Scott's Blog - 10/31/06

Prophecy Update

As you know if you are a regular part of our SRL family of listeners, our daily get together is devoted to your questions about puzzling passages in the Bible, practical application of biblical principles in the challenges of life, penetrating answers to tough questions regarding our faith, and perspective on the events of today, and even tomorrow through Biblical prophecy.

There are few subjects that grab our attention more than that last aspect of our program, are we nearing the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus. 

Two weekends ago I was getting in a treadmill workout. Fortunately there was a television mounted on the wall in front of me to help keep my mind off the fact that I was running hard, but getting nowhere in a hurry!  Looking desperately for a ball game, I glanced at the channel set on C-Span. Imagine my shock when I saw Joel Rosenberg, giving a prophecy update, recorded live at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa! 

Suffice it to say, my work out went by in a flash. Joel not only is a NY Times Best Selling Author, but brings a perspective from international politics that is invaluable in the study of end times events.

Last weekend, Joel gave a presentation at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, where SRL is produced each day. We wanted you to benefit not only from his presentation, but also a fascinating Q and A session that follows. Enjoy!

WEBCAST/PODCAST FROM ALBUQUERQUE: "ARE WE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS?"

This weekend, I had the wonderful privilege of being in Albuquerque, New Mexico, speaking at Calvary Chapel of Rio Rancho and Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. My topic in both churches was, "Are We Living In The Last Days?" We examined current events in Russia, North Korea and the Middle East in the light of Bible prophecy. My talk at Calvary Albuquerque was followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. The event was simulcast over the radio, and webcast to viewers in Jerusalem and at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. To watch the webcast, or download the podcast, please click here.

JOEL C. ROSENBERG

Name:Joel Rosenberg

Location:Washington, D.C., United States

Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of THE LAST JIHAD (2002), THE LAST DAYS (2003), THE EZEKIEL OPTION (2005), and THE COPPER SCROLL (2006) with more than one million copies in print. THE EZEKIEL OPTION was named by the ECPA as the Gold Medallion winner of the "Best Novel of 2006." Joel previously served as a senior advisor to several U.S. and Israeli leaders, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky, and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has been interviewed on more than 300 radio and TV shows, including ABC's "Nightline," CNN, CNN Headline News, C-SPAN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, The History Channel, the Michael Reagan Show, the Rush Limbaugh Show and the Sean Hannity Show. Joel's first non-fiction book, EPICENTER: Why The Current Rumblings In The Middle East Will Change Your Future, was released September 18, 2006.

Scott's Blog - 10/30/06

The Credibility Gap

No. I'm not referring to a band from the groovy '60's. I'm referring to that awkward moment when the distance between the confidence and the content of our beliefs gets exposed.

If you are a regular to Scott's Blog, you are already up to speed on the firestorm of controversy  generated when actor Michael J. Fox injected himself into the senate race in Missouri. Because Fox suffers from Parkinson's Disease he has become a leading proponent of embryonic stem cell research. (see Scott's Blog 10/23 "The Center of the Storm" for more details)

Fox's involvement in Missouri politics has since gotten deeper as he has endorsed a controversial proposition that would make even cloning of human embryos for research legal in the state. 

Certainly every person is entitled to their opinion. But when a person uses their celebrity status to influence a ballot decision they will find themselves subject to a heightened level of scrutiny. Hence the following headline story in the news today.

ABC News Michael J. Fox Fires Back at Critics

Michael J. Fox Tells ABC News He Has Not Read Missouri's Cloning/Stem Cell Amendment

(From an interview on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos)

Whatever the merits of Michael J. Fox's point of view on this issue, one point resonates above all else. In Missouri, he is standing for something he hasn't taken the time to read.

Funny thing, but I have encountered the same public relations problem in spiritual circles.

One evening, I was asked to speak at an outreach meeting at the University of Arizona. We had spent most of the evening in a Q and A format, with great results. I was starting to wrap things up with a presentation of what it meant to enter in to a personal relationship with Jesus. Right in the midst of one of my most Billy Graham-like gestures, a young woman in the back yelled out -

"HEY! I THINK JESUS WAS A LIAR!"

The focus of the entire room full of students immediately was jolted to this woman - held there for about three seconds - and then shifted back to me.

One question was on the mind of the crowd - "What is this guy going to say to this?"

I know this, because I was thinking the same thing!

The Lord was very gracious to me that evening. I responded in a way that even surprised me. 

"That's an interesting point of view. Why do you believe that?"

She looked angry and shot back - "I believe Jesus was a liar and you can't prove to me that He wasn't!"

I replied, "I understand your position. I just want to know why you believe it. What is it about Jesus' life and teaching that has convinced you He is a liar?"

She said, "You mean, something specific?"

"Yes. That would be helpful. Have you ever read the eyewitness biographies of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?"

"Well....No."

Here was a woman who took a passionate, public position on the most important issue any person will ever consider, without even reading the primary documents.

The Bible gives us an equally challenging piece of instruction.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15)

Knowing what we believe and why we believe it about our relationship with God is essential not only for our own faith, but to be a credible representative of the life, love and truth of Jesus.

