Sound The Midnight Cry

“The End—Or Is it?”

As a kid growing up, you always knew when the movie was over—it told you so! Big as life, it would come on the screen and say, “The End”. Not like most movies today, whether for the big screen or TV, that just end and have you saying, “Don’t tell me that’s the end!”

Call me silly or foolish but there was something comforting at the end of the movie when it told you “the end”. With those two words came a sense of closure; a setting that you walked away with that left no questions. In a world that every day seems to bring new questions and leave many unanswered, closure is kind of nice. However, life seldom is like the movies (at least the old ones where the couple lived happily ever after).

This past week, we saw three famous people in the news—all three reporting their death—Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. All three of these people died at different ages and by different causes, but the end result is still death.

Ed McMahon is best remembered as the side-kick for Johnny Carson. Many people do not know that he was a retired Colonel in the US Marine Corps Reserve and was commissioned a Brigadier General in the California Air National Guard. He lived 86 years and was considered successful by almost any standard. At the end of life, he died an avowed atheist.

Farrah Fawcett, made famous by a one year stint on the hit TV show “Charlie’s Angels” had all the world offered; beauty, fame, fortune and tragedy. At only 62, Death had stalked her for years as she battled cancer and the world watched. Farrah was a professing Roman Catholic at the end of her life.

Michael Jackson, age 50, was an enigma. Jackson had talent beyond most that will ever live but that gift was overshadowed by the surgeries, the bizarre behavior, the ugly allegations, the court cases, the millions of dollars of debt. In 2007, fleeing his scandal back home, Jackson moved to Bahrain and announced he had converted to Islam.

Interestingly, all three lived their lives, became wealthy and famous and enjoyed all the good things this world has to offer. They started at different points, traveled different roads to get there and arrived at different times—and basically, left at the same time.

Christians know that death is not the end, but the beginning. Hebrews 9:27 declares, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

For Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, this week doesn’t mark the end. For them, it is just beginning. Given what is known (or not known) about their individual spiritual condition—that is a sobering thought.

If there is one thing we can learn from the life and death of every ‘icon’ on this planet, it is that we all must live with eternity in view. As Leonard Ravenhill so eloquently asked, "Are the things you’re living for worth Christ dying for?"

Only you can answer that question!

“Here You Come Again!”

The song title from several years ago, made famous by Dolly Parton, kind of says it all about this little news item.

This week, the French Foreign Ministry announced that the Union for the Mediterranean, a project aimed at boosting ties between the European Union and Mediterranean states, is to be formally revived at the end of this month.

The project, which was first proposed by then EU President Nicolas Sarkozy and came into being this time last year, has been filled with difficulties.             

Northern European countries disliked the idea of EU funds being spent on a grandiose scheme that would show favoritism to southern members of the union. So membership was increased to accommodate the entire European Union.

Arab nations also signaled their unwillingness to join the union due to Israel's inclusion in the group, fearing their participation might lend legitimacy to Israel's right to exist. But Arab opposition to the project was overcome when the EU offered the Arab League observer status within the new organization.

The EU also sweetened the deal for Israel, increasing its representation within the group. Libya refused to join the union over Israel's inclusion, and instead was granted observer status until Gaddafi changes his mind. And it seems that the recent thaw in relations between Libya and Italy may pave the way for Libyan membership in the Mediterranean Union.

Now with a new American administration in power that is seeking to repair its reputation in the Muslim world, the EU is aiming to revive its Mediterranean project with a goal to kick-starting the peace process and expanding its sphere of influence over the region.

Sarkozy's vision of the Union for the Mediterranean is nothing less than a revival of the old Roman Empire itself. The French President claimed in February 2007, “Within every man and woman who lives on the shores of the Mediterranean sleeps the memory, nostalgia, for the unity lost 15 centuries ago”. He added that he wanted to be “the president of a France that will set the Mediterranean on the path of its reunification, after 12 centuries of division”. That vision is also shared by other politicians involved in the European Union project.

Last year European Commission President Manuel Barroso, when questioned on exactly what the European project hoped to achieve, claimed that the EU was the world's first “non-imperial empire”. Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak, who famously called for a man, “be he god or devil“, to lift the nations out of the economic morass into which they were sinking, was a signatory to the Treaty of Rome which established the institutions of the European Union. When asked how he felt when signing the treaty, he said, “we felt like Romans on that day... We were consciously recreating the Roman Empire once more”.

The Bible states that, “in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44.

Bible prophecy is happening right before our eyes and they are road signs pointing to the return of Jesus Christ. I can almost hear the words to the song now… “Here He comes again!”

"Game On!"

At the time of this writing, more than 45 million eligible Iranians are voting in their presidential elections. The turnout is so high they had to print more ballots and extend the poll closing time. You can be sure that there will be arguments as to the outcome, no matter what.

