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Angels in the Sky: How a Band of Volunteer Airmen Saved the New State of Israel   is a great book I would recommend. If you love history, love Israel and marvel at the miracle of the Jewish nation’s rebirth and successful fight for survival, this book is for you. It is an especially appropriate read as we near the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence. It was only a few years after the Holocaust when the Jews declared their independence on May 14, 1948. The modern state of Israel was born. However, five neighbors were determined to defeat the new country and the balances were weighed heavily against her. One of the reasons for this was that each of those nations had well-equipped militaries while Israel did not and international law forbade the importation of arms and able bodied men into the area of conflict. However, Jews and Gentiles, many of whom fought in World War II, volunteered to be the fledgling air force of the new Jewish state. Amazing efforts were brought...

Free for a Limited Time!  Gospel-Centered Marriage by John Stange Fun Loving You: Enjoying Your Marriage in the Midst of the Grind   [Kindle Edition] Ted Cunningham  (Author) 4.6 out of 5 stars    ( 5 customer reviews ) List Price: $14.99 Kindle Price: $0.00 226 pages Also free on Vyrso (Logos) and also free on iTunes books NO, CHRISTIANITY IS NOT BAD FOR MARRIAGE: BRAD WILCOX ON RED STATE FAMILY STRUCTURE AND CONSERVATIVE PROTESTANTISM By  Andrew Walker  - February 11 Rough Seas on 'Noah': Darren Aronofsky Opens Up on the Biblical Battle to Woo Christians (and Everyone Else) 7:00 AM PST 2/12/2014 by Kim Masters Source Don’t Be Taken in by the Noah Movie’s Promotion  (post by Ken Ham) Is the movie trailer promoting the blockbuster film Noah—to be released in March—part of a Hollywood con? Abbas’s new red line: Israeli withdrawal within 4 years ‘Palestinians will not sign a ...

We must stand up for Middle East's persecuted Christians By  Johnnie Moore Published January 31, 2014 FoxNews.com Source Abbas suggests NATO troops be stationed in future Palestinian state By JPOST.COM STAFF 02/03/2014 09:09 Excerpt: The PA president said that the NATO force can stay "for a long time, and wherever they want, not only on the eastern borders but also on the western borders, everywhere ... For a long time, for the time they wish. NATO can be everywhere, why not?” Kerry slammed by right for 'encouraging' Israel boycott Source  By HERB KEINON , LAHAV HARKOV LAST UPDATED: 02/01/2014 20:16 What's With the Nazi Fascination? Video reveals how Nazi salutes at Islamic Jihad rally on campus are part of a wider trend of Palestinian Nazi glorification. By Ari Soffer First Publish: 11/28/2013, 12:45 AM Excerpts: "In America people think that every struggle, every dispute, has some kind of solution. In the Mid...

8 John Piper Titles for Free from Logos/Vyrso What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?: Answers to the Big Questions of Life [Kindle Edition] Edward T. Welch (Author) 1/22/14 update:  now $2.51 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews ( 16 customer reviews ) 161 pages Kindle price – free for a limited time Save $12.99 Little Black Sheep: A Memoir Ashley Cleveland Was Free on Kindle and Vyrso for a limited time 1/22/14 update:  now $4.39 As a young woman from a deeply flawed family, Ashley had little hope she would amount to anything. If there was trouble, near or far, she found it. Yet, in her destructive days of drugs, alcohol, and sex, she encountered a forgiving God who was relentlessly faithful. Change did not come quickly. The brokenness did not disappear. But little by little, Ashley allowed God to heal her, to transform her desires, to bring courage to others through her journey. Little by little, she saw that it ...

Image source Jupiter, King of the Planets and Testament to Our Creator Exposing the Dark World of Human Trafficking (Part 1 of 2) Exposing the Dark World of Human Trafficking (Part 2 of 2) Christianity Under Attack at the Movies by Ken Ham From the article: An atheist movie that is being shown in a number of movie theaters across America had its public premier last week. Produced in a documentary style, The Unbelievers costars the well-known atheists Richard Dawkins of England and Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University. These atheists have continued increasing their attacks on Christians in the Western world and more aggressively than ever proclaiming their anti-God religion. Our experience with many atheists has been that because they really have nothing to promote except meaninglessness and hopelessness, and they really have become focused on attacking Christians. They usually use ad hominem attacks, blaspheme God, and utter numerous curse words. It seems to me they go ...

Please note that I am looking at this from a purely strategic point of view.  Most accurately, from a spiritual point of view, Jesus is the only hope for Israel.  And Jesus, Israel's Deliverer, will do just that at His Second Coming.  In the meantime, the spiritual warfare behind the scenes manifests itself in the following ways in the physical realm.  Let's remember to obey the Scripture:   "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  May they prosper who love you" Psalm 122:6 (NASB). If true, this could be considered a major act of betrayal to Israel: Exclusive: Obama’s Secret Iran Détente by Eli Lake , Josh Rogin Nov 8, 2013 5:45 AM EST Long before a nuclear deal was in reach, the U.S. was quietly lifting some of the financial pressure on Iran, a Daily Beast investigation reveals. How the sanctions were softened. pic from CNN story here Recent U.S. policy in the Middle East has so far produced two results:  1) more animosity to the U.S. and...

