Command the Raven

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: 14

Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb, because that he wholly followed the Lord.

“We are well able to overcome” is the declaration of the man or woman whose confidence in the Lord is unqualified. He believes God’s promises are trustworthy, and that because He is with His people, victory over every foe is assured. Do you believe this? Many do, but with a faith that vacillates. They sing their song of praise, and the words are right, but there is something hesitant about the tune. With Caleb it was otherwise. He sang the right words firmly, to the right tune. Listen to their brave, ringing tones:

“Let us go up at once and possess it;

For we are well able to overcome.”

He had no doubts whatever about his God. But note too the urgency of that first clause: “Let us go up at once!” True faith brooks no delay. One who reckons God faithful to His word declares this not merely by doing His will, but by doing it instantly. – Watchman Nee: A Table in the Wilderness.

Dr. Robin Sardar, 55, is facing a possible death sentence after an envious friend claimed he made offensive remarks about the Quran and Muhammad’s beard, according to a report by the International Christian Concern, a Washington, D.C.-based human rights group.

Sardar’s former friend, Muhammad Yousaf, became jealous of the Christian’s professional success and financial status, so he filed a First Information Report May 5 with police, claiming the doctor had made derogatory statements about the prophet.

According to Sardar’s nephew, a mob of more than 200 Muslims wielding guns, sticks and kerosene oil attacked the doctor’s home and medical offices following the report to police. The men, wearing green turbans to represent their Islamic faith, broke into Sadar’s home, shattered windows and ruined the family’s furniture in their residence and clinic.

“The mob then turned on Sardar and his family,” the ICC reports. “Mr. Pervaiz Ghori, another of Sardar’s relatives, said that the mob would have killed him if the police had not intervened in the nick of time.”

The Islamic extremists protest daily on city streets, calling for the Christian doctor to be publicly executed. His nephew said Muslim clerics have been sending messages out over the mosque amplifier, urging the community to slay Sardar’s family.

Another human rights organization, the National Commission for Justice and Peace, is defending Sardar, imploring officials to drop the case and requesting that they safeguard religious minorities.

According to Pakistan’s laws against blasphemy, people who make disrespectful comments about Islam can receive punishments similar to sentences for murderers.

Former President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq added Section 295-B to Pakistan’s penal code in 1982, ordering that critical remarks about the Quran would be punishable by life in prison.

Section 295-C, commonly referred to as the blasphemy law, states “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”

In 1990, the federal Sharia court ruled, “The penalty for contempt of the Holy Prophet … is death and nothing else.”

- From Prophecy News Watch

This smallest book of the New Testament is also, in many ways, the most provocative.

The Epistle of Jude is a tiny book, tragically neglected by students, yet overflowing with fascinating Old Testament references and allusions: lessons from Israel in the Wilderness, the angels that sinned, the strange events in Sodom and Gomorrah, Michael and Satan’s contention over the body of Moses, and other insights from Cain, Balaam, Korah, as well as the mysterious person known as Enoch.

It is surprising to learn of allusions to events in the Old Testament that are only found in the New Testament: the Second Coming prophecy of Enoch, that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, the names of the two magicians in Egypt, that Elijah prayed to stop rain for 3 1/2 years, and that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was not Egyptian.

Why study the book of Jude? Because it is written for us today. It is written for the end times, for the end of the Church Age. The beginning of the Church Age was, of course, the Acts of the Apostles. However, the end of the Church Age might be called the Acts of the Apostates. Jude is the only book devoted entirely to the great apostasy. “Shall the Son of Man find faith on the Earth?”

Jude is the “vestibule” to the book of Revelation. It includes the oldest prophecy uttered by a prophet: of the Second Coming of Christ, declared before the flood of Noah! There are four facts emphasized:

1) We know the Lord’s coming is sure;
2) We know who will accompany the Lord;
3) We know the purpose of His coming;
4) We know the result of the Lord’s coming.

This letter was written by the “brother of James,” one of four brothers of Jesus. (James was the head of the church in Jerusalem; neither James nor Jude were among The Twelve; they didn’t believe at first.)

Why did Jude write this letter? James’ epistle deals with good works as evidence of saving faith; Jude’s letter deals with evil works as evidence of apostasy. Why must we contend for the faith? Because there are tares among the wheat, false brethren have stolen into the church, and the saints are in peril, all due to the “doctrines of demons.”

It was an 11-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea, yet it took Israel 38 years! Over a million left Egypt, but only two Israelites (over 20 years of age) who left Egypt ever reached Canaan! Why? (Despite the common reckoning, Canaan is not representative of heaven; the Jordan is not representative of death. We are to leave behind the wilderness of doubt, defeat, and failures, and enter victory!) We live in exciting and challenging times, and there is much we can learn from this little book that can be applied to our lives today.

