Quote of the Month from Jonathan Rosenblum

"The fossil record is largely one of species and groups of species coming into existence fully formed, remaining unchanged throughout their history, and becoming extinct by virtue of some great catastrophe, not because they were replaced by better-adapted descendants."

Question Darwin and Face the Consequences

What happens when a professor decides to present students with evidence that challenges Darwin's theory? Find out on this episode of ID the Future, where we've highlighted comments from biochemist Nancy Bryson Ph.D., a professor who knows firsthand the importance of academic freedom on college campuses.
Dr. Bryson was removed from her position as head of the division of natural sciences at Mississippi University for Women when she presented criticisms of evolution to a group of honor students. Listen as she recounts the chilling effect the university's censors' actions had on academic freedom and students' ability to question and engage in their material.

A Very Pleasant Surprise on American Idol

Hillsong Convention Centre

I don't watch American Idol as a rule. My wife had told me that night (4/9/08) the final eight contestants sang the worship song, entitled Shout to the Lord," written by Darlene Zschech. One thing was missing from the song that night, and that was the name of Jesus. I've noted that many of the songs we sing in our church (Calvary Chapel Chico) don't mention the name of Jesus specifically either, so my reaction was to marvel that God would use the most watched, secular, television program in the world, American Idol, as an instrument to get the Gospel into places that many Christians would or could never go. My thanks to God was to echo the Psalmists words, "This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." - Psalm 118:23.
While I was on the computer watching the You Tube video of the previous night's performance, I could hear American Idol coming on again on the television in the next room. Then they aired another video of the group singing "Shout to the Lord", only this time the name of Jesus wasn't omitted! This is that performance (4/10/08).
Think of how this song speaks to the person who might have been contemplating taking his or her life. Or the impact of these words of hope to some down and outter who just lost everything, to hear the words, "my comfort, my shelter..." Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!"
That's the Gospel!

A Christian Nation

The prayer at the First Continental Congress

It is argued by some that America was never a "Christian Nation" and that such an idea was never in the minds of our founding fathers. The phrase that Thomas Jefferson wrote in his personal letter to the Danbury Baptists has been taken completely out of context and used by secularists who have no regard for the concept of a Christian God to erect a so called 'wall of separation' between our government and faith in our creator. That's why I wanted to reprint, here in this blog,

House Resolution 888

110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 888
Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as `American Religious History Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 18, 2007
Mr. FORBES (for himself, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. AKIN, Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. FEENEY, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. HAYES, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. HERGER, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. MCHENRY, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. PENCE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. YOUNG of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

RESOLUTION
Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as `American Religious History Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.

Whereas religious faith was not only important in official American life during the periods of discovery, exploration, colonization, and growth but has also been acknowledged and incorporated into all 3 branches of American Federal government from their very beginning;

Whereas the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed this self-evident fact in a unanimous ruling declaring `This is a religious people ... From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation';

Whereas political scientists have documented that the most frequently-cited source in the political period known as The Founding Era was the Bible;

Whereas the first act of America's first Congress in 1774 was to ask a minister to open with prayer and to lead Congress in the reading of 4 chapters of the Bible;

Whereas Congress regularly attended church and Divine service together en masse;

Whereas throughout the American Founding, Congress frequently appropriated money for missionaries and for religious instruction, a practice that Congress repeated for decades after the passage of the Constitution and the First Amendment;

Whereas in 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence with its 4 direct religious acknowledgments referring to God as the Creator (`All people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'), the Lawgiver (`the laws of nature and nature's God'), the Judge (`appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world'), and the Protector (`with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence');

Whereas upon approving the Declaration of Independence, John Adams declared that the Fourth of July `ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty';

Whereas 4 days after approving the Declaration, the Liberty Bell was rung;

Whereas the Liberty Bell was named for the Biblical inscription from Leviticus 25:10 emblazoned around it: `Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof';

Whereas in 1777, Congress, facing a National shortage of `Bibles for our schools, and families, and for the public worship of God in our churches,' announced that they `desired to have a Bible printed under their care & by their encouragement' and therefore ordered 20,000 copies of the Bible to be imported `into the different ports of the States of the Union';

Whereas in 1782, Congress pursued a plan to print a Bible that would be `a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools' and therefore approved the production of the first English language Bible printed in America that contained the congressional endorsement that `the United States in Congress assembled ... recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States';

Whereas in 1782, Congress adopted (and has reaffirmed on numerous subsequent occasions) the National Seal with its Latin motto `Annuit Coeptis,' meaning `God has favored our undertakings,' along with the eye of Providence in a triangle over a pyramid, the eye and the motto `allude to the many signal interpositions of Providence in favor of the American cause';

Whereas the 1783 Treaty of Paris that officially endied the Revolution and established America as an independent begins with the appellation `In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity';

Whereas in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin declared, `God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? ... Without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel';

Whereas the delegates to the Constitutional Convention concluded their work by in effect placing a religious punctuation mark at the end of the Constitution in the Attestation Clause, noting not only that they had completed the work with `the unanimous consent of the States present' but they had done so `in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven';

Whereas James Madison declared that he saw the finished Constitution as a product of `the finger of that Almighty Hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the Revolution,' and George Washington viewed it as `little short of a miracle,' and Benjamin Franklin believed that its writing had been `influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler, in Whom all inferior spirits live, and move, and have their being';

