In Between Panels

Vincent Van Gogh's "View of the Sea at Scheveningen".

I feel like this painting. You can't spell painting without, "pain."

Labels: art, art related, curios, discovery, paintings, waxing poetic

The red and yellow flowers they give out when they're happy are called, Canna Lilies.

Labels: aha, awesome, cool, discovery, garden, horticulture, nature

At my church, the main area is usually just crowded enough so there are couples or families in every row, with only one or two empty seats between them. I never know who is expecting one more person, plus a lot of these people are talking to each other when I arrive, so I usually go sit in the balcony. There are plenty of other people up there, yet there’s lots of room so I don’t have to intrude on others to find a seat. I automatically head to the balcony each Sunday, and I didn’t realize it was an abnormal place to sit. But last week I ran into a woman I know after the service and she stated, “I see you’re still hiding in the balcony.” HIDING? Um, if I were hiding, I think I’d be crouching behind the railing so no one would see me. Or perhaps I’d be just outside the door! Shhhh.. Guess I’m not a very good hider, sitting there in plain site. (Why is enjoying my favorite spots considered "hiding?")

It's the same situation for me, that's why I can't stand sitting in the middle of the seats and that's why I cringe whenever I'm spotted by a "greeter" sitting alone by myself. Not to denigrate other church goers, but that's my usual experience which results in lots of awkward moments afterwards because I'm unable to sustain small talk. This is one of those eye-opening articles on the site that I discovered pertaining to introverts: The Introvert Zone. Lots of articles if you like reading and lots of time alone like me.

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Labels: dilemma, discovery, informative stuff

Ano I Num. 19, Lunes 21 de Noviembre de 1910

This is the first time I came upon the Filipinas Heritage Library's website while looking for references for the Renacimiento Filipino out of morbid curiosity to look at the pictures of some dead national heroes after reading historian Ambeth Ocampo's account on the matter. I also came upon Rafael Minuesa's Flickr photostream which collects a lot of Filipiniana.

In my search I also came on these rare old pictures of celebrities from Imgur like this:

James Bond author/creator, Ian Fleming and Sean Connery

I find the old days fascinating, not better but simpler.

Labels: awesome, classic, cool, discovery, history, reminiscing

MANILA, Philippines - The Central Bank once designed a P500-bill featuring former President Marcos, Fe Dela Cruz, Director of the Corporate Affairs Office for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) confirmed recently. 

However, such banknotes did not reach the circulation stage," she said.

The P500 bills we know from the 80s to this day instead feature Marcos' arch-political rival, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

Go to P500-bill with Marcos face was never circulated to read the rest of the story.

Labels: aaahh, art related, controversial, cool, curios, discovery, history

Picture copied from the  Snakes.co.za Forum
Almost a month ago I discovered a spider at the back of our house where the cats are which I originally mistaken for a Black Widow Spider. It was perched up inside its mess of a web near the roof beneath the skylight and for days on end whenever I would feed the cats I would watch it. Stare at it fascinated, actually. All because of a childhood regret when I was hunting for spiders to use in competitions where we would set two spiders on a stick to duke it out like small gladiators. During recess or lunch I would abandon playing with other kids and scour the old wing of the school buildings in our school. One day me and this kid were of one mind looking for spiders. Any kind of spider would do that we would house in discarded matchboxes. We were looking through the recesses of these old windows poking the sides with small sticks when I came on this small window corner with dense webs. I poked it with small stick but it broke so I abandoned it in search of a new stick or an obvious spider. This kid following right behind me poked the same small corner and was rewarded with a beautiful black widow spider. My jaw dropped as I marveled at the sight of its black shiny-ness and bright red marking on its belly. Wishing I could have poked harder earlier then I would have been rewarded with that spider for myself. I could only look in helplessness as he slipped in his matchbox.

Fast forward, while looking at this lone spider I eventually spied an egg and after a week or so the egg became a cluster of small spiders. I didn't think much of it as I noticed the cluster become smaller and smaller after another week. Forward further another week and a half, I discovered a huge spider in one corner, then a few weird looking cluster of eggs. Was I being rewarded with the "loss" of that special spider back in childhood? I kept watching these spiders in complete (morbid) fascination knowing at the back of head they were poisonous. But they weren't doing anything just hanging around. There's nothing wrong with it, right? I thought of finally announcing the news in Twitter yesterday but thought I'd better research a bit on the thing to better know if announcing it using a happy tone would be appropriate. I was wrong.

Everything I read about the species advised not to let them thrive and instead get rid of them as soon as possible. Further research about the matter pointed to identity of the spider as a Brown Widow Spider with the picture of the unusual looking eggs pointing out the difference. It's not as aggressive as its cousin but a lot of websites still advising the same, to get rid of it. So, OK. Much as I'm torn (really I do) on the issue of relocating them vs. eliminating them I'd best do the latter for the sake of the cats I'm taking care of.

So far I've managed to pinpoint half a dozen the pictures of which can be viewed after the jump. (WARNING: Really icky close-up spider pictures ahead, don't click if you're uncomfortable with the sight of them) 

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Labels: cool, dilemma, discovery, reminiscing, sad news

God in Ancient China is a video that was introduced to me by a friend a couple of weeks ago by my friend from college by way of an interesting trivia he showed us. He said that there were certain (ordinary) words when in written in Chinese characters reveal extraordinary origins. Origins that can only be traced to one particular people, place, incident leading to a much older story found in the Bible.

Now the idea of the ancient Chinese being a monotheistic people wasn't new to me, having learned about this episode of Chinese history in the book, Eternity in Their Hearts: Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World (which is highly recommended if you're interested in the subject of apologetics). It was there that I first encountered the name ShangDi:

Shangdi, (Chinese: “Lord-on-High”) Wade-Giles romanization Shang-ti, also called Di,  ancient Chinese deity, the greatest ancestor and deity who controlled victory in battle, harvest, the fate of the capital, and the weather. He had no cultic following, however, and was probably considered too distant and inscrutable to be influenced by mortals. Shangdi was considered to be the supreme deity during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 century bce), but during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 bce) he was gradually supplanted by heaven (tian)*. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online)

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Labels: apologetics, awesome, Christian, discovery, history, theology

The Great Day of His Wrath (1851-1853) oil painting on canvas by John Martin.

I assume people in general would look at me strange if they heard about my current interest in the end times that's why I keep quiet about this subject around folks except for a few. This was two, maybe three years ago, nowadays I drop a few links here and there, and eagerly discuss the subject if the one I'm talking to is interested.

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Labels: awesome, curios, discovery, history, new year countdown, reminiscing, theology

"Unknown Lifeform in North Carolina Sewer!" the latest viral video to hit the intertubes sounds like the title of a B-movie (you can read the initial account here) but Gizmodo, the gadget blog, finally posted a report about the findings as released by DeepSeaNews.com who sent the video to Dr. Timothy S. Wood (an expert on freshwater bryozoa and an officer with the International Bryozoology Association) who had this to say, to quell the panic:

Thanks for the video – I had not see it before. No, these are not bryozoans! They are clumps of annelid worms, almost certainly tubificids (Naididae, probably genus Tubifex). Normally these occur in soil and sediment, especially at the bottom and edges of polluted streams. In the photo they have apparently entered a pipeline somehow, and in the absence of soil they are coiling around each other. The contractions you see are the result of a single worm contracting and then stimulating all the others to do the same almost simultaneously, so it looks like a single big muscle contracting. Interesting video.

Ok, so they're Tubifex worms (said to inhabit organically polluted waters). But what if it's a ruse? What if it's really one growing mass of unknown lifeform that escaped the government's clutches? When will we start calling Mulder and Scully?!

Labels: awesome, cool, curios, discovery, nature, new, uh-huh

Interesting debate between FOX News commentator, Bill O'Reilly, and Salon.com editor, Joan Walsh, regarding late term abortionist, Dr. George Tiller. Watch it and then decide for yourself where you stand on this issue.

* Unfortunately since he was gunned down last May 31 Dr. Tiller's website has been indefinitely down but you can read more about Dr. Tiller here.

