No, Syria is not a sign of the Lord’s return.

This frothing at the mouth stupidity makes the entire Christian world look ignorant.

A recent survey has shown that nearly one in three Americans believe that Syria’s ongoing civil war is part of the Bible’s plan for the end times. One in four believe that a possible U.S. attack on Syria could lead to the Battle of Armageddon. And one in five believe the world will end in their lifetime.

Amid an increasing number of stories in the media on the linking of the Syrian crisis to biblical prophecy, Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked three questions about Syria and the end of the world as part of a telephone survey of 1,001 Americans between Sept. 6 and 10.

The survey found that 32 percent of those polled agree with the statement, “I believe the battles in Syria are all part of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation.” Forty-nine percent disagree.

The study also found that 26 percent agree with the statement, “I believe that U.S. military intervention in Syria might lead to the Battle of Armageddon that’s spoken about in the Book of Revelation.” And 18 percent agreed to the statement, “I believe the world will end in my lifetime.”

LifeWay Research president Ed Stetzer was surprised with the results.

via 1 in 3 Americans Link Syrian Conflict to Bible’s End-Time Prophecy, Survey Finds.

The Bible is quite clear:

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. — (Mark 13:32-37 KJV)

and…:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. — (Matthew 24:36-51 KJV)

There are some who like to make a huge deal out of the “seasons” of the Lord’s coming. Jesus did not have kind words for those people either:

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. — (Matthew 16:1-4 KJV)

Two things about the above scripture; one Jesus was speaking of those who wish to see some sign that God might actually be real and Jesus might actually have been his Son. You know, like Pentecostal Christians? Two, I believe Christ was also referring to those who get so wrapped up into when the Lord will be returning. I mean, there are people out there that have made a rather nice cottage industry out of trying to predict when the Lord is coming back. Most of them have been quite wrong about it too and have lead many a Christian astray because of it too.

The Word of God is clear, NO MAN, AT ALL, knows the day of Christ’s return; if they say that they do, they are lying and attempting to prey on people’s paranoia of the end times. This is another thing that really bugs me, a lot. I realize that I have survivalist links on this blog, and I also have advertisements for emergency food and such. However, there are some people that get wrapped up in survivalism and prepping, as it is called now; almost to the point of it being some sort of a religion. This is unhealthy for Christians, and yes, even Fundamentalist Baptists, like myself.

Here is why I say this: I, as a Independent, Fundamental, King James Bible-Believing Baptist — happen to be of the pre-tribulation belief system. So, why would I go out and spend all that money for prepper supplies and other such stuff? I AM NOT GOING TO BE HERE, WHEN THE WORLD IMPLODES!  My Bible tells me that the Lord is going to return BEFORE the tribulation is going to start. This is why I accepted Christ as my personal Saviour in the first place! To avoid the tribulation and go to Heaven! So, why would I worry about what is going to happen in this old sin-depraved world?

So, to my fellow believers; fret not about the Lord’s return. It will happen. We just do not know when, and instead of spending time fretting about when the Lord’s return is going to happen; how about trying to bring more people to saving knowledge of Christ? It only makes sense.

Enjoy your Sunday! Update: Um, Oops. Surprise Today isn’t Sunday, it’s Saturday. DohSorry about that, I got a little ahead of myself! The above is still true. Happy Even if the writer is a little goofy and doesn’t know what day it is… SillyLaughingHee hee

-Patrick

So much for a stable and secure Iraq!

I guess Bush did get that one wrong. 🙄

BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials in Iraq say a suicide bomber has attacked a funeral for members of an ethnic minority in the country, killing 11 people.

Police say a suicide bomber set off an explosive belt inside a funeral held by members of Shabak minority near the northern city of Mosul on Saturday afternoon. Authorities said that at least 13 were wounded in the attack.

The Shabaks are ethnic Turkomen and Shiite Muslims. Most of them live in villages east of Mosul, the provincial capital of the ethnically mixed Ninevah province that is predominantly Sunni Muslim.

Officials in nearby hospitals confirmed the death toll. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

via Suicide bomber attacks Iraq funeral, killing 11.

This is what happens when America get involved in the affairs of sovereign Nations. Hopefully, it will never happen again.

Ray Dolby, Audio Pioneer dead at 80

Sad news to report:

SAN FRANCISCO –  Ray Dolby, who pioneered noise-reducing and surround-sound audio technologies which are fundamental to the music and film industries, has died aged 80, the company which bears his name announced Thursday.

