Sunday 10-24-10

Part 4 of 4

Is Hell Real?

By Radio Pastor Perry F. Rockwood

4. Hell and the Lake of Fire

Three different words are to be found in the Bible all of which have been translated "Hell." A proper understanding of these words is very important for they are often used by false cults to destroy the true meaning of Hell. The three words are Tartarus, Hades, and Gehenna.

"Tartarus" is found only once in the New Testament. 2 Peter 2:4: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." This word "hell" has reference only to the angels who sinned and to their place of confinement until they are brought before the Lord in judgment.

The word "hades" is found ten times in the New Testament. Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27,31; Revelation 1:18, 6:8, 20:13,14. The most familiar passage is Luke 16:19-31 which we studied in our last message.

Hades is not the final resting place of those who reject Christ, but it is the place where the unsaved dead now go to await their judicial sentence. This final judgment will take place after the resurrection at the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11-15).

We saw from Luke 16 that there is no such thing as "soul sleep." This is a false doctrine which teaches that the dead are unconscious until the resurrection of the body. Not at all! The rich man in hades was fully conscious. He had all his faculties and was tormented day and night. He was also tormented by the fact that his five brothers were unsaved and would also come into hades unless they repented and turned to the Lord.

The word "gehenna" is found twelve times in the Gospels as follows: Matthew 5:22,29,30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5 and James 3:6. Then, of course, it is found in Revelation 20:15.

Let us examine some of the passages where Jesus used the word "gehenna" in referring to the final hell of unbelievers:

Matthew 5:22: "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

Matthew 5:29: "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

The Bible clearly teaches that Gehenna, the final Hell, is a place of fire: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15). Matthew 18:8 says: "to be cast into everlasting fire." Mark 9:43,48: "fire that never shall be quenched ... where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

There are some who tell us that the fires of Hell are not literal fires but are only symbolic of the punishment of Hell. Certainly there is no reason to believe that these fires are only symbols, but rather they are literal fires. However, let us suppose they are symbolic. Would that make the punishment any easier to bear? Not at all! The reality would be greater than the symbol and the punishment awful and terrible.

The Bible gives another picture of Hell in Matthew 8:12, 13:42,50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30, and Luke 13:28. These verses speak of being "cast into other darkness" and of "weeping and gnashing of teeth."

ANNIHILATION

Now there are some who teach that the wicked dead are annihilated at death, never to be brought back into existence. Others teach that they are annihilated in Hell. The Jehovah's Witnesses say that the wicked are annihilated at death, then recreated to be given a second chance. But those who refuse this second chance for eternal life will be annihilated. They will cease to exist.

Those who believe in annihilation tell us such words as destroy, destruction, perish, and consume - mean annihilation. One of their favourite texts on this point is @ Thessalonians 1:9: "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power."

Let us now study some of these words in the light of the Bible to see their true meaning.

FIRST, the words destroyed or destruction cannot be translated as annihilate or annihilation. Job 19:10: "He hath destroyed me on every side." Job could not have been annihilated and still live to tell about it.

Job 21:17: "How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them!" How could they be put out of existence many times?

Isaiah 34:2: "For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them." The nations are not yet out of existence.

Hebrews 2:14: "That through death He (Christ) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." The devil is not out of existence yet.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 reads: "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." Those who teach the annihilation theory say that no one could go out of the presence of an OMNIPRESENT GOD without being put out of existence. Our reply is that Cain went out from the presence of the Lord (Gen. 4:16) without being put out of existence.

Those who are banished from the presence of the Lord are banished from His presence in Heaven. The word destroy does not mean annihilate.

SECONDLY, the word perish never means annihilation. Yet false teachers use such verses as John 3:16 which says, "whosoever believeth in Him should not perish," to try to prove their theory that the wicked shall go out of existence for ever.

The Greek word for perish is apollumi and means "to render unfit for the intended use." In Matthew 9:17 the bottles into which the new wine is put are said to break: "the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish." This simply means that the bottles are rendered unfit for their intended use. They have not been put out of existence.

In Luke 15:17 we hear the prodigal son say, "I perish with hunger." He was certainly not annihilated.

In 2 Peter 3:6 we read: "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." But the world was not put out of existence.

FINALLY, the word consume does not mean annihilation. In 1 Samuel 27:1, David said: "I shall now perish (the literal Hebrew is, be consumed) by the hand of Saul." David certainly did not mean he would go out of existence at the hand of Saul.

Galatians 5:15: "Take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." Paul was not referring to them annihilating one another.

We can therefore see from the Bible that the words destroy, destruction, and perish, do not mean annihilation.

RESTORATION

There are some teachers who believe that after the wicked have been punished in the lake of fire, they will then be taken out and transferred to Heaven. The main verse they use for this theory is Acts 3:21: "Whom (speaking of Christ) the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

Let us notice, however, that the restoration is to be for all things "which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets." There is not one place in the Bible where it is taught that the wicked and Satan will be restored unto Heaven after their
punishment.

All who believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God know that there is no escaping the truth of the lake of fire for those who die in their sins. I do not know how it is possible for believers to say they believe in Hell, and yet do so little to rescue the perishing, and care for the dying."

It is because of the reality of the Lake of Fire that we broadcast the Gospel and send forth Christian literature. The time is short and whatever we are going to do to warn lost souls, we must do it now.

If you are not yet saved, I plead with you in Jesus' Name, to turn from your sins and receive Christ as your own personal Saviour. He is waiting to save all who will come to Him by faith.

http://www.tpgh.org/IHR.htm

O'Donnell questions separation of church, state

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell of Delaware on Tuesday questioned whether the U.S. Constitution calls for a separation of church and state, appearing to disagree or not know that the First Amendment bars the government from establishing religion.
The exchange came in a debate before an audience of legal scholars and law students at Widener University Law School, as O'Donnell criticized Democratic nominee Chris Coons' position that teaching creationism in public school would violate the First Amendment by promoting religious doctrine.

Coons said private and parochial schools are free to teach creationism but that "religious doctrine doesn't belong in our public schools."

"Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?" O'Donnell asked him.

When Coons responded that the First Amendment bars Congress from making laws respecting the establishment of religion, O'Donnell asked: "You're telling me that's in the First Amendment?"

