According to The Daily Signal:
A Bermuda hotel canceled two events this week because the organizers believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman.
Ryan T. Anderson, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, was scheduled to speak on marriage at public forums Tuesday and Wednesday at the hotel in Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. But the hotel canceled the events, calling Anderson and others who hold his views “anti-diversity.”
According to John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire:
Like the saying goes, It is deja vu all over again. In 2012, the Catholic Church was scheduled to participate in the International House of Prayer’s Onething conference. While this startling information was available on Catholic sites online, there was virtually nothing about it on the IHOP-KC and Onething websites.
In 2012, Catholic participation was canceled, and this spiritual partnership never took place. In 2015, the Catholics are once again scheduled to participate at Onething, and IHOP-KC founder Mike Bickle has determined yet again to keep this information off the IHOP-KC and Onething websites.
Baptist Press reports:
In an address on a “new phase” in America’s war on terror, President Obama said committing acts of violence in the name of Allah represents a perversion of Islam.
Presenting a televised speech from the Oval Office for just the second time in his presidency, according to the Associated Press, Obama called Muslims “to speak out against … those interpretations of Islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance, mutual respect and human dignity.” He called all Americans “to reject discrimination” against Muslims.
Evangelical scholars of Islam responded to both points, noting a debate among both Christians and Muslims over the compatibility of Islam and violent jihad, the Muslim term for holy war.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 NASB
Some have used the passage above to teach that Christians must still keep the whole Law, but a careful reading of the passage clearly shows that it is conditional. Did Jesus come to destroy the law or the prophets? No, He came to fulfill them. What does that mean? This speaks of fulfillment in the same sense that prophecy is fulfilled. Our Lord Jesus indicates the He fulfills the Law in all its aspects. He fulfills the moral law by keeping it perfectly. He fulfills the ceremonial law by being the embodiment of everything to which the Law’s types and symbols pointed. Our Lord fulfills the Judicial Law by personifying God’s perfect justice (Matthew 12:18, 20). In any case, the emphasis here is not that all who are true Christians must also perfectly keep the Law. Aren’t you glad? If you doubt that then read the book of Galatians carefully. Actually, our Lord is emphasizing His high view of Scripture and its authority as the inspired Word of God in this passage. Those who reject it as such are those whose righteousness does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees and they shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Think of the apostates who are walking into heresy even teaching and embracing heretical doctrines because they have rejected God’s Word as the authoritative, inspired Word of God.
From Berean Research:
Kudos to Herescope’s researchers for their willingness to tackle topics many discernment ministries won’t touch. After reading “Part 11: The Physics of Heaven* A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction” penned by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, you’ll understand why some researches shy away from esoteric topics such as the so-called “physics of heaven.” This is no easy concept to grasp. Even so, pastor DeBruyn does a stellar job conveying what it all means and why we should not take this sort of thing seriously. The book was written by Larry Randolph. Randolph embraces New Apostolic Reformation’s highly unbiblical theology. His teaching is utter nonsense. Take a look at a couple of quotes from the article:
Syed Farook’s father believes that in two years Israel will not exist anymore. Fox News has the story:
San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook shared ISIS’ ideology, wanted to see the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and was fixated with Israel, Farook’s father told an Italian newspaper during an interview in which he also offered his own unusual ideas about Israel.
“My son said that he shared [ISIS leader Abu Bakr] Al Baghdadi’s ideology and supported the creation of the Islamic State,” said Farook’s dad, also named Syed Farook, who lives in Corona, Calif., with another son who is a Navy veteran. “He was also obsessed with Israel.”
“I told him he had to stay calm and be patient because in two years Israel will not exist anymore,” the elder Farook told La Stampa in an article published Sunday. The foreign language daily’s report was translated in part by The Times of Israel.
“Geopolitics is changing: Russia, China and America don’t want Jews there anymore. They are going to bring the Jews back to Ukraine. What is the point of fighting? We have already done it and we lost. Israel is not to be fought with weapons, but with politics. But he did not listen to me, he was obsessed,” the father said in the interview, according to The Times of Israel.
According to Christian Examiner:
The terror attack that took place in San Bernardino, Calif., last week was a new evolution of terrorism, President Barack Obama said in an address to the nation on Sunday.
Because the attack was not an international operation, the president said, it was much harder to detect than “complex, multifaceted attacks like 9/11,” in spite of the fact that the terrorists, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, had stockpiled a large amount of weapons, ammunition and pipe bombs.