Whereas from 1787 to 1788, State conventions to ratify the United States Constitution not only began with prayer but even met in church buildings;

Whereas in 1795 during construction of the Capitol, a practice was instituted whereby `public worship is now regularly administered at the Capitol, every Sunday morning, at 11 o'clock';

Whereas in 1789, the first Federal Congress, the Congress that framed the Bill of Rights, including the First Amendment, appropriated Federal funds to pay chaplains to pray at the opening of all sessions, a practice that has continued to this day, with Congress not only funding its congressional chaplains but also the salaries and operations of more than 4,500 military chaplains;

Whereas in 1789, Congress, in the midst of framing the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, passed the first Federal law touching education, declaring that `Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged';

Whereas in 1789, on the same day that Congress finished drafting the First Amendment, it requested President Washington to declare a National day of prayer and thanksgiving, resulting in the first Federal official Thanksgiving proclamation that declared `it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor';

Whereas in 1800, Congress enacted naval regulations requiring that Divine service be performed twice every day aboard `all ships and vessels in the navy,' with a sermon preached each Sunday;

Whereas in 1800, Congress approved the use of the just-completed Capitol structure as a church building, with Divine services to be held each Sunday in the Hall of the House, alternately administered by the House and Senate chaplains;

Whereas in 1853 Congress declared that congressional chaplains have a `duty ... to conduct religious services weekly in the Hall of the House of Representatives';

Whereas by 1867, the church at the Capitol was the largest church in Washington, DC, with up to 2,000 people a week attending Sunday service in the Hall of the House;

Whereas by 1815, over 2,000 official governmental calls to prayer had been issued at both the State and the Federal levels, with thousands more issued since 1815;

Whereas in 1853 the United States Senate declared that the Founding Fathers `had no fear or jealousy of religion itself, nor did they wish to see us an irreligious people ... they did not intend to spread over all the public authorities and the whole public action of the nation the dead and revolting spectacle of atheistical apathy';

Whereas in 1854 the United States House of Representatives declared `It [religion] must be considered as the foundation on which the whole structure rests ... Christianity; in its general principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions';

Whereas, in 1864, by law Congress added `In God We Trust' to American coinage;

Whereas in 1864, Congress passed an act authorizing each State to display statues of 2 of its heroes in the United States Capitol, resulting in numerous statues of noted Christian clergymen and leaders at the Capitol, including Gospel ministers such as the Revs. James A. Garfield, John Peter Muhlenberg, Jonathan Trumbull, Roger Williams, Jason Lee, Marcus Whitman, and Martin Luther King Jr.; Gospel theologians such as Roger Sherman; Catholic priests such as Father Damien, Jacques Marquette, Eusebio Kino, and Junipero Serra; Catholic nuns such as Mother Joseph; and numerous other religious leaders;

Whereas in 1870, the Federal government made Christmas (a recognition of the birth of Christ, an event described by the U.S. Supreme Court as `acknowledged in the Western World for 20 centuries, and in this country by the people, the Executive Branch, Congress, and the courts for 2 centuries') and Thanksgiving as official holidays;

Whereas beginning in 1904 and continuing for the next half-century, the Federal government printed and distributed The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth for the use of Members of Congress because of the important teachings it contained;

Whereas in 1931, Congress by law adopted the Star-Spangled Banner as the official National Anthem, with its phrases such as `may the Heav'n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation,' and `this be our motto, `In God is our trust!';

Whereas in 1954, Congress by law added the phrase `one nation under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance;

Whereas in 1954 a special Congressional Prayer Room was added to the Capitol with a kneeling bench, an altar, an open Bible, an inspiring stained-glass window with George Washington kneeling in prayer, the declaration of Psalm 16:1: `Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust,' and the phrase `This Nation Under God' displayed above the kneeling, prayerful Washington;

Whereas in 1956, Congress by law made `In God We Trust' the National Motto, and added the phrase to American currency;

Whereas the constitutions of each of the 50 states, either in the preamble or body, explicitly recognize or express gratitude to God;

Whereas America's first Presidential Inauguration incorporated 7 specific religious activities, including--
(1) the use of the Bible to administer the oath;
(2) affirming the religious nature of the oath by the adding the prayer `So help me God!' to the oath;
(3) inaugural prayers offered by the President;
(4) religious content in the inaugural address;
(5) civil leaders calling the people to prayer or acknowledgement of God;
(6) inaugural worship services attended en masse by Congress as an official part of congressional activities; and
(7) clergy-led inaugural prayers, activities which have been replicated in whole or part by every subsequent President;

Whereas President George Washington declared `Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports';

Whereas President John Adams, one of only 2 signers of the Bill of Rights and First Amendment, declared `As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him';

Whereas President Jefferson not only attended Divine services at the Capitol throughout his presidency and had the Marine Band play at the services, but during his administration church services were also begun in the War Department and the Treasury Department, thus allowing worshippers on any given Sunday the choice to attend church at either the United States Capitol, the War Department, or the Treasury Department if they so desired;

Whereas Thomas Jefferson urged local governments to make land available specifically for Christian purposes, provided Federal funding for missionary work among Indian tribes, and declared that religious schools would receive `the patronage of the government';

Whereas President Andrew Jackson declared that the Bible `is the rock on which our Republic rests';