Scott's Blog - 10/27/06

War of the World Views

Hosting a daily Bible question and answer program certainly opens the doors for some interesting opportunities to share the love and truth of Jesus. If you are a regular part of our Scott Richards Live listening family you know that we had just such an eye opening encounter last week on the campus of the University of New Mexico. I was invited to take part in an on campus debate with Scott MacLamont (also known as MacLamont the Fireheart), the High Priest of the Circle of the Winter Moon, a Wiccan Coven. 

Many have asked if the debate was recorded. The good news is that it was. We wanted to make available to you the audio edition of the discussion here on the web site as quickly as we could. We are even more excited to let you know that the debate was DVD'ed , and will be available in a video format within the next couple of weeks. Be watching www.Scottrichardslive.com for more details.

I think you will discover that the reliability and historicity of the Good News of Jesus really shines in this discussion! Enjoy this "War of the World Views"!

Scott's Blog - 10/26/06

The Revolving Door

Have you ever found yourself sitting in a church service when a strange thought crosses your mind - "I hardly recognizes most of the people here! Where did all these new faces come from? And what happened to so many of the old familiar people I used to see?"

If you can relate to the previous paragraph you are certainly not alone. What has come to be called The Revolving Door Syndrome is a common phenomenon in Christian circles these days.

 Some have attributed it to the fact that we live in both a consumer driven and mobile culture. Some have come to see church involvement in the same light as patronizing a favorite restaurant. If we like the fare on the menu and the customer service is good we will come by on a regular basis. But if the service is slow, and what is offered is not really according to our taste, or perhaps we get tired of the "same old, same old" we will find a place where we can get a little variety in our diet. After all, another outlet is right down the road.

There is no doubt that God will have us in a particular fellowship for a time and a purpose. It is entirely possible that he moves us on from time to time for our benefit, or even the benefit of a fellowship that would be blessed by the spiritual gifts and experience we have to contribute. 

There have been times when people have sheepishly told me as a pastor that they feel lead of the Lord to move on from our fellowship. I always try to encourage them that as long as they are going to a church that teaches salvation by grace through faith, the authority and inerrancy of God's Word, and the doctrine of the Trinity this can be a blessing and a healthy thing. 

But what about the people who leave and never darken the door of a church again? 

A fascinating study was done recently by an organization called LifeWay Research.

Labeled as the "formerly churched," 59 percent of those who left the church did so because of "changes in life situation." This was the dominant reason found in the survey conducted to better understand why people leave the church.

More specifically, LifeWay Research Director Brad Waggoner pointed out two life-situation reasons why adults stop attending church. According to the study, 19 percent of the formerly churched "simply got too busy to attend church," and 17 percent said "family/home responsibilities prevented church attendance."

Other reasons explained were moving too far from the church, work situation and divorce or separation.

Another common reason adults leave the church is "disenchantment with pastor/church." The study reported 37 percent of adults cited this as a reason for no longer attending. Some of the factors contributing to disenchantment included the behavior of church members. LifeWay reported that 17 percent said church members "seemed hypocritical" and "were judgmental of others," and 12 percent said "the church was run by a clique that discouraged involvement."

"While some may use disenchantment issues as a smokescreen to hide behind, the large percent of the formerly churched who struggle with disenchantment deserve some honest attention," Waggoner commented, according to LifeWay.

Still, 80 percent of the formerly churched do not have a strong belief in God, which the study indicated may account for their higher priorities of work and family over church. Also, among the top 10 reasons adults leave the church, only two were related to spiritual causes, the report highlighted, with 14 percent saying the church was not helping them develop spiritually and another 14 percent saying they stopped believing in organized religion.

The church, however, may have prevented some losses if it showed more care, stated the study.

"The responsibility and influence of the church varies across the different reasons for withdrawal," said Waggoner. "One clear influence is the expectations that churches have of attendees as they come into the life of the church."

He went further to explain that many churches are afraid of asking too much of the churchgoers, fearing they would leave.

Yet the study suggested for more discipleship and commitment from church attendants along with a greater show of care. The study found that 16 percent of those who left the church said nobody contacted them after they left and another 16 percent said nobody seemed to care that they left.

"In the end, it’s important for church leaders to not only assume responsibility for those who seek to join their churches, but also for those who attempt to leave," said Waggoner. "Be vigilant at both the front door and the back door of the church."

The Word confirms the two main points of this study. There are those who will leave a local body of believers, simply because they never connected with Christ Himself.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. (I John 2:19)

But the Word also verifies that we need to have the same compassion as Jesus for those who go astray.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:4-7)

If each of us in the body of Christ commit ourselves to have that kind of concern and love for others we might not stop the "Revolving Door". People will still come and go for right and wrong reasons. But perhaps we can slow it down a bit, at least enough to let every person know that God really loves them, even on their way out.

Scott's Blog - 10/25/06

Excellent Servants/Poor Masters

What role do our emotions play in our walk with the Lord? Let's open the SRL Mailbag and deal with this issue before it deals with us!

Hi Pastor Scott,

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God....."

