From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

Religious Freedom - Never Take It For Granted

  

The Islamic Caliphate now called IS, is driving out Christians from Iraq. There is a sobering lesson here for all.

Media Download Options [ Download Media: right-click on link ]
filesVideo
MP4 VideoVideo
MP4 Video - Low QualityAudio
MP3 Audio - Religious Freedom - Never Take It For Granted

[Darris McNeely] The world is watching, horrified at events that are taking place in the Middle East and particularly in the nation of Iraq with the proclamation of an Islamic caliphate by a group that a few weeks ago we were calling – a group called Isis, signifying an Islamic state. Now, they're calling themselves just "I.S." for Islamic State – a group of terrorists who have taken over a very large portion of what has been modern day Iraq and the state of Syria as well. And they have proclaimed an Islamic caliphate and they are claiming themselves, with their leader, to be a legitimate, bona fide state now – a newly created state, in their mind at least, unrecognized by others there in the Middle East. And what they have been doing in recent weeks has astonished and stunned many, as they have bombed religious sites that date back more than 1500 to 1900 years. One of the latest things that they have done is begin to drive out people who are members of Christian groups, Christian sects, in Iraq, in a Muslim state, and forcing them to flee to other protected areas. There's one report of upwards of 50,000 people being trapped right now in a mountainous area as they have fled their home from this I.S. group, for their own safety. Essentially what they have been told is, you either convert to Islam or we will kill you. And many have chosen not to go that route to convert, and they have fled, and now they face a massive humanitarian crisis.
In looking at this, it is easy to realize and think it is just way off, it doesn't concern us, we have religious freedom, we have freedom to worship God as we choose in the United States and other western nations – which is true. But we should not fail to take note of what is taking place over there with a proclaimed state now persecuting a minority within their boundaries, and killing and uprooting it and creating these problems. Bible prophecy talks about an end time political power – not the one we're looking at right now in Iraq, a larger one, a more pervasive one yet to appear – who, it says in Revelation:13:7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations., "will make war with the saints." Revelation:13:7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.. Now that is to come. But what we're looking at right now at least is a forerunner, in a sense, of later events and something we should take note of – certainly just how precious our own personal freedoms are guaranteed by whatever state we live in, again in the western world. But also, pray "Thy kingdom come" and to help and to have a certain amount of sympathy for others who are trapped right now in a very, very precarious situation, contending for their own faith as it is.
The Bible portrays a greater time coming ahead for all of us, and it should give us all pause to consider the fragility of our present world, and certainly to pray "Thy kingdom come."
For BT Daily , I'm Darris McNeely. Join us next time.

• Beyond Today Daily
• Conflicts and War
• Middle East
• News and Prophecy

Nobody has commented yet. Be the first to kick off the discussion!

Login/Register to post comments

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

“Grandpa, Tell Me About the Good Old Days”

0 comments

by Janet Treadway

Do you remember the song Grandpa, sung by the famous country music artists, The Judd’s?
Some of the words go like this:
Tell me 'bout the good ole days/ Sometimes it feels like/ This world's gone crazy./ Grandpa, take me back to yesterday/ Where the line between right and wrong/ Didn't seem so hazy.
Did lovers really fall in love to stay?/ Stand beside each other come what may/Was a promise really something people kept/ Not just something they would say?/ Did families really bow their heads to pray?/ Did daddies really never go away?/ Whoa oh Grandpa/ Tell me 'bout the good ole days.
Grandpa/ Everything is changing fast./ We call it progress,/But I just don't know./ And Grandpa, let's wander back into the past,/ And paint me a picture of long ago.
Did you notice the line, “Where the line between right and wrong didn't seem so hazy”?
Do you ever ask yourself what happened to the good old days? While flipping the TV channels, I ran across a sitcom with two lesbians as major characters. It was at that moment that I reflected back on what I felt were the “good ole days.” Remember the family shows such as “The Andy Griffith Show”?
Again I ask, what happened to the world I grew up in; the world where there were family sitcoms with a traditional family? What happened to the world where Christian values were the norm? Schools and government building openly posted the Ten Commandments. Now, the Ten Commandments are ordered to be removed by atheists fighting to get God out of the schools and government buildings.
What used to be a taboo to talk about in the “good ole days” is now openly flaunted and worn as a badge of courage! People who oppose these lifestyles because of religious convictions can easily find themselves in a lawsuit or their business closed, or even fired from their job. Everyone has rights and a voice; everything is tolerated, it seems, except the Christian conservative values.
Here’s what has happened to the world I grew up in: “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God , having a form of godliness but denying its power” (Timothy 3:2, emphasis added). Isaiah:5:20Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Thankfully, there is hope, hope of a new world coming! A world even better than the world I remember in the “good ole days.” We are to watch, be vigilant in our obedience to God, and not be swept into this declining world. Be a light, a shining example of how God’s way works to your neighbors. Perhaps we can help influence people for the better. And we can take comfort that God will intervene and restore His laws on society, which will produce total peace and happiness for eternity.