The question of “which Iran will emerge?” is both a political one and a prophetic one.

If Ahmadinejad wins re-election (odds are in his favor as an incumbent has never been voted out), we know what vision of Iran he has. If his major rival, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi wins, this casts a big question mark of Iran’s immediate future.

First, though the people if Iran get to vote, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his cabinet of clerics have already chosen four presidential contenders. These are those who are loyal to the Revolution, will follow the wishes of the Supreme Leader, and will prepare the way of the coming of the Islamic Messiah known as the Twelfth Imam or the Mahdi. What remains to be answered is which Iran will emerge and what immediate and long-term global consequences this will bring.

If Ahmadinejad remains in power, we know that he believes that he is destined to usher in a global chaos that would force the Muslim messiah from hiding. He holds the line of eliminating Israel and the U.S. and its allies.

The election of his rival Mousavi throws a wrench into the cog of political dealings with Iran. Though considered a moderate, more investigation shows that he is anything but one. However, he has been more subtle in his religious positions which bring to mind the old saying, “better the devil you know than the one that you don't.” A Mousavi win might give Iran the time to complete their nuclear program while the current US administration plans to open a dialogue with Iran without preconditions. This really brings into focus the risk for Israel.

An Ahmadinejad defeat would not stop Iran's drive towards nuclear weapons. However, it does put Israel in a difficult position. At the present, they know what Ahmadinejad has in mind and have said they will not allow Iran to go nuclear. However, a political coup would tie their hands as world opinion would be against them and risks having the US turn their backs on them.

Regardless of the outcome, the Prophet Ezekiel forecast an alliance that would emerge between the Russians and the Persian Empire of ancient times, headed by modern-day Iran. And whoever the leader is at that time, that alliance will launch an invasion of Israel. When it seems that Israel is going to be destroyed, its Messiah, Jesus Christ, returns to defeat its enemies.

This election only reminds us that the individual players may change, but the game is still on!

“I’m So Confused!”

In the movie "Moonstruck," the old, Italian grandfather buried his head in his hands and sobbed "I'm so confused". It was in response to his daughter's complicated love life. I think that old man's words sum up what many thinking people feel about the daily news coming out of Washington concerning the nation’s financial health. Consider the following:

The White House called current deficit spending 'unsustainable' and warned of skyrocketing interest rates if the US continues to finance its government by borrowing from other countries. “We can’t keep on just borrowing from China,” Obama said at a town-hall meeting in New Mexico. “We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.”

However, no sooner are those words spoken, the Obama administration revised upward its projected deficit bringing this year's shortfall to $1.84 trillion. The revised 2010 fiscal year shows the deficit at $1.26 trillion. Add in the White House Office of Management and Budget projected 2010 budget of $3.59 trillion.

Knowing that this isn’t what you want people to be focusing upon, the President proposed $17 billion in budget cuts, with plans to eliminate or reduce 121 federal programs. This was nothing more than a shell game as the cuts represented one-half of 1 percent of the entire budget, while at the same time Obama is seeking an $81 billion increase in other spending. If this seems crazy, hold on to your wallet because it gets crazier.

Recently in New Mexico, the president pledged to work with Congress to fix entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. He told the listeners, "Most of what is driving us into debt is health care, so we have to drive down costs."

This is where I have to say, “I’m so confused!” Why? He just said our debt load was unsustainable and that interest rates will soon skyrocket. He didn't say it might…he said that it will. Yet, in the face of rising interest rates and skyrocketing national debt, he declared "the stars are aligned" in reference to his national health insurance effort.

America doesn't have national health care now because it can't afford to pay the estimated $1.6 trillion plus price tag. Not withstanding, the President with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing beside him, urged Congress to pass legislation by the end of July that would cover the 46 million Americans who have no coverage.

So, let's untangle it all one more time. The banking system is teetering and the deficit is unsustainable. It will result in skyrocketing interest rates. We can't keep borrowing. Most of what is driving us into debt is health care. So, the solution is to pass legislation giving Congress more oversight into the banking system, raise the deficit, and enact a national health insurance program that will create the conditions he just said would cause interest rates to skyrocket, driving many of us out of our homes.

That kind of brings me to another movie quote that expresses the average person’s frustration with the current financial crisis. When left to only one choice in saving the world from an asteroid, General Kimsey in “Armageddon” says, “The fate of the planet is in the hands of a bunch of retards I wouldn't trust with a potato gun.” [I'm not calling the President a retard, but the quote gets the idea across what is meant].

I’m so glad for the words of that old song that really puts it in perspective for those that are followers of Jesus Christ: “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness… On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

No confusion there!