law states that order is progressively decaying into disorder. The ultimate state of disorder is death. Economically, when one unabatedly buys more goods and services than one produces, this leads to economic death.

An organization, such as a business, cannot operate like this for long. Organizations, even so-called non-profits, must earn a profit or go out of business—so also with individuals, communities, and nations. The people and organizations of the United States cannot continually import more than they export without draining their reserves or going into debt - or both. 

In the United States, one of the manifestations of being a net consumer is the decline in manufacturing. During the past decade, a number of American companies have seen the manufacturing for their industries migrate to foreign countries such as Mexico, India, and China. The reason is simple - the cost of labor. 

Labor costs in many foreign countries, such as the ones noted above, are dramatically lower than in the United States. For manufacturers to compete globally, therefore, they must seek the lowest costs of production. This drives manufacturing operations to move from high cost areas in the United States to low cost areas in the United States, or, in many cases, to move to foreign countries. The shift in manufacturing leaves many U.S. manufacturing workers either unemployed or underemployed. Nevertheless, many of these Americans seek to maintain their lifestyles by depleting their savings and then by using debt. Instead of facing the insanity of this, federal, local, state, and governments tend to support this choice.

Arguably, the reason this is happening is because of sin.

Consider, for example, Boeing’s recent battle with labor. Boeing, seeking to build its new 787 aircraft more efficiently with “just in time” inventory control and lower cost labor, built a plant in South Carolina that employed non-union labor. The machinist union, believing that Boeing was retaliating against the union, filed a lawsuit against the company. I think it is fair to assume that if the non-union workers in South Carolina voted to join the union, then the union lawsuit against Boeing would probably be dropped. So it appears that the one retaliating is the labor union, not Boeing.

Biblically, retaliation is sin (Proverbs 25:21). When union bosses think only of their own interests, they will make self-centered, self-serving decisions. This is sin.

This situation illustrates one of the reasons why United States manufacturing is no longer globally competitive—self-serving, self-centered labor unions fail to think of the good of the whole. Originally, the Labor unions were formed to counter the nefarious actions of self-centered, self-serving business owners—businesspeople and financers who used unscrupulous means, such as abusing labor, to achieve wealth. 

Labor unions originally had a noble purpose - to fight the sin of unprincipled business owners and management. But over time, the labor unions, at least many of them, became corrupt. I personally experienced the greed of this "union mentality" when I was a member of a local union in my home town back in the early 1990's. There was much corruption and deceit, not to mention the threat of labor strikes every time contract negotiations were in process. So that which was intended to fight sin, instead succumbed to sin.

An illustration of the way labor unions can succumb to sin happened in the mid-1950s. Jimmy Hoffa wanted to make Chattanooga a union town. To make his point, he targeted the McKee Bakery. He determined to make them an example of what would happen to any company that hired non-union labor. Hoffa’s motive was control and power.

A devout Christian couple named O. D. and Ruth McKee owned McKee Bakery. O. D. and Ruth believed strongly in Christian education. To help young people attend some of the local Christian colleges, McKee Bakery hired students. None of the students were union members, though most of the full-time company workers were. Hoffa was determined to eliminate all non-union labor, so he ordered a strike and filed a lawsuit against the company.

The union workers who worked for McKee Bakery honored the strike, but the non-union workers continued to work. Soon violence erupted. The McKee family members and non-union workers were threatened and some even beaten. From January to July, the union pickets harassed McKee Bakery. O. D. wanted to give in, but Ruth stood on principle. There was no law against hiring non-union workers. McKee’s union contract did not prohibit hiring non-union workers, but Hoffa was trying to force the McKees to sign a new contract, using the strike and lawsuit as leverage. The union was simply seeking to force its self-centered, self-serving will on the McKees. The union was sinning and Ruth McKee would not capitulate. The courts eventually ruled in favor of McKee Bakery, which ended the union lawsuit and stopped the picketing. All this happened because Ruth stood on principle and believed that God would protect them.

When the motive of either management or labor is control and power, it is sin. Biblically, God is sovereign over His universe. The responsibility of management and labor is always to seek the will of God. To do this, one must think beyond oneself. One must think about the good of the whole and define success in terms of the many, not the one.

Can American manufacturing become competitive again? It can happen only if both labor and management put aside their personal agendas and interests and start thinking about the good of the whole—stop focusing on wages and benefits and start focusing on ways to produce quality products and services competitively in the world market.

This will undoubtedly require sacrifice on the part of many, if not most, of us. We need to align our budgets with sound biblical economic principles. Not only do we need a balanced budget, we need to save and pay off debt. We need to repent of being consumers and start being good stewards. To do this, we must be willing to adjust our standards of living. God speaks through the marketplace and economic conditions. He alone has the prerogative to determine one’s standard of living. To discern this, one must listen to God’s voice through the economic situation.

We also need government at all levels to support biblical economic principles by balancing their budgets and reducing their debt. Additionally, local, state, and federal governments need to enact policies to encourage citizens to live within their means and build assets instead depleting assets and/or incurring debt. In the end, success is not measured in dollars, it is measured in obedience to God and alignment with His will. We must stop working for our own interests and work for the good of the whole, and in particular, the good of future generations. This is the only way that American manufacturing can become competitive again. 

In closing: 

The second law of thermodynamics applied to physical phenomena is irreversible apart from divine intervention. But applied to economic phenomena, this law can be reversed. All that we must do is repent of our financial and economic sin and then align with God’s will for financial stewardship. American manufacturing can be competitive again, but only if Americans choose to obey God. The bottom line is that if we don’t embrace biblical economic principles, we will die economically; but if we embrace biblical principles, we will prosper. May the Lord give us grace to prosper. 

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him - Psalm 37: 5-7

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)