While Obama said the victims of the attack were “brutally murdered and injured by one of their coworkers and his wife,” he did define the attack as an act of terrorism. However, stopped short of saying the attackers had been directed from terror groups overseas. He also said there was no hint of a “broader conspiracy” either.
Christian News Network reports:
Researchers have confirmed that biomaterial discovered on an ancient fossil is in fact preserved dinosaur blood, astonishing evolutionists who continue to believe the fossil is 80 million years old.
Over the past decade, scientists have unearthed a number of dinosaur fossils with preserved blood vessels and soft tissue. Many evolutionists initially treated such discoveries with skepticism and incredulity—while others rejected them outright—due to their seeming incompatibility with the evolutionary timeframe.
5 Listen, my beloved brethren:did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him. James 2:5 NASB
During His earthly ministry, as our Lord walked through Roman occupied Galilee, Samaria, and Judea and other parts of what we call the Middle East in our time, the “so-called educated experts” criticized Him with respect to His education credentials John 7:14-15. What was His response? Did He back down? Did He buy into the authority of these men as carrying any weight that He must take into account in regards to the truth He taught and preached? No! He countered by challenging their competence as He spoke the truth from the Father. Think of the outrage today if someone like me who has no letters after his name like Doctor of Theology or whatever were to do as our Lord did and directly challenged one of these high placed religious leaders whose fruit of apostasy is continually being revealed as they refuse to follow the will of God. However, that is the very basis our Lord used to disqualify those who challenged Him John 7:17, 19.
According to Christian News Network:
A Bible study group in Colorado has literally gone to pot, inviting its members to smoke marijuana together while discussing the Scriptures.
The group is called the “Stoner Jesus Bible Study” and was formed after Colorado legalized the use of recreational marijuana. It was formed by Deb Button, who first posted her invite on Craigslist. Only one person attended at first, who told reporters last month that Button was “so baked out of her head she forgot that she’d invited me over.”
“Many people have a thirst for spiritual connection that is lacking in the traditional church setting and we aim to learn from the wisdom of His word and teachings,” the group writes on its website. “And yes, cannabis is welcome as it can bring clarity of thought and a sense of connectedness that we often only find in a small group of fellow stoners.”
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 NASB
There is such a thing as Biblical unity and then there is false unity. True Biblical unity is, of course, rooted in the Word of God, while false unity is rooted in the world’s wisdom applied to Christianized thinking. Those professing Christians seeking unity with Islam and other religions, for instance, make their cause sound very noble, but true Biblical unity can only be based on one truth, “the unanimous agreement concerning the unique revelation of God through Jesus Christ” not human reason, or experience. In fact, professing Christians pursuing this “false unity” is a perfect case of where presuppositional thinking comes to bear. When our presuppositions are lined up as God would have them then we will be unified only with those Christians who are also in Christ as we are. On the other hand, those who do the opposite, seeking unity with all forms of religions and beliefs regardless of doctrinal differences, shows that their presuppositions are based outside of the bounds of belief.
According to The Associated Press:
The president of Liberty University urged students at the Christian school to carry concealed weapons on campus to counter any possible armed attack like the mass killings in San Bernardino, Calif.
“Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here,” President Jerry Falwell Jr. told students at a convocation Friday.
Economist Nicholis Loris of The Daily Signal writes:
President Obama’s opening remarks at the Paris climate agreement were effectively an apology for industrial progress. At the kickoff of the talks, Obama remarked, “I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter, to say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating this problem; we embrace our responsibility to do something about it.”
Obama should not be apologizing for the economic growth that dramatically improved Americans’ and much of the world’s quality of life. Instead, the president should apologize for pushing costly and ineffective climate policies that will make us worse off and trap the world’s poorest citizens in poverty.
According to Religion News Service some leading Muslims speak out against Islamic extremism:
While details are still unfolding as to why a California Muslim couple turned to murder, Muslims in the West must step up and admit terrorism is rooted in extremist Islam, said four Muslim panelists speaking at a conservative think tank on Thursday (Dec. 3).
They criticized major U.S. Muslim groups that lament such tragedies but say their religion is not responsible. They insisted the violence has roots in Islam, and that Islamist political terror is nurtured in Saudi Arabia’s strict Wahhabi branch of the faith.
And they blasted the Obama administration for steadfastly refusing to brand terror as Islamic extremism. President Obama decried the deaths and pledged a thorough investigation of the attack but cautioned against setting blame based on the killers’ Muslim names.
