Category Archives: Biblical Archaeology

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 15 SUMMING UP FREUD’S ARGUMENTS AGAINST CHRISTIANITY!!!

January 28, 2024 – 2:39 am


WE ARE ALL TERRIFIED AT DEATH!!! (This hits me especially hard since I was recently given 6 months to live with 4th stage pancreatic cancer!!!)

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 12 (FREUD: We all are {terrified}!!!!! And you?! When the siren sounded earlier you didn’t behave like a man who “took comfort” this was his last day.  WHERE IS YOUR GREAT FAITH?  Your precious “Joy” in meeting your maker? It disappears, because you know under all your self-protective lies he does not exist! YOU BURY YOUR DOUBTS AS YOU DO YOUR MEMORIES OF THE WAR, BECAUSE AT YOUR CORE YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A COWARD!)


Freud had 3 arguments against God about the origin of evil and suffering:

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 13 ( BBC ANNOUNCER …”with the destruction of the entire Polish Air force by the Luftwaffe. Military and civilian casualties are already estimated to be over 20,000, a number certain to rise as German bombing continues. “ LEWIS (shaken) “Twenty thousand killed in two days. It’s nearly impossible to take in.” FREUD: More of God’s “Mysterious Ways.  I wonder what would your “Inklings” say to that?

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Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 8 (FREUD You “don’t know?!”My Daughter Sophie died of Spanish Flu at Twenty-Seven! A Wife, a Mother!  Tuberculosis killed my Grandson at five years old! Freud, furious, is now in Lewis’ face. FREUD: FIVE! What a brilliant plan of God’s to murder him! I wish cancer had attacked my brain, instead.  Then, perhaps, I could hallucinate there is a God and seek vengeance.)

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 2 ( LEWIS: “God gave Lucifer free will, which is the only thing that makes goodness possible. A world filled with choice-less creatures is a world of machines.” FREUD: “Is that your excuse for pain and suffering? Did I bring about my own cancer? Or is killing me God’s revenge?”)

CHRISTIANITY IS SO ILLOGICAL THAT IT TAKES A CHILD’S FAITH TO ENTER HEAVEN!!!!

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 10 (FREUD: “Turn the other cheek? Should Poland turn the other cheek to Hitler?  Should they love their neighbors as German tanks crush their homes? Do you think it coincidence that Jesus demands his followers must be like children to enter Heaven? It’s because man has never matured enough to face that he is alone in the universe and religion makes the world his nursery! I have two words for you, GROW UP!”)

HISTORICAL ACCURACY OF BIBLE AND CHRIST’S CLAIMS DOUBTED!!!

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 9 (FREUD: “That Christ was a man I don’t argue. The same as Mohammed or Buddha…Why should I take Christ’s claim to be God more seriously than the dozen patients I’ve treated who claim to be Christ?”)

FREUD QUESTIONS HOW INTELLIGENT MAN CAN BEIEVE BIBLE TO BE TRUE?

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 3 ( Freud: “One of us is a fool. If you are right, you will be able to tell me so. If I am right, neither of us will ever know.”)  

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 6 (FREUD “For one reason. I want to learn why a man of your supreme intellect could suddenly abandon truth and embrace an insidious lie.”)

CORDIAL ARGUMENTS OVER IMPORTANT PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES CAN BE DONE WITH RESPECT!!!

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 11 (FREUD: “What were we thinking? It was madness to think we could solve the greatest mystery of all time.” LEWIS: “There’s a greater madness. Not to think of it at all.”)

Arguments between SIGMUND FREUD and C.S. LEWIS from movie “Freud’s Last Session” Part 14 ANNA FREUD: “I’m so glad you were here. It looks like you survived your visit.”LEWIS (quoting “Invictus”) “In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed.” ANNA FREUD:(surprises him continuing) “Beyond this place of wrath and tears, Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid” LEWIS (impressed) Cheers to us both.

My sons Wilson and Hunter are now climbing a mountain in the LA area. However, they will be helping Sherwood tonight at Santa Monica Promenade. Sherwood preaches and has question and answer sessions. Below  a former muslim turned atheist debates Sherwood on the issue of evolution.

My sons will be attending church on Sunday at Grace Community Church where John MacArthur will be preaching. Here is a clip of him from “Larry King Live.”

In the Arkansas Times Blog today there is a post by “mudturtle” that goes like this:

Genesis is filled with Creation myths, myths that appear in one form or another and virtually every culture. Do you want your kid’s teacher talking about the myth of “Adam and Eve”? Leviticus is down right scary, but it is a good place to point out the inconsistencies in Bible and how contrary they are to our common life.

The Gospels? Like 5 blind men describing an elephant. What were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John thinking?

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I understand how skeptics love to take pot shots at the Bible, but let us take a look at some of the facts.

Craig L. Blomberg records a number of archaeological finds that coincide with events recorded in the gospel according to John:

Archaeologists have unearthed the five porticoes of the pool of Bethesda by the Sheep Gate (John 5:2), the pool of Siloam (9:1-7), Jacob’s well at Sychar (4:5), the ‘Pavement’ (Gabbatha) where Pilate tried Jesus (19:13), and Solomon’s porch in the temple precincts (10:22-23)… Since then, discovery of an ossuary (bone-box) of a crucified man named Johanan from first-century Palestine confirms that nails were driven in his ankles, as in Christ’s; previously some skeptics thought that the Romans used only ropes to affix the legs of condemned men to their crosses. And less than five years ago, in 1990, the burial grounds of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, and his family were uncovered in Jerusalem. These and numerous other details create a favorable impression of the Gospel’s trustworthiness in the areas in which they can be tested.

Sir William Ramsay, famed archaeologist, began a study of Asia Minor with little regard for the book of Acts. He later wrote:

I may fairly claim to have entered on this investigation without prejudice in favor of the conclusion which I shall now seek to justify to the reader. On the contrary, I began with a mind unfavorable to it,… It did not then lie in my line of life to investigate the subject minutely; but more recently I found myself brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually borne upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth.

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I wrote the famous atheist Anthony Flew a series of letters during the 1990’s and he was kind to answer several of them. I also sent him several cassette tapes and video tapes of Adrian Rogers messages. I will start a new series on this subject and post his responses. Below is a video clip filmed close to end of Dr Flew’s life.

Adrian Rogers:

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By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Adrian Rogers, Atheists Confronted | Comments (0)

FBI Has Massive 15-Month Backlog on DNA Testing for Migrants, Unearthed Emails Show

December 31, 2023 – 12:24 pm

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FBI Has Massive 15-Month Backlog on DNA Testing for Migrants, Unearthed Emails Show

Jennie Taer / /

Migrants cross the Rio Grande on Dec. 23, 2023. (Photo: David Peinado/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The FBI has a 15-month backlog on DNA testing for migrants and is running out of money to sustain the program, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security email chain reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Customs and Border Protection uses tests from the FBI, which then analyzes and stores them for federal border authorities, to test migrants 14 years old and older, according to the emails. FBI Director Christopher Wray previously raised concerns about the FBI’s ability to handle the “dramatic increase” in DNA samples given the migration surges in April, according to Voice of America.

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“They [FBI] don’t have enough money to run the program which is a statutory requirement. They are still delivering kits and used to turn them around in 2 months, now they are looking at a 15 month backlog,” one CBP official said in the internal chain regarding its response to a Washington Post reporter working on a story regarding the DNA testing.

Federal authorities have recorded record flows of migrants crossing the southern border illegally in recent years, with roughly 2.2 million encounters in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data.

 

The FBI’s Combined DNA Index System is used by federal, state, and local labs to connect offenders to crimes, according to the bureau.

In a proposed response to the reporter’s question, the officials admitted that migrants who aren’t wanted for crimes are always released from agency custody before the DNA testing is completed.

“Migrants remain in CBP custody for up to 72 hours. Since the FBI’s DNA analysis has always taken longer than three days, migrants have always released from CBP custody prior to the FBI completing its DNA analysis. Migrants wanted for a crime are transferred to appropriate law enforcement agencies. You may, however, wish to contact [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to learn whether the current delay in FBI DNA analysis may have impacted ICE’s release of migrants as ICE holds migrants longer than CBP,” one portion of an email read.

When it comes to the migration flows to the U.S., federal border authorities have found significant numbers of migrants that are fraudulently making it seem like they’re legitimate families. Border Patrolhas a contract for rapid DNA testing of families, according to the emails.

A Department of Homeland Security pilot program previously found that 16 out of 84 families were “fraudulent” and not actually related, while a separate program discovered that out of a total of 522 migrant families, 79 were fraudulent. The Trump administration expanded the federal government’s DNA program at the border in 2020.

In May, a Government Accountability Office investigation found that CBP lacked the sufficient supplies of testing kits to obtain DNA samples, reporting “some individuals in CBP custody not having their DNA collected by CBP officers and agents.”

As of publication, the GAO says CBP has yet to fulfill its recommendations to resolve the issue.

In the email chain, the CBP officials noted the GAO report, saying that while the reporter “may benefit from reading” it, “it raises issues of CBP & FBI compliance with DNA testing that we may not need to introduce if the reporter has not already read this report.”

The FBI did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com, and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

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tuti netanyahu

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A FENCE WOULD STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND STOP TERRORISTS FROM GETTING IN

Convening a special cabinet meeting with the army’s leadership and various experts, I announced my intention to build a barrier along the Israeli-Egyptian border to prevent illegal migration from Africa. I wanted the IDF Engineering Corps to do it. The military objected. Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and his Deputy Benny Gantz explained that the fence would not work.

“Why not?” I asked. “It worked pretty well for the Chinese.” “This is different,” a staff officer explained. “They could tunnel under the barrier, as in Gaza.” “I doubt it,” I said. You need buildings to hide entry and exit points. This was barren desert with no buildings in sight for many kilometers. “So they’ll climb over it,” came the retort. “Then we’ll figure out how to make sure they won’t be able to,” I said in exasperation. This barrier would not just be a fence. We could use drones, mobile forces, fire hoses. “Just get the job done,” I said. “Prime Minister,” Ashkenazi said in a last-ditch effort, “we should build a virtual fence.” “What’s that?” I asked. “We’ll have a physical barrier in the south and in the north of the border, but in between there’ll be forces using visual means to intercept infiltrators.” “Yeah,” I said, “you’ll need half the army to monitor and seal two hundred kilometers. I want a real fence, not a virtual one.”