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

Ebola and "The Last Ship"

by Frank Dunkle 

Source: freeimages.com/frimlik

This summer I’ve watched several episodes of a new cable TV series called “The Last Ship”. The premise of the show is that a deadly virus has spread around the world, decimating the population, and a doctor on board an uninfected U.S. naval vessel is the only hope of developing a vaccine to save the world.
The plot twists and challenges arising in each episode recalls the original “Star Trek”, but the reality of the current Ebola outbreak in Africa forcefully reminds me that the show is only fiction. This current epidemic is a very real danger that can’t be solved before the next commercial break.
I had to ask myself, have we gotten so used to fictional solutions for problems that we fail to think properly about real ones? The virus on TV is one that I can forget about when I hit the “off” button. It only kills fictional people who normally don’t even appear on screen. However the current Ebola outbreak has already killed several hundred people who ARE real—even though they are far away and also normally don’t appear on screen.
It would be easy to assume that the disease won’t come to the West and affect us, but that would be a mistake. The epidemic is only one plane ride away. In 1918 a world-wide flu epidemic brought on by WWI troop movements killed more than half a million Americans, and possibly as many as 100 million individuals around the globe.
In watching the show, I’m certain that the doctor on “The Last Ship” will develop the needed vaccine; that’s the way it works on TV! Real disease often doesn’t work that way, though. Doctors have been trying to find a cure for Ebola since it first appeared in 1976 and killed 90% of the people it infected. Fortunately, earlier outbreaks have faded—and hopefully this one will too. But it has not been because of human efforts.
What is the solution for an epidemic that is real and not on TV? The Bible taught the old-fashioned practice of quarantine long before scientists had learned how bacteria and viruses spread disease. That is still the best way to stop sickness from spreading.
However, Bible prophecy tells us that in the time before Jesus Christ’s return pestilence (another way of saying disease) will rage all around the world (See Matt:24:7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.). That could include Ebola and/or any number of other deadly bugs. Fortunately, scripture also tells us that Christ will return to save mankind from extinction (Matt:24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.). As much as I enjoy a happy ending on TV, this real life happy ending is going to be so much better!

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

World News and Trends: New risks from homosexual sex

article by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder

Health officials in New York City have issued warnings about two new strains of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affecting homosexual and bisexual men.

Health officials in New York City have issued warnings about two new strains of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affecting homosexual and bisexual men.
The first, lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV, is a form of chlamydia known for two decades in the tropics, but which in recent months jumped to Europe and now to New York. Among other things, it can cause permanent damage to the bowels and increase the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and other STDs.
On the heels of that disturbing announcement came one even more troubling—word of a rare and aggressive form of HIV/AIDS in one man that is resistant to most drugs and progresses rapidly to full-blown AIDS in a matter of a few months.
Some had predicted that this deadly development was only a matter of time, as the AIDS virus is well known for its ability to mutate—a primary reason that no effective vaccine has been developed.
With the development of powerful (and extremely expensive) drugs in the 1990s, many developed a false sense of security, thinking that AIDS was no longer such a deadly threat and, if infected, they could continue life pretty much as usual. Many homosexual men reverted to unprotected sex with many partners, as evidenced by increasing rates of syphilis, chlamydia and other STDs.
The man infected with this latest deadly strain illustrates the problem health officials face in trying to keep the disease under control. The man admitted to having had hundreds of sexual partners, many in sexual marathons fueled by methamphetamine, a powerful illegal stimulant.
Patrick McGovern, executive director of Harlem United Community AIDS Center, explained that "people become hypersexual when they're using crystal [methamphetamine], but crystal by itself can limit your ability to function sexually. So people combine it with something like Viagra, that lets them keep going for hours."Dennis DeLeon, the president of the Latino Commission on AIDS, said men using such drugs commonly have sex with 10 to 20 partners in a single night. Methamphetamine "is a drug where they just lose count," he said.
Such depraved practices bring to mind the words of the apostle Paul in Romans:1:24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:, where he notes that because men reject the idea of a great Creator and Lawgiver, God "has given them up to their own vile desires, and the consequent degradation of their bodies" (Revised English Bible). (Sources: Associated Press, Newsday , The New York Times .)

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

Vertical News: Sandstone Arches Shaped by Stress and Gravity

article by Amanda Stiver

Unique properties of sand grains under stress help scientists understand sandstone rock formations.

Source: freeimages.com/ranjithd

Uniquely shaped sandstone arches and rock formations, like those found in the state of Utah and other places, are amazingly beautiful and for many years experts assumed their formation was simply the effect of random wind and rain erosion. However, recent research by scientists from Charles University in Prague has found that other factors are at play. Internal stress fields and the pull of gravity determine where and how much material is worn away by erosion.
In the experiment, small cubes of sand were used, put under stress and placed under water. As sand was worn away that which remained was put under greater stress and eventually the grains locked together and ceased to be affected by erosion. Using these basic factors, researchers were able to re-create some of the formations seen in the natural world (Jonathan Webb, “Sandstone Shapes ‘Forged by Gravity,’” BBC News at BBC.com, July 21, 2014).
God set laws of physics and nature in motion in order to shape and maintain the planet. The long-term effect of these laws can be seen in, among other things, the amazing variety of rock formations and strata visible all around the earth.
Using stress to create something far stronger and more lasting is an element of sandstone formation, as we’ve seen, but also a principle used in metalsmithing. However, the most relevant use of stress-to-strength is found as God works with us.
The apostle Peter put it this way, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you,” (1 Peter:5:10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you., NKJV).  God allows us to go through trials in order to forge our character and refine our outlook as we prepare now to be God-beings, a part of the family of God, in the Kingdom of God.

Lamentations and the Month of "Av"

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

Introduction to Lamentations (Lamentations 1)

The author of Lamentations is not named in the book, but it is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. "In fact, some copies of the ancient Greek Septuagint translation begin the book with these words: 'And it came to pass, after Israel [i.e., the remnant of Israel—Judah] had been carried captive, and Jerusalem became desolate, that Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented this lamentation over Jerusalem.' Crediting Lamentations to Jeremiah is based on the following considerations: (1) Jeremiah was known as a composer of laments (see 2 Chr. 35:25). (2) Jeremiah was the prophet who mourned, 'Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!' (see Jer. 9:1). (3) In [Lamentations] 3:1, the author seems to identify himself with Jeremiah when he says, 'I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.' (4) There are many linguistic similarities between Lamentations and Jeremiah" (The Nelson Study Bible, introductory notes on Lamentations.)
"In the Talmud (Baba Bathra 15a), this book is called qinot ('Lamentations')... The name commonly used in Hebrew, however, is ekah ('How'), the first word of the first, second, and fourth laments [that is, chapters 1, 2 and 4]. In the Hebrew canon it stands in the Writings as the third of the Megilloth, or Scrolls, between Ruth and Ecclesiastes" (Expositor's Bible Commentary, introductory notes on Lamentations). We are reading it now to keep it in the context of its writing in the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
"The five chapters of Lamentations are five poems with ch[apter] 3 as the midpoint or climax. Accordingly, the first two chapters build an 'ascent,' or crescendo, to the climax, the grand confession of 3:23, 24: 'Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion.' The last two chapters are a 'descent,' or decrescendo, from the pinnacle of ch[apter] 3... The poetry of the book enhances its purpose and structure. Chapters 1 through 4 are composed as acrostics of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse or group of verses begins with a word whose initial letter carries on the sequence of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. This would be similar to an English poem in which the first line begins with A; the second begins with B, and so on. One purpose of this device was probably to aid in memorization of the passage. The acrostic also suggests that the writer has thought things through and is giving a complete account of the subject" (Nelson Study Bible, introductory notes on Lamentations).
While chapter 1 is a perfect acrostic, chapters 2-4 are slightly imperfect, and oddly enough for the same reason. In each case the 16th and 17th letters of the Hebrew alphabet (ayin and pe) are swapped—for what significance we don't know. The acrostic in chapter 3 comes in groups of three—that is, each of the first three verses begins with the first Hebrew letter aleph, each of the second three with the second letter beth, etc. (see Expositor's, introductory notes on Lamentations). And then there is the mysterious chapter 5, intriguingly not an acrostic even though it still seems to divide up into 22 verses. "That chapter 5 has twenty-two verses has caused some to suggest that the laments were first written in normal verse and then rewritten to include the acrostic. This idea is ingenious but unprovable" (same note).
Other laments are written in various books like the book of Psalms, but this is the only book solely devoted to lamenting. Orthodox Jewish custom requires that this book be read aloud on the fast of Tisha b'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Ab—the traditional day on which the temple of Solomon was destroyed in 586 B.C. and on which the second temple was destroyed by the Roman army in A.D. 70. Jeremiah was present at the destruction of Solomon's temple as Jerusalem was overrun and sacked by the Babylonian armies. He saw the horrifying imagery described in the book. And yet the terrible suffering portrayed seems to reflect even more than what occurred at that time. It evidently anticipates suffering that was, and still is, yet to come—for the judgment described here is what is to befall "all the dwelling places of Jacob...every horn of Israel" (Lamentations 2:2-3), not just Judah. The book, as we will see, calls for the coming of the Day of the Lord and the final judgment on Israel's enemies. Yet there is no question that the ancient anguish and suffering of Judah is also vividly revealed in the pages of this deeply emotional account.
In its introductory notes on the book, The Bible Reader's Companion (Lawrence Richards, 1991) states: "Lamentations does maintain a consistent theological outlook: Judah's [and later all Israel's] loss can be traced to God's sovereignty, His justice, and His commitment to a morality which His people abandoned. Yet Lamentations is primarily a book that plumbs the depths of human sorrow, not from an individual's perspective, but from the perspective of an entire people. Reading the book we experience something of the overwhelming sense of despair that can grip communities and even whole nations. Even the prayers recorded in Lamentations are desperate prayers; cries of anguish rather than affirmations of hope. It is terrible as well as wonderful to be human. It is terrible indeed if we surrender to our human bent to sin. The day must come when we will look back on our lost opportunities, and realize that the misery we endure now is a consequence of our own chronic craving for sin. If nothing else, reading the Book of Lamentations reminds us the pleasures of sin are at best momentary, the painful consequences lasting and deep."