Dolby had suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease for a number of years, and was diagnosed with acute leukemia last July, it said, adding that the Oscar-winning scientist died at home in San Francisco.

“Today we lost a friend, mentor and true visionary,” said Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO of Dolby Laboratories, the company which the young Dolby created in 1965.

‘Today we lost a friend, mentor and true visionary.’

– Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO of Dolby Laboratories

“Ray Dolby founded the company based on a commitment to creating value through innovation and an impassioned belief that if you invested in people and gave them the tools for success they would create great things.

He added: “Ray’s ideals will continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation for us all.”

via Ray Dolby, audio pioneer, dies aged 80 | Fox News.

 

 

Republican Anarchy eh? Hell Yes!

I love it:

The House was scheduled to vote yesterday on a continuing resolution, which is a measure to not shut down the government. Ultraconservatives have been demanding that the House refuse to continue funding the government unless President Obama agrees to defund Obamacare. House leaders have pleaded that this approach is doomed. Instead they came up with a plan to keep the government open, attached to a separate bill defunding Obamacare. Or, as Senator Mike Lee succinctly and correctly explains, “It is not a plan to defund Obamacare — it’s a plan to facilitate the passage of a CR [continuing resolution] in a way that allows people to claim that they’re defunding Obamacare without actually doing so.”

But some ultraconservatives still want to go with the defund-Obamcare-or-shut-down-the-government plan, as opposed to the pretend-to-defund- Obamcare-or-shut-down-the-government plan. It only takes about seventeen of them to defect to dent the Republicans majority, which gives a tiny fringe enormous power. What does the vote delay mean?

via House Republican Anarchy Update — Daily Intelligencer.

Anarchy!

My new theme song, and it should be the guys in the house:

It’s about damned time those bastards in the house grew a pair! 😀

Others:  PoliticoSalonBuzzFeedWonkblogThe Plum LineNational Review and Balloon JuiceMichelle MalkinPoliticoThe Raw Story and Weasel Zippers

On Putin’s Op Ed in NYT

It’s nothing more than soviet communism:

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

via What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria – NYTimes.com.

  1. It is classic soviet communism to say that there should be no difference between anyone; everyone should have the same, no rich, no poor — everyone the same. That is one the classic tenets of soviet communism.
  2. It is gross distortion of the Bible as well. The Bible says that “God is no respecter of persons.” What it does not say, is that we should all be of one class. God never promised any sort of wealth in the Bible at all.

Again, Putin is trying and it seems to making a mockery of Obama, and quite honestly, it is quite deserved. You simply do not draw a line in the sand and then try to erase it, because it makes you look weak.

I never thought I would ever see the say, when an American President was made sport of, by a soviet-era crypto-communist. It is a sad thing to behold.

Others: Yahoo! Newsprotein wisdomCNNFiredoglakeThe HillThe Daily CallerNational ReviewBBCGuardianTelegraphWashington MonthlyErik WemplePost PoliticsAssociated PressMediaiteEd DriscollAMERICAblog NewsWashington Free BeaconABC NewsPolitico,Religion News ServiceQuestions and ObservationsCBS NewsBusiness InsiderRTFirst Read,WonkblogTheBlaze.comemptywheelRIA NovostiRoll CallWeekly StandardGawkerReuters,Washington ExaminerVox PopoliAmerican SpectatorCFR.orgThe Huffington PostBooman TribuneHot AirDuck of MinervaSense of EventsThe DishWorld Newsmsnbc.comHullabaloo,Weasel ZippersDaily KosTwitchyAlan Colmes’ LiberalandWorldViewsThe WeekNO QUARTER USA NETRoger L. SimonConnecting.the.DotsWashington WireCBS New York,Capitol ReportNo More Mister Nice BlogTaylor MarshThe Hinterland GazetteThe Moderate VoicePower LineThe Raw StoryThe VergePrairie WeatherPoynterAlthouseThe Gateway PunditFox News InsiderJihad WatchThe Lonely ConservativeThe ReactionAmerican Power,ABC News and The Other McCainmore at Mediagazer »

Sorry, But Terry Jones BELONGS in Jail!

Yes, that is correct; he belongs in jail.

But, first, here is the story via LA Times:

Florida officials have arrested radical anti-Islam preacher Terry Jones as he was on his way to a Sept. 11 event where he planned to burn 2,998 Korans, according to local news reports Wednesday.