According to Christian News Network:
Israeli archaeologists have discovered a mark from the seal of biblical King Hezekiah, who helped build Jerusalem into an ancient metropolis.
The circular inscription, on a piece of clay less than a centimeter (0.4 inches) long, may very well have been made by the king himself, said Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University who directed the excavation where it was uncovered.
According to Christian Examiner:
After the International Mission Board’s (IMB) shocking announcement in August about a serious budget deficit, what will happen to the 600 to 800 overseas missionaries whose jobs it announced it will cut during its “organization reset”?
Southern Baptists have responded to the 170-year-old organization’s financial crisis — rising through the past few years and finally requiring the IMB to stop relying on reserves and make some heart-wrenching personnel cuts — by welcoming home missionaries with help finding housing, transportation, and jobs.
1 Ὃ ἦν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς — 2 καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν — 3 ὃ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθʼ ἡμῶν. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 4 καὶ ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη. (1 John 1:1-4 NA28)
1 What was from the beginning which we have heard–which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and touched with our hands—with respect to the Word of Life—2 indeed the life was manifested and we have seen it and we give testimony and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 what we have seen and we have heard we proclaim to you also that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write that our joy maybe made full. (1 John 1:1-4 translated from the NA28 Greek text)
Eusebius was a contemporary of Constantine. His book, The Church History, covers the time of the Apostles and spread of Christianity over the Roman world during and after their time. He brings up an interesting point about a third of the way through the book in that while the Apostles were still alive as well as those who were eye witnesses to their lives and ministries and that included those who had actually seen our Lord Jesus before his crucifixion and after his resurrection, our enemy could only successfully attack with limited success from within the Church. Heresies were easily dealt with as John did in the passage above in dealing a deathblow to the major doctrines of an early form of Gnosticism. However, after these first generation leaders of the Church died or were martyred (which was more likely), our enemy changed tactics and so began the era of wolves coming into the Church to lead astray the sheep with deadly heresies such as Arianism. What is the solution? What has always been the solution? It is the same as what the Apostle John did in 1 John and the Apostle Paul did in 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, and 1 Corinthians and the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter. They commanded leaders to teach and preach the Word.
Christian Examiner reports:
While media pundits debated terrorism Wednesday night, the Southern California mass shooting touched off another heated debate on social media over the value of prayer, and the New York Daily News escalated the dispute with an inflammatory and even sacrilegious headline screaming: “GOD ISN’T FIXING THIS.”
It isn’t clear when the argument on Twitter and Facebook started, although George Zornick, Washington editor for the liberal-leaning The Nation, sent out a Tweet several hours after the shooting with two pictures comparing the Twitter reactions of the Democratic candidates and the Republican candidates for president.
Democrats such as Hillary Clinton called for more gun control – “We must take action to stop gun violence now,” she wrote – while Republicans such as Ted Cruz called for prayer. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and the first responders,” he wrote.
According to Christian News Network, Dr. Ben Carson rejects the Bible’s clear teaching on hell and chooses to embrace Seventh-Day adventism’s unbiblical teaching that souls sleep until the Second Coming of Christ.:
Despite the numerous Scriptures warnings given by Jesus himself, Seventh Day Adventist and presidential candidate Ben Carson told The Washington Post that he does not believe in hell.
“I don’t believe there is a physical place where people go and are tormented,” he stated. “No. I don’t believe that.”
As previously reported, Seventh Day Adventists believe in the “annihilation of the wicked,” rejecting the doctrine of eternal torment out of their assertion that the Bible doesn’t teach about a permanent place called Hell, but rather the snuffing out of the soul.
“How repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of justice, is the doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented with fire and brimstone in an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a brief earthly life they are to suffer torture as long as God shall live,” wrote founder Ellen White in “The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan.”
Christian News Network reports:
A federal court has ruled that a memorial cross that sits on public land is constitutional, despite objections from a prominent humanist organization.
The Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial, also known as the “peace cross,” was erected in 1925 by the American Legion to honor the lives of 49 men from Prince George County who died during the war.
The cross stands 40 feet tall in Memorial Park, and also features a plaque that reads, “The right is more precious than the peace; we shall fight for the things we have always carried nearest our hearts; to such a task we dedicate ourselves.” The site is mainly used by the American Legion for Memorial Day and Veterans Day celebrations.
Breitbart reports:
Day Two: Authorities are still investigating details of a mass shooting Wednesday morning in San Bernardino, California at the Inland Regional Center, a facility for developmentally disabled adults. 14 people were killed and at least 17 injured in a conference room at the center, where county employees had been enjoying a holiday party. There appear to be two suspects, both Muslim, a husband-and-wife team named Syed Rezwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. Large portions of the city remain locked down.
