Free Republic

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the political creation of the State of Israel. This fact is crucial for American fundamentalists. This is because most of them believe in something their pastors call “the clock of prophecy.” It started ticking on May 14, 1948, or so they have been told by a generation of pastors and authors. But there is a problem. It was not supposed to keep ticking longer than 70 years — the normal lifespan of one generation. Before I explain all this, I want you to understand that American fundamentalists are almost all dispensationalists. This is called...

In but a few moments ancient prophecies will be fulfilled and veritable truths realized when the United States moves its embassy to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. It will also be a day when we will remember the strength and courage of the man who made it happen: President Donald Trump. Over the past decades the United States Congress was sincere when voting overwhelmingly to relocate our embassy from Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, to Jerusalem, Israel’s dedicated capital. It made sense; after all, every country in the world decides the location of its capital and embassies are located in those capitals....

A Knock on the Door in the Night Nighttime was especially dangerous on the West Bank – we always tried to get back home to Bethlehem in our little VW Beetle before dark. As foreigners living among the Arabs, we felt vulnerable, although our neighbors were friendly and supportive. But they could do little to help us if anyone wanted to visit harm upon us. Even if we had a telephone (which we didn’t) there were no police to call for help. When the first “Intifada” (Arab uprising) erupted, everything changed. The shadowy radicals who controlled things behind the scenes...

Military analyst Roni Daniel said the intelligence suggested Iran would use Shiite militias already deployed in Syria, along with experts from Hezbollah. Iran is preparing a barrage of missiles to launch against Israeli military positions from Syrian territory, Hebrew media reported Sunday, citing defense officials.

As usual, John has too many slides and too much info to share, but he gives it another valiant effort to bring us up to date on what in the world is going on. In summary, we are living in "The Age of Insecurity" where many moving parts, which appear to be unrelated, are actually interconnected and working behind the scenes to set the stage for the finale. Yet even during this apparent worldwide peril, God's spirit is moving in amazing ways that John will share at the end of this update. John does not trust the suddenly popular leader...

…but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and...

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Tuesday that Israel may strike the Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft defense systems in Syria if they are used against Israel. "One thing should be clear - if someone fires on our planes, we will destroy them," Lieberman said in an interview with the Israeli website Ynet. "What's important to us is that the weapons defense systems that the Russians transfer to Syria are not used against us. If they are used against us, we will act against them."

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the...

“The performance offers a view of Europe taken unawares by the migrant crisis. It asks unpleasant questions about religion, Europe’s stance on the situation in the Middle East and different approaches to terrorist attacks in Europe, Baghdad and Kabul in a provocative way, the festival programme managers say.” A few lessons from this: 1. Europe’s political and media elites want to convince everyone, by means of a relentless propaganda barrage, that in Europe today, the villains are the “racist” “Islamophobes,” and their innocent victims are Muslims. There is no recognition of spiraling rates of rape and other crimes by Muslim...

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day...

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. The Lord is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. Lord, thou hast heard the desire...

Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart,...

The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is...

Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart,...

The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. (Psalm 9:14-15)The ninth Psalm is an eschatological revelation. The Psalmist ,by the Holy Spirit celebrates the coming of the LORD . At his Arrival, the united international enemies of Israel fall, they are turned back and routed! They had besieged her in their fury, but God rebukes them,”putting out their name” forever! The LORD comes...

Gay sex between consenting men in Trinidad and Tobago could soon be decriminalised following a court judgment that campaigners said might spark similar decisions elsewhere in the Caribbean. In his ruling on Thursday, judge Devindra Rampersad said sections of the Sexual Offences Act, which prohibit “buggery” and “serious indecency” between two men, criminalised consensual same-sex activity between adults, and were unconstitutional. “The judge came down on the right side of history in this case by striking down the buggery law and ruling it as unconstitutional,” said Kenita Placide, Caribbean advisor for rights group OutRight Action International, in a statement. The...

The New Yorker approaches topics like a shallow teenager: Slap a disparaging word onto a popular topic and bingo! You have journalism. Among the long, hallowed list of people, places and things the magazine has found “creepy,” the publication’s latest target is – surprise! – the Christianity of the Chik-fil-A franchise. Blogger Dan Piepenbring found the franchise’s “pervasive Christian traditionalism” with its statue of “Jesus washing a disciple’s feet” and its policy to close on Sundays just too much. Then again, The New Yorker has called many things “creepy.” From Miley Cyrus’ return to sobriety to IKEA’s aesthetic to children’s...

The ninth Psalm is eschatological. It is a celebration of the return of King Messiah, whose coming is an intervention, a deliverance of Israel from the amassed nations of the world who have united to destroy her. The psalmist taunts the enemies who have sought Israel’s destruction, O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.(Psalm 9:6)Either this is rendered as ‘Your destructions are over forever!”, or it means “You are eternally destroyed”. Perhaps it is both, for the Coming of the Messiah shall certainly produce both effects;...

The Psalms of the Bible are full of prophecy. A major theme of many of the Psalms is that of the return of the King, Messiah, and his sufferings and glory. The prophecies of the Psalms are eschatological also, describing in great detail the last great conflict of Israel, and of the world conditions at the time of the second coming of Christ. The ninth Psalm is an example of this. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing...