“Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.” (Isaiah 48:13)
‘The human hand is an anatomical marvel; nothing remotely comparable exists among the primates or any other animals. It is a marvel of design. But surely the “hand of God”—of which a human’s hand is only a very dim shadow—is infinitely more powerful and skillful.
Note the testimony of Isaiah 45:12: “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” God did not have to use intermediate processes or pre-existing materials. Everything was “commanded” into existence, and “I, even my hands,” made all of it, including humans. Creation was direct—a direct product of God’s mighty hands.
Not only was it direct, it was also immediate, as our text above makes emphatically plain. His hand laid the earth’s foundation and spanned the heavens. Then, “when I call unto them,” He says, “They stand up together!” Not one by one— first the universe, then the sun, then the earth, and so on. No, “they stand up together.” “He spake, and it was done” (Psalm 33:9). It did not take 16 billion years; it took six days—and the only reason it took that long was so that God’s workweek could serve as a pattern for people (Exodus 20:8-11).
God’s hand is omnipotent, and “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” It is wonderful to know His hand is gentle and loving as well as powerful. His hands will bear eternal scars where they were spiked to the cross, because He loved us and died for us. “My sheep hear my voice,” He says, “and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). The hand that spanned the heavens can hold on to those who trust Him.’https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6/?utm_source=phplist8638&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=July+31+-+The+Powerful+Hand+of+God
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so it goes. That’s so true in the mainline media news. ‘Few subjects more easily betray aggressive media bias than protests. If you’re a conservative protester, you’re most likely to be ignored. The networks mostly ignored this year’s prayerful “March for Life” in January, even though President Trump came in person, a historic first.
ABC anchor David Muir offered 15 seconds: “The President taking the stage at the anti- abortion rights rally. His administration threatening to withhold federal funds from California for requiring private insurers to cover abortions. California’s governor dismissing the threat.”
If conservative protesters are not ignored, they’re most likely to be portrayed as a menace to polite society….even when the protests are nonviolent. Ten years ago, when the Tea Party assembled on Capitol Hill to oppose the passage of Obamacare as unconstitutional, “ugly” was the network term for the tone of the protests.
“Late word from Washington tonight about just how ugly the crowds gathered outside the Longworth Office Building have become,” warned David Muir on March 20, 2010. “We learned that as Congressman Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri was leaving his office, someone in the crowd spit on him. There are also reports of racial and homophobic slurs, one targeting Congressman John Lewis, the famous civil rights champion, and the other involving Congressman Barney Frank. You can listen in for yourself.”
But Cleaver’s spitting claim and the yelling of the N-word were never proven. Andrew Breitbart pledged $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund if anyone provided proof of the N-words, and no one had the goods.
Over at CBS, anchor Bob Schieffer doubled down: “A yearlong debate that’s been rancorous and mean from the start turned even nastier yesterday.”
Let’s repeat: the accusations were that these “nasty” right-wingers said mean words. There was no looting, rioting, burning, vandalism, or violence. No one’s life or limbs were in danger.
Fast-forward ten years to 2020. Left-wingers in Portland and other cities are tearing things down, burning things up, and throwing projectiles at police. Hundreds of cops are being injured. Several suffered possibly permanent eye damage from high-powered lasers.
But the protesters (and rioters) are now on the Left, so the weasel words and the euphemisms flow. Reporters mumble about “mostly peaceful” protests. None of these “objective” referees measure the tone of the Left as possibly “rancorous and mean and nasty.” When you’re protesting police officers and federal security guards, there’s no need to offer dignified discourse.
Compare David Muir in 2010 to Muir on July 27: “Now to those protests turning violent. Demonstrators squaring off with federal officers in Portland, Oregon. Protests over racial injustice intensifying. Local leaders say the federal presence is only fueling this.”
Muir and his colleagues have a real chicken-or-the-egg problem here. Federal security officers arrived to defend federal property under attack from violent leftists. How is it that ABC is suddenly trying to sound “fair and balanced” when it comes to “local leaders” attempting to destroy a federal building, something we all fund with our taxes?