The next obstacle the army put before me was cost. Showing diagrams of an enormously complicated multilayered barrier, they said the cost would run into many billions of shekels. “I think it could be much cheaper,” I said. I instructed the cabinet secretary to bring to the next cabinet meeting a competing bid from the Public Works Department of the Transportation Ministry. Faced with competition, the army cut its costs estimate for the fence by roughly half. I drafted a proposal to build the barrier. The cabinet approved the resolution in March 2010. Once the order was given, the chief of staff, to his credit, went into high gear. He appointed Colonel Eran Ophir, an exceptional project leader whom I later called “Herod” because he built on a scale worthy of that famed builder-king. Every three months I would fly to the Egyptian-Israeli border to monitor the work in progress. Invariably Eran’s deliverables came in ahead of schedule and under budget. During the construction, in August 2011, an incident occurred that underscored an additional reason to erect the barrier. Several terrorists from the Sinai crossed the border near Eilat and murdered six Israeli civilians and two soldiers. It was a reminder that building the fence was not only vital to stopping illegal job migrants.

It would also block the growing number of terrorists coming in from the Sinai. Less than two years after the beginning of its construction, the fence was complete. Like the Great Wall of China that inspired it, it went up and down gullies and chasms and closed the border. The rate of illegal infiltration into Israel went down to zero! Israel was thus the first Western country to effectively seal its borders.

 

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Jewish Democrat slams ‘Squad’ members over calls to end Israel assistance

Jewish Democrat slams 'Squad' members over calls to end Israel assistance

Fox News Digital obtained comments from New Jersey Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer that torched Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Cori Bush of Missouri over their comments following the outbreak of the war in Israel. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

A Jewish House Democrat slammed two members of the socialist “Squad” after they called to end U.S. aid to Israel amid the country’s war with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. 

Fox News Digital obtained comments from New Jersey Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer torching Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Cori Bush of Missouri over their comments following the outbreak of the war in Israel.

In their statements, Tlaib and Bush — both progressives — called for U.S. assistance to Israel to end amid the war.

Gottheimer, who is Jewish, noted that two of his “colleagues called for America to end assistance to Israel, despite the countless images of Israeli children, women, men, and elderly, including Americans, murdered by radical Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists.”

“Families were violently pulled from their homes as hostages,” Gottheimer said. “This is a deliberate and coordinated terrorist attack, savagely targeting innocent civilians.”

“It sickens me that while Israelis clean the blood of their family members shot in their homes, they believe Congress should strip U.S. funding to our democratic ally and allow innocent civilians to suffer,” Gottheimer said.

Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this update.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

 

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Great article by Adrian Rogers.

What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word?

I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God.

First, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy. The Truth of the Word of God tells us that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). How did Job know that the earth hung in space before the age of modern astronomy and space travel? The Holy Spirit told him. The scientists of Isaiah’s day didn’t know the topography of the earth, but Isaiah said, “It is [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). The word for “circle” here means a globe or sphere. How did Isaiah know that God say upon the circle of the earth? By divine inspiration.

Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn’t a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: “May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son.” From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!

Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.

Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.

Finally, the Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the Ages. First Peter 1:25 says: “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.

It’s so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom. Yet so wonderfully shallow that a little child could come and get a drink of water without fear of drowning. That is God’s precious, holy Word. The Word of God. Know it. Believe it. It is True.

WHETHER WE LIVE OR DIE

Dr. W. A. Criswell

Message to the Pastors’ Conference

Southern Baptist Convention, Dallas, Texas

6-10-85    7:30 p.m.

Not in all of my life have I ever prepared an address as minutely and meticulously as I have this one tonight.  I have been a pastor fifty-eight years.  I began preaching at this pastor’s conference at the invitation of Dr. M. E. Dodd when he founded it something like fifty years ago.  And I would think more than thirty times have I spoken to this assembly of God’s anointed undershepherds.  But I have never, ever approached a moment like this.  And the message tonight, entitled Whether We Live or Die, is delivered, prepared in view of the convocation of our assembled messengers beginning in the morning.

The outline of the address, of the study, is this:

            The Pattern of Death for a Denomination; then

            The Pattern of Death for an Institution; then

            The Pattern of Death for a Preacher, a Professor; and then finally,

            The Promise of Renascence, and Resurrection, and Revival.

So we begin: The Pattern of Death for a Denomination.

 In the middle of the last century, a great storm arose in the Baptist denomination in Great Britain.  Opposition to evangelical truths sprang from two sources: one, the publication in 1859 of Darwin’s Origin of Species, which made the Genesis account of creation a myth; and second, the vast inroads of German higher criticism and rationalism that explained away the miracles of the Bible and reduced the inspired Word to merely a human book.

This fungal attack on the Scripture brought forth open and militant opposition from the mighty preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  He urged the Baptist Union of England to speak out against the heresy.  They refused, saying Baptists believe in the priesthood of every believer, and further avowed that Baptists could believe their own way so long as they baptize by immersion.  Spurgeon then published what he called “The Downgrade in the Churches.”  He wrote, “Instead of submission to God’s Word [James 4:4-10], higher criticism urges accommodation to human wisdom.  It sets human thought above God’s revelation and constitutes man the supreme judge of what ought to be true.”

He wrote, “Believers in Holy Scripture are in confederacy with those who deny plenary inspiration.  Those who hold evangelical doctrine are in open alliance with those who call the Genesis fall a myth.”

He wrote, “A chasm is opening between the men who believe their Bibles and those who are prepared for an advance upon the Scripture . . . The house is being robbed, its very walls are being digged down, but the good people who are in bed are too fond of the warmth . . . to go downstairs to meet the burglars.”  “Inspiration and speculation cannot long abide side by side . . . We cannot hold the inspiration of the Word [2 Timothy 3:16], and yet reject it.  We cannot hold the doctrine of the Fall [Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22], and yet talk of evolution of spiritual life from human nature.  One or the other must go.”  “Compromise there can be none.”

Dr. John Clifford, London pastor and president of the British Baptist Union and later the first president of the Baptist World Alliance, declared in 1888, quote, “It pains me unspeakably to see this eminent [preacher Spurgeon] rousing the energies of thousands of Christians to engage in personal wrangling and strife, instead of inspiring them to . . . herioc effort to carry the . . . Gospel to our fellow-countrymen.”  Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

Dr. John Clifford had embraced the higher critical new theology.  He believed that evangelicalism and higher criticism could be combined.  Dr. Clifford presided over the Council of the Baptist Union that met in session January 18, 1888.  They voted to recommend to the plenary session of the Union a vote to censure Spurgeon.  Dr. John Clifford did his work well.  The Baptist Union met in assembly April 23, 1888, in the City Temple of London—Dr. Joseph Parker’s Congregational church, himself a critic of Spurgeon—and the recommendation of council for censure was placed before the full body.  The official vote was two thousand for the motion to censure Spurgeon, and seven against.

A godly man, Henry Oakley, who was present in the Baptist Union assembly that day, wrote these words in later memory concerning the tragic meeting.  Quote:

I was present at the City Temple when the motion to censure Spurgeon was moved, seconded, and carried.  The City Temple was as full as it could be.  I was there early but found only a standing place in the aisle at the back of the gallery.  I listened to the speeches.  The only one of which I have a distinct remembrance was that of Mr. Charles Williams.  He quoted Tennyson in favor of a liberal theology.  The moment of voting came.  Only those members of the assembly were qualified to vote.  When the motion of censure was put, a forest of hands went up.  “Against,” called the chairman, Dr. John Clifford.  I did not see any hands, but history records there were seven.  Before any announcement of the censure number was made by Dr. John Clifford, the vast assembly broke into tumultuous cheering, and cheering, and cheering yet.  From some of the older men their pent-up hostility found vent.  From many of the younger men wild resistance of “any obscurantist trammels,”—Spurgeon’s preaching—as they said, broke loose.  It was a strange scene.  I viewed it with tears.  I stood near a man I knew well.  He went wild with delight at the censure.  I say, it was a strange scene, that that vast assembly should so outrageously be delighted at the condemnation of the greatest, noblest, and grandest leader of their faith.

An English writer said of that downgrade controversy against Spurgeon that it quote, “entailed one of the most bitter persecutions any minister of the gospel has ever endured in this country.”  Spurgeon’s wife Susanna said that the controversy cost him his life.  He died at the age of fifty-seven.  Spurgeon himself said to a friend in May, 1891, “Goodbye.  You will never see me again.  This tragic fight is killing me.”  But Spurgeon also said, “The distant future will vindicate me.”

All that Mr. Spurgeon saw and said, and much more, came to pass.  Baptist witness in Great Britain began to die.  The Baptist Union in their minutes recognized the presence of higher criticism in their midst, but they said it would do no harm.  Spurgeon answered that the future would witness a lifeless and fruitless church.  As he foretold, with the accommodation of the higher critical approach to the Scriptures—which is universal among us—with the accommodation of the higher critical approach to the Scriptures, church attendance fell off, prayer meetings ceased, miracles of conversion were witnessed less and less, the number of baptisms began to decline—and for years they’ve been in decline with us—and the churches began to die out.  The numerical graph of the British Baptists since the halcyon days of Spurgeon, their mighty champion, is down, and ever down, and for a century has been going down.

I was in India years ago when English Baptists were closing down their mission stations on the Ganges River, stations founded by William Carey.  Some say the position taken by Spurgeon hurt the mission movement.  My brother, if the higher critical approach to the Scriptures dominates our institutions and our denominations, there will be no missionaries to hurt!  They will cease to exist!

A comment on the sad condition of Baptist churches in England is found in the latest biography of Spurgeon written by Dr. Arnold Dallimore, entitled: C. H. Spurgeon, a New Biography, published this last year.  The comment concerning English Baptists is this, quote: “Where there is no acceptance of the Bible as inerrant; there is no true Christianity.  The preaching is powerless, and what Spurgeon declared to his generation a hundred years ago is the outcome.”

And that statement is followed by this paragraph:

The failure of the new theology or higher criticism, call it what we will, is forcefully brought out by E. J. Poole-Conner in his Evangelicalism in England.  He tells of a conversation between the editor of an agnostic magazine and a neo-orthodox minister.  The editor told the minister that despite their different vocations, they had much in common.  “I don’t believe the Bible,” said the agnostic, “but neither do you.  I don’t believe the story about creation, but you don’t either.  I don’t believe any of these things, but neither do you.  I am as much of a Christian as you, and you are as much of an infidel as I.”

As with the Baptists of Great Britain, whether we continue to live or ultimately die lies in our dedication to the infallible Word of God [2 Timothy 3:16-17].

Number two: The Pattern of Death for an Institution.

 An institution can be like a great tree which in times past withstood the rain, and the wind, and the storm, and the lightning, but finally fell because the heart had rotted out.  Insects, termites destroyed the great monarch of the woods.  This is the unspeakably tragic thing that happens to many of our Christian institutions, and eventually threatens them all.  They are delivered to secularism and infidelity, not because of a bitter frontal attack from without, but because of a slow, gradual permeation of the rot and curse of unbelief from within.  The tragic and traumatic example of that decay is the University of Chicago.

The faithful devout Baptist people of the North set about to build, in their words, and I quote, “a great Christian university to counteract the materialism of the Middle West.”  God greatly, immediately blessed their effort.  In May 1889, the electric news was announced to the Baptists gathered in a national meeting in Boston that Rockefeller had offered six hundred thousand dollars for the building of the Christian school if the Baptist churches would give four hundred thousand dollars.  When the announcement was made, the entire assembly arose with a doxology on its lips.  And Dr. Henson exclaimed, “I scarcely dare trust myself to speak.  I feel like Simeon when he said, ‘Now, Lord, lettest now Thy servant depart in peace . . . for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation’” [Luke 2:29, 30].

Appeals were sent to twelve hundred Baptist pastors in the Middle West.  The second Sunday in April 1890 was made University Day.  The humble, faithful loyal Baptist people in all the churches gave prayerfully and sacrificially.  Their splendid school for preachers, the Baptist Theological Seminary at Morgan Park in Chicago was, under the terms of the Rockefeller gift, to be the center of the university and to become the divinity school.  The university was to be built around the seminary, and all of it was to be dedicated to the evangelization of the heartland of America.  It was done gloriously, victoriously.  The university was built.  The divinity school was opened, and they prepared preachers to win the Middle West for Christ.

Then the infiltration began.  The curse, the rot, the virus, the corruption of a higher critical approach to the gospel began to work.  What are the ultimate results of this almost universal higher critical teaching?  Here are some of the professors who taught the preachers in that divinity school during the course of the years.  Professor G. B. Smith, systematic theology, who wrote, “The spirit of democracy protests against such an idea as that God has the right to insist on a rigid plan of salvation.”  Professor Soares, who said, “Redemption is an absolute fancy.  Revelation is self-deception.  We refuse the idea that the principle business of the church is to get people converted and committed to the Christian life.”  And Professor G. B. Foster, Baptist teacher in the seminary, and pastor of a Unitarian Church wrote, “An intelligent man who now affirms his faith in miracles can hardly know what intellectual honesty means.  The hypothesis of God has become superfluous in every science, even that of religion itself.  Jesus did not transcend the limits of the purely human.”

We cannot but find ourselves in sympathy with an editorial of a great Chicago newspaper which said:

We are struck with the hypocrisy and treachery of these attacks on Christianity.  This is a free country and a free age and men can say what they choose about religion, but this is not what we arraign these divinity professors for.  Is there no place in which to assail the Bible but a divinity school?  Is there no one to write infidel books except professors of Christian theology?  Is a theological seminary an appropriate place for a general massacre of Christian doctrines?  We are not championing either Christianity or infidelity but only condemning infidels masquerading as men of God and Christian teachers.

A friend of mine, a teacher, went to the University of Chicago to gain a Ph.D. in pedagogy.  While there, he made the friendship of a student in the divinity school.  Upon the young theolog’s graduation, the budding preacher said to my teacher friend, quote, “I am in a great quandary.  I have been called to the pastorate of a Presbyterian church in the Midwest, but it is one of those old-fashioned Presbyterian churches that believes the Bible.  And I don’t believe the Bible, and I don’t know what to do.”  My teacher friend replied, “I can tell you exactly what you ought to do.”  Eagerly, the young preacher asked, “What?”  And my teacher friend replied, “I think that if you don’t believe the Bible, you ought to quit the ministry!”

But not only in the North have we lost our Baptist institutions such as the University of Chicago; such as Brown University; such as Crozer Theological Seminary, practically all of them.  But in the South—where we live—in the South we are beginning to witness the same loss.  Within these last few years, two of our senior Baptist universities in the Southern states have been removed from Baptist control.  Give it another century, and the loss will be unspeakably tragic.

John Wesley at one time wrote, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist in Europe or America.  But I am afraid lest they should exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.”  This fear that troubled the heart of John Wesley no less troubles the hearts of believing Christians everywhere who take time to see what higher criticism can do to their institutions.

If neo-orthodoxy were a separate movement in itself, built its own churches, launched its own institutions, projected its own denomination, then we could look at it as just another of the many sects that appear on the surface of history.  But neo-orthodoxy in itself builds nothing.  It is a parasite that grows on institutions already built.

If these higher critical semi-Unitarians won the lost to Christ, built up the churches, sent out missionaries, ministered to the needs of the people, then we could abandon our Bibles, rest at ease in Zion, and watch the kingdom of God advance from our ivory towers.  The trouble is, these self-styled superior religionists do nothing but preside over a dying church, and a dying witness, and a dying denomination.

No minister who has embraced a higher critical approach to the gospel has ever built a great church, held a mighty revival, or won a city to the Lord.  They live off the labor and sacrifice of those who paid the price of devoted service before them.  Their message, which they think is new and modern, is as old as the first lie, “Yea, hath God said?”  [Genesis 3:1].

Let the true pastor never turn aside from his great high calling to preach the whole counsel of God, warn men of their sins and the judgment of God upon them, baptize their converts in the name of the triune Lord, and build up the congregation in the love and wisdom of Christ Jesus.  If he does that he will have completed the work for which the Holy Spirit did choose him.  Do not be deterred or be discouraged by what others say about you.  Just keep on winning souls to Jesus!

Number three: The Pattern of Death for a Preacher, a Pulpiteer, a Professor

 There came to the Southern Seminary in 1869 a scholarly young man by the name of Crawford H. Toy.  He was the first addition to the original faculty of four, and gave every promise of becoming the greatest of them all.  He knew more Hebrew than his teacher, Dr. Basil Manley.  Literally, he was the pride and joy of the school.  He was brilliant beyond compare.

However, through studying German higher criticism and rationalism, he drifted away from the revealed truth of the Scriptures and began to teach in the seminary the pentateuchal-destructive attacks of Keunen, Wellhausen, and a host of others.  It broke the hearts of President James P. Boyce and Professor John A. Broadus, but the dismissal had to come.

When Dr. Toy left, Boyce and Broadus accompanied him to the railroad station.  Just before the train took him away, President Boyce placed his left arm around the shoulders of the young man, and lifting up his right hand to heaven, said, “Crawford, I would give my right arm if you were back as you were when you first came to us.”

Dr. Toy went to be professor of Hebrew at Harvard University.  He went into the Unitarian church and finally, never went to church at all.  He was a world-famous scholar.  In my library, I have Hebrew books written by Dr. Toy.  He was a world-famous scholar, internationally known author, and a lovable man, but the virus of higher criticism destroyed his spiritual life and work.

This is the young man who first taught in Albemarle Female Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, before joining the faculty of Southern Seminary.  This is the young man who taught in the school attended by a most vivacious and brilliant student, Miss Lottie Moon.  This is the young man with whom Lottie Moon fell in love.  This is the young man to whom Lottie Moon returned from China to America to marry.  This is the young man the foreign mission board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1860 appointed a missionary to the Orient, the War Between the States preventing his going.  This is the young man, Crawford H. Toy, who was idolized by the Baptist academic and religious world.

But Lottie Moon was shattered and grief-stricken by the new theology and liberal beliefs of the man she so deeply admired and so beautifully loved.  She returned to China heartbroken, never to return to home in America, never to marry, and died there in the Orient, lonely in soul and pouring her very life into a ministry for her starving Chinese people.

In the current issue of Review and Expositor, the theological journal of Southern Seminary, there is an extended article on Crawford H. Toy.  It is filled with lavish and extravagant praise for the Unitarian.  Here are the closing sentences in the review; I quote, “So far as his critical trends developed within the ten years of his membership on the faculty, his views today would not be regarded as sufficiently revolutionary to call for drastic action.  Toy’s research and views were too advanced for his contemporaries.”  That is, if he lived and taught today, his higher-critical, destructive approach to the Word of God would be perfectly acceptable, condoned, and defended!

However much our hearts may yearn over those who are victims and carriers of modernistic fallacy, if we are to survive as a people of God we must wage a war against the disease that, more than any other, will ruin our missionary, evangelistic, and soul-winning commitment.

And last: The Possibility and Promise of Resurrection, Renascence, Revival.

 If, if we will receive the Scriptures as of God, and be true to them as to the Holy Spirit, the Lord will use Southern Baptists to evangelize the world.  Revelation 14:6 says, “And I saw an angel fly in the midst of the heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth.”  That angelos, having the everlasting euangelion to euangelisai the whole world, can be Southern Baptists.  We can experience in our very midst great revival, the outpouring of the saving power of the Holy Spirit upon our churches, upon our preachers, and upon our mission fields.

The way of God is always onward, forward, and upward.  The Holy Spirit always announces that there is a greater day coming.  The burden of the prophets and the marvelous beckoning light of biblical revelation are ever and always the same.  Our mighty God is marching on.  It is the message of the first page of the Bible.  It is the message of the second page of the Bible.  It is the message of the first book of the Bible.  It is the message of the second book of the Bible.  It is the message of the last page and the last book of the Bible.  A glorious triumph is coming.  The Lord never recedes.  He necessarily advances.  His creation is followed by redemption.  His redemption is followed by sanctification.  His sanctification is followed by glorification.

There is no formal conclusion to the Book of Acts.  It is open-ended.  God means for the story of Pentecostal power and revival to be prolonged after the same manner.  God does not do a great thing and then an increasingly smaller thing.  God does not build a portico of marble and finish the temple with decaying brick.  Our greatest days are yet to come.  There was a time when the Holy Spirit as a heavenly fire was a mysterious presence flashing like lightning from the skies, we knew not whence or whither; coming now upon a Moses and again upon an Elijah, sometimes appearing in the burning bush in Horeb [Exodus 3:2], sometimes falling in awesome mystery upon the altar of sacrifice of Mount Carmel [1 Kings 18:32-39], sometimes striking out in Israel’s camp in destroying fury [Numbers 11:1], sometimes appearing as the Shekinah glory in the temple’s Holy of Holies [2 Chronicles 7:1-3], the strange sign and symbol of Jehovah’s presence and power.

Since Christ’s ascension [Acts 1:9], and in the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon all flesh [Acts 2:1-4, 16-33].  John 3:34 confirms that God giveth not the Spirit by measure.  He is with us, within us, for us, for power, for conquest, for glory.  Since Pentecost, there is no age, no century, no era, no time without the marvelous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  The soul-saving experience continues.  Darkness and death and decay may reign in one place, but always light, life, and salvation will reign and vigorously abound in another.

The church at Jerusalem fell into Ebionitic legalism, but the church at Antioch experienced the greatest revival of Gentile converts the first century ever knew.  When waning of piety began to empty the churches at Antioch, the churches at Ephesus and Rome and at Milan were waxing mighty in the work of the Lord.  When the churches of Alexandria and Carthage were falling into empty philosophical dissertations, the churches of Gaul were winning all western continental Europe to the Lord.

While Rome was pursuing vain and sterile rituals, the churches of Ireland were baptizing the whole nation and their many tribes into the faith.  While Mohammed was destroying the faith in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Minor, the scholars of Iona were going forth to evangelize the Northumbrians, the Scots, the Picts, the Anglo-Saxons, our ancestors.