To get right to the point, how do you do this? My desire more than
anything in this world is to know God intimately. I want to feel His
presence and have my life driven by the Holy Spirit. I've heard you say
on your broadcast that if we ask God to reveal Himself to us He will. I
heard you say that the words of the Bible seem to leap off the page at
you. I feel like a second-class Christian. I don't hear from God or feel
led by the Spirit. I have enough sense to know and believe that the
problem does not lie with God but with me. So what am I doing wrong?
Here's what I think I'm doing right. I read God's Word every night as
Joshua 1:8 and the first Psalm says to do. I try to the best of my
ability to live according to His Word. I pray that the Lord will be more
alive to me. I ask Him to reveal Himself to me and open the eyes of my
understanding with respect to His Word and truth. I long to know His
good, acceptable, and perfect will for my life. I know I'm not perfect
but I'm looking for His perfection to perfect me. So is there a "12 step
program" to this? There are times I tell myself that He loves me and
everything will work out and I feel charged up. Then after a while I get
exasperated and wonder what's going on. I know I'm the soil that hears
and then is glad momentarily but how do I obtain and maintain that peace
that surpasses understanding? The last thing I want to do is murmur
against God but I'm left with questions and (I can't believe I'm saying
this) He doesn't seem to want to answer. Again I know it has to be me so
if you could shed some light or if any of your listeners has experienced
this I would love to hear from them.



Thanks so much.....Roger

Thank you so much Roger for raising an issue that can make or break our walk with the Lord!

 I can't tell you how many believers I have met who live their Christian lives on a proverbial roller coaster. In a "Mountain Top" moment of praise and inspired worship they claim to have felt so close to God they thought they could touch Him. But the next day, after coming down with a case of stomach flu, God seems 10,000 light years away, if He exists at all. 

The issue comes down to this - how do we determine if God is really in our lives? Is it by faith or by feelings?

Contrary to popular opinion, faith is not an emotion. It is a decision. When we exercise faith in another person, we make decisions based on something we cannot see. It is called character. We can't see character itself, but we can certainly see what it does. And when we see the consistent signs of character demonstrated over time, we invest our faith in this person, confident that this pattern will continue. This is called trust. 

Trust is the highest and most sincere form of praise possible. Show me what you are willing to trust someone with, and I will show you just how highly you really think of them. This investment of trust, what we call faith, is what a genuine relationship with the Lord is all about.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Notice what sets off this cascade of blessings. It is not a feeling, but a decision to trust God. That decision is something we commit to because we have looked at the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and have concluded He is worthy of our trust. We believe that Jesus lives in us, not because of a feeling, or an experience, but because we trust that He will do as He says.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

Notice that Jesus didn't say, "If anyone hears My voice, has an overwhelming emotional experience, and opens the door I will come into him." We respond to His invitation by faith, believing He will do exactly as He says.

When we walk by faith in His promises, as Romans 5: 1-5 reveals, wonderful emotional experiences of His nearness will follow us. Our problem is we want to follow wonderful emotional experiences and call that a relationship with the Lord.

It has been said our emotions are excellent servants. They can tell us a lot about what is going on in our hearts. They can show us areas where we are on thin ice spiritually. They can refresh and encourage us to carry on in the Christian life. 

But it has also been said that our emotions are poor masters. Our feelings aren't necessarily good or bad. They are just our feelings. It's what we do with our feelings that ultimately counts. And I have become convinced that it is precisely those times that we remain faithful in spite of our feelings that will end up being of greatest glory and eternal reward when we see our Savior.

For more on this crucial subject, follow the link to a talk I recently gave at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. I think you will find it a blessing.

Scott's Blog - 10/24/06

Revelation or Speculation?

There is an old saying that the best prophets make sure of the events they predict first. 

These days we hear an awful lot of debate about the future of our planet. The main culprit that is widely touted as a threat to generations yet to come is man made global warming.

We are told that the release of temperature raising gases from sources as diverse as that lumbering SUV in the lane next to you, all the way  to cows doing what they do best,  is going to raise temperatures to the point where the ice caps will melt, the climate will shift, and untold catastrophes will be a regular part of day to day life.

Or so the speculation goes.

But would it surprise you to learn that 30 years ago the best results of science predicted disaster for the planet from the exact opposite source?

Remember Global Cooling?

Why scientists find climate change so hard to predict.

Imaginechina (left); detail from 4/28/1975 Newsweek article Hot and Cold:  Signs of global warming at a dried-up pond in China in August 2006 (left) and a 1975 NEWSWEEK report on the threat of global cooling.  View related photos

WEB EXCLUSIVE

By Jerry Adler

Updated: 2:41 p.m. MT Oct 23, 2006

Oct. 23, 2006 - In April, 1975, in an issue mostly taken up with stories about the collapse of the American-backed government of South Vietnam, NEWSWEEK published a small back-page article about a very different kind of disaster. Citing "ominous signs that the earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically," the magazine warned of an impending "drastic decline in food production." Political disruptions stemming from food shortages could affect "just about every nation on earth." Scientists urged governments to consider emergency action to head off the terrible threat of . . . well, if you had been following the climate-change debates at the time, you'd have known that the threat was: global cooling.

So who do we believe about our future?

The single greatest problem we as people face in dealing with the future is that we are stuck in the present. Because it takes milliseconds for our senses and our brain to process what is happening around us, in reality we all live in the past. We look at life through a rear view mirror, unable to see what lies ahead until it has passed us by.