Her comments, in a debate aired on radio station WDEL, generated a buzz in the audience.

"You actually audibly heard the crowd gasp," said Widener University political scientist Wesley Leckrone, adding that he thought it raised questions about O'Donnell's grasp of the Constitution.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-10-20-churchstate19_st_N.htm

Crystal Cathedral megachurch files for bankruptcy
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) — Crystal Cathedral, the megachurch birthplace of the televangelist show Hour of Power, has filed for bankruptcy in Southern California after struggling to emerge from debt that exceeds $43 million.
In addition to a $36 million mortgage, the Orange County-based church owes $7.5 million to several hundred vendors for services ranging from advertising to the use of live animals in Easter and Christmas services.

The church had been negotiating a repayment plan with vendors, but several filed lawsuits seeking quicker payment, which prompted a coalition formed by creditors to fall apart, church officials said.

"Tough times never last, every storm comes to an end. Right now, people need to hear that message more than ever," Sheila Schuller Coleman, the Cathedral's senior pastor and daughter of the founder, told reporters Monday outside the worship hall.

"Everybody is hurting today. We are no exception," she said.

The church, founded in the mid-1950s by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller Sr., has already ordered major layoffs, cut the number of stations airing the Hour of Power and sold property to stay afloat. In addition, the 10,000-member church canceled this year's "Glory of Easter" pageant, which attracts thousands of visitors and is a regional holiday staple.

Vendors owed money by the church formed a committee in April and agreed to a moratorium to negotiate a repayment plan with the Crystal Cathedral.

Kristina Oliver, whose Hemet-based company provided live animals for the church's "Glory of Christmas" manger scene, said she doubts she will recover in full the $57,000 she is owed.

"The church never made any kind of advancement that they wanted to pay their debt, that they were willing to try to make it happen and every time we tried they told us, 'You can't tell us how to run our business,'" Oliver said.

"I'm upset because I have a 30-year relationship with them and you need to be up front, put all your cards on the table."

Crystal Cathedral was founded at a drive-in theater and attracted congregants with its sermons on the power of positive thinking. It features a soaring glass spire and is an architectural wonder and tourist destination.

The Hour of Power telecast, filmed in the cathedral's main sanctuary, at one point attracted 1.3 million viewers in 156 countries.

Church leaders said the telecast and Sunday services will continue while in bankruptcy.

Crystal Cathedral and other megachurches have suffered from the recession and reduced charitable giving.

The church saw revenue drop roughly 30% in 2009 and simply couldn't slash expenses quickly enough to avoid accruing the debt, said Jim Penner, a church pastor and executive producer of the "Hour of Power."

Penner said it became difficult to hold the vendors' committee together after several vendors filed lawsuits and obtained writs of attachment to try to collect their cash.

Now, the church is avoiding credit entirely and spends only the roughly $2 million it receives each month in donations and revenue, Penner said. The church still hopes to pay all of the vendors back in full, he said.

"What we're doing now is we're trying to walk what we preach, we're paying cash for things as we go," he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-10-20-crystal19_ST_N.htm

Sunday 10-17-10

Part 3 of 4

Is Hell Real?

By Radio Pastor Perry F. Rockwood


3. A Picture of Hell

Hell is neither a matter of circumstances here upon the earth nor a state of mind. It is a definite place. It is a place just as real as Heaven - as real as any city in our nation today.

In Luke 16:19-31 we have a description of this awful abode:

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, as was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

Notice carefully that Hell is spoken of as a place of everlasting fire. Yes, there is fire torment in Hell. The Holy Spirit uses the word "fire" in speaking of the eternal punishment of the lost.

" ... hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:47,48).

" ... everlasting fire" (Matthew 18:8).

" ... everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

" ... a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42).

And here in Luke 16 the rich man cried: "I am tormented in this flame."

We do not need to prove that the fire of Hell is literal fire any more than we need to prove that the gold of Heaven is literal gold. I believe that when God says fire He means fire, and when He says gold He means gold.

Hell is a place of torments. Three times in Luke 16 we read of the rich man being tormented. In Revelation 14:10,11 we also read: "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

Hell is a place for all sinners whether vile or self-righteous. My friend, if you die unsaved, this will be your sad destiny. All the unrepentant of the land will be there. Romans 1:29-31 is a picture of the sinfulness of the human heart: "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful." And Revelation 21:8, in speaking of Hell, says: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." The Devil and all his demons will be there, too (Revelation 20:10).

Hell is a place of no escape. There is no Purgatory where the dead can be released through prayers and money. In all the public buildings of our cities the word "EXIT" is a word not found in Hell. Jesus said, "there is a great gulf fixed."

Hell is an eternal place. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: But the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:46). Most people want to believe in life eternal yet they reject everlasting punishment. The words "eternal" and "everlasting", however, have the same meaning.

Hell - a place where the Holy Spirit never strives; where every soul is left to its own depravity; and where there is neither leisure nor repentance.

Hell - where there will be gnawing of tongues and blasphemy against the God of Heaven.

Hell - immortal pain and tears; an infinity of wretchedness and despair; the blackness of darkness forever; weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; a long, long eternity - oh, miserable condition of the damned!

Yes, Hell is a lake of fire (Rev. 20:15). A devouring fire (Isaiah 33:14). A bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1). Everlasting burnings (Isaiah 33:14). A furnace of fire (Matt. 13:41,42). A place of torments (Luke 16:23). Where they curse God (Rev. 16:11). Where they can never repent (Matt. 12:32). A place where they have no rest (Rev. 14:11). A place of everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46). A place of blackness of darkness forever (Jude 13). A place where they gnaw their tongues (Rev. 16:10). A place where their breath will be a living flame (Isaiah 33:11). A place prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). A lake of fire into which the Antichrist and the False Prophet are cast alive (Rev. 19:20). A place from which the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and forever (Rev. 14:11). A place where they drink the wine of the wrath of God (Rev. 14:10). A place where they do not want their loved ones to come (Luke 16:28). A place where there are murderers, liars, the fearful and abominable (Rev. 21:8).

You may smile now at these serious words. You may fall back on your conceited intellect and your college degree, but there will be as many - if not more - educated people in Hell as of any other group. In fact, it is as easy to go to Hell from a university as it is from a booze joint or gambling den.

You are either on the way to Heaven or Hell right now. You are either lost or saved. You are on the broad way with the crowds, or on the narrow way with the people of God. One day your destiny is going to be forever settled and you will be either in Heaven or Hell. That is why the Holy Spirit pleads with you today to come to Christ. He alone is able to save you having paid the penalty for your sins on Calvary's Cross. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).
http://www.tpgh.org/IHR.htm

U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS PORTRAY FOUNDING FATHERS AS “OLD DEAD WHITE MEN” AND HITLERS

(Friday Church News Notes, October 15, 2010, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A public school program known as Flocabulary uses rap music as a tool of education. One song entitled “Old Dead White Men” depicts the founding fathers as murderous racists. Andrew Jackson is even likened to Hitler. Flocabulary founder Alex Rappaport says the songs are “meant to keep students engaged and promote discussion” (“Oklahoma Postpones Teach-Through-Rap Program,” FoxNews, Oct. 6, 2010). How can students become engaged when they are being brainwashed with lies and half-truths divorced from a proper context historical context? The programs are being used in more than 10,000 schools. The government-run public school system is one of the most evil influences in the nation.

Urgent Alert for Home Schoolers in Sweden and Germany
Home School Families in Other Countries Need Your Help!

Throughout the world, more and more parents are wanting to home school their children. However, many countries either do not allow it or make it very difficult.HSLDA is thankful that we can bless home schoolers in other countries in a small way by advising them on legal strategies, corresponding with government officials, and sending out periodic alerts to HSLDA members asking them to contact foreign embassies on behalf of fellow home schoolers. These alerts and the incredible response from U.S. home schoolers have helped legalize home schooling in South Africa, stop a very restrictive home school bill in Ireland, and dismiss a case against a home school family in Germany. We ask that you take a few minutes in this season of giving and e-mail the Swedish and German embassies to help the outnumbered and harassed home school families in these two countries.

SWEDEN

The Magnus Drysen family is home schooling family with three children (ages 7, 10, and 12) in Vingaker, Sweden. They are in court facing both a fine of $4500 for home schooling and an order to send their children to government school. The court is holding an important hearing on their case on December 14.

Home schooling is technically allowed under strict government approval. Under section 10 of their federal compulsory attendance law “A child of compulsory school attendance age shall be permitted to do their school duty in another way than what is stated in this law, if it is regarded as a equivalent alternative to the education that otherwise is accessible to the child according to what is stated in the law.” Every school district applies this vague law in a different manner. Home school families are forced to flee from their homes to other more tolerant areas in Sweden. Some have simply fled the country in order to home school more freely. The Swedish Minister of Education recently expressed on a TV program that she wants to change the laws in Sweden to make it even more difficult for Swedish home schoolers.

ACTION:

1) Please immediately e-mail or call the Swedish embassy with this message (in your own words):

“Swedish families are being harassed for simply practicing their fundamental right to home school. Some are in court and others have fled to other parts of Sweden or other countries. We urge you to communicate to the Swedish government that they need to guarantee the right of all parents to choose home schooling and immediately dismiss the case against the Magnus Drysen family in Vingaker. Protecting this basic human right of parents is essential for any progressive democracy. Home schooling really works and it produces well-socialized, academically advanced students.”

Also include a paragraph or two on how home schooling benefits your family.

(E-mail or call throughout December and January)
Swedish Ambassador Jan Eliasson
1501 M Street, NW
Washington DC 20005
Telephone: (202) 467-2600
Fax: (202) 467-2656
ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se

2) E-mail a copy of your letter to the Swedish Minister of Education, Ingegerd Warnersson, (registrator@education.ministry.se) who was recently on TV stating that she will work this coming year on legislation to increase restrictions on home schoolers.

3) Please pray that home schooling will become clearly legal in Sweden so children can be thoroughly trained in the Lord.

GERMANY

After HSLDA launched a nationwide alert on June 5, thousands of calls jammed the phone system of the German Embassy protesting the criminal prosecution of a German family, the Harders, for their choice to home school. An embassy official confirmed that he received at least 1000 e-mails and over 300-400 letters from concerned home schoolers. The official also said the embassy informed the German government about the outpouring of public opinion.

By the end of June, the scheduled court hearing of the Harders had been inexplicably canceled. A few days later, their attorney, Frau Eckerman, received a formal notice that the case was dismissed and charges dropped.

However, another family who is being severely persecuted has asked for our help. The Eberhard Kaula family (4 children) in [Etzelwang] Bavaria is being repeatedly prosecuted for simply choosing to home school. Their persecution is in the form of fines. Their first fine of $800 was dismissed on a technical flaw on appeal. In May and June they were fined another $1000 and $1500. Both fines were unsuccessfully appealed. In November another fine of $1000 was levied. Although deadlines have passed, the Kaulas have steadfastly refused to put their children in government school. The apparent goal is to financially force this family to concede to the wishes of the state, disregarding their conscience. The courts have reasoned that home schooling is not in the best interest of the children.

In the meantime, Mr. Kaula has asked the President of Germany and the Minister President of Bavaria for help without success. The Bavarian Ministry of Culture answered on behalf of the Minister President, saying that no exception can be made for the children to use a home school correspondence school. They said that a correspondence school does not qualify as a school as required by the mandatory school attendance law.

REQUESTED ACTION:

Your calls and e-mails have worked before. In order to help the home schoolers in Germany, we urge you to call or write the German Embassy immediately (through the months of December and January) and give them the following message:

“The continuing persecution of home schoolers is an embarrassment and shame to Germany. Although the Harders’ home school case was dismissed this summer, other innocent home school families such as the Eberhard Kaula family in [Etzelwang] Bavaria are still being prosecuted. A parent’s right to direct the education of his children is a fundamental right that must be protected for every free nation. We request that you urge the government to immediately drop the pending fines and dismiss the case against the Kaula family and urge the government to legalize home schooling throughout Germany.”

We encourage you to rephrase this message in your own words and include a few paragraphs in your letter describing the benefits of home schooling to your family. The whole family should participate in this project of writing letters to the German Embassy. This is a great educational opportunity for your children to learn the importance of the freedoms we have in the United States and how easily such freedoms can be taken away.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00000282.asp

Sunday 10-10-10

Part 2 of 4


Is Hell Real?