While the pontifical court of Avignon was engrossed in seeking political power, the cities of Germany were learning the heavenly ways of the Lord Jesus.  When the darkness of night and superstition were covering the churches of France, the morning stars of the Reformation were rising in England.  When Italian fields were turning into useless stubble, Bohemia was alive with the converting Spirit of Christ.

When the Unitarian defection destroyed the evangelizing spirit of the congregations of New England, the pioneer preachers were advancing beyond the Alleghenies to build churches and Christian institutions in the heartland of America.  And while elitism, and liberalism, and spiritual indifference are decimating the churches in the West, great revival is being experienced in Korea, in South America, and in central Africa.  Why not America, and why not now?

Our own and our ultimate destiny lies in the offing—and with us, the world.  Seemingly, we stand at the continental divide of history, at the very watershed of civilization.  Changes of colossal nature are sweeping the world.

In years past, the French Revolution signalized a political change.  The Renaissance brought intellectual change.  The industrial revolution introduced economic change.  The Reformation encompassed religious change.  But today, we face every kind and category of change, mostly defined by the flood tides of materialism, secularism, and liberalism.  In my lifetime, for the first time in world history, governments are statedly and blatantly atheistic.  No ancient Greek would ever make a destiny-determining decision without first consulting the oracle at Delphi.  No Roman general would go to war without first propitiating the gods.  But these bow at no altar, call upon the name of no deity, and they seem to be possessing the world.

Whether we live or die lies in the imponderables of Almighty God [Psalm 33:8-19].  Will God not judge atheistic, communistic Russia?  Will He not also judge secularistic, heathenistic, humanistic, materialistic America?  What is the difference at the judgment bar of Christ between a God-denying Russian communist atheist and a God-denying American liberal humanist?  Can God judge Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Nineveh, and Babylon, and not judge Moscow, and Peking, and San Francisco, and Dallas?

Our mission frontiers run down every street and village, through every house, home, and classroom.  The whole globe today is small, compact, and shrunken.  We see, hear, watch, read, follow what happens moment by moment around the world.  The interdependence and the interlinking of all mankind is an actual modern fact.  We all ride this planet together.  Our nation is one in a dependent family of nations.  Romans 14:7 avows, “For none of us lives to himself, and not one of us dieth to himself.”

As Baptist churches, and as a Baptist people, we need each other.  One segment of our community cannot do our work, our task, alone.  Our strength lies in a common determination and a common dedication.  One church can build a Sunday school, but a Sunday school movement must be launched by an association of churches through a Sunday school board.  One church can send a missionary, but a vast missionary movement must be engineered by a denomination of churches through a foreign mission board.  One church can have a revival, but a revival movement must be prayed for, and prayed down, and lifted up by a community of churches through an evangelistic director.

Years ago, I saw a pathetic picture in Lifemagazine.  A little boy had been lost in a horizon-to-horizon Kansas wheat field, had wandered away from the house, and had lost his way in the vast sea of standing stalks.  Frantically, the parents had searched for the small child to no avail.  The sympathizing neighbors helped, but without success.  Finally, someone suggested they join hands and comb the fields by sections.  The picture I saw was the sorrowing neighbors with the family standing over the dead body of the little boy, and the cry of the father printed as the caption below: “Oh, if only we had joined hands before!”

United in prayer, preaching, witnessing, working, not around the higher-critical denial of Scripture, but around the infallible Word of God in Christ Jesus, we cannot fail.  If we join hands with the blessed Savior, and deliver the message of the inerrant Word of God, God will rise to meet us.

And the Lord God whispered and said to me,

These things shall be, these things shall be.

No help shall come from the scarlet skies

Till My people rise.

Till My people rise, My arm is weak.

I cannot speak till My people speak.

When men are dumb, My voice is dumb.

I cannot come till My people come.

From over the flaming earth and sea,

The cry of My people must come to Me.

Not till their spirit break the curse

May I claim My own in the universe.

But if My people rise, if My people rise,

I will answer them from the swarming skies.

[excerpts from “God Prays: Answer, World! Angela Morgan, 1917]

No battle was ever won by retreat, or submission, or surrender.  When Alexander the Great lay dying, they asked him, “Whose is the kingdom?”  And he replied, “It is for him who can take it!”  It will be we, or somebody else.

Bring me my bow of burning gold:

Bring me my arrows of desire:

Bring me my spear; O clouds unfold!

Bring me my chariot of fire.

We shall not cease from battle strife,

Nor shall the sword sleep in our hand

Till we have built Jerusalem

In this fair and pleasant land.

[Adapted from “Jerusalem,” by William Blake]

God grant it!  Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Adrian Rogers – How you can be certain the Bible is the word of God

Great article by Adrian Rogers.

What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word?

I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God.

First, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy. The Truth of the Word of God tells us that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). How did Job know that the earth hung in space before the age of modern astronomy and space travel? The Holy Spirit told him. The scientists of Isaiah’s day didn’t know the topography of the earth, but Isaiah said, “It is [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). The word for “circle” here means a globe or sphere. How did Isaiah know that God say upon the circle of the earth? By divine inspiration.

Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn’t a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: “May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son.” From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!

Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.

Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.

Finally, the Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the Ages. First Peter 1:25 says: “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.

It’s so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom. Yet so wonderfully shallow that a little child could come and get a drink of water without fear of drowning. That is God’s precious, holy Word. The Word of God. Know it. Believe it. It is True.

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Easter weekend 2013, List of posts on series: Is the Bible historically accurate? (Updated 1 through 14C)

“In Christ Alone” music video featuring scenes from “The Passion of the Christ”. It is sung by Lou Fellingham of Phatfish and the writer of the hymn is Stuart Townend. On this Easter weekend 2013 there is no other better time to take a look at the truth and accuracy of the Bible.    Is the […]

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Here is some very convincing evidence that points to the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Archaeological and External Evidence for the Bible Archeology consistently confirms the Bible! Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place […]

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Part 2 Adrian Rogers on Proverbs “How To Be The Father Of A Wise Child” (video too)

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John McArthur and Adrian Rogers on Proverbs and Alcohol (Eddie Sutton and Ryan Dunn used as examples)

Same old story it seems. Kentucky pulls out another close victory over the Vols. This is not the only story I am talking about today. Kentucky’s Alex Poythress (22) shoots between Tennessee’s Josh Richardson, left, and Yemi Makanjuola during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, […]

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By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Adrian Rogers | Comments (0)

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 38 SUCCESS OF ISRAEL PREDICTED IN GENESIS 12

October 22, 2023 – 7:39 pm

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Netanyahu talks annexation with Kushner; US said to want to ‘slow the process’

US President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside US Vice President Mike Pence (C), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd R) and White House adviser Jared Kushner (R) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, January 27, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

Netanyahu talks annexation with Kushner; US said to want to ‘slow the process’

From left to right: Blue and White Party MK Yair Lapid, party leader Benny Gantz, Special Adviser to the US President Jared Kushner, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, during a meeting at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, October 28, 2019. (Jeries Mansour, US Embassy Jerusalem)

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18

Trump envoy Jared Kushner to lead US delegation to Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US presidential adviser Jared Kushner as US Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt looks on | Photo: AFP/XGTY/Matty Stern

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US President Donald J Trump, left, and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, center, meet with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, at the King David Hotel May 22, 2017 in Jerusalem, Israel.
Kobi Gideon/GPO via Getty Images
Israeli PM meets top US officials amid political crisis

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday met with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser (and son-in-law), and Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s Mideast envoy.

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SUCCESS OF ISRAEL PREDICTED IN GENESIS 12

GENESIS 12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”[b]

“How do we replicate the Israeli miracle?” many foreign leaders kept asking me. “Oh, that’s easy,” I would answer. “Take a hefty dose of free market reforms, mix in heavy investments in military technology, shrink your country to a tiny area in which everyone meets everyone, and add a questioning ancient culture that is never satisfied with the status quo.” This was usually met with laughter.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-de

State Department official calls it quits after Biden says US will support Israel: ‘Policy disagreement’

Paul’s resignation came as President Biden announced material support for Israel, including weapons and munitions

By Lawrence Richard Fox News
Published

A Biden administration official has resigned from the State Department, citing President Biden’s announcement of material support for Israel. The official said he “cannot work” as the U.S. helps Israel in its war against the Hamas terrorist group.

Josh Paul, who worked for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, where he was responsible for transferring arms to key American allies, posted his resignation letter on social media. In it, he said “continued lethal assistance to Israel” prompted his decision to leave.

“Today I informed my colleagues that I have resigned from the State Department, due to a policy disagreement concerning our continued lethal assistance to Israel,” Paul wrote on LinkedIn.

He added: “I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse.”

Sderot, Paul

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Thursday. Inset, former State Department official Josh Paul. (Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty Images | LinkedIn)

In the lengthy statement, Paul condemned Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians, but said Israel’s “response” in seeking to eliminate Hamas was too far.

“Let me be clear: Hamas’ attack on Israel was not just a monstrosity; it was a monstrosity of monstrosities,” he wrote. “I also believe that potential escalations by Iran-linked groups such as Hezbollah, or by Iran itself, would be a further cynical exploitation of the existing tragedy. But I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people — and is not in the long term American interest.”

A burned car

A vehicle near the Gaza border was burned and destroyed as the clash between Israeli army and Palestinian factions continues in Nir Oz, Israel, on Thursday. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

His decision came as Biden announced the U.S. would be supplying weapons and munitions to Israel, its closest ally in the Middle East. Biden also said the U.S. stands unequivocally with Israel and its right to defend itself following Hamas’ ruthless assault on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,400 Israelis dead. It was the worst terror attack in the country’s history.

“When I came to the Bureau, the U.S. Government entity most responsible for the transfer and provision of arms to partners and allies, I knew it was not without its moral complexity and moral compromises, and I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt the harm I might do would be outweighed by the good I could do,” Paul wrote. “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued — indeed, expanded and expedited — provision of lethal arms to Israel — I have reached the end of that bargain.”

Burned furniture

An interior view of a burned house near the Gaza border as the clash between Israeli army and Palestinian factions continues in Nir Oz, Israel, on Thursday.  (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A burned home in Israel

A destroyed house near the Gaza border in Nir Oz, Israel, on Thursday.(Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

He added: “We cannot be both against occupation and for it. We cannot be both for freedom and against it. And we cannot be for a better world while contributing to one that is materially worse.”

HAMAS TERRORISTS LIKELY USED NORTH KOREAN WEAPONS DURING BRUTAL ATTACK ON ISRAEL, EVIDENCE SHOWS

“This Administration’s response — and much of Congress’ as well — is an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia,” Paul continued in the statement. “That is to say, it is immensely disappointing, and entirely unsurprising. Decades of the same approach have shown that security for peace leads to neither security nor peace.”