We can speculate about tomorrow. But we can't anticipate it. 

Unless we can get our take on what lies ahead from Someone unbound by time and the process of perception.

Remember the former things of old,
      For I am God, and there is no other;
      I am God, and there is none like Me,
       Declaring the end from the beginning,
      And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
      Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
      And I will do all My pleasure,' (Isaiah 46:9-10)

The Bible tells us that God Who is not limited by time has revealed to us key information about our future. God hasn't just told us what will happen on a global scale, but He has also revealed what tomorrow holds for each of us as individuals.

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

Being given a heads-up about tomorrow is valuable if it changes the way we live today. How about this heavenly heads-up? Have you prepared for the day when you will leave this life and stand before your Creator? If He were to ask you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven?", what would you say?

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (John 1:11-12)

God is so concerned about your future He delivered His message of life personally through His Son Jesus. Have you settled where you will spend all your tomorrows?

Scott's Blog - 10/23/06

The Center of the Storm

Your "Final Jeopardy" question - identify these pictures!

And--

The first picture is an embryonic stem cell, injected into the shoulder blade of a mouse.

The second picture is of a celebrity who believes that embryonic stem cells will cure his tragic case of Parkinson's Disease.

And therein lies a huge debate that this election season is bringing to the forefront.

Michael J. Fox appears in ads touting Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) - His body visibly racked by tremors, actor Michael J. Fox speaks out for Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill in a television ad that promotes her support for embryonic stem cell research.

"As you might know I care deeply about stem cell research," says Fox, 45, who has struggled with Parkinson's disease for more than a decade. "In Missouri you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures."

McCaskill has made support for the research a key part of her campaign to unseat Senator Jim Talent. The Republican incumbent opposes the research as unethical, saying it destroys human embryos.

The new ad debuted prominently Saturday night during Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers and will continue airing statewide this week, a campaign spokeswoman said.

Debate over stem cell research looms large in the state, where voters are considering a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to protect all federally allowed forms of the research, including embryonic stem cell research.

"Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research," Fox says in the 30-second spot. "Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope."

Talent's campaign called the ad a false attack.

"Senator Talent supports medical research including stem cell research that doesn't involve cloning or destroying a human embryo," said Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer.

Election time is famous for generating discussions that create more heat than light. This couldn't be more true than in the case of embryonic stem cell research. Two question that must be asked if we are to have a biblically solid view of this debate.

First - When does life begin?

As we have shared in this space before Scripture, science and common sense lead inescapably to the conclusion that life begins at the moment of conception. As King David expressed it:

For You formed my inward parts;
         You covered me in my mother’s womb.
  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well.
 My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
         And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
         And in Your book they all were written,
         The days fashioned for me,
         When as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Science tells us that from the moment of conception, a fertilized egg has the same genetic endowment as you or me. Common sense tells us that the only difference between you, me and a fertilized egg is time and nurture. Your life and my life began at conception.

Second - Does the mere stage of development give us the right to declare someone "less than human" and open to experimentation for the potential benefit of those with more time and nurture under their belts? Certainly the condition of  a Michael J. Fox, or the late Christopher Reeve, or all the others who suffer from currently untreatable maladies should generate compassion. But compassion alone should not cause us to run over the rights of arguably the most defenseless people in our society - the unborn.

Learn to do good;
      Seek justice,
      Rebuke the oppressor;
      Defend the fatherless,
      Plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)

There is yet a third consideration to this debate - a very practical one. Although there have been over eighty documented cures and therapies obtained from adult stem cells (harvested from fat cells, among other things!), so far embryonic stem cell research is long on promises, and short on results.

Stem cells might cause brain tumors, study finds

Mon Oct 23, 5:58 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Injecting human embryonic stem cells into the brains of Parkinson's disease patients may cause tumors to form, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.

Steven Goldman and colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York said human stem cells injected into rat brains turned into cells that looked like early tumors.

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers said the transplants clearly helped the rats, but some of the cells started growing in a way that could eventually lead to a tumor.

Various types of cell transplants are being tried to treat Parkinson's disease, caused when dopamine-releasing cells die in the brain.

This key neurotransmitter, or message-carrying chemical, is involved in movement and Parkinson's patients suffer muscle dysfunction that can often lead to paralysis. Drugs can slow the process for a while but there is no cure.

The idea behind brain cell transplants is to replace the dead cells. Stem cells are considered particularly promising as they can be directed to form the precise desired tissue and do not trigger an immune response.

Goldman's team used human embryonic stem cells. Taken from days-old embryos, these cells can form any kind of cell in the body. This batch had been cultured in substances aimed at making them become brain cells.

Previous groups have tried to coax stem cells into becoming dopamine-releasing cells.

Goldman's team apparently succeeded and transplanted them into the rats with an equivalent of Parkinson's damage. The animals did get better.

But the grafted cells started to show areas that no longer consisted of dopamine-releasing neurons, but of dividing cells that had the potential to give rise to tumors.

The researchers killed the animals before they could know for sure, and said any experiments in humans would have to be done very cautiously.