Whereas President Abraham Lincoln declared that the Bible `is the best gift God has given to men ... But for it, we could not know right from wrong'

Whereas President William McKinley declared that `Our faith teaches us that there is no safer reliance than upon the God of our fathers, Who has so singularly favored the American people in every national trial and Who will not forsake us so long as we obey His commandments and walk humbly in His footsteps';

Whereas President Teddy Roosevelt declared `The Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and the Golden Rule must stand as the foundation of every successful effort to better either our social or our political life';

Whereas President Woodrow Wilson declared that `America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture';

Whereas President Herbert Hoover declared that `American life is builded, and can alone survive, upon ... [the] fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago';

Whereas President Franklin D. Roosevelt not only led the Nation in a 6 minute prayer during D-Day on June 6, 1944, but he also declared that `If we will not prepare to give all that we have and all that we are to preserve Christian civilization in our land, we shall go to destruction';

Whereas President Harry S. Truman declared that `The fundamental basis of this Nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul';

Whereas President Harry S. Truman told a group touring Washington, DC, that `You will see, as you make your rounds, that this Nation was established by men who believed in God. ... You will see the evidence of this deep religious faith on every hand';

Whereas President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared that `Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first,the most basic, expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be' in a declaration later repeated with approval by President Gerald Ford;

Whereas President John F. Kennedy declared that `The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God';

Whereas President Ronald Reagan, after noting `The Congress of the United States, in recognition of the unique contribution of the Bible in shaping the history and character of this Nation and so many of its citizens, has ... requested the President to designate the year 1983 as the `Year of the Bible',' officially declared 1983 as `The Year of the Bible';

Whereas every other President has similarly recognized the role of God and religious faith in the public life of America;

Whereas all sessions of the United States Supreme Court begin with the Court's Marshal announcing, `God save the United States and this honorable court';

Whereas a regular and integral part of official activities in the Federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court, was the inclusion of prayer by a minister of the Gospel;

Whereas the United States Supreme Court has declared throughout the course of our Nation's history that the United States is `a Christian country', `a Christian nation', `a Christian people', `a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being', and that `we cannot read into the Bill of Rights a philosophy of hostility to religion';

Whereas Justice John Jay, an author of the Federalist Papers and original Justice of the United States Supreme Court, urged `The most effectual means of securing the continuance of our civil and religious liberties is always to remember with reverence and gratitude the Source from which they flow';

Whereas Justice James Wilson, a signer of the Constitution, declared that `Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine ... Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants';

Whereas Justice William Paterson, a signer of the Constitution, declared that `Religion and morality ... [are] necessary to good government, good order, and good laws';

Whereas President George Washington, who passed into law the first legal acts organizing the Federal judiciary, asked, `where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths in the courts of justice?';

Whereas some of the most important monuments, buildings, and landmarks in Washington, DC, include religious words, symbols, and imagery;

Whereas in the United States Capitol the declaration `In God We Trust' is prominently displayed in both the United States House and Senate Chambers;

Whereas around the top of the walls in the House Chamber appear images of 23 great lawgivers from across the centuries, but Moses (the lawgiver, who--according to the Bible--originally received the law from God,) is the only lawgiver honored with a full face view, looking down on the proceedings of the House;

Whereas religious artwork is found throughout the United States Capitol, including in the Rotunda where the prayer service of Christopher Columbus, the Baptism of Pocahontas, and the prayer and Bible study of the Pilgrims are all prominently displayed; in the Cox Corridor of the Capitol where the words `America! God shed His grace on thee' are inscribed; at the east Senate entrance with the words `Annuit Coeptis' which is Latin for `God has favored our undertakings'; and in numerous other locations;

Whereas images of the Ten Commandments are found in many Federal buildings across Washington, DC, including in bronze in the floor of the National Archives; in a bronze statue of Moses in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress; in numerous locations at the U.S. Supreme Court, including in the frieze above the Justices, the oak door at the rear of the Chamber, the gable apex, and in dozens of locations on the bronze latticework surrounding the Supreme Court Bar seating;

Whereas in the Washington Monument not only are numerous Bible verses and religious acknowledgements carved on memorial blocks in the walls, including the phrases: `Holiness to the Lord' (Exodus 28:26, 30:30, Isaiah 23:18, Zechariah 14:20), `Search the Scriptures' (John 5:39), `The memory of the just is blessed' (Proverbs 10:7), `May Heaven to this Union continue its beneficence', and `In God We Trust', but the Latin inscription Laus Deo meaning `Praise be to God' is engraved on the monument's capstone;

Whereas of the 5 areas inside the Jefferson Memorial into which Jefferson's words have been carved, 4 are God-centered, including Jefferson's declaration that `God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever';

Whereas the Lincoln Memorial contains numerous acknowledgments of God and citations of Bible verses, including the declarations that `we here highly resolve that ... this nation under God ... shall not perish from the earth'; `The Almighty has His own purposes. `Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh' (Matthew 18:7); `as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said `the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether' (Psalms 19:9); `one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh see it together' (Dr. Martin Luther King's speech, based on Isaiah 40:4-5);

Whereas in the Library of Congress, The Giant Bible of Mainz, and The Gutenberg Bible are on prominent permanent display and etched on the walls are Bible verses, including: `The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not' (John 1:5); `Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom and with all thy getting, get understanding' (Proverbs 4:7); `What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God' (Micah 6:8); and `The heavens declare the Glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork' (Psalm 19:1);

Whereas numerous other of the most important American government leaders, institutions, monuments, buildings, and landmarks both openly acknowledge and incorporate religious words, symbols, and imagery into official venues;

Whereas such acknowledgments are even more frequent at the State and local level than at the Federal level, where thousands of such acknowledgments exist; and
Whereas the first week in May each year would be an appropriate week to designate as `American Religious History Week':

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives---

(1) affirms the rich spiritual and diverse religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history, including up to the current day;
(2) recognizes that the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures;
(3) rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources; and
(4) expresses support for designation of a `American Religious History Week' every year for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.

Science Reveals Intelligent Design

Here are some off site resources to access on some issues and answers that I've found helpful. Helpful in a way that it is not biased by the prevailing Darwinian world view being taught to the exclusion of any other theory of origins in Americas public schools. There are at least two other creationist view points in accordance with the Judeo-Christian model and other Intelligent Design (ID) viewpoints that recognize a creator not specific to any religion.

Thanks to All About Science, Answers in Genesis and Intelligent Design the Future for these links.

Evolution's Glass Ceiling

Does Darwinism Have Any Impact on Modern Medical Science?

Biologist vs. Biologist from PBS's Uncommon Knowledge

The Design of Life: What the Evidence of Biological Systems Reveals

How Does a Brain Surgeon Become a Darwin Skeptic?

The Mind-Body Problem and Promissory Materialism

Dr. Michael Egnor's Brain Hypothesis

Darwinism and the War on Traditional Christianity

Salvo Magazine on Intelligent Design

Deconstructing Dawkins

The History of the NAS Report on Evolution

Micro or Macro? Microbiologist Ralph Seelke on Evolution

Texas Darwinists Oppose Critical Thinking

Biologist vs. Biologist from PBS's Uncommon Knowledge

The Dark Darwinian History of Eugenics

Extrasolar Planets, the Copernican Principle, and Expelled: An Interview with Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez

Anthropic Principle Video

Origin Of Life Video

Origin Of The Universe

Spontaneous Generation

Cell Structure

Microscopic Organisms

Behe's Irreducible Complexity

The Fossil Record

The Fossil Record II

Evolution and the Fossil Record

Intelligent Design Theory

Evidence For Intelligent Design

DNA Double Helix Video

DNA Double Helix

DNA Molecule

Human Eye

Trilobite Eye

Miracle Of Life

Theory Of Relativity Video

Second Law of Thermodynamics Video

Origin of Life Video

Age of the Earth

Age of the Earth part II

Carbon Dating

Carbon Dating part II

Assumptions of Radio Metric Dating

Geologic Time Scale: Circular Reasoning

Second Law of Thermodynamics Video

Charles Darwin

Origin of Species

Darwin's Theory

What Darwin Didn't Know video

Evolutionism- Broad Strokes

Evolution of Man video

Thomas Huxley - Darwin's Bulldog

Social Darwinism
Does God Exist - man on the street video clip.

Does God Exist

What is Truth -video

When Was Jesus Born?

Christians traditionally celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th, but it is more likely that He was born in the month of September.
Bryan T. Huie calculates the times by looking at some remarkably simple verses in the Biblical text that present the most plausible evidence that Christ was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles which occurred in that year in September. Using the Jewish calendar of the time, he examines the Zacharias, a priest of the division of Abijah and the time of Zacharias’ temple service, the timing of Christ’s birth can definitely be extrapolated. In his research he also determined that there two total lunar eclipses that year, one on that particular night, September 15, 5 BC, and one six months earlier that would correspond to the birth of John the Baptist.
But does it really matter when we celebrate the Holy birth?
There is no record that early Christians, from Pentecost to the early 300’s BC even celebrated the birth of Jesus. From the beginning ‘Christians’ were just another sect of Jews that mainstream Jews simply referred to as people “of this way.” They were first called Christians in Antioch.

Up until that time, first century Messianic Jews, or the first Christians celebrated Jewish holy days, and the resurrection of the Messiah. When Christianity spread throughout the Roman empire, many pagans were converted to Christ. Now here is where there is controversy, because some say the Romans practiced the pagan celebrations connected with the winter solstice. From that perspective, the Roman Christians converted the pagan holidays into Christian holidays. The website Cadre Comments strongly disputes this belief (that Christians adopted the Pagan holidays for their own) but says it was the pagans who adopted the Christian holiday.

Christmas was later outlawed by the Puritans in parts of early America.
I personally don’t worry much about the exact date that the Birth of Christ occurred. I celebrate the Holy Birth, December 25th. There is scientific research that shows the Magi's visit to Jesus (who was a toddler by that time) was on December 25th, 2 BC. Religion and faith are deeply personal and I currently find nothing wrong with celebrating my Saviors birth on December 25th, nor do I have any problem with those who don’t. Who He is and why He came are far more important to me.


Merry Christmas to All!

315 Miraculous Old Testament Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled

No other book in the history of the world has so many prophecies within it's pages. The Bible is totally unique in it's visions of the future. Listed in this article are 315 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fullfilled. This is a fraction of the many overall prophecies contained in the Book. Some of the prophecies are "types" or "shadows" and therefore some skeptics have maintained that they are not valid; however included in my post I've placed the prophecies, types and forshadows side by side with their New Testament fulfillments, which for most Christian's validates those types and shadows.

These two men,

PETER W. STONER, M.S. [Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College (1953); Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953-57; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.]

ROBERT C. NEWMAN, S.T.M., Ph.D.Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Cornell University, 1967; S.T.M., Biblical School of Theology, 1972; [Associate Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Shelton College, 19689-71; Associate professor of New Testament, Biblical School of Theology, 1971-]

Wrote the book entitled "Science Speaks, Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible."

http://www.geocities.com/stonerdon/science_speaks.html

In it they took only eight of the more than 300 prophecies fulfilled by Christ and determined the odds of one person fulfilling just those eight. The results were astounding! They calculated the odds at 1 in 10 to the 17th power or 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. Dr. Stoner calculated that if you spread out that many silver dollars, it would cover the entire state of Texas, two feet deep!

Now what do you think the odds are if say, one of those silver dollars was painted red, the likelyhood for a blind folded person to walk out on that pile of silver dollars and pick up the red one - on the first try? Certainly if one did that, it would be by definition, a miracle! The Bible is more than that.

THANKSGIVING

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and

Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to

pardon our national and other transgressions;

to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually;

to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed;

to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord;

to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
Signed - George Washington

God Bless America!

The Angels

The Angels - According to the Bible







Angels are depicted on the Ark of
the Covenant's Mercy Seat.

1. Called “sons of God” (Job 38:7)


2. Called PRINCIPALITIES, POWERS Ephesians 3:10;Colossians 1:16)


3. Created (Genesis 2:1; Nehemiah 9:6; Colossians 1:16)


4. Of different orders (Isaiah 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 3:22; Jude 1:9; Revelations 12:7)


5. Immortal (Luke 20:36)


6. Worship God (Nehemiah 9:6; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:6)


7. Not to be worshiped (Colossians 2:18; Revelations 19:10;22:8,9)


8. Do not marry (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35)


9. Have knowledge of, and interest in, earthly affairs (Matthew 24:36; Luke 9:31;15:7,10; 1 Timothy 5:21; 1 Peter 1:12)


10. Men called angels (2 Samuel 19:27)


11. Are examples of meekness (2 Peter 2:11; Jude 1:9)


12. Are wise (2 Samuel 14:17,20)


13. Mighty (Psalms 103:20; 2 Peter 2:11)


14. Holy (Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38)


15. Elect (1 Timothy 5:21)


16. Aspects of (Judges 13:6; Isaiah 6:2; Daniel 10:6; Matthew 28:3)


17. To Abraham (Genesis 18:2;22:11-18)


18. To Hagar, in the wilderness (Genesis 16:7)


19. To Lot, in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-17)


20. To Jacob, in his various visions (Genesis 28:12)


21. To Moses (Exodus 3:2)


22. To the Israelites (Exodus 14:19; Judges 2:1-4)


23. To Balaam (Numbers 22:31)


24. To Joshua, "the captain of the Lord's host," (Joshua 5:15)


25. To Gideon (Judges 6:11-22)


26. Minister to the righteous (Genesis 16:7;24:7,40; Exodus 23:20,23;32:34;33:2; Numbers 20)


27. Administer God’s Judgment (Genesis 19:1-25; 2 Samuel 24:16,17; 1 Chronicles 21:15,16; 2 Kings 19:35)


28. Directs a backslidden prophet Numbers 22:35; God gives vision to men to actually be able to see angels who comprised a fierce army. 2 Kings 6:17 Job 4:15-19;38:7; P)
    

Angelic Appearances in the Bible

1. To Manoah (Judges 13:6,15-20)


2. To David, at the threshing floor of Araunah (2 Samuel 24:16,17; 1 Chronicles 21:15,16)


3. To Elijah (1 Kings 19:5)


4. To Elisha while he lay under the juniper tree (2 Kings 6:16,17)


5. To Daniel, in the lions' den (Daniel 6:22;8:16;9:21;10:5-10,16,18;12:5-7)


6. To Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25,28)


7. To Zechariah, in a vision (Zechariah 2:3;3:1,2;4:1)


8. To Joseph, in a dream (Matthew 1:20;2:13,19)


9. At the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:3; Luke 9:30,31)


10. To Mary, concerning Jesus (Luke 1:26-38)


11. To Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20,26-38)


12. To the shepherds (Luke 2:9-11,13,14)


13. To Jesus, after His temptation (Matthew 4:11)


14. In Gethsemane (Luke 22:43)


15. At the tomb of Jesus (Matthew 28:2-5; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:23; John 20:12)


16. At the ascension (Acts 1:10,11)


17. To Peter and John, while in prison (Acts 5:19)


18. To Philip (Acts 8:26)


19. To Cornelius, in a dream (Acts 10:3,30-32)


20. To Peter, in prison (Acts 12:7-11)


21. To Paul, on the way to Damascus (Acts 27:23)


22. To John, on the island of Patmos (Revelations 1:1;5:2;7:11;10:9;11:1;17:7;19:10;22:8)
    _________________________
    Some religions teach that Jesus Christ is the Archangel Michael. Hebrews 1:5-8 puts this to silence when this rhetorical question is asked: “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?”

Note: The listed information was compiled from Nave's Topical Bible available on BibleGateway.com

Angelic beings are a supernatural manifestation in many religions. They have been popularized in art and culture. You hardly can go into a store without seeing some sort of statuary, card or print with some depiction of an angel. The popular version is baby's with wings or a female human with wings. Those depictions are not biblical. The only times that angels are referred to they are spoken of in the masculine. There are different types, each with the ability to worship God in their own right. They are apparently unrestricted by the different dimensions and can easily move through them, including time. What do you think? Have you ever encountered a supernatural being?

More on Angels at a later time.

New Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God

Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross gives this lecture in MP3 format which is also transcribed on the site. Click on the title bar of this article to proceed. Hugh Ross is an "Old Earth" Creationist and rejects both the Gap theory and the literal 6 /24 hour days of creation. He considers that the Big Bang is evidence for God and discusses this and more.
Some of the topics covered are:

1. Why Big Bang = Jesus Christ



2. Belief in a Static Universe Led to Darwinian Evolution



3. Of all world religions, only Judeo-Christian theology says Time has a beginning



4. Why the God of Modern Physics Matches the God of the Bible

and much more including a special Q & A session.

Transcribed in PDF format

Air Pressure in the Bible

Air Pressure is described in

Job 28:23-28
"For He (God) looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. "When He imparted *weight to the wind and meted out the waters by measure, when He set a limit for the rain and a course for the thunderbolt, then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out."

*Some people have attempted to say that this verse has nothing to do with air pressure. After examining this verse I've found that the reference to the "weight to the wind" can also be translated “how hard the winds should blow.”
In view of this it is all the more amazing since the wind velocity, as we well know today is determined by barometric pressures, which is exactly what is indicated in the verse above. So whichever way you want to look at this verse it does have everything to do with air pressure. The air flows from high pressure to low pressure producing wind. Jewish tradition attributes the book Job to Moses. (It certainly is a Hebrew writing and predates Christianity by at least 600 years and the discovery of atmospheric pressure by over 2,000 years).

Over two thousand years after Job, Evangelista Torricelli (1608 – 1647) invented the barometer in 1643 while using mercury in a glass tube in an attempt to create a vacuum. He noticed that the mercury level in the tube changed and deduced it was caused by changes in atmospheric pressure. First called Torricelli’s tube, when working with Galileo in Florence, Italy. Job is considered on of the oldest writings in the Bible. The diagram above-right depicts Torricellis barometer
In addition, this verse also says 'the 'course for the thunderbolt.' We know that electron flow always follows a 'course' or path of least resistance.

THE SCIENCE IN THE BIBLE - Atmosphere
The Water Cycle :

Job 36:27-29 - "For He draws up the drops of water, they distill rain from the mist, Which the clouds pour down, they drip upon man abundantly. Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thundering of His pavilion? "
Psalm 135:7 - He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

The Air Currents:

Ecclesiastes 1:6
"Blowing toward the south, then turning toward the north, the wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns."

The slow rotation of the earth toward the east causes the air to be deflected toward the right in the northern hemisphere and toward the left in the southern hemisphere. This deflection of the wind by the earth's rotation is known as the Coriolis effect.

Jesus Christ - King of the Jews by Birthright

Genesis 49:10 - 10 (ESV)- "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples."

Of the twelve sons of Jacob which developed into the twelve tribes of Israel, Judah was the tribe that this prophecy says the Messianic King will come from.

Jesus' lineage was traced back to Judah through both His mother, Mary, and his step-father, Joseph. These genealogies prove that Jesus actually was, by birth, the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. He actually was born the "King of the Jews."

At His trial before the Roman Governer, Pontius Pilate, he remained silent as to the accusations against Him until Pilate addressed Jesus with this question:
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
At the conclusion of a short statement by him, Jesus makes this simple declaration in answer to that question:
"You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness of the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."
Jesus fulfilled at least 300 Hebrew prophecies from the Torah (Old Testament) - could that be what he meant when he made this statement, "for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness of the truth"...? All of the rightful Kings of the Jews, with the exception of Saul, (who fought against David, the rightful king) were from the royal tribe of Judah. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah and was rejected-also a prophetic fulfillment (Isaiah 53). Jesus remains the rightful King and the Bible says He will yet reign in Jerusalem at the conclusion of the Battle of Har-Megiddo, or more commonly called Armageddon. In Nov. 2006 I referenced 315 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled (be sure to read the "astronomical odds" segment at the end of that article).

Wars and Rumors of War

PREPARE WAR:
Joel 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

I will keep updating this thread for those who want to keep up with the events that concern war with Iran as tensions increase.


The Iranians have announced that 30000 centrifuges could be operational by the end of October. They have announced a goal of bringing 50000 centrifuges online eventually.
The stage is now being set for a coming war.

"If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly" - George Bush, (in an interview with National Public Radio).
September 12, 2007 - Report: US crafting Iran bombing plan.

September 26, 2007, 12:44 PM The US Senate passes the Kyl - Iran amendment that authorizes the US to “combat, contain and [stop]” Iran via “military instruments.”

The Iranians test fired a missile that experts say can reach London.

Take a look at these ominous events since the first of this month (October 2007) so far.

