Sound The Midnight Cry

“The Devil Is In The Details”

The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings shows this phrase as a variation of “God is in the details.” It refers to “whatever one does should be done thoroughly; details are important.” “The Devil is in the details” is a variant of the proverb, referring to a catch hidden in the details.

For two weeks, the leaders of the West and members of the Arab League have revived what is known as the “Saudi Peace Initiative.” The plan offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for Israeli withdrawal from lands captured [after Israel was attacked] in the 1967 Six Day War. It also calls for setting up a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees.

All of this may sound ‘reasonable’ but remember the ‘details’ is where the problems lie. Looking closer one can find two details the media is not reporting. Both of them are disconcerting but the first one is a major reason for Christians to be concerned. “Israel must halt Jewish Immigration (Aliyah) so that the Israelis leaving the country or revoking their citizenship are not replaced by newcomers.” 

Aliyah is a Hebrew word that means ascent, rise, advance, or progress. Today, it is progress toward something important to all believers. Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to Israel, the return of the Jewish people to their homeland. There are approximately 700 scriptures in the Bible relating to the subject of Aliyah. Couple this requirement with another clause that the Arab League wants to impose on Israel – the “right of immigration” for all ‘displaced Palestinians.’ Israel would be overrun by migrating Arabs who would take over the land while Jews would not be allowed to enter the country to settle. 

This requirement in the Saudi Peace Plan [the plan is being pushed by U.S. Secretary of State Rice] can only mean one thing: the Islamic Arabs fear the Jews coming to Israel for they know it will destroy their Islamic dream of a Palestine.

It would be well for us in the West to remember that the Arab League has tremendous power in the UN, and with the EU afraid to oppose them simply because they need the oil. The Saudi Foreign Minister this week said, “If Israel refuses, that means it doesn't want peace. Then [the conflict] goes back into the hands of the lords of war.” In my book that's not a negotiation for peace--that’s an ultimatum!

Pray for our president that the U.S. remains a strong ally to Israel and not force them to “accept” our terms. Pray that God raise up a voice that would speak for Israel’s cause. What God has put together, let no man separate and God help anyone [or nations] that divide God’s inheritance! Psalms 122:6

“An Inconvenient Truth”

Unless you have been living with your head stuck in the ground, you are probably aware of Al Gore’s documentary on global warming called “An Inconvenient Truth.” It took in more than $46 million, making it one of the top-grossing documentaries. The companion book quickly became No. 1 on the NY Times’ list. The documentary embraced by the Hollywood elite, depicts a future in which temperatures soar, ice sheets melt, seas rise, hurricanes batter the coasts and millions of people die. “Unless we act boldly,” Gore wrote, “our world will undergo a string of terrible catastrophes.”

Last week, the media outlets were reporting that scientists, climatologists and astronomers are now questioning much of the “scientific conclusions” that the former V.P. uses in his film and book.

This past January, the media reported, “The cherry blossoms are blooming in Washington. People are jogging in Central Park in shorts and T-shirts. Surely this is PROOF of global warming.”  

When the Congress scheduled emergency hearings to discuss global warming, [since rescheduled as they had to be canceled due to an ice storm] the whole country suddenly plunged into a deep freeze. Snowstorms in Malibu, California, hard freezes in Florida, and caused an estimated $1 billion in damage to the nation’s citrus crops.

My purpose in writing today is not to issue a position on the issue of global warming. I simply want to point out, that the only aspect of “global warming” that I am concerned about is found in the 2 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it…”

There are “mega-church” organizations in America today calling evangelicals to get involved in “protecting” the planet. Those that support that position will surely find fault with this article. However, it never ceases to amaze me how Christians lose sight of the eternal to focus on that which is temporal. Yes, live responsibly with the resources that God has given us. However, never lose sight of the fact that God’s Word declares that “we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth…Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”

One other point: I do agree with Al Gore that “Unless we act boldly, our world will undergo a string of terrible catastrophes.” Unless the Church decides to boldly proclaim the “coming of the Lord”, when Christ comes back as “judge” that day will be “An Inconvenient Truth.”

“Come out; come out, wherever you are!”

Most of us as children played the game “Hide and Seek.” The “seeker” would go around looking behind every object hoping to catch someone hiding from them. Occasionally there was the time when someone couldn’t be found. That may all end with the new plans from American Express.

Corporate leaders of American Express were caught off guard when CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) called attention to one of the company's patent applications. That patent application, titled “Method and System for Facilitating a Shopping Experience,” describes a blueprint for monitoring consumers through RFID-enabled objects, like the American Express Blue Card.

According to the patent, RFID readers called “consumer trackers” would be placed in store shelving to pick up “consumer identification signals” emitted by RFID-embedded objects carried by shoppers. These would be used to identify people, track their movements, and observe their behavior. The patent also suggested such people-tracking systems could “be located in a common area of a school, shopping center, bus station or other place of public accommodation.”