Scientists have long feared that human embryonic stem cells could turn into tumors, because of their pliability.

Opponents of embryonic stem cell research cite such threats. Many opponents, including

President George W. Bush and some members of Congress, believe it is immoral to destroy human embryos to obtain their stem cells.

Again, understand I am not saying we should not have compassion for those who like Michael J. Fox suffer from diseases like Parkinson's. My own uncle struggles daily, heroically and with incredible spirit and humor in that same battle. But let's invest our resources in avenues that help other human beings, without hurting the helpless and harming our own humanity.
         

Scott's Blog - 10/18/06

Not a Thing of the Past

Every now and then I will hear someone intoning about our advanced society, and how problems like persecution are no longer a problem.

I usually ask them if they get out very much.

It surprises most people to learn that persecution of Christians has done land office business in our "modern" world. So much so that more people died for faith in Christ in the last century, than all who were martyred in the previous 1900 years.

And the beat goes on.

Consider the following items that have hit the news this week.

EGYPT: Kidnappers' Attempt to Force Teenage Girl to Convert to Islam Botched October 10, 2006 The Voice of the Martyrs On October 2nd at 2:30 p.m., Lorans Wageah Emeel, a 15-year-old Christian girl, was kidnapped by Muslims in the Egyptian city of El Mahala Al Kobra, about 60 miles north of Cairo. The incident was publicized by El Tareek, the only Arabic Christian newspaper in the Middle East. It is reported that the abductors are trying to force Lorans, a student of Saida Nafesa High School in El Mahalla Al Kobra, to deny Christ and accept Islam. At approximately 10:30 a.m. Cairo time, on October 3rd, the Emeel family gathered around the El Mahala Al Kobra police station, pleading with the officers to return Lorans to them. Her parents accused a Muslim man of kidnapping their daughter at 2:30 in the afternoon and filed a police report at the station. Under the cover of night at 10:00 on October 3rd, kidnapped Christian teenager, Lorans, managed to escape from her Muslim captors, who drugged and threatened to rape her if she refused Islam, before abducting her from a public bus, according to Compass Direct. While the terrorists were taking a break from a Ramadan fast, Lorans broke out of her detention room located in Helwan, a suburb just south of Cairo. It is also reported that Lorans’ father received the following text messages during the abduction: “The girl is not accepting easily, but she will embrace Islam for sure,” and “Take the rest of your daughters and leave the city, or you will lose them one by one.” Prior to reuniting with her family, State Security Investigation officials told Lorans that if she did not deny the kidnapping, she would never see her parents again. The kidnapping of Christian teenage girls in Muslim nations has reached into the thousands. Many are forced through physical violence to convert to Islam. Other girls are often lured into becoming Muslims with promises of material wealth. The Voice of the Martyrs sponsors safe houses in Islamic countries to protect Christian teenage girls who have been threatened with or have escaped from abduction. These Christian refuges are also places where young women learn job skills and receive spiritual training.

But sometimes the darker the night, the more His light shines.

Low-caste Hindus adopt new faith

Thousands attended the conversion ceremonies in Nagpur Thousands of people have been attending mass ceremonies in India at which hundreds of low-caste Hindus (Dalits) converted to Buddhism and Christianity. The events in the central city of Nagpur are part of a protest against the injustices of India's caste system. By converting, Dalits - once known as Untouchables - can escape the prejudice and discrimination they normally face.   The Dalits arrived by the truckload at a public park in Nagpur for ceremonies, which began with religious leaders giving fiery speeches against the treatment of lower castes. Reuters reported that dozens of riot policemen had turned out at the sprawling park. Udit Raj, a Dalit leader, told the BBC that around 2,500 people converted to Christianity and Buddhism DALIT FACTS 167m people, 16.2% of India's population Nearly 60% live in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu states The lowest rank in Hindu society, beneath the traditional caste system Expected to perform the most menial jobs, particularly handling cadavers and human and animal waste Physical contact with a Dalit was traditionally considered ritually polluting for other castes Even converts to Christianity and Islam have encountered discrimination from higher-caste converts. Joseph D'Souza, the president of the Dalit Freedom Network and a Christian convert, described the conversions as a "celebratory occasion". "I think it's important to understand that this is a cry for human dignity, it's a cry for human worth," he told the BBC.

To find out how to become a vital part of supporting those who are making a stand for Christ in the face of persecution check out The Voice of the Martyrs

and

Gospel For Asia

And remember the Word of our Lord:

34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' (Matthew 25:34-40)

Scott's Blog - 10/13/06

Heavenly Minded/Earthly Good

One of the criticisms leveled at Christians down through time is that we are so heavenly minded, we are of no earthly good. If you believe in the imminent return of Jesus, you probably have found yourself caught in the crosshairs of such a skeptical salvo.

There is no doubt that there have been groups down through time who donned white robes, ran up their credit cards and sat on the roof, sure they had figured out the day and hour. 

But a true Biblical belief in the promise of Jesus to return isn't a call to check out of this life, but to check in to the opportunities we have to make a practical difference as live in light of eternal life. As Jesus Himself put it:

 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. (Matthew 24:45-47)

When we take that truth seriously, the world has a tendency to take notice. Consider this story of believers who have made their belief in Biblical prophecy so practical it impacted their pocketbooks.