Lives Destroyed  by Jason Helopoulos • October 24, 2013 Sin is our enemy. Don't entertain it, play with it, be gentle with it, ignore it, or feed it. Its desire is nothing more than our very destruction. Let us seek, by the power of Christ and the strength of the Spirit, to inflict blow after blow upon it rather than it upon us. Elder of GFA-supported Believers Church Brutally Murdered While Praying How Can I Complain? Next time you are tempted to complain, consider these words from a persecuted brother in Christ "How can I complain about my suffering when my brothers and sisters are paying a high price for their faith all over the world? I recently heard about many people killed in front of a church in Pakistan. I also heard a young sister in Christ sharing about how she lost her family for the sake of the Gospel and still she is willing to return to share the good news." "How can I complain about my suffering when our dear brother Haik gave his li...

from  http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-hasan-rouhanis-speech-at-the-un/ Full text of Hasan Rouhani’s speech at the UN ‘Iran seeks to resolve problems, not to create them,’ Iranian president says. ‘Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran’s security and defense doctrine.’ BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF September 25, 2013, 2:00 am from  http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4007/israel-warning-iran Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations from:   http://www.policymic.com/articles/65983/netanyahu-un-speech-2013-transcript-full-text-of-general-assembly-address - he presents an historic argument on why Rouhani and Iran cannot be trusted despite the "charm offensive" from:   http://www.cnbc.com/id/100884040 Israel's Final Warning on Iran by Yaakov Lappin October 7, 2013 Lappin states:  With no military threat, Iran has no incentive to stop its nuclear progress. Iran might well concl...

14 km NE of the Dead Sea:  from Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project website http://www.tallelhammam.com/ A "joint scientific endeavor" is being conducted by the College of Archaeology, Trinity Southwest University and the Department of Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project This image is in the public domain because it is a screenshot from NASA ’s globe software World Wind using a public domain layer, such as Blue Marble, MODIS, Landsat, SRTM, USGS or GLOBE. Dr. Steven Collins set out to find the lost city of Sodom.  He worked through and traced clues from the Bible, archaeology and geography as to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Potential locations were whittled down in the process. Eventually, he settled on a site that is quite large, ancient (encompassing the Early, Intermediate and Middle Bronze Ages and Iron Age 2, among others) and located in the kindgom of Jordan as the only possibility remainin...

Looking at the news coverage of Egypt makes a person wonder, perhaps even worry, what will become of one of Israel’s geographically closest Arab neighbors? The Obama administration backed the ouster of long-term strong man Hosni Mubarak and subsequent free elections. Being the most organized and funded opposition group in all of Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood had the upper hand in the election that followed on June 30, 2012. Their man, Muhammad Morsi, won but not by a large margin. Since that election, Morsi has made some moves that are considered decidedly undemocratic and a shameless bid to consolidate power for himself and his allies. Added to that is an economy that still hasn’t recovered from the original protests and violence that led to Mubarak’s ouster, causing a profitable tourism industry to suffer. It appears that events are beginning to spiral out of Morsi’s and the Muslim Brotherhood’s control. A petition for his ouster received between 17 and 22 million si...

Events are beginning to rush downhill like crazy. You might remember that the U.S. administration stated that Syria may have used chemical weapons against the rebels and/or civilians. This stance continued even as France , others and even the U.N. , I believe, said it happened as a matter of fact. The problem was that President Obama drew a line in the sand at the use of chemical weapons as a pretext for U.S. involvement. To admit that it has happened is either to back one’s words up with action or prove those words to be just rhetoric which would have ramifications in our dealings with North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear programs. So, what has changed? A few things, I believe. Soldiers loyal to the Syrian regime gesture while on their military vehicle in the village of Debaa near Qusair, after the Syrian army took control of the village from rebel fighters June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Rami Bleible http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/soldiers-loyal-syrian-regime-gesture-while-militar...

Dr. Renald Showers reviews the history of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants.  He dives into what God said, where He said it, how it was re-iterated and what it meant.  This study is critically important for each Christian to review from the biblical text.  Without it, we are left to our own devices and "wisdom" as to ascertain Israel's place in the world and in our theology.  Thankfully, Showers does a rather thorough treatment of this topic. Also, Showers summarizes Church history and delivers a shocking expose' of how in the name of Christ, Jews have been repeatedly slaughtered, scattered, and forced to convert to Christianity.  Within the pages of this book, the author shows how, in his opinion, the doctrine of what has been called Supersessionism, or  Replacement Theology, has been acted upon to the detriment of Jewish lives, their peaceful existence and their future.  As he does so, Showers argues for the con...