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in an expanded bilateral meeting

President Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a meeting with Israeli and U.S. government officials in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Later in the statement, Paul said the U.S., as a “third party,” should not take a side in the conflict and suggested that Israel had committed “gross violations of human rights.”

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Biden’s stance on the conflict includes wholly supporting Israel while ensuring aid is given to civilians caught in the crossfire. On Wednesday, he announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The president said the aid would be cut off if it fell into the hands of Hamas.

According to his LinkedIn, Paul has worked at the State Department since April 2012.

Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology – #2 House of David Inscription

This post is a continuation of our Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology series. To see the complete series please click here.

The Great Kings of Israel

Without question the two greatest kings of Israel were David and Solomon. The Bible is full of rich stories recounting these two remarkable lives.

David burst onto the scene as a small boy who could play a musical instrument beautifully enough to calm the nerves of his king. The larger than life prophet Samuel secretly anoints David as the new king to replace the unfaithful King Saul. As a young man David shows fierce courage. He steps up, while all the men of the nation cower, and cuts the head off the giant Goliath. David then goes on to eventually become the greatest King of Israel. He is a poet, a warrior, a musician, a leader, a lover and so much more. David had substantial flaws but through it all God deemed him a man after His own heart. His influence is still felt today with the modern nation of Israel using the “Star of David” as their national emblem.

Solomon, additionally, is cloaked in his own greatness. Rarely can a son follow in the footsteps of a famous father. Solomon reaches iconic status through God offering him a unique opportunity, one wish. What is Solomon’s wish? Solomon famously asks not for riches but for wisdom. God, surprised by Solomon’s wish, makes him the wisest man who has ever lived. As an added bonus God goes ahead and makes him rich as well. Solomon’s wealth, influence and wisdom are without rival. These men are famous and contribute a considerable portion of Scripture (traditionally Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon).

The Great Silence

We have two great kings; we also have a great silence. Outside of the Bible there has been absolutely no evidence David or Solomon ever existed. David and Solomon are portrayed in the Bible as international players. Solomon is married to an Egyptian princess, the Queen of Sheba comes to visit and learn from Solomon, David conquers kingdoms, yet nothing has been discovered from any country with any hint to their existence.

You can imagine the doubts this has developed in the scholarly world. Many scholars postulate the nation of Israel was nothing more than the equivalent of a backwoods hick town at the supposed time of David and Solomon. The Bible, it is thought, grossly exaggerates the influence of these kings (who may or may not have lived) in order to create some sort of false national pride to a much later generation. Are these fabricated stories? The archaeological record appears to support this view due to the shocking lack of any mention of their names.

For years millions of people trusted the biblical account of David and Solomon without any archaeological support, then came 1994.

1994

In 1994 archaeologists were digging in northern Israel at the ancient city of Dan. The area surrounding Dan is one of the most beautiful parts of Israel. The excavation had come across some interesting elements but nothing which would rock the archaeological world until a member of the team made an unlikely discovery.

The city gate was being excavated. Most of the gate was constructed with typical building materials of the time, but three of the stones holding the gate together held a history much more interesting than their neighboring stones. These three stone fragments were found covered with ancient writing. The largest stone fragment measured 32x22cm. Of the original writing 13 lines of text are partially preserved. The writing was found to be ancient Aramaic, dating to the mid-800’s BC.

What did the writing say? Interestingly, the stone slab is a form of ancient propaganda. An Aramaean king, most likely Hazael of Damascus, conquered the Israelite city of Dan sometime in the 840s BC. After he defeated the city he evidently erected this inscription in a public place to let everyone know he was now in control of the city. We know from the Bible Jehoram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, were both defeated by Hazael (2 Kings 8:7-15, 28; 9:24-29; 2 Chronicles 22:5).

In the inscription the Aramaean king claims to have killed the kings of both Israel (Joram) and Judah (Ahaziah) in the course of his southern conquests. Interestingly, this parallels an account of the murders of Joram and Ahaziah in 2 Kings 9, but in the Hebrew Bible’s account it is Jehu who kills the two kings in a bloody coup and seizes the throne of Israel for himself! So we have a strange historical challenge in which each names a different murderer.

Discovery

This inscription is fascinating on many levels, but what makes it the #2 biblical discovery in archaeology is the way one of the kings is described. The Aramaean king refers to the kingdom of Judah by its dynastic name, a name frequently used in the Hebrew Bible as well: the House of David. This not only indicates that the family of David still sat on the throne of Jerusalem, but this inscription represents the oldest textual reference to the historical King David ever discovered!

Significance

The House of David inscription is significant on many levels. First, contrary to all of the ink spilled touting the silence of David and Solomon from the extra-biblical record there is now proof of a historical king of Israel named David. Second, an Aramaean king would not brag about killing a king who was the relative of a guy who led a backwoods hick town. In order for Hazael to brag about killing a king descending from the House of David, David must have been a well-known and influential king even 150 years after his death. Third, after Hazael was eventually defeated it looks like the inhabitants of Dan tore down the inscription, broke it up into pieces and reused the stone fragments to construct their new outer gate showing their disdain for the inscription and love for their historically rich country.

The Tel Dan inscription is amazing. It is made more amazing by the decades of ridicule which surrounded the silence of David and Solomon from the historical record. That silence was broken in such a recent and surprising way through this small 13-line Aramaic inscription. What do you think?

Please join the discussion by posting your thoughts in the comments section below.

The Bible and Archaeology – Is the Bible from God? (Kyle Butt 42 min)

You want some evidence that indicates that the Bible is true? Here is a good place to start and that is taking a closer look at the archaeology of the Old Testament times. Is the Bible historically accurate? Here are some of the posts I have done in the past on the subject: 1. The Babylonian Chronicle, of Nebuchadnezzars Siege of Jerusalem, 2. Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. 3. Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism), 4. Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. 5. The Discovery of the Hittites, 6.Shishak Smiting His Captives, 7. Moabite Stone, 8. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9A Verification of places in Gospel of John and Book of Acts., 9B Discovery of Ebla Tablets. 10. Cyrus Cylinder, 11. Puru “The lot of Yahali” 9th Century B.C.E., 12. The Uzziah Tablet Inscription, 13. The Pilate Inscription, 14. Caiaphas Ossuary, 14 B Pontius Pilate Part 2, 14c. Three greatest American Archaeologists moved to accept Bible’s accuracy through archaeology., 

Related posts:

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part I “Old Testament Bible Prophecy” includes the film TRUTH AND HISTORY and article ” Jane Roe became pro-life”

April 12, 2013 – 5:45 am

I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is Saline […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 2

August 8, 2013 – 1:28 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 1

August 6, 2013 – 1:24 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Tagged , | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur: Fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? (Ezekiel 26-28 and the story of Tyre, video clips)

April 5, 2012 – 10:39 am

Prophecy–The Biblical Prophesy About Tyre.mp4 Uploaded by TruthIsLife7 on Dec 5, 2010 A short summary of the prophecy about Tyre and it’s precise fulfillment. Go to this link and watch the whole series for the amazing fulfillment from secular sources. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt4mDZUefo ________________ John MacArthur on the amazing fulfilled prophecy on Tyre and how it was fulfilled […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (1)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2)

August 1, 2013 – 12:10 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1)

July 30, 2013 – 1:32 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Adrian Rogers: “Why I believe the Bible is true”

July 9, 2013 – 8:38 am

Adrian Rogers – How you can be certain the Bible is the word of God Great article by Adrian Rogers. What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word? I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God. First, I believe the Bible is the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy by Jim Wallace

June 24, 2013 – 9:47 am

Is there any evidence the Bible is true? Articles By PleaseConvinceMe Apologetics Radio The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy Jim Wallace A Simple Litmus Test There are many ways to verify the reliability of scripture from both internal evidences of transmission and agreement, to external confirmation through archeology and science. But perhaps the […]

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Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part M “Old Testament prophecy fulfilled?”Part 3(includes film DEATH BY SOMEONE’S CHOICE)

April 19, 2013 – 1:52 am

  I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

Evidence for the Bible

March 27, 2013 – 9:43 pm

Here is some very convincing evidence that points to the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Archaeological and External Evidence for the Bible Archeology consistently confirms the Bible! Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place […]

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By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 37 BIBI said it was about time to get a royal visit to Israel!!!

October 22, 2023 – 7:32 pm

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Elephants in the Room – Foreign Policy

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The Prime Minister’s Office, Public Enquiries Department, Kiryat Ben Gurion, Building C, Jerusalem 91950, Israel

BIBI said it was about time to get a royal visit to Israel!!!

As Israel was becoming a rising power in the world, heads of state from nearly all major countries visited it. One notable exception was the British royal family. It took seventy years after Israel’s independence for a member of the British royal family to make an official visit to Israel. This glaring omission was probably advised by the hopelessly Arabist British Foreign Office, which had no problem sending royals to other countries in the Middle East. (State funerals provided the sad exception—Prince Charles had attended the funerals of Rabin in 1995 and Peres in 2016.) I thought it offensive that the one true democracy in the Middle East was not a suitable destination for a royal visit from the mother of modern democracies. I communicated this to the British government in meetings with their officials and diplomats in 2017 and 2018. “You’re among the last to know that in today’s technological world visiting Israel is an asset, not a liability,” I said to a senior British official. This was corrected in 2018 when Prince William visited Israel, making a great splash. The public loved him. Sara, the boys and I greeted him in Balfour. William was surprised by Avner’s mastery of detail about William’s favorite soccer team, Aston Villa. Avner’s favorite team was Manchester United. I recounted my positive impression of its legendary coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, whom I had once met at a New York restaurant. William and I discussed the role of helicopters in military search and rescue operations, a topic he as a pilot was familiar with and I had experience in as a special forces officer in need of heliborne extraction. We then discussed three extraordinary women who had great influence on William’s life and heritage. Sara told him how much her mother admired his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. “My mother always told me that the Queen was very intelligent because she knows how to listen,” Sara said. Williams eyes lit up. “She is very much that, and an excellent listener,” he responded. In a private moment in my study, Sara also told William how much she identified with his mother, Princess Diana. “I think about her every day,” said William softly. Perhaps the most moving part of the visit for me involved William’s great-grandmother, Princess Alice. While a nun in Athens during the Nazi occupation of Greece in World War II, she sheltered Jewish refugees and was later honored by Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, with the title of Righteous Among the Nations—a designation for non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to aid Jews. We brought some of the descendants of the families saved by Alice to meet her great-grandson. They expressed their deep appreciation for the woman who made their lives possible. William was visibly moved. Princess Alice died in 1969, but per her request, her remains were later moved from England to Jerusalem. Two years after William’s visit, in January 2020, Prince Charles attended a ceremony in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The prince, whom I had first met at King Hussein’s funeral in 1999, approached me. “Don’t you ever age?” he joked. These visits were a symbolic expression of the close relations between Britain and Israel—countries which exchanged billions of dollars in trade and over time increasingly cooperated in fighting terror—and did a great deal to correct a historical omission.