October 1, 2007
*US Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton said that negotiations with Iran had failed. He also said that he saw no alternative to a strike on Iran.


*Iran threatened to attack 170 American targets in the MidEast and around the world if it is attacked by Israel or the US.


*Iranian news reports the entire cadre of Russian nuclear engineers and technicians working on the nuclear reactor at Bushehr had abruptly packed their bags and returned to Russia.



October 2, 2007 *Congress approves $1.2 billion worth of weaponry for Israel's self defense. They include thousands of missiles, tens of thousands of new bombs worth $799 million and 132 million gallons of jet fuel worth $308 million and 50 GBU-28 guided bunker busters. (Bunker buster pictured on left).

US trains Gulf air forces for war with Iran.

October 5, 2007 Tens of thousands marched through the streets of Tehran in support of Palestinians, chanting "Death to Israel" for al-Quds Day, observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. Ahmadinejad said "Zionists" should move to empty lands in Europe or North America and out of the Middle East entirely.

October 7, 2007 Israel: Iran 3 months to nuclear point of no return. Iran will reach the point of no return and possess the capacity to build nuclear weapons within three months, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz warned today.

October 11, 2007 Turkey (which is crucial to US supply lines into Iraq), recalled their ambassador to the United States.

October 15, 2007
Turkey Joins Iran Against Kurds - promises attacks in Northern Iraq.

October 19, 2007

Mullen: U.S. can strike Iran

October 29, 2007

Bush Budget Plans for Iran Attack

April 9, 2008 U.S. shifts focus in Iraq to ‘special groups’
The top U.S. commander is shifting the focus away from al-Qaida. The so-called ``special groups,'' which are funded, trained and armed by Iran, played a ``destructive role'' in the recent clashes between extremist militias and Iraqi government forces in Basra and Baghdad, Petraeus said.
``Iran has fueled the violence in a particularly damaging way,'' he told the House Armed Services Committee today in Washington, his second day of testimony to lawmakers. ``Unchecked, the `special groups' pose the greatest long-term threat to the viability of a democratic Iraq.''

April 29, 2008 The U.S. military has drafted and won approval for attack plans in response to an Iran attack.

May 1, 2008 Second carrier group deployed to Gulf as U.S. approves plans for Iran counterstrike

May 3, 2008 Washington Times: "West Offers Iran 'Refreshed' Deal"

Dr. Dawkins Information Challenge

If you want to listen to the podcast then click here and it will take you to the page where you can access the podcast.

"On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin addresses Richard Dawkins’ Information Challenge. When Dawkins was recently asked to explain the origin of genetic information according to Darwinism, he was embarrassingly silent. He later claimed to rebut this question using Shannon information, but Luskin reveals just how inadequate Dawkins’ explanation is when it comes to explaining the specified complexity of information."

You can click on the title bar and read Luskin's article.

More Evolution Frauds: Archaeopteryx Revisited

On one of my blogs I addressed the issue of transitional (intermediate) species for which there is no fossil evidence at all. Some gentleman evolutionist wrote back with his short response, "Archaeopteryx" as if that one word confirms Darwins theory. That provoked me to write the article, "Archaeopteryx or Giving Creationists the Bird." I've also dealt with the many frauds perpetrated on society by the "scientific community" to support the theory of evolution. Almost all creationists are familiar with the Nebraska Man and Piltdown Man frauds. Ironically, National Geographic was quick to publish this hoax (depicted above) as well as another fraud I covered, "The Lost Tribe of the Tasaday's." It strikes me odd that the same secular voices that cry out long and loud about wrong doing in the broader Christian society take extreme offense when confronted with the truth that "scientists" perpatrate even more frauds often in an attempt to actively promote their own agenda, especially evolution, and especially when it will net them new money's.
Today I was reminded of those frauds once again when I came across the following article which is reprinted here from nwcreation.net.



"Archaeoraptor Liaoningensis: Fake Dinosaur-bird ancestor

The most recent and perhaps the most infamous evolution frauds was committed in China and published in 1999 in the journal National Geographic 196:98-107, November 1999. Dinosaur bones were put together with the bones of a newer species of bird and they tried to pass it off as a very important new evolutionary intermediate.
'Feathers For T-Rex?', Christopher P. Sloan, National Geographic Magazine, Vol. 196, No. 5, November, 1999, pp.99,100,105



Interesting Quote - "National Geographic has reached an all-time low for engaging in sensationalistic, unsubstantiated, tabloid journalism" Storrs L. Olson, Smithsonian Institution."

(This article is reprinted here from nwcreation.net)



For more information on this fraud see the following:


Another Missing Link Takes Flight


Another Hoax?


Archaeopteryx, Archaeoraptor, and the “Dinosaurs-To-Birds” Theory


Crying Fowl: Tale of 'Missing Link' Embarrasses Scientists


Evolution Coverup

Ancient Bible Prophecies for Today

"Since a good portion of the Bible consists of Jewish prophecy, it stands to reason that fulfillment of those prophecies will be evident in the nation of Israel." - R. Hoeppner

That's exactly what we find! Here are only a few of those AMAZING prophecies that refer directly to -

ISRAEL

1. The (dissolved, non-existent) nation of Israel would be reborn in one day.

Isaiah 66:8 "Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land [a] be born in one day? Or shall a nation be brought forth in a moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children.