Labels: aaahh, curios, discovery, events, interview, news, sad news

Posted below is a copy of the letter the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sent to the UP Dean of Physics regarding the incident with JC Candare and the kitten he killed:

Here's the reply PAWS got for the above

Response from UP College of Science Dean RE: Joseph Candare

From: Caesar Saloma
Subject: From Caesar Saloma/20 April 2009/Mr Candare
Date: Monday, 20 April, 2009, 6:56 PM
20 April 2009

Ms. Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco
President
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society, Inc
New Manila, Quezon City

Dear Ms. Hontiveros-Lichauco :

This is to acknowledge the receipt today of your letter dated 17 April 2009 concerning Mr Joseph Carlo Candare who made an entry in his blog that he killed a cat in a manner that is pathetic, appalling and worrisome.

The College of Science (CS) does not tolerate the cruel treatment of animals by any of its scientist, researchers and students. Mr Candare is a BS Applied Physics student of the National Institute of Physics (NIP) which is one of the eleven constituent units of CS (www.science. upd.edu.ph).

I will ask the NIP Director, Dr Arnel Salvador to meet with Mr Candare and to demand an explanation about the acts that he mentioned in his blog. The NIP will make a recommendation to my office about the possible action(s) that can be taken against Mr Candare according to existing University rules and regulations.

I assure you that the Office of the CS Dean will handle your serious concern promptly.

Maraming salamat po.

Sincerely yours,
Caesar Saloma
–
Caesar Saloma, PhD
Professor, National Institute of Physics
Dean, College of Science
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

Hope he learns his lesson and really reforms from his old ways. What I'd wish and really want right now is for me to read an article one day with his name championing the cause of animal rights.

Labels: cats, discovery, embarrassment, events, kittens, sad news

You can read a longer screenshot of the whole thing including the comments made by various people who read the now-deleted post. I'd post his blog address and/or Friendster but I won't sink to the level of this schmuck. "You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

Labels: cats, discovery, embarrassment, sad news

Had a full day today with friends going around the malls. It's two different sets of friends actually in two different malls capping the celebration of the New Year. First round was during lunch with a really good friend (and fellow geek) from college. We went around SM North eating lunch at the still cramped food court, eating fake meat in Bodhi (we're not vegetarians but a medical condition prevents my friend from regularly indulging himself with real meat). The food court's not a total loss with the small improvements done here and there.

Then it was off to the newly opened Annex part of the mall. My friend informed me previously that there wasn't much of anything to see since except for the grocery store which is the only one open inside but he relented later and took me on a tour. As you can see from these pictures, and if you go there yourself, that statement was a tad exaggerated.

The 4th floor's the one that interests me the most with its floorspace and interiors:


From those windows you can see a good view of the surrounding areas including the present construction of the future site of the Sky Garden down on the second floor:

Here are some more pictures on the same floor and a view of the groundfloor showing the glass ceiling of the Ace Hardware down in the basement level:

And some pictures of the funky escalators from above and below:

We went home after that extensive tour for me to feed the dogs and cats and to get ready to go out again to meet the Artists' Den people for our regular Friday meeting. Syeri suggested earlier we all get together for an early dinner at the newly constructed atrium in Megamall. At a place called:

"Factory."

Nice place at the second floor, somewhat pricey for regular dining but good enough for our first meeting of the year. I haven't figured it out if it's Persian or Indian cuisine they serve, they have a lot of curry dishes with mild to moderate spiciness, but the interiors betray none of its identity. Maybe it's both. Topics over dinner ranged from the trivial to more or less disgusting, as far as conversations with close friends go peppered generously with laughter:

We went to the fourth floor to Crepes and Cream after that for dessert and for the actual meeting. This place has a more affordable, but strange, set in its menu. We usually associate crepes with sweets but C & C took it further to include main course in their offerings (enough to give you the "crepes." Haha!).