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$6B Prisoner Swap Was ‘Just a Drop in the Bucket’ for Iran. Here’s How Much Tehran Has Raked in Under Biden.

$6B Prisoner Swap Was ‘Just a Drop in the Bucket’ for Iran. Here’s How Much Tehran Has Raked in Under Biden.

Tyler O’Neil / /

Ayatollah Khamenei marches in the street with military leaders

President Joe Biden’s administration arguably is responsible for at least $42 billion in funding for Iran, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Pictured: Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attends a graduation ceremony Oct. 10 for Iranian armed forces cadets at Imam Ali Officers’ Academy in Tehran. (Photo: Iranian Supreme Leader Press Office/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Republicans have castigated President Joe Biden’s administration for freeing up $6 billion in funds for Iran’s Islamist regime, money that likely contributed to Tehran’s funding of Hamas, the genocidal terrorist group that slaughtered more than 1,400 Israelis and took about 200 hostage Oct. 7.

Yet the Biden administration’s policies freed up far more than $6 billion for Iran.

“It’s a drop in the bucket,” Robert Greenway, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, told The Daily Signal in an interview Wednesday. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.)

Greenway led a team to plan and execute the most significant U.S. economic sanctions against Iran. He served as a principal architect of the Abraham Accords, working as deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director of the National Security Council’s Middle East and North African Affairs Directorate.

Referring to Iran, Greenway described the released $6 billion as “a fraction of the overall revenue that the Biden administration consciously has allowed them to have.”

He said Biden’s policies, by relaxing Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign and signaling his willingness to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran, has emboldened Tehran and signaled other countries in the region that they should work with Iran.

“We’re encouraging everyone else to do this. Everybody in the region is paying Iran not to attack them,” Greenway warned.

He urged that the U.S. stop paying Hamas through funds ostensibly for Palestinian aid.

“This is extortion. I pay so Gaza won’t attack again,” Greenway said. “We should stop writing checks.”

While Greenway acknowledged Biden’s strong rhetoric in support of Israel, he said Americans and Israelis should see through that facade.

“I literally paid the people who attacked you,” Greenway said, speaking as though he were Biden. “No one should be defending this. No one in Israel can think that Biden is their friend.”

According to The Daily Signal’s calculations, Iran has received approximately $70 billion more under Biden than it would have under Trump.

Biden repeatedly has said that there is no “specific evidence” showing that Tehran had any involvement in the Hamas terrorist attack, but Iran has funded Hamas for years.

Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the BBC that Iran gave the green light for the attack. The Wall Street Journal reported that “senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah” confirmed that “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had worked with Hamas since August to devise the air, land, and sea incursions.”

Furthermore, Greenway and another Heritage Foundation national security expert, Victoria Coates, wrote: “Absent significant training, equipment, and intelligence capabilities supplied by Iran, Hamas would never have been able to have carried out such an operation.”

The $6 billion figure traces back to 2018, when the Trump administration granted a waiver to South Korea, among other nations, to continue buying Iranian oil after the U.S. left the 2015 nuclear deal.

The Trump administration canceled these exemptions in 2019, diverting payments for already-delivered oil into escrow accounts. Biden agreed to release the $6 billion South Korea owes Iran as part of a prisoner exchange in August.

The Biden administration has insisted that the $6 billion would fund only humanitarian projects, but money is fungible. Even if that money would support only infrastructure, health care, or education, it would free up funds for Tehran to send money to Hamas. Even if none of that money had been spent before Oct. 7, as the Biden administration has insisted, Tehran may have spent money elsewhere, expecting those funds to materialize.

Perhaps in response to criticism regarding the unfrozen funds, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats that the U.S. and Qatar agreed to prevent Iran from accessing the $6 billion. It remains unclear whether any of that money had made it back to Tehran, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken said none had.

Even if Tehran doesn’t receive a penny from South Korea, the Biden administration has allowed more funds to flow to Iran from other sources.

$10 Billion From Iraq

In July, Blinken signed a 120-day national security waiver allowing Iraq, which is heavily dependent on Iranian electricity, to deposit payments into non-Iraqi banks in third countries instead of into restricted accounts in Iraq, Reuters reported.

Blinken did so as Tehran ratcheted up the pressure to release Iraq’s debt to Iran, totaling at least $10 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Some of that money may be denominated in dollars because the Federal Reserve provides dollars to Iraqin order to maintain a favorable trade balance.

Iraq relies upon Iranian natural gas, and sometimes repays Tehran in oil.

The U.S. reportedly granted the waiver in order to prevent Tehran from cutting power to Iraq during the heat of the summer. U.S. officials said the funds deposited into non-Iraqi accounts still would be restricted, requiring U.S. permission for Iran to access them and only for spending on humanitarian goods.

$52.2 Billion in Extra Oil Revenues

As president, Trump imposed “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran, especially following his withdrawal from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. Yet Biden campaigned on restoring the nuclear deal with Iran and loosening the sanctions, which sent a strong signal to global markets, according to Benham Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

“Markets are real, markets work, and when you send the wrong incentives, you get a whole bunch of risk-tolerant buyers becoming more active,” Ben Taleblu told The Daily Signal in a phone interview Tuesday.

Even before Biden took office, China and other buyers began to import more oil from Iran, anticipating the loosening of U.S. restrictions. Biden didn’t repeal the laws that impose sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, but his rhetoric still brought a windfall for Iran as buyers started to “capitalize on that sentiment in the market,” Ben Taleblu said.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has undertaken fewer enforcement actions, and sanctions can atrophy when not enforced.

Ben Taleblu and his colleague Saeed Ghasseminejad (a senior Iran and financial economics adviser) estimated that Iran has sold $95 billion worth of oil since Biden entered office.

They estimated that about $32 million of that represents an excess. That number represents “the excess funds that Iran was able to generate because of relaxed or unenforced maximum pressure sanctions that legally remain on the books but de facto are not enforced,” Ben Taleblu said.

Yet that number relies on the assumption that the price of oil would have increased under Trump as it has under Biden, and that Iran would have been able to sell its oil at the market price. While it is unclear exactly how low Iran has to drop the price to convince buyers like China to purchase the oil, it stands to reason that the price of oil would have remained approximately $55 per barrel had Trump remained in office in 2021.

Had Iranian exports remained at the baseline “maximum pressure” level of 0.775 million barrels of oil per day (282.9 million per year) at $55, that translates to $15.6 billion per year, or $42.8 billion from January 2021 to October 2023.

This translates to a $52.2 billion windfall.

$3.8 Billion in Petrochemicals

As the Trump administration imposed sanctions on oil, Iran turned to the sale of petrochemicals, products derived from petroleum, to retain revenues.

Iran exported 25 million metric tons of petrochemicals and received approximately $20 billion in 2020, Reuters reported. This represented a jump over the 20 million tons Iran sold in 2019.

According to Oil & Gas Middle East, Iran sold 27.6 million tons between March 21, 2022, and March 20, 2023, which translates to approximately $22 billion during that time. That represented a 6% increase from the previous year, which means Iran sold approximately 26 million tons that year, which translates to approximately $20.8 billion.

Assuming Iran has netted another $11 billion from petrochemical sales in the past six months, the Islamist regime has received approximately $53.8 billion since March 2021. This represents a $3.8 billion increase over the $50 billion Iran would have received from petrochemical exports had the rate stayed the same since 2020.

$1.6 Billion in Steel

Iran exported 5.88 million metric tons of steel between March 21, 2019, and Jan. 20, 2020, Iran reported in 2020. This translates to an annual rate of 7 million tons. In calendar year 2018, Iran exported 9.2 million tons at a value of $4.2 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iran’s steel industry, which the Biden administration hasn’t enforced.

According to a May report from the Iranian Steel & Iron Ore Market Conference & Expo, Tehran expects to export 14 million tons of steel between March 21, 2023, and March 21, 2024, about 4 million tons more than the approximately 10 million exported between March 2022 and March 2023.

Yet Iran exported only 4.2 million tons of steel from March 2021 to March 2022, an Iranian steel producer reported.

If Iran remained on track to export 14 million tons by March 2024, it would have exported 7 million tons through the end of September, totaling 21 million tons since March 2021. That translates to $9.597 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration. If Iran exported steel between March 2021 and September 2023 at the same rate as it did between March 2019 and March 2020, it would have exported 17.5 million tons. That translates to approximately $8 billion, meaning that Iran received approximately $1.6 billion more under Biden than it might have under Trump.

$3.42 Billion in Special Drawing Rights

The International Monetary Fund created special drawing rights to supplement the official reserves of member countries. Countries may use these rights to infuse cash into their economies.

In August 2021, the IMF sent $3.42 billion to Iran in special drawing rights. According to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, the Biden administration had the authority oppose this allocation and did not do so. U.S. law mandates that the IMF’s American executive director oppose allocating any funds to a state sponsor of terror.

Mohammed Reza Farzin, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, and his deputy for international affairs, Mohsen Karimi, said during a May 30 meeting with IMF officials that Tehran had access to $6.7 billion worth of special drawing rights, which Iran could use promptly to help meet the country’s “economic needs.”

Although it remains unclear how much money in special drawing rights Tehran has accessed, the Biden administration has the power to block such moves.

“While there are unconventional ways for Iran to use its [special drawing right]s, for example as collateral to get a line of credit from an IMF member country, I do not assess that this has happened at this point but there is little doubt Iran is seeking ways to do that,” the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ Ghasseminejad told The Daily Signal in a statement Wednesday.

Toby Dershowitz, senior vice president of government relations at the foundation, noted that the Financial Action Task Force “sets standards for anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism.” Iran remains on the task force’s blacklist, he noted.

“It would be deeply concerning should the IMF to permit a global terror financier known also for its financial corruption, to access SDRs until it ceases its malign conduct,” Dershowitz added.

Other Funds Iran May Try to Access

Other countries still owe Iran for oil purchased in 2018. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Japan in August and urged Tokyo to release the $3 billion owed to Tehran. It remains unclear how much other countries still owe Iran.

Last week, Biden warned Iran to “be careful” amid Israel’s war with Hamas. The Biden administration has a plethora of options to crack down on Tehran after Iran’s proxy attacked Israel.

The administration’s previous record already has translated to an extra $42 billion flowing to Iran’s ruling mullahs.