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a controversial technology that uses tiny microchips to transmit information at a distance. These RFID microchips have earned the nickname “spychips” because the data they contain can be read silently and invisibly by radio waves without an individual's knowledge or consent.

Dozens of credit card companies have already issued “spychip” cards where you simply wave the card in front of a reader and the transaction is complete. The AMEX card is the first to enable “tracking” of the individual.

In response to CASPIAN concerns, American Express has promised that it would make a chip-free version of its credit card available to concerned consumers who ask for it.

The problem with this response is that the responsibility falls on the consumer to request a “chip-less” credit card. The majority of people never read the “fine print” that comes in those credit card applications. This would enable the financial institutions that issue them the ability to do so without any protest.

The “mark of the beast” is one step closer to completion and marks the nearness of the return of Jesus Christ. It’s time to step out and declare “He is coming!”

“America – The Land Of Free Speech…For Some!”

Americans have always prided themselves on the Constitutional liberties provided for them: freedom to assemble, freedom of religion, freedom of speech among others. However, in the culture battle presently taking place in America, it appears that one group is on the verge of losing its “freedom of speech.” Who are they? — “Christians.”

A ruling this week from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has concluded that municipal employers have the right to censor the words “natural family,” “marriage” and “family values” because that is hate speech and could scare workers. The court ruled that municipalities have a right to dictate what form an employee’s speech may take, even if it is in regard to controversial public issues.

“Public employers are permitted to curtail employee speech as long as their ‘legitimate administrative interests’ outweigh the employee’s interest in freedom of speech,” said the court’s opinion.   

The case had developed when two city employees who wanted to launch a group of people who shared their interests posted a notice on a city bulletin board. This was done after a series of notices from homosexual activists were delivered to them via the city’s e-mail system, bulletin boards and memo distribution system. 

The notice said: “Good News Employee Associations is a forum for people of faith to express their views on the contemporary issues of the day, with respect for the Natural Family, Marriage and Family values. If you would like to be a part of preserving integrity in the workplace call Regina Rederford @xxx- xxxx or Robin Christy @xxx-xxxx”

But the city manager along with the deputy director of the Community and Economic Development Agency ordered their notice removed. Why? Because it contained “statements of a homophobic nature” and promoted “sexual-orientation-based harassment.”

That decision was made even though homosexual groups already had been using the city’s e-mail, bulletin board, and written communications systems for promoting their views. In fact, one city official even used the e-mail system to declare that the Bible “needs updating”—but no actions were taken against those individuals. 

There is an organized effort to quash the voice of anyone that would take a biblical stand. This should not be surprising as 2 Thessalonians 2:3,7 tells us “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for…the secret power of lawlessness is already at work.”

The day is coming when being a follower of Jesus Christ may cost us something…but Jesus already told us that!

“Sacrificial Prophecy Coming To Pass?”

It's been nearly 2,000 years since Jews celebrated Passover at the Temple in Jerusalem, but that may all soon change.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Wednesday, “The present-day Sanhedrin Court decided Tuesday to purchase a herd of sheep for ritual sacrifice at the site of the Temple on the eve of Passover, conditions on the Temple Mount permitting.”

The modern Sanhedrin was established 2 years ago and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. The ancient Jewish high court, which existed until roughly 1600 years ago, meets once a week. The importance of this relates to the opinion of religious authorities believe it was necessary to re-establish the Sanhedrin because only this properly ordained body of sages can authenticate a Messiah when he comes. There is a growing expectation of the long-awaited Messiah to appear among devout Jews.

A spokesman for the Sanhedrin stated that “the action this past week of the Sanhedrin even if merely symbolic, is designed to demonstrate in a way that is obvious to all that the expectation of Temple rituals will resume is real, and not just talk.”

The Passover sacrifice is considered a simple ceremony, relative to other works performed in the Temple. A couple years ago, some members of the various Temple movements performed a symbolic sacrifice on a site that overlooks the Temple Mount from a Jerusalem neighborhood. During the ceremony, participants sacrificed a young goat. The participants also built a special two-meter tall oven, in accordance with Jewish law.

Numerous biblical prophecies in the Old and New Testaments indicate a new Temple will be built in the “last days.” This is probably the most contentious issue in regards to a “peace agreement” in the Middle East. In the past several weeks, accusations between the Islamic leaders guarding the Dome of the Rock that is located on the Temple Mount site and Jewish authorities overseeing nearby excavation and repairs to a bridge near the site have raised religious and political tensions. The announcement of this act of the Sanhedrin could be volatile in nature.

All of these happenings are a stark reminder that the prophecies of God’s Word are true and the stage is being set for Christ’s return to establish His seat of authority in Jerusalem.

Psalms 122:6 admonishes us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” This counsel rings truer for us today than any time in history. So my friends… “watch and pray!”