This was the one I picked:

After a very short meeting with agendas pending the approval of some issues that still need to be cleared with the resumption of work next week, half of the group delved into playing Magic: The Gathering to pass the time. And I still can't get how it's played. All their talk about hit points, strategies, magical creatures went sailing over the heads of those of us who doesn't play. We broke up the meeting after one round, roughly around 9 pm. We went home, but having nothing else to do back here at home, and getting antsy for going home well before the time I'm accustomed to, I went to the Shang and whiled away the time browsing in the lone bookstore inside the mall (National Bookstore doesn't count as one) before sitting down to read the free newspaper and magazines in Starbucks to slow things down. That's where I took a picture of this nice view:

With the mall now closed, I went back home and settled in for the night after checking everything's okay with the pets.

Labels: aaahh, awesome, barkada, cool, curios, discovery, events, feast, happy gathering, new year, reminiscing

Another year, another year full of possibilities, may we have none of the grumbling and whining of the past years and remember these wise words:

"The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show." ~Author Unknown

"Sometimes the only way you can take a really good look at yourself is through somebody else's eyes." ~From the television show Scrubs

"Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you." ~Frank Tyger

"When you lose, don't lose the lesson." ~Author Unknown

"There is often less danger in the things we fear than in the things we desire." ~John C. Collins

Happy New Year everyone!

Labels: aaahh, discovery, events, feast, happy gathering, history, launching, new year, waxing poetic

Just when things can't get any better, an Australian company comes up, pulls this outta my dreams and make it a reality:

When Old Becomes New Again - GF350

TEAC Australia introduces the GF-350 Turntable CD Recorder and Radio that allows all those old vinyl classics to be recorded to CD with the touch of a button.

So if Dad’s been hanging onto LPs featuring the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Beach Boys, Buddy Holly and the like, this is the ideal gift for him!

This new innovative audio product features a 3-speed Turntable to play those golden oldies, CD Player/ Recorder and AM/FM radio with built in speakers and amplifier.

Now all those old 33 LPs and 45s can come out of storage and be recorded directly onto a blank CD for the convenience of playing. Enjoy this music in the car or at home and preserve those old records for perpetuity!

So don’t go through the trouble of having to connect a turntable to a computer or an outboard CD recorder, rather copy those records easily and effectively to CD.

Not only can you record from vinyl, you can also add external devices like a cassette deck via the aux input and record directly onto CD.

Is your record mastered at a low volume? No problems. The GF350 allows you to increase the volume output when recording to CD.

While the GF-350 permits playback of all vinyl formats, it also features a 32-track Music Memory and Auto/Manual Track Increment that allows for the track number to be recorded.

Aesthetically, this new product blends the stylish yet traditional Turntable features with the contemporary and sleek finish of the LCD Display with Backlight and rotary volume control.

New releases, such as the GF-350, demonstrate how TEAC Australia is advancing its future direction and continuing to be a pioneer in evolving technologies.

Just saw one earlier in the mall and a couple of months more and I'll be able to afford this sucker!

Labels: aha, awesome, cool, discovery, entertainment, history, reminiscing

Just discovered they finished doing my Fan Friendster profile. Awesome!

Labels: aha, art related, awesome, cartoons, comics related, cool, discovery, launching

Just read this pretty significant news today:

Rabbi Reveals Name of the Messiah
Israel Today

Shortly before he died, one of Israel's most prominent rabbis wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was opened, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua (Jesus), is the Messiah.

A few months before he died, one of the nation’s most prominent rabbis, Yitzhak Kaduri, supposedly wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was unsealed, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua (Jesus), is the Messiah.

With the biblical name of Jesus, the Rabbi and kabbalist described the Messiah using six words and hinting that the initial letters form the name of the Messiah. The secret note said:

Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah’s name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid.

Thisis I have signed in the month of mercy,
Yitzhak Kaduri

The Hebrew sentence (translated above in bold) with the hidden name of the Messiah reads: Yarim Ha’Am Veyokhiakh Shedvaro Vetorato Omdim

The initials spell the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yehoshua. Yehoshua and Yeshua are eectively the same name, derived from the same Hebrew root of the word “salvation” as documented in Zechariah 6:11 and Ezra 3:2. The same priest writes in Ezra, “Yeshua son of Yozadak” while writing in Zechariah “Yehoshua son of Yohozadak.” The priest adds the holy abbreviation of God’s name, ho, in the father’s name Yozadak and in the name Yeshua.