Evangelicals invest $40m. in aliya

 

A Jerusalem-based Evangelical Christian organization announced Tuesday that it has helped 100,000 Jews move to Israel during the past decade and a half.

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem said it had invested $40 million in the immigration project, which has focused on Jews from the former Soviet Union, since its inception in 1989.

The pro-Israel group, which is best known for its sponsorship of the annual Feast of the Tabernacles celebrations taking place this week in Jerusalem, said the immigration assistance was provided in coordination with the Jewish Agency, the quasi-governmental agency that works to promote immigration.

"It is quite remarkable that over the last 16 years the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, with much hard work and commitment throughout the vast former Soviet Union and many other regions in the world, has been able to assist 100,000 Jewish people to return to the land of their forefathers and to the glory of Zion," said Rev. Malcolm Hedding, executive director of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

Among other things, the group's "aliya network" sponsored 54 aircraft to bring Jews to Israel from the former Soviet Union, with the majority of these immigrants brought to Israel from St. Petersburg via Finland, Hedding said.

The group said it was also involved in assisting Jewish immigration from Kaliningrad, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, and has most recently been asked by the Jewish Agency to reach out to Russian-speaking Jews who moved to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Over one million Russian Jews have immigrated to Israel since 1989.

The major channel of Christian support for Jewish immigration comes from the Chicago-based International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which provides the Jewish Agency with about $10 million a year for Jewish immigration, while various other Christian Evangelical groups, such as the International Christian Embassy, are also involved in promoting Jewish immigration, Jewish Agency spokesman Michael Jankelowitz said.

The Christian support represents 2.5 percent of the Jewish Agency's total budget.

Decades of Christian Evangelical support for Jewish immigration has hit all-time highs over the past 16 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, he added.

A wonderful humanitarian gesture? To be sure. But pay special attention into the motivation behind these acts of mercy.

The support stems from their hard-core biblical beliefs that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land is foretold in the Scriptures and heralds the return of the messiah.

Belief in the return of Jesus an impractical dodge of reality that helps no one? Run that one by the 100,000 Jewish people who now live in the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

CS Lewis once remarked that it was precisely those people who thought most about the next life that made the most positive impact in this one.

A true belief in the imminent return of Jesus is a call to activate our faith.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless (II Peter 3:14)

Scott's Blog - 10/12/06

What's Wrong With This Picture?

It certainly has been one of those weeks, hasn't it?

The left and right seemingly trying to out scandalize each other as an election approaches.

The entire country goes into duck and cover mode as a tragic airplane crash claims two lives in New York City.

But there was one event that certainly belongs in the "Biblical Birth Pains File" (Matthew 24:8). It took place on the site of one of the slow burning fuses of international conflict - the Korean Peninsula.

A promised test firing of unstable dictator Kim Jung Il's vaunted nuclear arsenal went off, not with a bang, but a whimper. Most experts are saying this was one big, world shaking dud - the military equivalent of the "Smokey Joe" fire work on the Fourth of July.

There is no doubt the attention of the world was startlingly, and perhaps strategically, moved from Tehran to Pyongyang by this "test". Perhaps that is all these two charter members of the Axis of Evil Club intended.

But there was a key spiritual lesson to be learned here as well. It was captured by a startling picture run today in the London Daily Mail.

Blackout: While South Korea is a blaze of light, there's barely a glimmer in North Korea

North Korea might now have The Bomb, but it doesn't have much electricity - the Daily Mail

What this picture portrays physically is easy to carry over politically. Same people. Same place. But look at the contrast between a land dominated by communist tyranny and the free people to the South.

But I believe we may even see a crucial spiritual lesson here. I wonder if this picture taken from space is a whole lot different than how the Lord sees a different kind of "have/have not" situation in this world. There are nations where the light of God's truth shines brightly. If you want to hear about Jesus, turn on the radio, watch television, choose which of the 10 churches you wish to attend within a couple of miles from your home.

And then there are those where the darkness dominates. Where church attendance is a crime. Where having even a snippet of the Scriptures is a precious treasure. 

Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." (John 12:35-36)

The events in North Korea remind us "wars and rumors of wars" will increase as Jesus' return draws near. In that light, sharing the light seems an enlightened thing to do.

Scott's Blog - 10/11/06

How Long is a Day?

You've probably had the experience before. Seeing a non-Christian staring at you with a dumbfounded look on their face. Then come the words you never wanted to have applied to you.

"You aren't one of those kind of people, are you?"

Usually we hear it when it slips out that we are actually "Born Again".

Or that we believe there is only one way to heaven.

But the one that brings down the scorn and shock of the unbeliever of our day more than any other goes something like this:

"You don't mean to tell me you believe the Earth is only a few thousand years old, do you?"

Funny thing. You don't even have to go outside the church to get a similar reaction. Consider this telling entry from the SRL Mailbag.

Hello Scott,
    A Christian friend of mine has challenged my belief in a younger earth.
I gave him my reason for believing in it (which, in a nutshell, is that the
age of the earth is incalculable because we don't have another earth to
compare it to; the calculations we have right now are CHOSEN based on an old
earth view, and reconciling the theory of macro-evolution with the bible
means one has to read a lot stuff into the scriptures that isn't there). In
speaking with him I realized that I'm not entirely sure why an older earth
cannot coincide with scripture; that is, if it really can't. Can the bible
really support an old earth? Can millions or even billions of years be read
into the genesis account (like the word "day" meaning an age)? Your answer
would be greatly appreciated; My schedule makes it difficult to catch the
live show but I do listen to the archives and read the blogs when I can.

Thanks so much for such a crucial question! As we will see where we stand on this issue can have far reaching consequences for our confidence in the entire foundation for faith that is the Word of God.

A quick disclaimer - No, I am not a scientist by training. Yes, I am one of those people who has come to the conclusion that the Bible unavoidably teaches that our world is remarkably young. Why do I believe this?

An Insight From Language

In my seminary education, I was forced to endure an entire year of intensive class work in Hebrew. I not only lived to tell the story, but also was exposed to some especially helpful insights into the language God chose for the vast majority of what we know as the Old Testament. One of the key discoveries I made had to do with the issue of the "age-day" controversy. Couldn't the days we see in Genesis 1 really have been long periods of time? After all doesn't II Peter 3:8 tell us:

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.?

Yes, Peter does tell us that God views time differently than we do. But is that principle applicable to Genesis 1? Consider a famous refrain we find in this chapter.

God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis 1:5)

This form is followed through the entire description of the six days of creation we see recorded in the chapter. The bone of contention is the meaning of the Hebrew word "yom". In some contexts it can mean an extended period of time. But there is a significant limiter in its use in Genesis 1. 

When Moses, under the inspiration of God, compiled the account of creation in Genesis 1, he used the Hebrew word yôm for 'day'. He combined yôm with numbers ('first day', 'second day', 'third day', etc.) and with the words 'evening and morning', and the first time he employed it he carefully defined the meaning of yôm (used in this way) as being one night/day cycle (Genesis 1:5). Thereafter, throughout the Bible, yôm used in this way always refers to a normal 24–hour day.^2,3 There is thus a prima facie case that, when God used the word yôm in this way, He intended to convey that the days of creation were 24 hours long.

An Insight From History

So if the days of creation were literal solar days, how to we account for the consensus of science that declares the earth is billions of years old?

Some will say that belief in a young earth is at odds with the facts. But both young earth and old earth believers have two things in common. First, neither camp was there to actually witness whether the earth is young or old. Second, both must make a conjecture about the past based upon an interpretation of present conditions. The old earth believer looks at the world and sees a reality formed by gradual process over long periods of time. A young earth believer looks at the world and sees both natural process and the remnants of an almost unimaginable catastrophe - the global flood of Noah. How interesting that the lead up passage to the often quoted "Thousand years as a day" passage in II Peter 3 contains this reminder.

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (II Peter 3:3-7)

It is crucial to remember that the old earth and young earth positions are both looking at the same facts. It is how the facts are interpreted that makes the difference.

An Insight From Jesus

The clincher in the argument for me goes back to the authentication of Genesis as actual history, not metaphor, by no less an authority than Jesus. In answering a question regarding divorce Jesus also gives us two key insights.

6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." (Mark 10:6-8)

Notice that Jesus identifies when man came on the scene - "from the beginning of creation". If the earth is billions of years old, Jesus should have said that this happened towards the end of the time line. He also quotes from both Genesis chapters one and two as historic in their intent. This is crucial because Jesus is the only One in our debate Who can be summoned as an eye witness of the events! (John 1:1) He also speaks of Noah's flood, not as a legend or myth, but as a factual event (Matthew 24:36-44). If we write off Noah as a myth, we must also write off Jesus' promise to return as a myth as well.

For a more in depth discussion of the young earth/old earth debate visit AnswersInGenesis.Com.

Scott's Blog - 10/10/06

Camping With Christ?

I must admit, I am not much of a camper. 

For me, "roughing it" is staying at a hotel with a noisy air conditioner. But would it surprise you to learn that a mandatory, once a year camping experience was once part of God's plan for His people? In fact it continues, beginning today in Israel.

Tens of thousands converge on Hebron for Jewish festival

by Michael Blum Mon Oct 9, 3:35 PM ET

HEBRON, West Bank (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Jews converged on Hebron to celebrate the festival of Sukkot and stake their claim to the flashpoint Biblical city that lies deep in the occupied

West Bank.

Around 600 Jewish settlers occupy a tiny enclave in the heart of Hebron, living in the midst of the surrounding Palestinian population of up to 140,000, in one of the most tense and heavily guarded trouble spots in the West Bank.

Yet tens of thousands of supporters from

Israel and tourists from abroad flooded to Hebron, causing snarl ups on the main road from Jerusalem to the southern West Bank city, to join the settlers in celebration of Sukkot.

Hundreds of young people danced to Hasidic music on a platform erected by organizers, below the Cave of the Patriarchs, a sacred site for both Jews and Muslims, for festivities akin to the atmosphere of a village fair.

The seven-day Feast of Tabernacles is a joyful, family oriented holiday that follows the somber introspection of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which fell earlier this month.