ABC’s Twitter account sounded even worse as leftists erupted in Oakland: “Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station and assaulted officers after a peaceful demonstration intensified.” If someone punched David Muir in the face, would that be a “peaceful demonstration intensified”?
This double standard underscores what we have long known. The media offer no reward for conservatives and Republicans being nice and polite. The media seek to prevent any damage as the Left unleashes vicious invective and violence. But these manufacturers of “news” have the audacity to present themselves daily as the trustworthy referees of our democracy.’ https://papundits.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/big-city-rioting-is-no-tea-party-protest/
Revelation 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. How far off is this prophecy? Well, ‘If some Congress members get their way, the Federal Reserve may soon be able to track many of your purchases in real time and share that information with government agencies. This is just one of the problems with the proposed “digital dollar” or “fedcoin.”
Fedcoin was initially included in the first coronavirus spending bill. While the proposal was dropped from the final version of the bill, there is still great interest in fedcoin on Capitol Hill. Some progressives have embraced fedcoin as a way to provide Americans with a “universal basic income.”
Both the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee held hearings on fedcoin in June. This is the first step toward making fedcoin a reality.
Fedcoin would not be an actual coin. Instead, it would be a special account created and maintained for each American by the Federal Reserve. Each month, Fed employees could tap a few keys on a computer and — bingo — each American would have dollars added to his Federal Reserve account. This is the 21st century equivalent of throwing money from helicopters.
Fedcoin could effect private cryptocurrencies. Also, it would limit the ability of private citizens to protect themselves from the Federal Reserve-caused decline in the dollar’s value.
Fedcoin would not magically increase the number of available goods and services. What it would do is drive up prices. The damage this would do to middle- and lower-income Americans would dwarf any benefit they receive from their monthly “gift” from the Fed. The rise in prices could lead to Congress regularly increasing fedcoin payments to Americans. These increases would cause prices to keep rising even more until we face hyperinflation and a dollar crisis. Of course, we are already on the path to an economic crisis thanks to the Fed. Fedcoin will hasten and worsen the crisis.
Fedcoin poses a great threat to privacy. The Federal Reserve could know when fedcoin is used, who is using it, and what they use it for. This information could be shared with government agencies, such as the FBI or IRS.
The government could use the ability to know how Americans are spending fedcoin to limit our ability to purchase goods and services disfavored by politicians and bureaucrats. Anyone who doubts this should recall the Obama administration’s Operation Choke Point. Operation Choke Point involved financial regulators “alerting” banks that dealing with certain businesses, such as gun stores, would put the banks at “reputational risk” and could subject them to greater regulation.
Is it so hard to believe that the ability to track purchases would be used in the future to “discourage” individuals from buying guns, fatty foods, or tobacco, or from being customers of corporations whose CEOs are not considered “woke” by the thought police? Fedcoin could also be used to “encourage” individuals to patronize “green” business, thus fulfilling Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s goal of involving the Fed in the fight against climate change.
This video caused a petition to be made to the Parliament of the Australian state of Queensland. People will believe almost anything but the Words of God.
‘TO: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House certain religious organisations operating in Queensland have a prime belief that a supreme being created the Earth about 6000 years ago. This is an anathema to many sciences and in particular to Aboriginal culture which is 60,000 to 120,000 years old. The creationist religions effectively deny Aboriginal history and culture thereby breaching our racist vilification laws.
The Australian state of Victoria is deep in financial debt and yet has the funds from Victorian tax payers to fund many Sodomite organizations and events. For instance there is available in Victoria:
LGBTIQ equality grants
We offer a range of grants and programs to support Victorians to create a fairer, more inclusive Victoria for LGBTIQ people.
LGBTIQ Community Grants Program: Organisational grants
Up to $80,000 in support for organisational development, capacity building and sustainability of LGBTIQ organisations and groups.