With one of Israel’s most prominent rabbis indicating the name of the Messiah is Yeshua, it is understandable why his last wish was to wait one year after his death before revealing what he wrote.

When the name of Yehoshua appeared in Kaduri’s message, ultra-Orthodox Jews from his Nahalat Yitzhak Yeshiva (seminary) in Jerusalem argued that their master did not leave the exact solution for decoding the Messiah’s name.

The revelation received scant coverage in the Israeli media. Only the Hebrew websites News First Class (Nfc) and Kaduri.net mentioned the Messiah note, insisting it was authentic. The Hebrew daily Ma'ariv ran a story on the note but described it as a forgery.

Jewish readers responded on the websites' forums with mixed feelings: “So this means Rabbi Kaduri was a Christian?” and “The Christians are dancing and celebrating,” were among the comments.

Israel Today spoke to two of Kaduri’s followers in Jerusalem who admitted that the note was authentic, but confusing for his followers as well. “We have no idea how the Rabbi got to this name of the Messiah,” one of them said.

Yet others completely deny any possibility that the note is authentic. Kaduri’s son, Rabbi David Kaduri, said that at the time the note was written (September 2005), his father’s physical condition made it impossible for him to write.

KADURI'S PORTRAYAL OF THE MESSIAH

A few months before Kaduri died at the age of 108, he surprised his followers when he told them that he met the Messiah. Kaduri gave a message in his synagogue on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, teaching how to recognize the Messiah. He also mentioned that the Messiah would appear to Israel after Ariel Sharon’s death. (The former prime minister is still in a coma after suffering a massive stroke more than a year ago.)

Other rabbis predict the same, including Rabbi Haim Cohen, kabbalist Nir Ben Artzi and the wife of Rabbi Haim Kneiveskzy.

Kaduri’s grandson, Rabbi Yosef Kaduri, said his grandfather spoke many times during his last days about the coming of the Messiah and redemption through the Messiah.

His spiritual portrayals of the Messiah—reminiscent of New Testament accounts—were published on the websites Kaduri.net and Nfc:

“It is hard for many good people in society to understand the person of the Messiah. The leadership and order of a Messiah of flesh and blood is hard to accept for many in the nation. As leader, the Messiah will not hold any office, but will be among the people and use the media to communicate. His reign will be pure and without personal or political desire. During his dominion, only righteousness and truth will reign.

“Will all believe in the Messiah right away? No, in the beginning some of us will believe in him and some not. It will be easier for non-religious people to follow the Messiah than for Orthodox people.

“The revelation of the Messiah will be fulfilled in two stages: First, he will actively confirm his position as Messiah without knowing himself that he is the Messiah. Then he will reveal himself to some Jews, not necessarily to wise Torah scholars. It can be even simple people. Only then he will reveal himself to the whole nation. The people will wonder and say: ‘What, that’s the Messiah?’ Many have known his name but have not believed that he is the Messiah.”

FAREWELL TO A 'TSADIK'

Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri was known for his photographic memory and his memorization of the Bible, the Talmud, Rashi and other Jewish writings. He knew Jewish sages and celebrities of the last century and rabbis who lived in the Holy Land and kept the faith alive before the State of Israel was born.

Kaduri was not only highly esteemed because of his age of 108. He was charismatic and wise, and chief rabbis looked up to him as a Tsadik, a righteous man or saint. He would give advice and blessings to everyone who asked. Thousands visited him to ask for counsel or healing. His followers speak of many miracles and his students say that he predicted many disasters.

When he died, more than 200,000 people joined the funeral procession on the streets of Jerusalem to pay their respects as he was taken to his final resting place.

“When he comes, the Messiah will rescue Jerusalem from foreign religions that want to rule the city,” Kaduri once said. “They will not succeed for they will fight against one another.”

THE RABBI'S FOLLOWERS REACT

In an interview with Israel Today, Rabbi David Kaduri, the 80-year-old son of the late Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri, denied that his father left a note with the name Yeshua just before he died.