By Radio Pastor Perry F. Rockwood

2. What the Bible Teaches

It is not easy to be a Bible preacher in these days of compromise and anti-Bible preaching. But we have the plain command in Ezekiel 3:17,18: "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."

Dr. Charles J. Woodbridge, author of the book, THE NEW EVANGELICALISM, speaks concerning the compromises of our day: "The very existence of this so-called 'neo-evangelicalism' implies a discontent with and disapproval of the old-fashioned approach. It is felt that there must be a new, more moderate definition of orthodoxy, a milder view of the inerrancy of Scripture, less contending for the faith and more friendly give-and-take with modernists. The 'neo-evangelicals' desire seems to be to make as much common cause as possible with the enemies of the cross, to regard ministers who deny the Bible as 'fringe-friends', to fraternize with believers as though we were all the family of God, and to do theological evil in order that good might result. This Jesuit attitude is not advocated in the Bible. Indeed, it runs counter to the plain commandments of the Word of God. The true believer is to have no spiritual traffic with sin or error" (from The King's Business, p.14, may 1958).

Irrespective of what modernists and modern-day appeasers teach, the Bible declares there is a Hell.

HELL! the prison house of despair,
Here are some things that won't be there:
No flowers will bloom on the banks of Hell,
No beauties of nature we love so well;
No comforts of home, music and song,
No friendship of joy will be found in that throng;
No children to brighten the long, weary night,
No love nor peace, nor one ray of light;
No blood washed soul with face beaming bright,
No loving smile in that region of night;
No mercy, no pity, pardon nor grace,
No water; O God, what a terrible place!
The pangs of the lost no human can tell,
Not one moment's peace - there is no rest in HELL.

HELL! the prison house of despair,
Here are some things that will be there:
Fire and brimstone are there, we know,
For God in His Word hath told us so;
Memory, remorse, suffering and pain,
Weeping and wailing, but all in vain;
Blasphemers, swearers, haters of God,
Christ-rejectors while here on earth trod;
Murderers, gamblers, drunkards and liars,
Will have their part in the lake of fire;
The filthy, the vile, the cruel and mean,
What a horrible mob in Hell will be seen!
Yes, more than humans on earth can tell,
Are torments and woes of eternal HELL!
-Catherine Dangell



JESUS ON HELL

Any child reading the Bible will understand that Jesus spoke time and again about a place of eternal punishment. This is the same Lord Jesus who spoke words of comfort to those in trouble, who healed diseases, who raised the dead, and who went
to the Cross.

Here are some of the passages of Scripture that record our Lord's teaching on Hell (Gehenna).

"But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of
hell fire" (Matthew 5:22).

"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:29).

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

"And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire" (Matthew 18:9).

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves" (Matthew 23:15).

"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33).

These are sober words coming from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He believed in a place called Hell, I do; and since He preached on it, certainly all Bible preachers must do likewise.

I am thinking today of so many of you who have loved ones not saved. They are without hope. When members of our families are ill or in trouble of some kind, it is easy for us to be concerned and to weep for them. How much greater our concern ought to be if they are not saved and on the way to a Christless eternity. Jesus wept for lost souls. He had compassion on the unsaved multitudes. Yet we have ceased our weeping. We have lost our compassion.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

Not only do we have the words of Jesus, but we have the simple, plain Bible teaching on Hell from cover to cover. In Jeremiah 23:12 we read of the peril facing every unsaved person each hour he lives: "Wherefore their way shall be unto them as
slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord." Just think seriously of the peril of standing on slippery grass in the darkness facing the judgment of Hell.

Isaiah 14:9: "Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming ..."

Job 21:29,30: "...do ye not know ... That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath."

Psalm 9:17: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

What we have learned today from the Word of God is that there is a place called Hell. In the New Testament alone there are 264 chapters and 27 books. 234 times God speaks of a place of judgment and eternal punishment. If you were travelling along
life's road and saw 234 signboards within 27 miles with the warning, "THIS ROAD LEADS TO DESTRUCTION", I am sure you would turn around and get on another road. Yet, how careless the multitudes are concerning their eternal destiny. God's warnings go unheeded, but at death it will be too late to change directions. The following poem reiterates this solemn fact:

FIVE MINUTES AFTER I DIE

Loved ones will weep o'er my silent face,
Dear ones will clasp me in sad embrace,
Shadows and darkness will fill the place,
Five minutes after I die.

Faces that sorrow I will not see,
Voices that murmur will not reach me,
But where, oh, where will my spirit be,
Five minutes after I die.

Quickly the years of my life have flown,
Gathering treasures I thought my own,
There I must reap from the see I have sown
Five minutes after I die.

Naught to repair the good I lack,
Fixed to the goal of my chosen track,
No room to repent, no turning back,
Five minutes after I die.

Now I can stifle convictions stirred,
Now I can silence the Voice oft heard,
Then the fulfilment of God's sure Word,
Five minutes after I die.

Mated for aye with my chosen throng,
Long is eternity, O, so long,
Then woe is me if my soul be wrong,
Five minutes after I die.

O, what a fool- hard the word, but true,
Passing the Saviour with death in view,
Doing a deed I can ne'er undo
Five minutes after I die.

If I am flinging a fortune away,
If I am wasting salvation's day
"Just is my sentence", my soul shall say
Five minutes after I die.

God help you to choose! Your eternal state
Depends on your choice, you dare not wait;
You must choose now; it will be too late
Five minutes after you die.

http://www.tpgh.org/IHR.htm

Ancient tree to help turn Jericho into tourism hub
"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was the chief among the tax collectors, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus ... but could not because of the crowd, because he was of short stature. And he ran ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house." Luke 19:1-5

___

JERICHO, West Bank (AP) — With a giant trunk and boughs towering 60 feet high, a gnarled sycamore near Jericho's main square has long been touted as the very tree that the hated tax collector climbed to get a glimpse of Jesus.

Now it's taking center stage in a plan to transform this ancient desert backwater into a tourism hub.