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow this site here.

Turning Point: The Scopes Trial

by Dan Dowd

Source: freeimages.com/creationc

History rarely turns on the impact of one lone event. It is more common that a major historical shift is built on the smaller events that precede it. The current anti-religious environment in the United States did not arrive without prior notice. Those seeds were planted a long time ago. However, a major public relations blow was dealt against having God at the center of society and education back in late July, 1925. It was known as the Scopes Monkey Trial.

Planting doubt

Charles Darwin had proposed his Theory of Evolution in the 1850’s, and that theory had been gaining in popularity in the subsequent decades. So much so, that many states passed laws making illegal the teaching of evolution in schools. One such state was Tennessee, and a young high-school teacher named John Scopes decided to deliberately violate the law in order to get arrested and be able to challenge the law in court. The trial quickly took on an entertainment atmosphere as thousands of spectators gathered in Dayton, Tennessee at the courthouse. The defense sought to have the judge declare the law unconstitutional and then tried to bring in experts in evolution to challenge the law. The judge ruled that the law was not on trial, but rather John Scopes violation of the law.
Clarence Darrow, the famous lawyer, quickly made the prosecution look inept and embarrassed them with their unclear answers and contradictory statements. His points discredited the prosecution before the gathered crowds. Much to the surprise of many, Darrow in his closing remarks asked the jury to find his client guilty so that their case might be appealed. Under Tennessee law, William Jennings Bryan (a renowned politician, and lawyer for the prosecution) was denied the opportunity to give his closing speech. While the prosecution won the case, the flames of doubting the Bible were fanned, and its role at the center of education in the U.S. was further damaged.

History will turn again

Even as we have seen America (and much of the world) decline in moral behavior and obedience to God in the subsequent decades, we also know that God has been shaping the future through current events. Down through time He has worked with those who are faithful to Him to be examples of His way of life. God has preserved His Word through the Bible. He is shaping His Body of disciples so that we will be able to stand in the truly difficult times to come—troubles coming as a direct result of society rejecting God as the source of true education. He will direct end-time events and not allow mankind to erase all life from this planet. God will then usher in the Millennial reign of His Son, Jesus Christ to show the world how to live life as He designed it to be lived.
We could choose to suffer along with this world as it moves away from God, but you and I have access to something (through repentance, baptism and laying on of hands) the world doesn’t currently have – God’s Holy Spirit. We can understand why history is playing out the way it is. You and I have a hope for the future. We know the end of the story and so do not need to fear the consequences of the choices mankind is making. We also have God’s Sabbath day to be reminded of His plan of Salvation and to be recharged spiritually as we face the challenges of daily life.
John Scopes and those who believe the Theory of Evolution have it wrong. We are not descended from monkeys. We can see through the falsehood of the Theory of Evolution and know that we truly are made in the image of God (Genesis:1:26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.). We know that one day we can be in the very family of God, the most epic turning point in all of human history!