As we pray for the peace of
Jerusalem
Prophetic News and
Commentary
Reporting on Monday, February 05, 2007
Jeremiah 6:17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet….
Isaiah 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O
Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make
mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
V:7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise
in the earth.
Psalms
122:6 Pray for the peace of
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encourage the reader to be as the Bereans and search
the scriptures to see if these things are so (see Acts 17:10-11)
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The following articles are compiled by:
Rick Allinson
World braced for huge surge in bird flu cases
Source: Guardian
05 February 2007 – The number of cases of the deadly bird flu virus is increasing around the world as scientists struggle to combat the disease that is now threatening to jump species and infect humans. The news comes as Britain confirmed its first ever case of H5N1 in a farm in Suffolk. More than 160,000 birds will now be slaughtered as the country's farming industry goes on high alert for more outbreaks.
As the authorities responded to the outbreak in Suffolk, local residents questioned why it had taken some 48 hours after the first chicks died last Tuesday for the government's Department of Food and Rural Affairs, Defra, to be informed. But there was also wider concern. Japan and Nigeria have reported a series of cases of the lethal virus, and China, Egypt, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam have also revealed outbreaks in birds and in humans in the past two months. Indonesia began a mass bird cull in the capital city of Jakarta last Wednesday. At least 164 people are now known to have been killed by the disease across the globe.
The rapid
spread of avian flu can be traced to the fact that the H5N1 virus is mutating as
it spreads through birds and a variety of mammals including cats, tigers and
pigs, said Robert Webster, a
researcher at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Comments: Update; Even though H5N1 has not made the jump to humans yet, the danger signs are increasing and the scientists are worried. Every protective measure has been put in place to curb this disease but as stated in other WWN articles, H5N1 continues to spread around the world. Right now, the scientists are telling us that a huge surge in bird flu cases could start at any time and the world is not prepared for this on a grand scale. Sooner or later, something could trigger this disease into making the jump to humans and it is something just like the event below (article) that could do such a thing. I don’t think the world would be prepared for this disaster but there is no way of stopping it, if it decides to take off. To make matters worse, Indonesia which is the hardest hit country has… Indonesia has stopped sharing bird flu samples, data:
According to officials, Indonesia stopped providing samples internationally last month, hindering efforts to confirm whether the illness killing its citizens is H5N1 and limiting production of vaccines to help prevent its spread. So far, Indonesia has been the worst hit by the disease.
Note: This should tell us that it is in fact H5N1 that is killing its citizens and this should be a greater cause for concern.
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29 dead in Indonesia flood; 340,000 flee
Source: Local News Watch
03 February 2007 – Filthy brown water flooded large parts of Indonesia‘s capital Monday, forcing 340,000 people from their homes and cutting off power and clean water in the city, where at least 29 have died after days of torrential rain.
Rising along with the water was the threat of diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery. Also increasing were complaints and anger about the response to the floods by local officials.
Authorities estimated between 40 percent and 70 percent of the city, which covers an area of more than 255 square miles, had been submerged.
But Indonesia‘s meteorological agency predicted more rain in the coming days, and officials warned that more floods were possible because river levels were still high.
"We are still afraid the water might rise again," said Jayeng, who uses a single name.
Hundreds of thousands of residents remain without electricity and clean water.
…
The flood conditions were also favorable for spreading malaria, dengue fever and the bird flu virus, which has killed more humans in Indonesia than anywhere else, said Bayu Krisnamurthi, the country‘s leading avian influenza official.
Dr. Rustam
Pakaya, from the Health Ministry‘s crisis center, said nearly 340,000 people
had been driven from their homes.
Comments: More flooding and this time it is Indonesia. With 340,000 people driven from their homes there is no doubt that this flooding is on a biblical scale. To make matters worse Indonesia flood sparks fears of killer disease spread. Jakarta has a population of 12 million people and with 80% of Jakarta is now under water (according to other articles) the conditions must be horrible. More rain is in the forecast and that will only make matters worse. The Tsunami, Earthquakes, Bird Flu and flooding is a list of natural disasters Indonesia has been up against over the last while and the people must be wondering when it will all end.
Note: Indonesia is very involved in the Middle East and if you have been following along, the picture should be clear with the next two articles.
Indonesia must prevent tunnel construction under Aqsa mosque
The Indonesian government should encourage other Muslim countries to press Israel to stop constructing a tunnel under the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem because the activity is endangering the mosque, a lawmaker said on Monday.
"The Indonesian government must file a protest with the UN against the Israeli activity," said Suripto, a member of the House of Representatives` Commission on defense, information and foreign affairs.
The tunnel construction was deeply hurting the feelings of Muslims all over the world as the Al Aqsa Mosque is Islam`s second most holy shrine, he said.
As the world`s largest Muslim country, Indonesia must promote solidarity among members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to protest the tunnel`s construction, he said.
"Moreover, the foreign minister (Hassan Wirajuda) will soon visit Syria. I think it is the right moment for Indonesia to promote solidarity (among OIC member countries) to lodge a joint protest against the tunnel`s construction," he said.
It was high time for Muslims all over the world to protest against the Israeli action by boycotting Israeli products, he said.