Related Links:

• Jude - MP3 Download - Koinonia House
• Jude - Audio CDs - Koinonia House
• The Joy of Teaching God’s Word - Free Online Guide! - Koinonia House

- From: Koinonia House News Letter

Proverbs 13 [show/hide]ERROR: You have exceeded your quota of 5000 requests per day. Please contact the developer of this application if you have questions. (If you're the developer and have questions about this error message, please contact Crossway.)
: 20

20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Note, 1. Those that would be good must keep good company, which is an evidence for them that they would be good (men’s character is known by the company they choose) and will be a means of making them good, of showing them the way and of quickening and encouraging them in it. He that would be himself wise must walk with those that are so, must choose such for his intimate acquaintance, and converse with them accordingly; must ask and receive instruction from them, and keep up pious and profitable talk with them. Miss not the discourse of the elders, for they also learned of their fathers, Ecclesiasticus viii. 9. And (Ecclesiasticus vi. 35), Be willing to hear every godly discourse, and let not the parables of understanding escape thee.

2. Multitudes are brought to ruin by bad company: A companion of fools shall be broken (so some), shall be known (so the LXX.), known to be a fool; noscitur ex socio–he is known by his company. He will be like them (so some), will be made wicked (so others); it comes all to one, for all those, and those only, that make themselves wicked, will be destroyed, and those that associate with evil-doers are debauched, and so undone, and at last ascribe their death to it.

- Matthew Henry Commentary

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: 25

He ever liveth to make intercession for those that come unto God by Him.

Now the exact implications of these words are very wonderful, and I am not sure that I understand all that is involved in them – how the Lord Jesus Christ in fact pursues His ministry of intercession, and in what particular way the Son intercedes with the Father. But I see the basic, wonderful truth here, that day by day, the Lord Jesus Christ is ministering in heaven, on my behalf, and yours. The whole concern of the high priest is for the congregation, and he acts on their behalf before God. And if that means anything at all, it means that our great high priest is not idle or inactive, but He is busy on our behalf.

May I put it very pointedly: all the aspects of your Christian life are His concern. Your great high priest is concerned about your prayer life: He Knows all about it; He is concerned about it, and His loving concern is that your prayer life might be rich and full. He is concerned about your spiritual babyhood, if that is true of you. He is also lovingly concerned that you should go on to maturity. It is His whole concern in heaven: He is the great high priest who is concerned about the whole congregation, and His ministry is on their behalf.

He is concerned about your particular problems. Maybe you think nobody is concerned about your problem: it is too difficult to share with anybody. I say that the Lord Jesus knows all about it, and He is concerned about it. He most lovingly wants that problem dealt with; and His whole ministry in heaven concerns you, in all the loneliness of your spiritual problem, which you think you can share with nobody. You have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Doesn’t that encourage you? Open your heart to Him. – K.A.A. Weston: Our Great High Priest, 1971

- Daily Thoughts From Keswick

Honor Killing Sparks Debate in Germany - May 27, 2008
The brutal “honor killing” of a 16-year-old Afghan immigrant living in Hamburg has sparked a renewed debate in Germany over whether Islamic families can adapt to the social ways of the Western world. The girl was stabbed by her brother 20 times because he believed he had become too comfortable with Western life with her uncovered hair, makeup and short skirts. FOX News

Germany Ratifies EU Treaty - May 27, 2008
Germany has ratified the Treaty of Lisbon, which was proposed in the wake of the failed EU Constitution. Germany’s vote has tipped the scales - fourteen EU countries have now ratified the treaty, which means it needs the votes of a further thirteen before it passes into law. Times

Muslims Equate Missionaries with Terrorists - May 27, 2008
Christian missionaries are “as dangerous as terrorist activities or the illegal drug trade,” Islamic leaders in Uzbekistan declared. Uzbekistan bans missionary activity, religions that are not registered with the government and printing of faith-based literature without state consent. WND

- From: Koinonia House News Letter

A new report published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies shows that global interest in developing nuclear technology has risen significantly in recent years. Rising oil prices and other factors have prompted more than 40 countries worldwide to announce that they are either starting new or expanding existing nuclear energy programs. Included in this list is almost every country in the Middle East. In the space of less than a year, 13 nations in the Middle East have announced plans to explore atomic energy. Each of these countries has abundant oil and gas reserves, which is why some experts fear that Iran’s nuclear ambitions may have triggered the start of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, some Arab countries might be developing nuclear energy now so they will have the option of building a bomb in the future. Nuclear technology is complex and costly, and developing nuclear weapons is not something that can be done overnight. It takes time to build the necessary infrastructure. However once built, the same nuclear technology used to generate electricity can also be used to develop weapons. It would not be the first time countries (such as India and Pakistan) have claimed that they were developing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, but then have used that same technology to develop nuclear weapons.

In the past year it seems the Middle East has been struck with nuclear fever: Egypt is building four nuclear power plants, while Turkey has plans for three. The United Arab Emirates, despite its vast oil wealth, has signed an agreement with France to build two nuclear reactors. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria and Yemen are also planning nuclear plants, as are the North African nations of Libya, Algeria and Morocco.