“It’s not his writing,” he said when we showed him a copy of the note.

During a nighttime meeting in the Nahalat Yitzhak Yeshiva in Jerusalem, books with the elder Kaduri’s handwriting from 80 years ago were presented to us in an attempt to prove that the Messiah note was not authentic.

When we told Rabbi Kaduri that his father’s official website (www.kaduri.net) had mentioned the Messiah note, he was shocked. “Oh no! That’s blasphemy. The people could understand that my father pointed to him [the Messiah of the Christians].”

David Kaduri confirmed, however, that in his last year, his father had talked and dreamed almost exclusively about the Messiah and his coming. “My father has met the Messiah in a vision,” he said, “and told us that he would come soon.”

Israel Today was given access to many of the rabbi's manuscripts, written in his own hand for the exclusive use of his students. Most striking were the cross-like symbols painted by Kaduri all over the pages. In the Jewish tradition, one does not use crosses. In fact, even the use of a plus sign is discouraged because it might be mistaken for a cross.

But there they were, scribbled in the rabbi's own hand. When we asked what those symbols meant, Rabbi David Kaduri said they were “signs of the angel." Pressed further about the meaning of the “signs of the angel," he said he had no idea. Rabbi David Kaduri went on to explain that only his father had had a spiritual relationship with God and had met the Messiah in his dreams.

Orthodox Jews around the Nahalat Yitzhak Yeshiva told Israel Today a few weeks later that the story about the secret note of Rabbi Kaduri should never have come out, and that it had damaged the name the revered old sage.

This is very interesting because there's a huge contradiction on the surface. It's a well known fact that Orthodox Jews do not believe the Messiah has already come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. That's why they're still waiting for His appearance up till now.

The reason stems from their belief of the the 2 types of Messiah: Moshiach ben Yosef (Messiah Son [descendant] of Joseph, "the suffering Messiah") and Moshiach ben David (Messiah Son [descendant] of David, "the victorious Messiah"). According to their belief, Messiah ben Joseph is only a forerunner of the second type, one that will gather the people of Israel together in a battle against their enemies only to be killed. The second type will lead the people into victory resurrecting the first one in the process. It's that second type they're waiting for and believe will be coming soon (for whom the third temple being prepared in Jerusalem is for). But salvation in the last days will not come to them until they recognize Him for who He is.

Labels: awesome, cool, curios, discovery, events, history, launching, theology

Confirming The Sequence Of End Times Events
By Jack Kelley

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matt. 16:2-3)

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matt. 24:15-16)

For then there will be great distress (Great Tribulation), unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matt. 24:21)

When it comes to developing any kind of time line concerning the End Times, the watershed event has to be the Abomination that Causes Desolation. Why? Because from that time forward, the Bible gives a very clear sequence of events.

First, the Abomination is the event that kicks off the Great Tribulation, a period of judgments 3 1/2 years long.(Matt 24:15,21) After the Great Tribulation, the Lord returns and following His return the Millennium begins. After the Millennium comes Eternity. Any one on Earth during this time will be able to predict these events with reasonable accuracy.

Second, we who study prophecy can also count backward from the Abomination that Causes Desolation and predict the sequence of events leading up to it by applying our knowledge of Scripture.

How Does That Work?

Well, we know that the Abomination involves the anti-Christ standing in the Temple in Israel, proclaiming himself to be God. (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thes. 2:4)

But that can’t happen until some other things take place first. Obviously the anti-Christ has to be revealed. And the Jews have to build their Temple. This is something that can’t happen until they experience a change in attitude causing them to demand a Temple regardless of the consequences. Today less than 1 in 4 citizens of Israel want a Temple built, but even if every one of them did just the hint that they were going to build one would send the rest of the world into a tizzy. It simply wouldn’t be permitted.

Some major event has to take place to convince the Jewish people that building a Temple in Israel is the right thing to do in spite of all the trouble it could cause, and some world leader has to have enough clout to convince the rest of the world, especially the Moslem Middle East, to let them do it.