The tree, once tucked obscurely away on a side street, is a featured attraction of a Russian-funded museum complex to be unveiled this month as part of Jericho's 10,000th birthday celebrations.

At the Oct. 10 launch of yearlong festivities, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will outline ambitious plans for Jericho, a Jordan Valley oasis that bills itself as the world's oldest and lowest-lying town, at some 780 feet below sea level.

"This is to promote Palestine as a destination," Palestinian Tourism Minister Khouloud Daibes said of the venture, which includes a resort to be built on the shores of the nearby Dead Sea. The Palestinians even hope for an airport in the area, though both projects hinge on Israeli approval.

The plans reflect the Abbas government's approach of building a Palestinian state from the ground up, regardless of the ups and downs of negotiations with Israel. Such pragmatism grew out of painful years of conflict, especially in the past decade, when Palestinians across the West Bank saw many economic gains wiped out.

The road leading into Jericho still bears witness to the scars of the fighting, but also fledgling signs of prosperity.

It's now a four-lane highway instead of a potholed country road, and an Israeli army checkpoint that used to snarl traffic and deter visitors has been removed because of a growing atmosphere of calm. But a casino, shut after the outbreak of fighting in 2000, remains closed because the Israeli military believes it is too dangerous for Israelis — the main clientele — to return to Jericho.

Still, more foreign tourists are visiting, about 1 million a year since the Israeli-Palestinian fighting began to drop off in 2006, said Jericho Mayor Hassan Saleh. Their main stops include Tel Sultan, an archaeological dig some say proves Jericho was first settled around 8,000 B.C., and an 8th-century Umayad palace with intricate mosaics.

Many visitors also stop at the ancient sycamore, usually snapping pictures before getting back on their buses. The hope is that the $3 million museum and visitors' complex to be opened next to the tree will encourage visitors to linger.

Local lore has long maintained the tree, whose massive partially hollowed trunk measures 7 feet in diameter, is the very one featured in the biblical tale of Jesus and Zacchaeus, the tax collector of short stature who, according to the Gospel of Luke, climbed the tree to get a better look at Jesus.

The tree will eventually be ringed by the perimeter wall of the museum compound.

On Friday, dozens of Palestinian and Russian workers laid brick, rushing to finish the white stone building with two domes and several graceful columns in time for the Oct. 10 opening. The museum, which sits on land bought by the Russian government in the 19th century, will feature Russian art and an exhibit on cultural ties between Russia and Palestine, as well as artifacts discovered during a salvage dig before construction began.

In the garden, workers laid tiles for a walkway from a recently excavated Byzantine-era mosaic to the sycamore tree. Landscape architect Sofiya Minasiyan said she plans to fill the grounds with plants mentioned in the Bible.

Daibes, the tourism minister, said tests are being conducted on the health of the tree, in hopes of finding ways to keep it strong. She said preliminary tests have shown the sycamore is more than 2,000 years old.

Mordechai Kislev, an Israeli archaebotanist, said it is quite possible for sycamores to live that long, though it's difficult to estimate a sycamore's age because it does not have annual growth rings.

The tree does have a rival — nearby, in the courtyard of a Greek Orthodox church, the huge trunk of a dead sycamore encased in glass is also presented as the biblical tree.

Still, Saleh said the tree in the Russian complex is believed to be the oldest sycamore in Jericho. "People believe that this is the tree," the mayor said.

Some visitors take the uncertainty in stride.

"Of course, we've heard stories from the Bible ... and I can image that it would be like this," said Anna Boertveit, 47, of Stavanger, Norway, as her tour group stopped for photographs.

"If it's really the tree does not matter that much to me."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101001/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_sacred_sycamore

Pastors defy prohibition on politicking
NASHVILLE — Nearly 100 pastors across the USA stood up at their pulpits last Sunday and did what federal law says they can't — tell their congregations how to vote.
The campaign was sponsored for the third straight year by the conservative Christian group Alliance Defense Fund as a challenge to the restrictions on pulpit politicking. The group hopes to provoke a legal battle that would overturn the law's prohibition on candidate endorsements from tax-exempt non-profits and churches.

"Our goal always has been to empower pastors to speak freely from the pulpit without government censorship or control," said the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based group's senior legal counsel, Erik Stanley.

IRS spokesman Dan Boone declined to comment, and the IRS has issued no response. On Tuesday, Americans United For Separation of Church and State, a non-profit that has been monitoring the activities of the Alliance Defense Fund, filed a complaint with the IRS against Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Okla.

"When churches become cogs in any candidate's political machine, they ought to lose their tax exemption," the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement. "I urge the IRS to investigate this matter and apply the law."

Among last Sunday's participants:

• In Yukon, Okla., outside Oklahoma City, pastor Dan Fisher of the 1,500-member Trinity Baptist Church told his congregants he liked Republican candidates Mary Fallin for governor and Scott Pruitt for attorney general, among other endorsements he made.

Fisher said the Bible is clear on the Second Amendment issue, with numerous stories of God's people defending themselves with weapons.

• In Minnesota, Gus Booth, pastor of the 195-member Warroad Community Church in Warroad, endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer and several other candidates.

"We as Bible-believing Christians should elect the most Bible-believing candidates," he said, adding that he plans to send an audio CD of his sermon to the IRS.

• In Nashville, pastor David Shelley of Smith Springs Baptist Church told about 30 people in the pews Sunday about the abortion views of state and federal candidates and said, "We need to end legalized abortion to stop the slaughter."

Church member Lyndell Cowan said after the service that she wouldn't vote for politicians just because her pastor recommended them, but the sermon was helpful.

"You get so little information, you go into the voting booth and you don't know who these candidates are," she said.

The IRS has yet to penalize the churches participating in previous years, Stanley said. Only one church has ever been penalized for running afoul of the law — a New York congregation that took out a full-page ad in 1992 to rail against then-candidate Bill Clinton, Stanley said. It lost its tax-exempt letter from the IRS for a year, he said.

The tax code provides tax-exempt status to churches and other charitable groups unless they participate in political campaigns or make statements on behalf of candidates.

Some churches and non-profits legally start political action groups, but contributions to those organizations are not tax deductible, said Ira Lupu, a professor at George Washington University Law School.

