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After years of skeptical study, I became persuaded that Jesus was telling the truth when He said that prophesied “last-things” events would be fulfilled in his generation (Luke 21:22, 32; etc.). This is the preterist view of eschatology. Preterism teaches that most, if not all prophetic events happened with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Books by modern authors such as Francis Gumerlock and Kenneth Gentry affirm that this view has been part of the discussion since the earliest days of Christianity. Indeed, preterists argue that the writers of the New Testament were preterists. It is re-emerging in popularity....

It seems to me that Christians too often are more interested in defending a position, rather than surrendering to what the Bible teaches. Let’s see what the Bible teaches about a rebuilt temple. Fear not to be challenged and changed. 1. Re-instituted temple sacrifices would be blasphemous to Jesus. The New Covenant began in the first century; there is no New New Covenant. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus’ sacrifice was ONCE FOR ALL (Hebrews 10:8-14). 2. All promises of restoration of Israel have come true in Messiah Jesus (Luke 1:54-55, 69-75; 2 Corinthians 1:20). Jesus replaced...

Part III. “Fake News?” – No Way! The story about the Parkland shooting, though tragic, has resulted in several positive outcomes. It has spawned journalists into action to do more investigative reporting. This three-part story covered in the past several days was investigated and is verifiable. The University of South Florida failed to report the incidents involving foreigner Abdul Quddos Hussein, who allegedly burglarized two buildings at the USF location in Tampa – the Registrar’s Office and the College of Engineering. However, the Department of Education allowed USF to get away with lying to them, thereby failing to uphold the...

In the aftermath of 17 students and teachers being gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, schools, colleges, and universities are reevaluating campus safety and taking a closer look at their active-shooter protocols. There are questions about how this could have happened when there were so many signs for earlier detection. In a three-part series, we will examine a local well-publicized case involving the University of South Florida where an incident was detected at the Tampa campus but went unreported by the USF police department and how the failure to take appropriate action could have just...

Beware the Deception of False Prophets Msgr. Charles Pope • July 31, 2016 • In today’s first reading (Monday of the 18th Week) the Prophet Jeremiah denounces the false prophets of his day, who promise all sorts grand visions for Israel despite its sin. Jeremiah says to the people, By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke! (Jer 28:13) In other words, by failing to repent (breaking the wooden yoke) you shall know an iron yoke. (Think about the addiction to sin of many who do not show restraint earlier in life.) To the false prophets of...

A Brief Biblical Manual on the Problem of Deception Msgr. Charles Pope • August 13, 2015 • 0 Comments A great clarion call goes up quite often in Scripture: “Do not be deceived!” And indeed, this call must go up as never before, for we live in times of great deception. So many have been deceived about marriage, sexuality, life, the existence of God, and what our life is really all about. And while our current times show widespread deception, it must also be noted that deceiving and being deceived are common human tendencies, especially in our fallen condition. Scripture...

AFP - US filmmaker and long-time Hugo Chavez supporter Oliver Stone hailed the late Venezuelan leader as a "great hero" on Tuesday, saying he will "live forever in history." Actor and activist Sean Penn, another Hollywood friend to Chavez, also paid tribute saying the world's poor had lost a "champion" and America had also lost "a friend it never knew it had."

London - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of a crucial round of diplomatic talks in Europe Tuesday that progress in the Middle East peace process would 'confound cynics and surprise the world.' Speaking in London after a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Netanyahu said he had outlined what he called the 'winning formula' for Middle East peace. 'We need a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel,' Netanyahu told reporters after the one-hour meeting. 'Recognition is the pillar of peace.' Brown said the talks had been 'as realistic as ever but more optimistic' than in the...

By on @ 6:07AM Evangelical Left activist Jim Wallis of Sojourners is rallying liberal wayfarers for the Promised Land of government-controlled health care, announcing his "40 Days for Health Reform" crusade during an August 10 media conference call. The media and political pressure campaign by liberal religionists represents a "massive escalation" for Obamacare, a news release promised. Evidently President Obama himself will join Wallis in his next media conference call on August 19, creating a political Mount of Transfiguration moment, with both the figurative Moses and Messiah (or Elijah?) joining to save their people from the Egypt of private health...

Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll preached on the still popular and still controversial topic of emerging churches in his latest sermon. But it’s an issue he normally wouldn’t teach to his mainly twenty-something church crowd in Seattle. That’s because Mars Hill attendants don’t use the language “emerging church” as many Christian leaders label them. The issue of the emerging church, however, was raised when thousands of people, who regularly tune into Mars Hill sermons every week through the Internet, voted to make it the No. 2 most popular topic they wanted Driscoll to address in a sermon series titled “Religion...

Job 31:1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?" Job who is accredited with being a man of perfect integrity and a man who feared God and turned away from evil is showing us a depth of his heart that has kept him the man of integrity that he is. Covenant's are not contracts and are most assuredly not to be broken. Job has refused to bow to the low standards of his culture and has risen to a level that is blessed by God. Job understands that the eyes are...

/begin my excerpt N. Korean Nuclear Test: China Duped (Asia Weekly) /snip Beijing Duped by Pyongyang = A high-ranking Chinese official confessed, "We could not find out whether N. Korea possessed nuclear weapons, nor how far N. Korean nuclear development progressed." Such information have to be obtained through intelligence network inside N. Korea, but a few years ago, a man in charge of State Security Bureau in Yanji City was bribed with $300,000 by N. Korean intelligence, and China's intelligence network inside N. Korea was wiped out overnight (due to information N. Koreans got from him in return.) Since then,...

The wife of disgraced former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham felt deceived about the extent of her now-estranged husband's corruption, she said in her first public interview since the scandal broke last year. Nancy Cunningham told The New Republic magazine that she didn't question junkets paid by defense contractors because other senior congressional figures, including Speaker Dennis Hastert, joined in. "How can it be illegal or unethical if the most important man in Congress is doing it?" she asked interviewer Kitty Kelley, the celebrity biographer. Duke Cunningham, who held seats on powerful House intelligence and appropriations committees, resigned from Congress last...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Wisam Younis' sole ambition in life, he said Friday, is to kill Americans. So he claimed surprise when he discovered his car bomb had killed eight Iraqis and wounded more than 80 outside a Baghdad restaurant. Younis and brothers Badr and Yassin Shakir are charged with murder and face the death penalty in the May 23 attack. "We did not know that the attack would target innocent people and we were deceived," said Younis, barefooted and with bruised and swollen hands. He said they were taken in by enthusiastic ideas and money, adding that an insurgent leader...