Indonesia presses Hamas on Quartet demands
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is working to convince Hamas to moderate its opposition to the Quartet demands that the group recognize Israel, stop terrorism, and abide by existing agreements.
According to the London-based pan-Arabic daily Al-Hayat, Indonesian Foreign Minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda is expected to meet next week in Damascus with Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal.
Indonesia is scheduled to host an international conference on the Palestinian crisis in March, which representatives of Hamas are expected to attend.
The following articles are compiled
by:
Leo Wong
Virgin Mary links Muslims and Christians
Source: CanWest News Service
February 5, 2007 -- Mary, whose supporting role in the Nativity is one of the most pivotal in Christianity, is equally revered by devout Muslims, if not more so.
Both Islam and Christianity revere Mary above all other women, a human divinely appointed to bear Jesus in a virgin birth. However, the Qur'an mentions Mary 34 times, and names an entire chapter after her -- more than she gets in the Bible, according to Cruden's Complete Concordance. She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur'an, and some scholars say Muslims actually revere her more than Christians do.
"Without a doubt, she is the most spectacular female figure that appears in the whole of the Qur'an," says Bruce Lawrence, Islamic scholar and author of The Qur'an: A Biography. "That's quite something extra for Christians to have to deal with."
Robert Moynihan, editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, agrees. In one sense, "I would say Muslims have more veneration of Mary -- those who are believing Muslims -- than most Christians today. That's because of the decline of Marion veneration in Christianity."
Pockets of worshippers around the world still pray extensively to Mary, especially among Catholics, but her influence has waned in the last generation. As women struggled to be heard, in church hierarchies and society at large, exhortations to follow Mary's example of chastity and acceptance of God's will started sounding like clerical spin designed to keep the women in line.
Vatican expert and author John Allen also comments on the link: "It is true that Mary is actually referred to more often in the Qur'an than she is in the New Testament," he told reporters during the pope's visit.
"She has always been a figure of strong popular devotion for Muslims as well as Christians. And it would not at all be surprising if Benedict XVI were to want to build on that in some fashion."
Comments: If not for the Vatican’s historical veneration of the Virgin Mary, Pope Benedict would have placed himself above Mary in the worship ladder. But Mary will serve a useful purpose if she can unite Muslims with Roman Catholics worldwide. Islam is a conquering religion and its historians have not readily forgotten the many bloody battles fought in the Holy Land against the European Crusaders instigated by the various popes. The Holy Land changed hands several times.
Roman Catholicism has grown to encompass some 1.2 billion nominal adherents with Islam fast catching up. It’s nearly impossible for Islam to covert or kill (by the sword) so many Catholics so joining them at the spiritual hip bone would be the logical route to take at the present juncture in time. There’s a saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” A union between Catholics and Muslims with the Virgin Mary being the glue makes a whole lot of sense. All other faiths and religions would see the example being set and would join the gigantic Mother Church thus leading to the formation of the One World Church just right after the Rapture event. True Christians with spiritual discernment would spurn such an unholy alliance. They will be martyred by beheading during the 7‑year Tribulation Period. Can the Catholic brand of Christianity and Islam exist side by side. Yes, they can and the Devil’s doctrine, i.e. Mary the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven can be the unifier.
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Hundreds discuss book by atheist Richard Dawkins
Source: Karen Toole (a Protestant minister) of the Winnipeg Free Press Online
February 5, 2007 -- On January 25, 2007, a significant gathering took place here in Winnipeg. Over a hundred people gathered at McNally Robinson book store to hear the first of the "Thinking Out Loud" series. The topic that night was a discussion on the best-selling book, The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins. The panelists discussing the book were Dr. Janice Dodd, women's studies and physiology, and Dr. Ken MacKendric, department of religion, University of Manitoba. CBC's Terry MacLeod was there to moderate, but as I understand it, it was not a debate. It truly was discussion, and a hugely significant one at that.
What is the hunger that brought so many to hear that discussion? Apparently, the age group varied, but there was a significant group of seniors who did not hesitate to ask questions. And there in that one word, is the hunger. To "question" is our hunger, and according to Dawkins, religion has done nothing to feed this hunger. Instead it has left us starving, and then told us that this starvation is the will of God.
I personally see the book as an incredible work of thoughtful scientific evangelism from a passionate atheist. Now even as I write those words, I can hear the protest groups gathering. There are those who will assert clearly that this book has within it the dangers of a godless master mind who will substitute the will of God for the will of humanity, and therefore he is to be denounced as evil. Dawkins states in his opening chapter: "I am not in favor of offending or hurting anyone for the sake of it. But I am intrigued and mystified by the disproportionate privileging of religion in our otherwise secular societies."
So why, you might well ask, would I give this book space on a Faith page? Because it is about our quest for meaning and truth. You will note I did not write, our quest for 'ultimate' meaning, and 'the' truth. Dawkins quotes the words of Einstein: "I am a deeply religious nonbeliever... What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility. This a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to with mysticism. The idea of a personal God is quite alien to me and seems even naive."