When is a man a woman and when is a woman a woman? Well, ‘When Australians agreed to change the definition of marriage they probably didn’t think a change to the definition of woman would follow.
Like coronavirus, rainbow gender fluid theory has jumped from our “Safe Schools” to the once respected Australian Academy of Science which inhabits Canberra’s iconic Shine Dome.
The academy has decreed that a woman is “anyone who identifies as a woman”.
I kid you not.
If you thought a woman had a vagina, breasts and XX chromosomes, think again.
Someone with a penis, normally referred to as a man, whose “personal gender identity does not correspond with sex assigned at birth” can be a woman our scientists now tell us.
Apparently, we’ve been wrongly “assigning” babies their gender just because they were born with certain biological physical features.
Confused?
It gets worse. This new definition of woman appears as part of the noble push to get more women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
It goes without saying that in today’s PC rainbow fascist world you are a bigot if you disagree.
For the record, the glossary was silent on the definition of man.
It’s almost like the Women in STEM Decadal Plan is tailor-made for mediocre male scientists who might be looking for a career leg up by changing their gender identity.
Heck, they wouldn’t even have to have surgery or take oestrogen.
Like women and girls striving to compete with biological men under transgender guidelines released by Sports Minister Rickard Colbeck last year, women scientists seeking to get ahead in STEM now may also have to make way for biological males.
As Bernard Lane, who broke the story pointed out, the academy’s president John Shine is using the current Covid-19 crisis to campaign for accurate science against “made-up stuff”.
Seriously?
Evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman, a professor at the University of Sydney, said the academy had departed from biological fact.
“I find it very surprising that it comes from the academy of science, which should be based on science and not on some social, political agenda — so, I’m shocked, actually,” she told The Australian.
As Lane also pointed out, the Women in STEM Decadal Plan is paid for by the taxpayer. That’s you and me, folks.
Why the gender whisperers are running amok in our schools, sporting clubs and in our scientific institutions on the watch of a Liberals and Nationals government is mystifying.
If courage does not exist to take on this foolish and harmful ideology now, when will it?
The average citizen would think government was there to protect the citizen and provide certain services. Not in the Australian state of New South Wales. ‘NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham says he doesn’t see how a “sexuality led recovery” will work for the people of NSW in one of the worst recessions in history. The NSW Planning Department led by Jim Betts will on Tuesday add a new LGBTQI unit, which will join the already established harmony council, Aboriginal cultural team, and the diversity council. Mr Latham said the planning department’s diversity program was “selective diversity and inclusion policy” as it does not include or represent those battling homelessness and joblessness. “It’s inefficient, it’s unnecessary, and it shouldn’t be happening. “In (Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s) public service, it’s all about sexuality and it doesn’t serve the people of New South Wales one iota.”’ https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6175484545001
Then there is the unbelievable list of groups for the LGBTQI folk at the Lane Cove Council web site. If this doesn’t stir the ire in a normal thinking person then nothing will. For space only a few will be listed here. ‘Lane Cove Council is committed to supporting an inclusive and welcoming community which values and celebrates diversity in all its forms. This page provides information and links to relevant services for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer LGBTIQA+ community.
Below is a list of organisations who provide services for the LGBTIQA+ communities
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) advocates on behalf of lesbians and gay men. They provide referral and educative resources on gay and lesbian rights to the media, policy makers and the community.
The Australian Lesbian Medical Association (ALMA) was founded in 1999 for lesbian doctors, lesbian medical students and their partners. It provides a supportive network to its members through advocacy, mentoring and social activities.
The Gender Centre is committed to developing and providing services and activities, which enhance the ability of people with gender issues to make informed choices. They offer a wide range of services to people with gender issues, their partners, family members and friends in New South Wales. They are an accommodation service and also act as an education, support, training and referral resource centre to other organisations and service providers. The Gender Centre is committed to educating the public and service providers about the needs of people with gender issues.
UnitingCare Ageing celebrate diversity and welcome all people regardless of lifestyle choices, ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation or gender identity. They are proud to be accredited with the Rainbow Tick for standing with people from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) communities, at every stage of life.