"The whole idea is that taxpayers shouldn't be subsidizing political activities," he said.

David Masci, a senior researcher with the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, said clergy endorse candidates with some regularity across the country in violation of the rules.

"It doesn't seem to be something the IRS devotes a lot of resources to," he said. But, he said, many mainstream churches recoil from the idea of erasing the line between church and state.

"It puts congregations in an awkward position," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "It's not a wise thing for churches to endorse candidates. We think candidates should endorse us."

"We think the mixing of the sacred nature of the church with the exceedingly worldly nature of politics is ... unseemly," he said.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides a "Faithful Citizenship" document on its website intended to help Catholics evaluate candidates based on Church teachings, without offering endorsements.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-10-01-politicalpulpits01_ST_N.htm

'Happiness Preacher' Commits Suicide
A South Korean television personality known as the "happiness preacher" and her husband were found dead in a motel room in an apparent joint suicide, police said Friday.

A motel employee in the town of Goyang, north of Seoul, found Choi Yoon Hee, 63, and her 72-year-old husband hanging in their room Thursday night, they said.

A note left by Choi and released by police read: "I've felt something wrong with my body from two years ago. I have a hard time, suffering from lung and heart diseases."

She apologized to her family and friends for giving in to "unbearable" pain.

Police said the husband was believed to have helped his wife commit suicide before killing himself.

Choi wrote about 20 books about happiness and hope and earned her nickname for inspiring people to live happily through her TV programs.

South Korea has the world's highest suicide rate for women among major advanced nations, according to official data, and the second highest rate for men after Japan.

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/international/happiness-preacher-commits-suicide-20101008-ncx

Why i homeschool
2 Investigators: School System Ignored Safety Concerns
If your child feels unsafe at school, and you want them transferred to a new school, what do you think would happen?

Families say officials with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) drag their heels and even prevent transfers, further endangering their kids. 2 Investigator Dave Savini found the district has been lacking a policy to deal with this safety concern.

Since 2008-2009 school year, Edwina Meyer has been trying to get a transfer out of Scammon Elementary School, 4201 W. Henderson St. She says she feels unsafe.

“It’s terrible,” Meyer says. “It’s like so much happened in that classroom.”

She says she has witnessed multiple X-rated acts while in class.

Meyer was reportedly not alone in witnessing this behavior. Laura Flores says her daughter also witnessed the sex acts.

“My daughter was psychologically damaged by it, in the way she had nightmares, she fretted about going to school,” Flores said. “She was afraid.”
Flores and Susan Meyer, Edwina’s mother, both say that during the past two years, they wanted their daughters transferred to different schools for safety reasons. But they say school officials fought them, even though they acknowledge the sex acts occurred and fired the teacher.

Edwina Meyer says even after the teacher was fired, problems persisted. She says she was bit, inappropriately touched and she says denied access to the bathroom. Meyer says she wet herself and was forced to sit in her own urine.

“I don’t have an explanation from anybody why it’s happening,” Susan Meyer said.
She removed her daughter from Scammon and has been trying to have her placed in a new school.

The problem is there have been no official CPS policies to help students transfer when they felt unsafe.

Meyer wanted her daughter, who has special education needs, to go to a new school, Lorca, which opened just blocks from her home. She says CPS officials refused.

Finally, they were told Edwina Meyer could switch, but to a school five miles away without bus transportation. That is impossible, says her mother, who has no car. That left Edwina sitting at home.

“She doesn’t deserve this,” Susan Meyer said.

After CBS 2 contacted Chicago Public School officials, they agreed to provide Edwina bus transportation to a new school.

For other students, there also is help. This year, a new CPS policy allows students to transfer for safety reasons, but applying for a move does not guarantee you will get one. District-wide, 17 students have applied for safety transfers citywide this year, and five were denied.

“The district makes every effort to accommodate all of its students and their individual needs equitably and fairly, and we will review and monitor our internal procedures,” a schools spokesman says.
She removed her daughter from Scammon and has been trying to have her placed in a new school.

The problem is there have been no official CPS policies to help students transfer when they felt unsafe.

Meyer wanted her daughter, who has special education needs, to go to a new school, Lorca, which opened just blocks from her home. She says CPS officials refused.

Finally, they were told Edwina Meyer could switch, but to a school five miles away without bus transportation. That is impossible, says her mother, who has no car. That left Edwina sitting at home.

“She doesn’t deserve this,” Susan Meyer said.

After CBS 2 contacted Chicago Public School officials, they agreed to provide Edwina bus transportation to a new school.

For other students, there also is help. This year, a new CPS policy allows students to transfer for safety reasons, but applying for a move does not guarantee you will get one. District-wide, 17 students have applied for safety transfers citywide this year, and five were denied.

“The district makes every effort to accommodate all of its students and their individual needs equitably and fairly, and we will review and monitor our internal procedures,” a schools spokesman says.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2010/10/07/2-investigators-school-system-ignored-safety-concerns/

Sunday 10-03-10

Part 1 of 4

Is Hell Real?

By Radio Pastor Perry F. Rockwood


1. Hell is Today’s World

An evangelist once encountered a sceptic who, when asked to receive Christ, said, "I'm not afraid of Hell - all the Hell we will ever get is right here on earth!" The preacher's reply was quick and devastating, "I'll give you three reasons why this cannot be Hell. First, I am a Christian, and there are no Christians in Hell! Secondly, there is a place just around the corner where you can slake your thirst, but there is no water in Hell! Thirdly, I have been preaching Christ to you, and there is no Gospel in Hell!"

Dr. R.A. Torrey, who succeeded D.L. Moody, believed in the plain Bible teaching on Hell. He said, "We know absolutely nothing about future punishment but what God has been pleased to tell us in the Book; just as we know absolutely nothing about the future blessedness of the saved except what God has been pleased to tell us in this Book. If you are truly logical and not merely sentimental, if you give up what the Bible teaches on one subject, you will give up what it teaches on the other. If a man will believe that part of the Bible that he desires to believe and rejects that part of the bible that he does not desire to believe, in plain unvarnished English, he is a fool."

If the Bible is not true, we have no real proof that there is either a Heaven or a Hell. If the Bible is true about Heaven, it is also true about Hell.