One of the chapters I most relate to in Dawkins' book is about what I would name to be freedom from religious abuse. He tells us that he receives a number of letters from readers about his books, and the "nastiest of all are almost invariably motivated by religion." Courageously, he quotes a few of them, and I can easily dig into my own file of similar correspondence from those who define themselves as "religious believers" in relation to this column. All of them have one common theme. After the threats and insults, they end with the ultimate threat that Dawkins prints from one letter: "The wrath of God will show no mercy to you," (or some equally similar and even more colorful phrase).
Comments: Psalm 14:[1] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Ms. Toole relishes working for the Devil it would appear. She has not only defied God in becoming a female minister leading a congregation and enjoined herself with a liberal Protestant mainline denomination, she has heaped praise and adulation on one of the Devil’s angels of light, Richard Dawkins. An ardent atheist says there’s no God; God calls him a fool. Don’t listen to a fool who’ll lead you away from God’s truth that’s found solely in the Holy Bible. Dawkins’ writings will only shake your faith. There’s nothing to gain by studying his vile assertions, but plenty to lose (your soul and crowns of reward). Ms. Toole, instead of not weighing in the discussion, has lent her support of him by asking probing questions of her readers. Mr. Dawkins’ rubbish is not literature and certainly not fodder for thought. It’s blatantly anti‑God and meant to cast doubt on God, the Bible and Jesus. His annihilation of the soul upon death belief is the Devil’s creation. Some atheists debate among themselves whether the Devil even exists. When an atheist dies without God, the laughter coming from the dungeons of Hell attests to the folly of such unbelief.
Ms. Toole admires Mr. Dawkins’ intellectual dissertations. That’s fine and dandy by itself, but she’s treading on dangerous ground here. As a professing representative of Christianity (one does question the validity of her faith when she’s so liberal in her theology), she’s walking a thin line in her admiration of one of atheism’s disciples. Her congregants are like sheep following the shepherd. She’s a bad shepherd not looking out for the spiritual welfare of her flock of sheep that tend to take her at stock value. How we need to pray for such in this day of increasing apostasy when liberal humanists in the pulpit play Footsie with their audience. 2 Timothy 2:[16] But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
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Churches gear up for February 11, 2007: Evolution Sunday
Source: cushingdaily.com
February 5, 2007 -- Hundreds of churches across the globe will mark Evolution Sunday Feb. 11 with sermons and educational events dedicated to the idea that religion and science don’t have to be sworn enemies.
So far, 535 congregations from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Virgin Islands, and five foreign countries are scheduled to participate, including Norman Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Local author and Norman Unitarian Universalist member Susan Cogan will speak on “Why Darwin Matters,” a talk that will focus on the validity of evolutionary theory.
“It’s a way to fight back,” Cogan said. “It’s a way to show that you can believe in God and accept evolution. The scientific debate has kind of been forced into a political and religious one.”
The church also will host “Darwin Day” Feb. 12 which will feature a screening of the 1960 film “Inherit the Wind,” which portrays a fictionalized account of the 1925 Scopes “monkey” trial.
Cogan created an educational display on evolutionary theory for the Norman Public Library in January that also will be featured at the church during the event.
A hot-button issue since Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of the Species” was published in 1859, evolutionary theory has crossed over from science class to Sunday school as a popular sermon topic in recent years.
Results of a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey released in August 2006 found that about 40 percent of a cross-section of Christians from various denominations said the debate on evolution had been addressed in some form from the pulpit of their church.
Evolution Sunday is the brain child of Michael Zimmerman, a biology professor at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind. The second annual event has grown by about 11 percent this year, Zimmerman said.
“These aren’t all churches on the east or west coast, or big cities. They are mostly from rural areas and the Midwest,” Zimmerman said. “The fact is that the vast majority of clergy members accept evolution and don’t want creationism taught in schools.”
Comments: Evolution is not of God so how can a true Christian believe in both God and evolution? Only professing believers who hold liberal humanistic views about the Bible with prideful souls could promote the evolution concept. Creationism as told by Moses in the book of Genesis is the truth and nothing but the truth so help us God. God through His Holy Spirit said it, we believe it and that’s that! But professing Christians (some who are quite sincere) stir the cauldron of unbelief by touting the hideous idea that you can believe in both. Either believe God at His Word or denounce Him a liar. The tragic part is that more and more once conservative fundamental believers are defecting to the enemy’s camp. Not only have they placed themselves on shaky grounds in terms of reaping consequences for their betrayal of their faith, they’re leading the masses into spiritual darkness. Are we not our brother’s keeper? Yes, we are. What we profess to believe and promote will have a profound effect on our brothers and sisters in the Lord. They’re watching us and if evolution has become palatable to our taste, they too might order it from the menu.
I can understand a Unitarian denomination effusing over evolution since Unitarians don’t prescribe to the Holy Trinity and thus aren’t Christian at all. But what really concerns me above all else are some once solid denominations giving evolution a sympathetic ear and a sounding platform to ply its wares. Like I have said before, the Devil doesn’t need our help but he won’t turn it down either. The slippery slope of spiritual declension is waxed by compromising believers with bad intentions. 1 Timothy 4:[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines (e.g. evolution) of devils.
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Keep watching (Matt 24:42)!
Shalom!