Neither the Biden White House nor the State Department nor the Treasury Department responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by publication time.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com, and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

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The Bible and Archaeology

Biblical Archaeology: Factual Evidence to Support the Historicity of the Bible

Article ID: DA111 | By: Paul L. Maier

This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 27, number 2 (2004). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org

Archaeological finds that contradict the contentions of biblical minimalists and other revisionists have been listed above. There are many more, however, that corroborate biblical evidence, and the following list provides only the most significant discoveries:

The Existence of Hittites. Genesis 23 reports that Abraham buried Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah, which he purchased from Ephron the Hittite. Second Samuel 11 tells of David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. A century ago the Hittites were unknown outside of the Old Testament, and critics claimed that they were a figment of biblical imagination. In 1906, however, archaeologists digging east of Ankara, Turkey, discovered the ruins of Hattusas, the ancient Hittite capital at what is today called Boghazkoy, as well as its vast collection of Hittite historical records, which showed an empire flourishing in the mid-second millennium BC. This critical challenge, among many others, was immediately proved worthless — a pattern that would often be repeated in the decades to come.

The Merneptah Stele. A seven-foot slab engraved with hieroglyphics, also called the Israel Stele, boasts of the Egyptian pharaoh’s conquest of Libyans and peoples in Palestine, including the Israelites: “Israel — his seed is not.” This is the earliest reference to Israel in nonbiblical sources and demonstrates that, as of c. 1230 BC, the Hebrews were already living in the Promised Land.

Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. In addition to Jericho, places such as Haran, Hazor, Dan, Megiddo, Shechem, Samaria, Shiloh, Gezer, Gibeah, Beth Shemesh, Beth Shean, Beersheba, Lachish, and many other urban sites have been excavated, quite apart from such larger and obvious locations as Jerusalem or Babylon. Such geographical markers are extremely significant in demonstrating that fact, not fantasy, is intended in the Old Testament historical narratives; otherwise, the specificity regarding these urban sites would have been replaced by “Once upon a time” narratives with only hazy geographical parameters, if any.

Israel’s enemies in the Hebrew Bible likewise are not contrived but solidly historical. Among the most dangerous of these were the Philistines, the people after whom Palestine itself would be named. Their earliest depiction is on the Temple of Rameses III at Thebes, c. 1150 BC, as “peoples of the sea” who invaded the Delta area and later the coastal plain of Canaan. The Pentapolis (five cities) they established — namely Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gaza, Gath, and Ekron — have all been excavated, at least in part, and some remain cities to this day. Such precise urban evidence measures favorably when compared with the geographical sites claimed in the holy books of other religious systems, which often have no basis whatever in reality.10

Shishak’s Invasion of Judah. First Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 12 tell of Pharaoh Shishak’s conquest of Judah in the fifth year of the reign of King Rehoboam, the brainless son of Solomon, and how Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem was robbed of its treasures on that occasion. This victory is also commemorated in hieroglyphic wall carvings on the Temple of Amon at Thebes.

The Moabite Stone. Second Kings 3 reports that Mesha, the king of Moab, rebelled against the king of Israel following the death of Ahab. A three-foot stone slab, also called the Mesha Stele, confirms the revolt by claiming triumph over Ahab’s family, c. 850 BC, and that Israel had “perished forever.”

Obelisk of Shalmaneser III. In 2 Kings 9–10, Jehu is mentioned as King of Israel (841–814 BC). That the growing power of Assyria was already encroaching on the northern kings prior to their ultimate conquest in 722 BC is demonstrated by a six-and-a-half-foot black obelisk discovered in the ruins of the palace at Nimrud in 1846. On it, Jehu is shown kneeling before Shalmaneser III and offering tribute to the Assyrian king, the only relief we have to date of a Hebrew monarch.

Burial Plaque of King Uzziah. Down in Judah, King Uzziah ruled from 792 to 740 BC, a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah. Like Solomon, he began well and ended badly. In 2 Chronicles 26 his sin is recorded, which resulted in his being struck with leprosy later in life. When Uzziah died, he was interred in a “field of burial that belonged to the kings.” His stone burial plaque has been discovered on the Mount of Olives, and it reads: “Here, the bones of Uzziah, King of Judah, were brought. Do not open.”

Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. King Hezekiah of Judah ruled from 721 to 686 BC. Fearing a siege by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, Hezekiah preserved Jerusalem’s water supply by cutting a tunnel through 1,750 feet of solid rock from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam inside the city walls (2 Kings 20; 2 Chron. 32). At the Siloam end of the tunnel, an inscription, presently in the archaeological museum at Istanbul, Turkey, celebrates this remarkable accomplishment. The tunnel is probably the only biblical site that has not changed its appearance in 2,700 years.

The Sennacherib Prism. After having conquered the 10 northern tribes of Israel, the Assyrians moved southward to do the same to Judah (2 Kings 18–19). The prophet Isaiah, however, told Hezekiah that God would protect Judah and Jerusalem against Sennacherib (2 Chron. 32; Isa. 36–37). Assyrian records virtually confirm this. The cuneiform on a hexagonal, 15-inch baked clay prism found at the Assyrian capital of Nineveh describes Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 BC in which it claims that the Assyrian king shut Hezekiah inside Jerusalem “like a caged bird.” Like the biblical record, however, it does not state that he conquered Jerusalem, which the prism certainly would have done had this been the case. The Assyrians, in fact, bypassed Jerusalem on their way to Egypt, and the city would not fall until the time of Nebuchadnezzar and the Neo-Babylonians in 586 BC. Sennacherib himself returned to Nineveh where his own sons murdered him.

The Cylinder of Cyrus the Great. Second Chronicles 36:23 and Ezra 1 report that Cyrus the Great of Persia, after conquering Babylon, permitted Jews in the Babylonian Captivity to return to their homeland. Isaiah had even prophesied this (Isa. 44:28). This tolerant policy of the founder of the Persian Empire is borne out by the discovery of a nine-inch clay cylinder found at Babylon from the time of its conquest, 539 BC, which reports Cyrus’s victory and his subsequent policy of permitting Babylonian captives to return to their homes and even rebuild their temples.

So it goes. This list of correlations between Old Testament texts and the hard evidence of Near Eastern archaeology could easily be tripled in length. When it comes to the intertestamental and New Testament eras, as we might expect, the needle on the gauge of positive correlations simply goes off the scale.

To use terms such as “false testament” for the Hebrew Bible and to vaporize its earlier personalities into nonexistence accordingly has no justification whatever in terms of the mass of geographical, archaeological, and historical evidence that correlates so admirably with Scripture.

notes

1. Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts (New York: The Free Press, 2001).

2. Daniel Lazare, “False Testament: Archaeology Refutes the Bible’s Claim to History,” Harper’s, March 2002, 39–47.

3. Ibid., 40.

4. See Kenneth Kitchen, “The Patriarchal Age: Myth or History?” Biblical Archaeology Review(hereafter BAR), March/April 1995, 48ff.

5. A considerable, and growing, body of literature exists on the Hebrews in Egypt, the role of Joseph, the pharaoh who befriended him, the Hyksos, the pharaoh of the Oppression, the pharaoh of the Exodus, and the Exodus itself. See recent issues of Bible and Spade, especially no. 16 (Winter 2003). Joseph P. Free and Howard F. Vos, Archaeology and Bible History (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 69–105 is also helpful, as is Alfred J. Hoerth,Archaeology and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1999).

6. Kathleen M. Kenyon, Digging up Jericho (London: Ernest Benn, 1957); Excavations at Jericho, vol. 3 (London: British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, 1981).

7. Bryant G. Wood, “Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho?” BAR, March/April 1990, 44–58.

8. Lazare, 45–46.

9. Hershel Shanks, “Biran at Ninety,” BAR, September/October 1999, 44.

10. For example, in The Book of Mormon, proper names of places and people have no substantiation from outside sources.

11. William A. Dever, “Save Us from Postmodern Malarkey,” BAR, March/April 2000, 28.

12. William A. Dever, cited in Gordon Govier, “Biblical Archaeology’s Dusty Little Secret,”Christianity Today, October 2003, 38.

13. Steven Feldman, “Is the Bible a Bunch of Historical Hooey?” BAR, May/June 2002, 6.

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https://www.youtube.com/live/rQaiPuBYaNY?si=GfJc-6SNK_PEdPRL

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tuti netanyahu

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tuti netanyahu

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As a ten-year-old, Yair had befriended at school a beautiful girl named Gallila, who was an Ethiopian immigrant. One day Gallila failed to come to class. A Palestinian suicide terrorist had exploded the bus she took to school, blowing her and other innocent passengers to smithereens. Like his classmates, Yair was deeply shaken by this. I tried to comfort him, and I knew that the erection of the fence would help prevent many more such tragedies. It did. In fact the security fence and accompanying security measures worked—dramatically bringing down the number of terrorist attacks. The security barrier was presented by the Palestinian Authority and its chorus of Israel haters as an “apartheid wall.” This is utterly false. First, the barrier is not a wall. Ninety-five percent of it is a fence that could be easily removed once the threat of terror ceases. Second, it doesn’t keep peaceful Palestinians out. Some fifty passages enable more than 150,000 Palestinian workers to cross daily into Israel’s cities to earn a living and help the Palestinian economy. THOSE FALSELY ACCUSING Israel of apartheid, especially radicals on US college campuses, deliberately ignore the fact that it is the Palestinian Authority that openly and unabashedly practices apartheid. It will not allow even one Jew to live in a future “Judenfrei” (Jew-free) Palestinian state. Scandalously, the Palestinian Authority makes it a crime punishable by death to sell property to Jews and has carried out scores of extrajudicial executions of Palestinians accused of doing so. By contrast, Israel’s Arab citizens can go anywhere they want, live anywhere they want, buy whatever properties they want and live their lives with the same freedoms enjoyed by the rest of the population.

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By EMANUEL FABIAN 14 Oct 2023, 8:08 pm 0
Hamas roadblocks set up in Gaza on October 14, 2023, according to the IDF. (IDF)

Hamas roadblocks set up in Gaza on October 14, 2023, according to the IDF. (IDF)

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The Brook Kidron and Hezekiah’s Tunnel

2 Kings 20v20 states that Hezekiah ‘Made the Pool and the conduit and brought water into the city’

and in 2 Chronicles 32v30 that he closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the West side of the City of David.

This refers to the tunnel which connects the ‘Spring of Gihon’, through the rock to the reservoir called the Pool of Siloam.

It was found in 1838 when it was explored by the American traveller, Edward Robinson, and his missionary friend Eli Smith.

They first attempted to crawl through the tunnel from the Siloam end but found that they were not suitably dressed to crawl through the narrow passage. Three days later and dressed in only a wide pair of Arab drawers, they entered the tunnel from the ‘Spring of Gihon’. And advanced much of the way on their hands and knees and sometimes flat on their stomachs, they went the full distance.

They measured the tunnel and found it to be 1750 ft in length. The tunnel was full of twists and turns. The straight line distance from the Spring of Gihon to the Pool of Siloam is only 762 ft, less than half the length of the tunnel.

In 1867 Captain Charles Warren also explored the tunnel. He also excavated ‘Warren’s Shaft. which was the earlier tunnel through which the people of Jerusalem were able to obtain water.