This website is for LGBTIQ people in relationships who are or may be experiencing domestic and family violence. It contains information on what domestic and family violence is, what to do if you are experiencing abuse, suggestions on making a safety plan, and details for some referral options in NSW. It also has information for supporting a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse.
GAMMA provides safe and confidential opportunities for men to discuss and consider issues relating to their sexuality and the relationships in their lives
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir is a non-auditioning choir which welcomes members regardless of their sexual identity or musical experience. The choir is open to all – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersex, queer and our straight friends and families, all united by a love of singing together and striving for performance excellence.’ http://www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/Community/CommunityServices/Pages/GLBTIQ.aspx
More time and funds should be spent for roads, coal fire powered plants, police, hospitals etc. and NOTHING on sexual identity!
“And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.” (John 18:2)
In the 18th and 19th chapters of John’s gospel, there are four “places” where Jesus had to go to accomplish our salvation. The first was the place as noted in our text: He, “knowing all things that should come upon him” (John 18:4), nevertheless went directly to that place, knowing that Judas would meet Him there.
Then He went to the place of trial: “Pilate…brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called…Gabbatha” (John 19:13). But He did not stay there long; the mockery of a trial was soon over, and Pilate delivered Him to be crucified. “And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull” (John 19:16-17). And in that place called Golgotha, He died for our sins.
He was betrayed in a place called Gethsemane, condemned in a place called Gabbatha, and crucified in a place called Golgotha. But that was not all; He must yet be laid in a tomb. “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus” (John 19:41-42).
And that also was the place from which He arose, and our salvation was secured forever! Now, just before this amazing four-place itinerary of our Lord Jesus, He had promised still another place to which He would be going.
“In my Father’s house are many mansions.…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).
1John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. As the United Nations plays footsie with the Marxist, Muslim, Leftist, Loony, Lovies Christians are being persecuted for their faith.
‘A Christian teenager was sexually assaulted by his Muslim employer in early June. The boy’s father and brother were then beaten for trying to seek justice for him. — Persecution.org, June 19, 2020, Pakistan.
“These Muslim Fulani herdsmen have been attacking our communities because we are Christians. Their desire is to take over our lands, force us to become Muslims, and if we decline, they kill us….” — Ibrahim Agu Iliya, Morning Star News, June 3, 2020, Nigeria.
Police killed a man after he cited his Christian faith as reason not to falsify his testimony, as police were urging him to do….Police were trying to get Younas to recant his eyewitness testimony against a Muslim family accused of murder…. When beating him did not yield results, they tried to bribe him…. “During the attack, one of the officers shouted, ‘We will teach him a lesson for insulting us!'” — Persecution.org.; June 25, 2020, Pakistan.
“Is it wrong to have another religion? Is Christianity wrong?” — Fitri Handayani, a woman who converted from Islam to Christianity, describing her ordeals at the hands of her family, YouTube; June 17, 2020, Indonesia.
“These are our houses. In ten years, none of you will be left here and then your homes will be ours anyway.” — Kurdish representative in Qamishli to Christian family; World Council of Arameans (Syriacs); June 17, 2020, Syria.’ https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16274/persecution-christians-june-2020
In 1 Timothy 3 God’s Word gives the qualification for a pastor and in 3:3 it states the pastor is NOT to be ‘greedy of filthy lucre‘ and ‘not covetous‘. Well, it might be asked if James MacDonald, former pastor of Harvest Bible Fellowship, was living above those who paid his salary? Was his lifestyle one of covetousness? Whether it was or not it certainly took a good deal of lucre (money) to obtain and keep. Anyway, in 2014 in a Harvest Bible Fellowship Elder Update we read that ‘Lesson #4is about personal lifestyle choices and seeking to be free from offense according to Scripture.
