Jerusalem As Islam’s Capital?

As most of you read these words, Egyptians are taking to the polls to elect their new president – and the outcome is liable to be fairly treacherous for their smaller neighbor to the northeast, Israel.
How so? One recent quote from a public endorsement for one of the candidates paints the picture: “Our capital shall not be Cairo, Mecca or Medina. It shall be Jerusalem, please Allah.”
The words were proclaimed by a prominent Egyptian Muslim cleric, endorsing the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate at a large election rally. “Our chants shall be: ‘Millions of martyrs will march towards Jerusalem,’” continued cleric Safwat Hagazy, in a speech broadcast on Egypt’s religious Annas TV.
“Yes, we will either pray in Jerusalem or we will be martyred there,” he threatened.
The Egyptians themselves are said to be not thrilled with their choices in this week’s election. One candidate, Ahmed Shafiq, represents the hated, ousted Mubarak regime; he was the last Mubarak-era prime minister. But his opponent, Muhammad Mursi, is the candidate of the extremist Muslim Brotherhood movement, which many Egyptians say they do not want to run the country.
Results of the recent parliamentary election, however, appear to belie this claim. Muslim Brotherhood candidates won over two-thirds of the legislature’s seats, and several more went to another Muslim movement. Thus, Mursi – whose supporters see Jerusalem as the future Muslim capital of the world – appears to be the favorite to win.
Not surprisingly, Hamas, the terrorist organization that now rules Gaza, has endorsed the Brotherhood, from which it actually emanated back in 1987. Other indications that a Mursi victory bodes ill for Israel include a written statement issued last month by the Brotherhood’s “General Guide” calling the formation of Israel the “worst catastrophe ever to befall the peoples of the world” and demanding that it withdraw from the entire “land of Palestine.”
Perhaps, one might ask, the Muslim longing for a presence in Jerusalem is based on purely religious considerations? Perhaps the Muslim claim on the Holy City is benignly similar to Christian claims that – at present – are not military in nature? Not quite.
For one thing, Jerusalem has little historic significance in Muslim theology. Muslim claims to the city merely disguise their long-term, nationalist, strategic plot to take full control over Jerusalem and rid its Old City of Jewish presence.
To underline this point, let us note yet again that while Yerushalayim is mentioned directly in the Bible approximately 650 times, it is not mentioned even once in the Koran – and Muslims actually turn their backs on Jerusalem when they pray! In fact, the Wikipedia entry on “Caliphate” – the worldwide Muslim-religious government that once existed and that Muslims hope to revive – mentions Jerusalem only once, in passing.
It is ironic that the Muslim name for what is supposedly their third-holiest city is Al-Quds – an abbreviation of a previous Arabic name of the city, “Bet Al-Maqdes” – referring to none other than the Beit HaMikdash, our Holy Temple. Thus, the name that the Arabs use for Jerusalem for the purpose of “Arab-izing” it – is actually one that perpetuates its Jewishness.
Today, when the Muslim word is once again thinking “Caliphate” and worldwide dominion, we must make sure not to be fooled: Whenever Muslim ties to Jerusalem are reawakened, it means Islam wants to conquer Jerusalem for political, nationalistic, or military reasons.

READ MORE 

Paralyzed Teen Walks at High School Graduation

Appeals Court Upholds Mo. Prayer Ballot Initiative

Military Logos No Longer Allowed on Troop Bibles

The publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention can no longer use military logos on its Bibles for service members.

According to Lifeway Christian Resources spokesman Marty King, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have revoked their authorization to use official service emblems on the Scriptures.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation threatened to sue, claiming that allowing the logos to be placed on Bibles violates the Constitution.

READ MORE

Lee Greenwood Offended by 'God Bless USA' Ban

Tunisia: Muslims tape murder of Christian convert

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
CAIRO, EGYPT (Worthy News)– Talk show host Tawfiq Okasha recently appeared on "Egypt Today" by showing a video of Muslims beheading a man for the Islamic crime of apostasy: the "crime" of converting to Christianity and then refusing to renounce that conversion.
In the video, the convert is held down with a knife to his throat by masked men while an unknown narrator recites Islamic prayers that condemn Christianity, a religion Islam considers polytheistic because of its Triune Godhead.
"Let Allah be avenged on the polytheist apostate," said the narrator in Arabic. "Allah empower your religion, make it victorious against the polytheists …"
These vindictive prayers are not uncommon in Islam; similar prayers are broadcast in Mecca over megaphones as Muslim pilgrims circle the Ka'ba, petitioning Allah to make the lives of Christians and Jews one of "endless despair, unrelenting pain and unremitting ailment."

READ MORE 

Bikers for Christ host annual Bikerfest Weekend

ZANESVILLE -- Lifting their voices in unison, Pastor Mike McGuire led Bikers for Christ as they praised God on the final day of the 10th annual Bikerfest Weekend 2012 at Rushing Wind Biker Church, 5715 East Pike.
"It's an event that reaches out to the bikers in the community," McGuire said. "We love serving God on our motorcycles. It's been a great week."
Praising God and recognizing his wife, Candy, as "my hero" Tony "Mac" McMullen, of Coweta, Okla., told the crowd how accepting Jesus Christ as his savior has changed his life. He served 15 years in McAlester Prison -- a maximum security facility -- for second degree murder. He was released in 2001.
"The little lady you see standing beside me is my hero. She never gave up on me. She stayed beside me," Tony Mac said.
Candy could not imagine giving up on Tony Mac.
"How do you walk away from someone you love? I was praying for him. I asked God to save him and God didn't just save him ... he (Tony Mac) gave his life to God," Candy said.
Well into drugs and alcohol when he was 14 years old, Tony Mac became a violent drug dealer who thought he had killed another drug dealer only to find he had mistakenly shot and killed his friend in the darkness.
His voice ringing with emotion, Tony Mac remembers the good times he had playing with his friend's young son. He saw the child's trust turn to pain while on Tony Mac was on trial for murder.
"I never will forget, I looked in his little eyes and there was so much pain in his little heart. I'd love to tell you I don't still see that little boy's eyes but I do. I know God's forgiven me," Tony Mac said.
Tony Mac continued his drug use in prison until the thought of losing his wife because of illness brought him to ask God to spare her life. He did not think he could be saved, but Candy kept begging him to accept God into his heart.
"My wife never gave up on me. I saw my wife vulnerable and realized I never put her first. It's never too late (to accept God into your life.) If your heart's still beating, you've got a chance," Tony Mac said.
Today, Tony Mac reflects on the past with regret and offers hope to people in prison through "Freedom in Christ Prison Ministries."

READ MORE 

Young People Play Key Role in Ministry to Former Soviet Union

Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries is on a mission to saturate the former Soviet Union with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are doing so through the creativity and passion of young Christians.

Sergey Rakhuba, president of Russian Ministries, was born and raised in the Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union.
"In Soviet Union it used to be one big empire, with its own religion – which is called atheism ... All the ideology was built around that," he told The Christian Post on Tuesday.
After the Iron Curtain fell, suddenly the countries that had been a part of the union were left scrambling to find their own identities. As a result, Rakhuba says, each of these nations now has its own set of issues relating to religious freedom today.
While the Ukraine is somewhat easy to access for evangelicals, for example, the Russian Orthodox Church holds a "monopoly" in Russia, making it difficult for evangelicals to do ministry there. Missionaries flocked to Russia 20 years ago, Rakhuba says, but when Vladimir Putin came to power many of them weren't permitted to stay because he had given the Orthodox church a great deal of influence.
"Orthodox churches are given all the power. In politics, basically, they enjoy this comfortable relationship with the Kremlin, when evangelicals are very much in the background," said Rakhuba.

READ MORE 

Unconditional Respect?

Being the daughter of and working for the man who wrote a book on marriage titled, “Love and Respect,” has made it impossible to ignore the word ‘respect’ and what it means to me.  I will admit, Ephesians 5:33 is not a passage many of us women jump for joy when reading.
by Candace Cameron Bure
 
“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” 
Ephesians 5:33
Even though the thought of respecting a husband can understandably be met with resistance, I think my perspective shifted and things finally clicked when I looked at the research.
We asked over 7,000 people if in conflict they feel more unloved or disrespected?
83% of men said they felt more disrespected.
72% of women said they felt more unloved. 
Thats huge.
Setting aside evil people and simply looking at those like you and me who are flawed but good willed, then it’s significant that there is such a drastic percentage of people who feel a particular way IN conflict. Proving my fathers phrase, “Not wrong, just different.”
(Unless we believe men are wrong for feeling the way they say they are feeling. But we would never do that!)
It finally clicked for me. Maybe God is giving us instructions on how to deal with each other in conflict because he wants us to be at peace!

I know I want both love and respect, so how are they different?
Well, first of all I have come to believe that men and women are different. Research on the male and female brain gives me confidence in this arena.
Plus most diagrams in the doctors office.
What frustrates me is that people sometimes assume when we say someone is different; we are stating that they are lesser in value.

READ MORE