During Sukkot, Jews build and eat, even sleep, in huts topped with thatch or palm branches to commemorate the temporary homes of their ancestors during their 40 years in the wilderness after being liberated from slavery in Egypt.

The large Jewish crowd -- which organizers claimed numbered 50,000 throughout the day -- was on hand to watch the popular Jewish American singer, Mordechai Ben David, who got caught up in the middle of the Orthodox masses.

"We demand the right to live in these houses which belong to the Jewish people," said one of the faithful, Rivka Zerbib, a settler from France who has lived in the Jewish district of Hebron for the past 20 years.

Zerbib was referring to closed shops in an old Arab market where a group of radical Jewish settlers had been squatting up until they were evicted by the Israeli military a few months ago.

At the entrance to the market, the settlers put up a giant billboard reading: "This district is stolen Jewish property, we demand it back".

The market was built on the ruins of the old Jewish district -- destroyed after riots in 1929 -- when 67 Jews were massacred by their Arab neighbors in the city.

In the modern-day streets, salesmen offer memorabilia from Hebron or from Jewish settlements dismantled in the

Gaza Strip during Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the territory in August last year after 38 years of occupation.

Among them are key rings and printed T-shirts bearing inscriptions such as "Hebron for eternity" or "Gaza: We will never forget".

As the revelry continued, heavily armed security forces kept watch on the surroundings, particularly the roofs and balconies of Palestinian houses overhanging the lanes of the old town invaded by the Jews.

In 2002, during what is an annual pilgrimage to Hebron during Sukkot, an Israeli was shot dead from a house close to the Jewish enclave.

Although Israel withdrew troops from four-fifths of Hebron in January 1997 and handed control to the

Palestinian Authority, the Jewish state continues to control the center of the city, home to the settlers and the sacred site.

The Feast of Tabernacles is not just a way to commemorate and experience what life during the Exodus was like. It is also loaded with new testament and even prophetic significance. Popular Bible teacher Chuck Missler provides a fascinating summary.

Succoth (The Feast of Tabernacles)

Five days later, on the 15th of Tishri, is the final feast of the year: Succoth, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths.  This lasts for eight days and is one of the three feasts that were compulsory for all Jewish males.⁹

It is fascinating to visit Israel at this time and observe them build their temporary "booths" in the traditional way, leaving deliberate gaps in the branches to view the stars at night, and for the wind to blow through during the day.  This is intended to remind them of the wilderness wanderings. 

At the end of the eight days, they leave their temporary dwellings to return to their permanent homes.  (This is one of the reasons some suspect that this feast, rather than the Feast of Trumpets, is suggestive of the Rapture of the Church.  Also, there appears to be a hint by Peter, desiring to build "succoths" at the transfiguration.¹⁰ )  This day, traditionally, is the day that Solomon dedicated the first Temple.

This feast also involved a daily processional to the Pool of Siloam to fetch water for the Temple.  This ceremonial procession is the setting for the events of John 7, where Jesus offers them "living water."¹¹

This procession involved four types of branches: the willow, the myrtle, the palm, and a citrus.¹²   The willow has no smell and no fruit.  The myrtle has smell, but no fruit.  The palm has no smell, but bears fruit.  The citrus has both smell and bears fruit.  This sounds reminiscent of the four soils of the first "kingdom parable" of Matthew 13, doesn't it?¹³

The prophetic implications of this climactic feast are many.  Most scholars associate it with the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom in Israel.¹⁴

• 9. Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Tabernacles were mandatory: Deuteronomy 16:16.
• 10. Matthew 17:4.
• 11. John 7:2, 10, 37-39.
• 12. Thanks to Doug Wetmore for his insights.
• 13. Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23.
• 14. Hosea 5:15-6:3; Zechariah 14:4, 9, 16.

 

Since Zechariah 14 tells us that this feast will be celebrated during the Thousand Year Reign of Christ here on Earth, I guess those of us who don't enjoy a good camping trip better get used to the idea! 

I don't think I will mind that a bit. It is an exciting thing to realize that during that time we will not just be celebrating God's deliverance of His people from physical slavery, but also our deliverance from spiritual slavery. 

The time in a make shift tent that won't even have a noisy air conditioner will also remind us of our deliverance from this fallen, corruptible body we have today, into the perfect incorruptible eternal bodies God will give to us when we see Him face to face! 

This "Feast of Tents" sheds some significant light on the words of Paul in II Corinthians 5!

 1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:1-8)

Right now our physical life is like living in a tent that is fraying around the edges and falling apart. But the Feast of Tabernacles reminds us God has a better living situation He is preparing for us. And as the Feast of Tabernacles is a temporary arrangement that lasts only for a short period of time, so life in this tent will be replaced by a quality of life that is beautiful and permanent! We have Jesus' Word on it.

 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3)

Scott's Blog - 10/09/06

Can't or Won't Believe?

I wanted to take an opportunity to do a follow up to an e-mail we received at our SRL Mail Bag. (studio@scottrichardslive.com) We originally tackled the issue of how to minister in a death bed situation (See Scott's Blog 10/05/06). The "sticking point" in the situation reveals an issue that every believer needs to be equipped to deal with, because it is incredibly common and keeps many people from seriously considering a relationship with Chr