Whenever I speak on this subject of Hell there are those who are bound to write and ask, "How do you reconcile the doctrine of Hell with the fact that God is a God of love?" I answer with this question, "How do we know that God is love?" We know this only from the Bible. If the Bible is not true we have no proof that God is love. Friend, if you reject what the Bible says about Hell you must in simple logic give up your belief that God is love.

Of course today the words "Hell" and "damn" are a part of the everyday language of most people- including our politicians, radio announcers and TV personalities. The use of such four-letter words portrays their lack of education and inability to express themselves forcefully in the English language. Such conversation surely reveals a mental vacuum.

"See you in Hell tonight!" cried one friend to another. They planned to meet in a night club which chose this name for the sake of publicity. Hell is fast becoming a joke word and people are laughing at the very idea of such a place. They scoff at the Word of God which teaches the eternal punishment of all who reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.

"Why, man, I'm getting my Hell here upon the earth!" This is what a business man said to me recently. I replied, "Sir, the Hell you are getting upon earth is but a Sunday school picnic compared to the eternal torments you will suffer unless you repent of sin and turn to the Lord."

A young man carelessly boasted, "Well, if I go to Hell think of all the company I'll have." I said to him, "Don't deceive yourself. There is no company in Hell. It is a place of total separation from everyone. Although there may be many famous people there, they will give you neither joy nor pleasure. Hell is a place of suffering and there will be no companionship whatever to help relieve the agony."

A common expression used by many people who are rude in their speech is, "Go to Hell." The same ones, however, say they are not sure there is a Hell. They live and act as though death ends all or as though they can get by without meeting God. The very fact that they tell people to go to Hell shows an inner conviction that those who do wrong should be punished.

Perhaps you are thinking, "But Pastor, you do not understand my situation. My life is truly a Hell on earth." Oh, but I do try to understand. The mental anguish and heartache caused by unhappy circumstances is very painful. Many are constantly struggling with difficult situations. Life is hard. Yet, there is some relief here upon the earth. There is some charity, some mercy, some easing of pain by drugs and sleep - and there is always hope. But in Hell there is only suffering - absolute physical and mental torment - and there is no hope.

Most seminaries and theological colleges either play down the Bible teaching on Hell or do away with it altogether. This has resulted in the subject hardly ever being mentioned from our modern-day pulpits. When was the last time you heard such a message in your church?

Today we have a movement called Neo-Evangelicalism or New Evangelicalism which teaches that the Bible is not the literal, verbally inspired Word of God but that it contains the Word of God. If you will look at the proclamations issued by various Evangelical groups over the past fifteen years, you will see that the majority make no mention of the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, or of the inerrancy of the Bible, or of its preservation.

The late Bishop J.C. Ryle, who died in 1900, said:

"If you would promote faith, defeat the devil and save souls, preach Hell!"

"The conscience of man cries out of Hell. Go to the bedside of some dying child of the world and fear not to talk to him of God's judgment upon sin and wrath upon the sinner. Preach to him of a Saviour who went into the yawning jaws of Hell that forgiveness might be purchased at great price - His own shed blood - and offer him mercy but only by faith in that blood; and watch his restless anxiety about the future turn to calmness, and marvel as he departs in peace.

"The interests of holiness and morality cry out of Hell. Tell men it matters how they conduct themselves, that there is an eternal difference between Abraham and the Sodomites, between Paul and Nero, between the drunkard who dies unrepentant and a Baxter, a Wilberforce, or a McCheyne. Preach Hell as the final end of men who will not have the Christian whom they may 'live soberly, righteously, and godly.'

"The Bible speaks of Hell from beginning to end. Hundreds of texts in God's Word remind us of the wages of sin, the end of the flesh and the reward of ungodliness. Jesus cried that the gate to Hell is wide, the road is broad and well travelled. When you stand before the people, preach that!"

Thank God for those who have stood for Biblical inspiration among the scholars and believed in Hell. I think of Dr. R.A. Torrey who said, "I claim to be a scholarly preacher. I have a right to so claim. I have taken two degrees, specializing in Greek
in one of the most highly esteemed universities in America. I have also studied in two German universities. I have read the Bible in three languages every day of my life for many years. I have studied a large share of what has been written on both sides of the question in English and in German. I have written thirty or forty different books which have been translated into many languages. Yes, I believe in scholarship and I believe in the old-fashioned doctrine regarding Hell."

Yes, and we could mention other men, greatly used of God, who believed in Hell. D.L. Moody, "The same Christ that tells us of Heaven with all its glories, tells us of Hell with all its horrors." Henry Ward Beecher, "The thought of future punishment for
sinners which the Bible reveals is enough to make an earthquake of terror in every man's soul. "Dr. W.N. Clarke, "The principle of retribution is right because good ought to work good and evil ought to work evil." Billy Sunday, "You will not be in Hell five minutes until you believe there is one."

But hear now the voice of Christ: "Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ... And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:41,46).

There is a real Hell for everyone who rejects the salvation offered in the Cross-work of Christ.

http://www.tpgh.org/IHR.htm

Possible biblical clue seen in computer worm hitting Iran
Some experts say program's code might include reference to the Book of Esther, the Old Testament tale in which the Jews pre-empt a Persian plot to destroy them.

Deep inside the computer worm that some specialists suspect is aimed at slowing Iran's race for a nuclear weapon lies what could be a fleeting reference to the Book of Esther, the Old Testament tale in which the Jews pre-empt a Persian plot to destroy them.

That use of the word "Myrtus" — which can be read as an allusion to Esther — to name a file inside the code is one of several murky clues that have emerged as computer experts try to trace the origin and purpose of the rogue Stuxnet program, which seeks out a specific kind of command module for industrial equipment.

There are many competing explanations for myrtus, which could simply signify myrtle, a plant important to many cultures in the region. But some security experts see the reference as an allusion to the Hebrew word for Esther, and as a warning in a mounting technological and psychological battle as Israel and its allies try to breach Iran's nuclear project. Others doubt the Israelis were involved and say the word could have been inserted as deliberate misinformation to implicate Israel.

Carol Newsom, an Old Testament scholar at Emory University, confirmed the linguistic connection, noting that Queen Esther's original name in Hebrew was Hadassah, which is similar to the Hebrew word for myrtle. Perhaps, she said, "someone was making a learned cross-linguistic wordplay."