In recent months, Pastor James has, of his own accord, made several personal lifestyle adjustments. With ELT support, he has made these decisions to put to rest any remaining concern about his priorities. Personal sacrifices, which the MacDonalds deem small for the sake of Christ, include downsizing to a smaller home in Elgin, initiating a significant salary reduction (although unnecessary according to ECFA standards), and considering congregational norms in lifestyle decisions, such as the car they drive and how they vacation. The Elders appreciate these public confirmations of where we have always believed their heart to be. The ELT is praying that the MacDonalds’ willingness to subordinate their liberty in Christ for the sake of the gospel will become a hallmark of this church and for each of us.’ https://web.archive.org/web/20181212222103/https:/www.harvestbiblechapel.org/2014/02/07/february-2014-elder-update/
So, according to Lesson #4 there was the acknowledgement that MacDonald’s lifestyle didn’t quite match what Scripture seems to say concerning an elder. However, did James MacDonald truly change his lifestyle? Julie Roy’s writes in her opinion page that the ‘Republic Bank’s recent foreclosure on the estate of disgraced pastor, James MacDonald, is sending a sobering message. Wealth is fleeting. Rebellion has consequences. And God’s judgment is sure.
According to a lawsuit filed last week in Kane County, Republic is seeking $947,546.34 and lawyer’s fees from MacDonald, MacDonald’s LLC called Vanilla Bean*, and “unknown owners and non-record claimants.”
Kane County also has claim to MacDonald’s estate. According to the Kane County Tax Assessor, more than $47,000 in taxes are overdue on MacDonald’s property, and another $15,561.94 in taxes is due in September.
James MacDonald preaches at Harvest Bible Chapel.
Apparently, James MacDonald has had a tough time maintaining his exorbitant lifestyle since Harvest Bible Chapel fired him 17 months ago.
And now, MacDonald’s mansion with its “extraordinary finishes throughout,” library, gourmet kitchen, master retreat, and inground pool lies vacant. And the man who used to occupy it—and has sued others—is now being sued himself.
What a stunning reversal of fortune. What a sobering reminder that as a man sows, so he will reap.’
‘Surprisingly, MacDonald’s Elgin mansion was the outgrowth of
James MacDonald’s estate in Elgin, IL, which is listed for $1.6 million.
MacDonald’s alleged “downsizing” six years ago. Facing sharp criticism from his congregation for his lavish lifestyle, MacDonald announced in 2014 that he was selling his $1.8 million, 6,700-square-foot home in suburban Inverness and moving into a smaller, $650,000 home in Elgin.
This “personal lifestyle adjustment,” sounded almost heroic when announced by the elders at Harvest Bible Chapel. “Personal sacrifices, which the MacDonalds deem small for the sake of Christ,” the elders wrote, “include downsizing to a smaller home . . .”
Interior of MacDonald’s temporary $650,000 home in Elgin.
Yet, we now know that MacDonald’s alleged “downsizing” was just a ruse. Instead of truly repenting when God in His grace reproved MacDonald, MacDonald turned to deception.
James MacDonald and his wife, Kathy, moved into their “smaller” home—which was still more than three times the median price of other homes in Elgin—for only a short period of time. This $650,000 home was merely the MacDonalds’ way station while they built their extravagant, custom mansion on a nearby five-acre parcel.
Yet, when caught in this deception, MacDonald didn’t come clean. He insisted in an interview for my WORLD Magazine article in 2018 that his new home still qualified as “smaller.” When the garage and basement were subtracted from the total for the home, the total square footage amounted to less than 5,000 square feet, MacDonald claimed.
However, we then found an appraisal that MacDonald’s own attorney had submitted to the tax assessor, stating that the home had 6,891 square feet of living area. This was in addition to the home’s 10-car garage and a more than 2,000 square-foot finished basement!
But when confronted, MacDonald actually claimed that the two second-floor rooms were left unfinished” to meet the “square footage goal.”
It was a classic MacDonald obfuscation of the facts to convince the public of his self-serving narrative. For years, MacDonald got away with it. For years, he used money donated to God’s Kingdom to build his own.
whatyareckon 