Daniel 9:27 also reveals that as the End of the Age approaches, a leader from among the people who destroyed the Temple in 67 AD will confirm (enforce) a 7 year covenant with Israel that includes permission to build a new Temple, and that in the middle of this period he will commit the Abomination that Causes Desolation. That explains the persuasive world leader. He’s the anti-Christ, and he wants the Temple built for reasons that have nothing to do with Israel. The unanswered question in Daniel’s prophecy is why the Jews would desire a Temple at that particular time.

Our knowledge of the Old Testament tells us that a Temple was necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Levitical worship system. So then, because of the uproar it would create, it seems logical to assume that the Jews would only want a Temple if they felt it was absolutely necessary for the Nation of Israel to re-instate their Old Covenant worship of God.

Continued: How Does That Happen?

Bible students and those interested in how eschatology fits into world events would do well to sit up and take notice how things are shaping up. Recent events conspired to shake off my complacency, resulting in some paradigm shifts, and read up on the subject once more. I hope to set my priorities straight for hereon in. Things won't be getting any better so we all should best be getting ready.

Labels: aaahh, curios, discovery, events, history, theology

How Would Jesus Vote?
Jack Kelley

"But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." (Isaiah 65:11-12)

For most of America's history there's been a direct connection between patriotism and faith, probably because the US was founded as a Christian nation. We've always believed that God has watched over us, made us prosperous, and been on our side in the wars we've fought.

That connection began to unravel in the 1960's, but it's surprising the number of people who still believe that if seems to be good for the country, it must be right. This is true even among believers. According to recent Barna polls, 48% of those likely to vote in the coming election are born again Christians. That means they claim to have made a personal commitment to Jesus and believe they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. These same polls show that nearly half of them will vote for the candidate they think has the best plan for restoring America's reputation in the world and managing the economic battles that lie ahead, rather than the one who they think will best uphold the Biblical principles they believe. So if only half the voters are believers, and half of them plan to use worldly standards in making their choice rather than Biblical ones, it follows that only 1 in every 4 voters will be exercising any spiritual discernment at all in casting their vote.

The other 3 are using standards like peace, financial security, tolerance, choice, and so on as their guidelines. They don't realize that only God can restore peace and security to their lives, and tolerance and choice are just nice sounding words that really stand for rebellion against Him. By not considering His standards in casting their vote, they're guaranteeing that He won't be helping them get what they want.

Continued: What's At Stake Here?

It's the eve of another (if not the most) historic US election. I guess everyone's conscious of the fact that the fate of the world at large hinges on the outcome of this election. Do prayerfully consider your choice before casting your vote and for those whose citizenship are not of this world and who're longing towards a better country, along with those who are best looking for it too, should take comfort in Pastor Carey Hardy's preaching regarding Biblical perspective on this election, "Maximum Impact," (note: no candidates specifically endorsed [audio / 45 mins]).

Labels: awesome, curios, discovery, events, history, politics

This is a speech from Eisenhower's Secretary of Agriculture. Kruschev was eerily correct about our future.

"I have talked face to face with the godless communist leaders. It may surprise you to learn that I was host to Mr. Kruschev for a half day when he visited the United States, not that I'm proud of it. I opposed his coming then, and I still feel it was a mistake to welcome this atheistic murderer as a state visitor. But, according to President Eisenhower, Kruschev had expressed a desire to learn something of American Agriculture — and after seeing Russian agriculture I can understand why. As we talked face to face, he indicated that my grandchildren would live under communism. After assuring him that I expected to do all in my power to assure that his and all other grandchildren will live under freedom he arrogantly declaired in substance:

" 'You Americans are so gullible. No, you won't accept communism outright, but we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you'll finally wake up and find you already have communism. We won't have to fight you. We'll so weaken your economy until you'll fall like overripe fruit into our hands.'

"And they're ahead of schedule in their devilish scheme."

(Ezra Taft Benson "Our Immediate Responsibility." circa 1968.")

Doesn't this sound eerily true? Shouldn't this make us feel uneasy enough to open our eyes and be vigilant about guarding our freedom? Remember what is rightfully ours to fight for.

You can listen to the whole speech here:

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