"The Iranians are already paranoid about the fact that some of their scientists have defected and several of their secret nuclear sites have been revealed," one former intelligence official who still works on Iran issues said recently. "Whatever the origin and purpose of Stuxnet, it ramps up the psychological pressure."

New U.S. sanctions

Meanwhile, the Obama administration stepped up pressure against Iran's government Wednesday, slapping financial and travel sanctions on eight Iranian officials and accusing them of taking part in rampant human rights abuses.

Under an executive order signed this week by President Barack Obama, the State and Treasury departments jointly announced the sanctions that target Iranians who "share responsibility for the sustained and severe violation of human rights in Iran," notably after last year's disputed presidential elections.

The move bars the eight Iranians from entering the United States, blocks any of their U.S. assets and prohibits Americans from doing business with them.

http://www.statesman.com/news/world/possible-biblical-clue-seen-in-computer-worm-hitting-945612.html

Most Americans believe in God but don't know religious tenets
Americans are clear on God but foggy on facts about faiths.
The new U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that although 86% of us believe in God or a higher power, we don't know our own traditions or those of neighbors across the street or across the globe.

Among 3,412 adults surveyed, only 2% correctly answered at least 29 of 32 questions on the Bible, major religious figures, beliefs and practices. The average score was 16 correct (50%).

Key findings:

•Doctrines don't grab us. Only 55% of Catholic respondents knew the core teaching that the bread and wine in the Mass become the body and blood of Christ, and are not merely symbols. Just 19% of Protestants knew the basic tenet that salvation is through faith alone, not actions as well.

•Basic Bible eludes us. Just 55% of all respondents knew the Golden Rule isn't one of the Ten Commandments; 45% could name all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

•World religions are a struggle. Fewer than half (47%) knew that the Dalai Lama is a Buddhist; 27% knew most people in Indonesia are Muslims.

"People say, 'I have a personal connection with God and that's really all I need to know.' Who am I to argue?" says Pew's Alan Cooperman, a co-author of the report.

But religion, as a force in history and a motivator in present times, "has consequences in the world," he adds, so an intellectual baseline, whatever your faith or lack of faith, can "shape your role as a citizen in the public square."

The top scoring groups were atheists/agnostics, Jews and Mormons. These tiny groups, adding up to less than 7% of Americans, scored particularly well on world religion and U.S. constitutional questions. It's unclear why, although highly educated people overall did best on the quiz, researchers say.

It may be that the conscious choice to take a minority faith or philosophic stand requires an intellectual engagement with religion to a greater degree than experienced by Protestants and Catholics, who dominate U.S. culture. Eight in 10 atheists and agnostics grew up in a religious tradition, chiefly a branch of Christianity, says Greg Smith, a Pew senior researcher.

The single question most people answered correctly: 89% knew that according to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, public school teachers cannot lead their classes in prayer.

But only 36% of respondents knew teachers are allowed to teach classes comparing world religions, and just 23% knew that teachers can read from the Bible as an example of literature.

"If the public thinks there are greater restriction than there really are, how much impact does this have in the real world when they are looking at religion's place in public life?" Smith asks.

Most respondents have some understanding of the First Amendment: 68% knew that the Constitution says "the government shall neither establish a religion nor interfere with the practice of religion." But, says Smith, "they don't get the specifics."

Questions about half of respondents nailed: 51% knew Joseph Smith was a Mormon; 54% could name the Quran as Islam's holy text. (The survey was conducted May 19-June 6, before a Florida pastor's threat to burn the Quran made headlines.)

Stumpers: Just 8% knew Maimonides was an influential Jewish rabbi. Only 11% knew that the fiery preacher and theologian who participated in the First Great Awakening, an 18th-century Protestant revival, was Jonathan Edwards, not 19th-century evangelist Charles Finney or today's Billy Graham.

Smith says education was the single best predictor of how people scored.

Respondents who went to graduate school answered twice as many questions correctly as people who didn't complete high school.

Overall, men scored better than women, whites score better than blacks and Hispanics, and Southerners did worse than the rest of the nation, Smith said.

The authors say they didn't give the public a grade on its religious knowledge like a school test, such as an A or F.

Why? Because, they say, "We have no objective way of determining how much the public should know about religion."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-09-28-pew28_ST_N.htm


HUMANISTS HAVE LONG BRAGGED THAT PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM DESTROYS BIBLICAL FAITH (Friday Church News Notes, October 1, 2010, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Paul Blanshard made the following statement in the 1976 edition of The Humanist magazine: “I think that the most important factor moving us toward a secular society has been the educational factor. Our schools may not teach Johnny to read properly, but the fact that Johnny is in school until he is 16 tends to lead toward the elimination of religious superstition. The average American child now acquires a high school education, and this militates against Adam and Eve and all the other myths of alleged history" (The Humanist, March/April 1976, p. 17).

You can't advertise with us – you're 'Christian'

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=210573

You can't advertise with us – you're 'Christian'
Mere mention of bookstore's name flagged as too 'offensive, sensitive'
________________________________________
Posted: October 01, 2010
9:30 pm Eastern
By Drew Zahn
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

A bookstore in Kittanning, Pa., was told its advertisement in a local restaurant's holiday menu was rejected by the ad publisher, simply because the store had the word "Christian" in its name.

Reverend Don Toy, owner of the Christian Book and Gift Shop, told The Kittanning Paper that a salesman entered his store and sold him a business-sized, $135 advertisement to run in a special Christmas menu at Garda's Restaurant in nearby Ford City.

But, Toy said, the salesman returned a few hours later and told him, "''We have a problem. I contacted headquarters. Our company has rejected your ad. They told me I have to return your check. We don't take religious advertising. They are exercising the clause in the contract you signed [stating] their right to cancel with you.'"

Specifically, the clause in the contract with Brecht-Pacific Publishing, Incorporated, located in Longview, Wash., states the publisher "reserves the right to refuse, edit or omit any portion of any ad that we think is offensive, sensitive, questionable or otherwise not in good taste."

http://www.preparingforthefuture.org/you-can-t-advertise-with-us-you-re-christian-t9634.html