If the nations of the Middle East develop peaceful nuclear energy programs, how difficult would it be to use that technology to make nuclear weapons? Well, nuclear power plants need 3 to 4 percent enriched uranium for fuel, but natural uranium only contains 0.7 percent. Thus uranium must be processed in a uranium enrichment facility before it can be used as fuel for nuclear power. What most people don’t realize is the exact same technology and equipment used to enrich uranium for fuel can be used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, it simply requires more passes through the enrichment plant. A nuclear bomb requires about 90 percent enriched uranium, which is high compared to the percentage found in fuel, but according to experts it requires more energy to convert natural uranium to fuel than it takes to convert fuel into weapons-grade uranium.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency there are more than 40 countries with peaceful nuclear programs that could modify their technology to create nuclear weapons. There are currently about 439 nuclear power plants worldwide, with 30 more under construction, and over 200 now in the planning stages.

Related Links:

• Iran Nuke Plans Could Trigger Mideast Arms Race - AFP
• UN Nuclear Wachdog Faults Iran’s Lack of Cooperation - CSM
• Iran Nuclear Crisis Refuses to Go Quiet - BBC
• Strategic Trends: Weapons Prolliferation - Koinonia House
• The Five Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Koinonia House
• The Magog Invasion - DVD
• I Will Turn Thee Back:Turkey At A Crossroads - DVD

- From: Koinonia House News Letter

PROVERBS 13: 19

19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

This shows the folly of those that refuse instruction, for they might be happy and will not. 1. They might be happy. There are in man strong desires of happiness; God has provided for the accomplishment of those desires, and that would be sweet to the soul, whereas the pleasures of sense are grateful only to the carnal appetite. The desire of good men towards the favour of God and spiritual blessings brings that which is sweet to their souls; we know those that can say so by experience, Ps. iv. 6, 7.

2. Yet they will not be happy; for it is an abomination to them to depart from evil, which is necessary to their being happy. Never let those expect any thing truly sweet to their souls that will not be persuaded to leave their sins, but that roll them under their tongues as a sweet morsel.

- Matthew Henry Commentary

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: 6

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

Have you ever noticed in your New Testament how the Lord Jesus likes to deal with long-standing complaints? How many instances there are of men and women who for years had been bound by infirmity and sin, and were crippled and helpless and hopeless, until the risen Lord came. Just one instance: when Peter and John came to the man who had been lame from birth, Peter looked at him and said, ‘Silver and gold have I none’ – the Church boasted in its bankruptcy in those days – ‘but such as I have I give thee: in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And immediately the man leaped to his feet, delivered in the power of the risen Christ.

I want to say to you in the name of the Lord Jesus, there is no habit that has gone so deep but that the power of the blood of Jesus can go deeper; and there is no entrenchment of sin that has gone so far but that the power of the risen Lord, by His Holy Spirit, can go further. The first mark of sovereignty of Christ in a life is that the habits of years, which have baffled all our struggles, and brought us in shame and confession of failure time and time again to the Lord in contrition and repentance, the power of them is broken when He is upon the throne. – Alan Redpath: When Jesus is Enthroned, 1960

- Daily Thoughts From Keswick

Big Brother database for phones and e-mails

A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.

The information would be held for at least 12 months and the police and security services would be able to access it if given permission from the courts.

The proposal will raise further alarm about a “Big Brother” society, as it follows plans for vast databases for the ID cards scheme and NHS patients. There will also be concern about the ability of the Government to manage a system holding billions of records. About 57 billion text messages were sent in Britain last year, while an estimated 3 billion e-mails are sent every day.

Home Office officials have discussed the option of the national database with telecommunications companies and ISPs as part of preparations for a data communications Bill to be in November’s Queen’s Speech. But the plan has not been sent to ministers yet.

Industry sources gave warning that a single database would be at greater risk of attack and abuse.

Jonathan Bamford, the assistant Information Commissioner, said: “This would give us serious concerns and may well be a step too far. We are not aware of any justification for the State to hold every UK citizen’s phone and internet records. We have real doubts that such a measure can be justified, or is proportionate or desirable. We have warned before that we are sleepwalking into a surveillance society. Holding large collections of data is always risky - the more data that is collected and stored, the bigger the problem when the data is lost, traded or stolen.”

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Given ministers’ appalling record at maintaining the integrity of databases holding people’s sensitive data, this could well be more of a threat to our security, than a support.”

The proposal has emerged as part of plans to implement an EU directive developed after the July 7 bombings to bring uniformity of record-keeping. Since last October telecoms companies have been required to keep records of phone calls and text messages for 12 months. That requirement is to be extended to internet, e-mail and voice-over-internet use and included in a Communications Data Bill.

Police and the security services can access the records with a warrant issued by the courts. Rather than individual companies holding the information, Home Office officials are suggesting the records be handed over to the Government and stored on a huge database.

One of the arguments being put forward in favour of the plan is that it would make it simpler and swifter for law enforcement agencies to retrieve the information instead of having to approach hundreds of service providers. Opponents say that the scope for abuse will be greater if the records are held on one database.

A Home Office spokesman said the Bill was needed to reflect changes in communication that would “increasingly undermine our current capabilities to obtain communications data and use it to protect the public”.

- From: Prophecy News Watch