6:45 a.m.: A high school in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood where many Hollywood celebrities live, has received a threat, according to the Palisadian-Post:
BREAKING: Parents this evening received notification that Palisades Charter High School is on “high alert” due to an anonymous tip. According to Pali High Principal Pamela Magee, it was Palisades Charter Elementary School that received a threatening call today. “Pali High was notified of the alert and sent out a similar message about being on high alert due to the incident in [San Bernardino],” Magee told the #palipost. Pali Elementary could not be reached for comment.
One parent commented on Facebook: “Having received that call from Palisades Elementary School tonight I can say that while the call itself was disturbing the complete lack of update or follow up made it more so. The call didn’t say do or don’t send kids to school, so I think we have all been left wondering.”
27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27 NASB
1 Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία· πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύετε. 2 ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν· εἰ δὲ μή, εἶπον ἂν ὑμῖν ὅτι πορεύομαι ἑτοιμάσαι τόπον ὑμῖν; 3 καὶ ἐὰν πορευθῶ καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τόπον ὑμῖν, πάλιν ἔρχομαι καὶ παραλήμψομαι ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐμαυτόν, ἵνα ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἦτε. 4 καὶ ὅπου [ἐγὼ] ὑπάγω οἴδατε τὴν ὁδόν. 5 Λέγει αὐτῷ Θωμᾶς· κύριε, οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ὑπάγεις· πῶς δυνάμεθα τὴν ὁδὸν εἰδέναι; 6 λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ διʼ ἐμοῦ. (John 14:1-6 NA28)
1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe in me also. 2 In my Father’s house there are many rooms, if not, I would have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming and will receive you to myself that where I am you may be also. 4 And where I go, you know the way. 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you go. How are we able to know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6 translated from the NA28 Greek text)
Genuine Christian Faith bears fruit in those who possess it as they mature, persevering in the fires of sanctification. This fruit is seen in hearts that have joy and remain at peace even when under burdens that would crush most people. Yes, Christians often lament and mourn and deeply desire for those burdens to be lifted, but as they place their eyes on Christ and their perspective moves from the temporal to the eternal then what was troubling their hearts seems relatively trivial. What is the worst this world can do to us? It offers cruelty and death as we saw in San Bernardino, California today. However, for those in Christ, we have the promise of life in Christ no matter what happens to us in this life.
Christian News Network reports:
A Republican lawmaker in Colorado pointed to Planned Parenthood’s violence against the unborn in a comment on social media this week, stating that the nation must “start pointing out who is the real culprit.”
Rep. JoAnn Windholz of Denver made the comments on Monday on Facebook.
“The freedoms we enjoy in the United States include those that were made up to fit the audience and unsubstantiated numerical support, specifically the right to an abortion,” she wrote. “When a violent act happens at a Planned Parenthood facility (most recent in Colorado Springs) the left goes on ‘auto-pilot’ blaming everyone in sight when they should be looking in a mirror.”
Christian Examiner reports:
Supporters of same-sex marriage are warning about a backlash against this summer’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, and a prominent Christian sociologist says they have reason to be concerned.
The anxiousness on the part of LGBT leaders follows the defeat of a transgender equal rights ordinance in Houston as well as the widespread support among Christian conservatives for Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples if her name was on them.
Additionally, the Alabama Supreme Court in September ruled that the state doesn’t have to recognize the adoption of children by a lesbian woman in a custody dispute across state lines. She lives in Georgia, while the biological mom and the children live in Alabama. The controversy began when the two women ended their relationship.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:1-5 NASB
When we look at the Moon in its phases what we are actually seeing is part of that created body orbiting the Earth facing the Sun and so reflecting its light back to us while the part not facing it being in shadow, appears dark. The dividing line between the two is called the Terminator. On one side is day and on the other is night. One side is light, one side is dark. However, we must remember that the Moon simply reflects light back to us, it has no light of its own, no brightness or luminosity generated that makes up its nature unlike the Sun. In our Lord’s Transfiguration the glory in which Moses and Elijah were seen was actually the glory being manifested from our Lord. It was His glory or δόξα which awakened Peter, James, and John to their astonishment. As the passage above, from John 1, states, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” What is this light and what is this darkness? What is this life? What has this to do with the dividing line between God Centeredness and Man Centeredness? Let’s see.