Jones is best known for stoking Muslim anger by publicly desecrating the religion’s holy book, sometimes with international consequences.

This time law enforcement officials intervened before Jones could carry out his plans for a ceremonial Sept. 11 burning.

Jones had planned to set alight 2,998 Korans at a Polk County park for the 12-year anniversary, with each Koran “representing one of the victims, every person who was murdered by Islam,” according to one of his news releases — a casualty total that perhaps accidentally included the 19 hijackers.

County officials had reportedly denied Jones’ permit application to use the Loyce E. Harpe Park near Mulberry for the burning.

Before the event, which Jones had planned to attend anyway, the Gainesville-based preacher was reportedly arrested for driving with kerosene in a barbecue grill, officials told The Ledger, a Polk County newspaper. A local ABC affiliate reported that Jones had Korans inside the grill.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Now, about why I say this: The answer is found in a video that is found on my long bio page:

That, and that alone is why Terry Jones belongs in jail. He is trying to stoke the ire of the Muslim community. Contrary to what some might actually believe, there are peaceful honorable Muslims that live here in America. Burning the Koran simply is insulting all Muslims for the sake of a small number of radicals.

Last time this idiot did this, America Military staff were killed in Afghanistan. This should not be allowed to happen. There is a personal responsibility that comes with our freedoms; and if someone like this guy misuses the freedoms that he has, he should be punished for it.

This is not a liberal or progressive opinion, this is simply a matter of common sense. You don’t yell fire in a movie theater; so why stoke the ire of the Muslim community? It is idiotic and does nothing to advance the cause of Liberty. Sadly, we live in a time, where knee-jerk reactionaries exist and because of this, America is much poorer place.

In closing: There are many, many ways to remember those who died on 9/11 — burning copies of the Koran is not one of them.

Others: MediaiteWeasel Zippers and The Daily Caller

September 11, 2001 – 12 Years Ago Today (With Video)

I can tell you where I was on that fateful day. I was unemployed at the time. I had worked for Art Moran GMC in Southfield as a Painter’s helper. I had been laid off, due to the slight downturn or recession in the economy. I was out on my front porch, drinking coffee with my Father.

I went in, to get a refill of coffee for my mug, when I went through the door, my Mother told me, that someone had flown a plane into the World Trade Center building in New York. That is when I went downstairs and turned on the TV to CNN, which I always watched back then; and that is when my life and the rest of America’s life changed forever.

I can honestly tell you that the only time that I honestly felt scared for my life, is when the report went out over CNN that there was a plane headed for the White House. That plane turned out to be the one that crashed in Shanksville, Pa. What I will tell you is this; I do not ever want to feel that sort of fear, ever again. While I am not a big fan of Wilsonian foreign policy, I am for catching and/or killing those that stoke that sort of fear. I hope and pray that the trials of those connected to this horrific event are quick and that justice is carried out. The bastards that did this, do not deserve any sort of special treatment at all. May they burn in the devil’s hell forever. 😡

Here is video from that day, from Fox News:


9/11 as it happened on CNN:

A Nation remembers: (Via NBCNews.com)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

May we never forget, and never forget who did it. Just as well; let us not forget why they did it and what we can do, as Americans, to prevent it from happening again — like electing real Conservatives, not Wilsonian loving neoconservatives and liberals.

I wonder what Obama said to Israel President Peres to change his mind?

This is quite interesting:

Israel President Shimon Peres said at a Wednesday graduation ceremony for naval recruits that he trusts President Obama and President Putin, when it comes to forging a deal to bring a peaceful solution to Syria’s chemical weapon dilemma.

“I know both President Obama and President Putin, and I am convinced that if an agreement is reached it will be reliable, explicit and significant,” he said, The Times of Israel reported.

Just two days earlier, he was touting a different line, however.

Hours after Russia’s foreign minister announced the forged deal with Syria for President Bashar Assad to turn his chemical weapons cache over to the international community’s control, Mr. Peres said “the Syrians are not trustworthy,” and the supposed agreement meant very little. On Wednesday, the Israeli leader still spoke with skepticism about Mr. Assad, but said that Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin could overcome.

via Israel President Peres: I trust Obama and Putin on Syria – Washington Times.

Makes one wonder what was said behind the scenes. Maybe Obama said “support me or else?”

An about face like that from Israel is rare.