_______

[a] "Never in the history of the world had such a thing happened before--but God keeps His word. As definitely foretold here and in Ezekiel 37:21, 22, Israel became a recognized nation, actually "born in one day." After being away from their homeland for almost 2,000 years, the Jews were given a national homeland in Palestine by the Balfour Declaration in November, 1917. In 1922, the League of Nations gave Great Britain the mandate over Palestine. On May 14, 1948, Great Britain withdrew her mandate, and immediately Israel was declared a sovereign state, and her growth and importance among nations became astonishing." (c)Lockman Foundation

On May 14, 1948 Israel once again became a nation.

Status: Fulfilled
2. Jerusalem to be under Gentile control until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:24 - "They will fall by [a]the mouth and the edge of the sword and will be led away as captives to and among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (completed)."

Jerusalem was taken and possessed by Gentiles in A. D. 70 (under Titus of Rome) until the Jews regained control after the Six Day War of 1967.

Status: Fulfilled

3. During the diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews to the four corners of the world) Israel would become a wasteland.

Deuteronomy 29:23-28; - "The whole land is brimstone and salt and a burned waste, not sown or bearing anything, where no grass can take root, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and wrath-- Even all the nations shall say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean? Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt. For they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they knew not and that He had not given to them.
So the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land, as it is this day."

During the past 1900 years historic Israel was nearly an uninhabited wasteland used as a crossroads by nomadic tribes.

Status: Fulfilled

4. A day would come when Jews will return to Israel from the North, South, East and West.

Isaiah 43:5-6; "Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are dispersed] and gather you from the west.(A) I will say to the north, Give up! and to the south, Keep not back. Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth--

Jeremiah 31:7-10; For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the head of the nations [on account of the chosen people, Israel]. Proclaim, praise, and say, The Lord has saved His people, the remnant of Israel! Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and among them will be the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she who labors in childbirth together; a great company, they will return here to Jerusalem. They will come with weeping [in penitence and for joy], pouring out prayers [for the future]. I will lead them back; I will cause them to walk by streams of water and bring them in a straight way in which they will not stumble, for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim [Israel] is My firstborn.
Hear the word of the Lord, O you nations, and declare it in the isles and coastlands far away, and say, He Who scattered Israel will gather him and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock."

Zephaniah 3:10. "From beyond the rivers of Cush or Ethiopia those who pray to Me, the daughter of My dispersed people, will bring and present My offering."

Status: Observing the fulfillment currently taking place.

The Hebrew (pure) language to be restored.

Zephaniah 3:9 "For then [changing their impure language] I will give to the people a clear and pure speech from pure lips, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one unanimous consent and one united shoulder [bearing the yoke of the Lord]."

In 1948 the once lost language of Hebrew became the official language of Israel.

Status: Fulfilled

5. In the last days Israel would once again plant forests of trees. Trees are growing all over Israel today after the land was laid waste for nearly two millennia.

Status: Fulfilled

6. In the last days, Israel would blossom and be an exporter of produce to the world.

Isaiah 35:1-2; 6 "THE WILDERNESS and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose and the autumn crocus.
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of [Mount] Carmel and [the plain] of Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty and splendor and excellency of our God."

Ezekiel 36:34-36. "And the desolate land shall be tilled, that which had lain desolate in the sight of all who passed by. And they shall say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.'
Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it."

Today Israel exports in excess of a billion dollars worth of produce a year plus over 200 million dollars worth of flowers.

Status: Fulfilled

7. Israel would once again enjoy economic prosperity.

Ezekiel 38:12-13. "To take spoil and prey, to turn your hand upon the desolate places now inhabited and assail the people gathered out of the nations, who have obtained livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth [Palestine]. Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all their lionlike cubs [or satellite areas], shall say to you, Have you come to take spoil? Have you gathered your hosts to take the prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take a great spoil?

This young nation exports ten times ($30 billion) the goods of their neighbor, Jordan ($3 billion).

Status: Fulfilled (photo of date palms near Lake Galilee)

8. The Jews will once again plant vineyards on Israel’s mountains. Once in thier land they (the Jewish exiles) shall never again be driven out of it.

Joel 3:18; "And in that day, the mountains shall drip with fresh juice [of the grape] and the hills shall flow with milk; and all the brooks and riverbeds of Judah shall flow with water, and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Shittim."

Amos 9:13-15. "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt [that is, everything heretofore barren and unfruitful shall overflow with spiritual blessing]. And I will bring back the exiles of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be torn up out of their land which I gave them, says the Lord your God."

Dozens of vineyards are now growing throughout the Golan Heights and other mountains of Israel.

Status: Fulfilled (pictured are grapes in Israel)

9. Jerusalem would be rebuilt on its own ruins.

Jeremiah 30:18 "Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will release from captivity the tents of Jacob and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city will be rebuilt on its own [old] moundlike site, and the palace will be dwelt in after its former fashion."

Zechariah 12:6. "In that day will I make the chiefs of Judah like a big, blazing pot among [sticks of] wood and like a flaming torch among sheaves [of grain], and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell and sit securely in their own place, in Jerusalem."

Exactly as predicted, Jerusalem is being rebuilt on the old ruins. The fact is that new construction often has to be temporarily halted because the construction site is also an archaeological site.

Status: Continually being fulfilled.