In 1880 a boy, in the tunnel noticed an inscription on the walls and reported it to his school teacher Herr Conrad Schick who made the information available to schollars. It was written in old Hebrew (Canaanite), and said “..when (the tunnel) was driven through, while ….were still…..axes. Each man towards his fellow, and while there were still three cubits to be cut through there was heard the voice of a man calling to his fellow for there was an overlap in the rock on the right. And when the tunnel was driven through, the quarrymen hewed each man towards his fellow, axe against axe, and the water flowed from the spring towards the reservoir for 1200 cubits’.(Ancient Near Eastern Text). In 1890 a vandal entered the tunnel and cut the inscription out of the rock, and it was found, later, in several pieces, in the possession of a Greek in Jerusalem who had bought it off an Arab. At least two other conduits were built from the Spring of Gihon into Jerusalem before the Siloam Tunnel.

There had been a tunnel at that place since David’s time, and possibly before the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, because when David wanted the City as his capital city, the Bible records that it was still in the possession of a tribe of Canaanites called the Jebusites, and David conquered the city from the Jebusites by taking his soldiers from the Spring, through the tunnel, under the walls and into the Jebusite City.

The Gihon Spring is not at the bottom of the valley but is on the Western slope, from the City walls down to the Brook Kidron. (The water comes out of the limestone a little way up the valley slope). This seems to suggest that there is an underground, natural watercourse which collects the rainwater which falls on Mount Moriah (Jerusalem), travels under the City, errupts at the spring Gihon, in the valley of Kidron, only to be taken back into the City through both the ancient and Hezekiah’s tunnel.

There are deep wells within the City, (Captain Warren had to block one of these off, for safety reasons, when he was excavating Hezekiah’s tunnel). These wells could have been one of the reasons why Jerusalem was built there in the first place, way back in antiquity.

Hezekiah’s works were two-fold.
1. To improve the access to the water from the Gihon.
2. To hide the spring Gihon from attackers.

Before Hezekiah, the people in Jerusalem used to walk about 30 yards to a shaft where they lifted up the water using a bucket. (see the OPHEL diagram).

Jerusalem is on a hill and the Siloam Pool is on the lower slope of the hill and is lower than the Gihon Spring.


This picture shows the elevation of Hezekiah’s Tunnel and Warren’s Shaft in relation to the Gihon Spring and the Pool at Siloam.
See this site
Hezekiahs Tunnel

Some accounts say that Edward Robinson discovered Hezehiah’s Tunnel in 1838.
Some accounts say that Sir Charles Warren found Hezekiah’s Tunnel in 1867.
There are THREE known tunnels from the Spring Gihon, and a very good, and scollarly account, which questions whether the tunnel was built by Hezekiah at all, is given at this site
The Biblical Archaeologist
In 1880, a boy found the ‘Siloam Inscription’ in the tunnel entrance to Hezekiah’s tunnel.

This photo of the Pool of Hezekiah was taken in approx 1937

This shows Hexzekiah’s tunnel at the Siloam Exit in 1937

This photo was taken in approx 1890 and shows the Pool of Siloam before the tunnel was discovered.

This shows the Pool of Siloam. The Bible gives the dimensions as 55ft square. In 1937 it measured18ft wide, 53 ft long and 19ft deep. The opening of the tunnel can be seen on the left. Its original height was increased by cutting done in the fifth century AD

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Plan of Hezekiah’s Tunnel (165K)

The ‘Companion Bible’ has this account

If, as it has been confidently asserted, the Spring Gihon (or the Fount of the Virgin) is the only spring in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, then it would have been the one that was used by people before King David conquered the City from the Jebusites. That the Jebusies had access to this well or spring from within their walls is clear, but in the end it proved their undoing, for David’s men obtained possession of Jerusalem, (then called Jebus), by means of the ‘Zinnor’, (AV = gutter) i.e. the channel and shaft leading from the well to the City. The spring is intermittent, overflowing periodically, thus pointing to the existence of either a natural chasm or reservoir, or a man-made reservoir (made in antiquity), whose site is unknown. Possibly it is under mount Moriah itself. Tradition has much to say about a deep well within an unfailing water supply beneath the Temple area. It could have been one of the chief reasons why the City was built in that place originally. Somehow this well must have been forgotten and the people had to rely upon the Spring Gihon.

Before the time of Hezekiah, the City of David was dependant upon this source for its water supply in times of danger threatened from without in the same manner that the Jebusites were. The Jebusites were descended from Ophel by means of rock hewn passages with steps and slopes (still in existence) till they reached the top of ‘Warren’s Shaft’, and by means of buckets drew their water from the unfailing well spring some 40 to 50 feet below. At the top of this shaft is still to be seen the iron ring employed for this purpose.

Warrens Shaft


Elevation of ‘Warren’s Shaft’ (147K)

The rock hewn conduit and tunnel discovered by Sir Charles Warren in 1867 conveyed the overflow water from the Spring to the Pool of Siloam. (Before Hezekiah’s time the overflow wate rmust have escaped from the Virgin’s fountain at a lower level than is now possible and flowed out and down the lower end of the Kidron Valley, past the King’s Garden, possibly being the feeder for Joab’s Well.)

Hezekiah, before the Assyrian invasion in 603 BC constructed the tunnel and brought the water from Gihon to a new pool that he had made for the purpose. (2 Kings 20v20). This pool henseforth became known as the King’s Pool (Neh 2v14). When the Assyrian Army approached, Hezekiah stopped the waters from the fountains that were without the City (he concealed their extra mural approaches and outlets.

The ‘Siloam Inscription’ discovered in 1880 on a stone on the right wall of the tunnel about 20ft from its exit into the Pool of Siloam is undoubtedly the work of Hezekiah. An interesting fact with regard to its inscription is that it giveds the length of the conduit in cubits which being compared to the modern measurement in English feet yield a cubit of 17½ inches.

Sir Charles Warren wrote “It is impossible that any of the plans of the aqueduct can be rigidly correct because the roof is so low that your head is horizontal in looking at the compass so that you can only squint at it. It is necessary to remember this warning coming from such a source. Never-the -less the figures as above shown are highly interesting.”

The Siloam Inscription is graven in ancient Hebrew characters similar to those of the Moabite Stone on occupies six lines the translation of which is given below.

Line 1. [Behold] the excavation. Now is the history of the breaking through. While the workmen were still lifting up

Line 2. The pickaxe, each towards his neighbour, and while three cubits still remained to [cut through, each heard] the voice of the other calling.

Line 3. To his neighbour, for there was an excess (or cleft) in the rock on the right.And on the day of the

Line 4. Breaking through the excavators struck, each to meet the other, pickaxe against pickaxe, and their flowed

Line 5. The waters from the spring to the pool over [a space of] one thousand and two hundred cubits. And…

Line 6. Of a cubit was the height of the rock above the heads of the excavators.

The Zondervan Pictoral Bible Dictionary has this

Through the Kidron Valley ran a winter torrent but was dry much of the year. The earliest knowledge of the tunnel dates from 1838 when it was explored by the American traveler and scholar Edward Robinson.and his missionary friend Eli Smith. They first attemped to crawl through the tunnel from the Siloam End but found that they were nt suitably dressed to crawl through the passages. Three days later dressed only in a wide pair of Arab drawers they entered the tunnel from the spring of Gihon and advancing much of the way on their hands and knees and sometimes flat on their stomachs they went the full distance. They measured the tunnel and found it to be 1750ft in length.

The tunnel is full of twists and turns. The straight-line distance from the Spring Gihon to the Pool of Siloam is only 762 feet, less than half the length of the tunnel. Why it follows such a circuitous route has never been adequately explained. Grollenberg suggests that it may have been “to avoid at all costs any interference with the royal tombs, which were quite deeply hewn into the rock on the eastern slope of Ophel” (Atlas of the Bible, New York: Nelson, 1956, p. 93).

In 1867 Captain Charles Warren also explored the tunnel, but neither he nor Robinson and Smith before him, noticed the inscription on the wall of the tunnel near the Siloam end. This was discovered in 1880 by a native boy who, while wading in the tunnel, slipped and fell into the water. When he looked up he noticed the inscription. The boy reported his discovery to his teacher, Herr Conrad Schick, who made the information available to scholars. The inscription was deciphered by A. H.

Sayce, with the help of others. It consists of six lines written in Old Hebrew (Canaanite) with prong-like characters. The first half of the inscription is missing, but what remains reads as follows:

“[… when] (the tunnel) was driven through: while [ . . . ] (were) still [ . . . ] axe(s), each man toward his fellow, and while there were still three cubits to be cut through, [there was heard] the voice of a man calling to his fellow, for there was an overlap in the rock on the right [and on the left]. And when the tunnel was driven through, the quarrymen hewed (the rock), each man toward his fellow, axe against axe; and the water flowed from the spring toward the reservoir for 1,200 cubits, and the height of the rock above the head(s) of the quarrymen was 100 cubits”

(Ancient Near Eastern Texts ed. James B. Prichard, Princeton ‘1 University Press, 1955, p. 321).

In 1890 a vandal entered the tunnel and cut the inscription out of the rock. It was subsequently found in several pieces in the possession of a Greek in Jerusalem who claimed he had purchased it from an Arab. The Turkish officials seized the pieces and removed them to Istanbul where they are today.

The Siloam tunnel was not the only conduit which had been built to bring water from the Spring of Gihon into Jerusalem. At least two others preceded it, but neither was adequately protected against enemy attack. It was probably to one of these former conduits that Isaiah referred in the words, “the waters of Shiloah that flow gently” (Isa. 8:6).

The New Bible Dictionary has this

SILOAM. One of the principal sources of water supply to Jerusalem was the intermittent pool of Gihon (‘Virgin’s Fountain’) below the Fountain Gate (Ne. iii. 15) and ESE of the city. It fed water along an open canal, which flowed slowly along the south-eastern slopes, called Siloah (Is. viii. 6). It followed the line of the later ‘second aqueduct’ which fell only ~ inch in 300 yards, discharging into the Lower or Old Pool (mod. Birket ei~!5Iamra) at the end of the central valley between the walls of the south-eastern and south-western hills. It thus ran below ‘the svall of the pool of Shiloah’ (Ne. iii. 15) and watered the ‘king’s garden’ on the adjacent slopes.

This Old Pool was probably the ‘Pool of Siloam’ in use in New Testament times for sick persons and others to wash (Jn. ix. 7—il). The ‘Tower of Siloam’ which fell and killed eighteen persons – a disaster well known in our Lord’s day (Lk. xiii. 4)—was probably sited on the Ophel ridge above the pool which, according to Josephus (BJ v. 4. 1), was near the bend of the old wall below Ophlas (Ophel). According to the Talmud (Sukkoth iv. 9), water was drawn from Siloam’s Pooi in a golden vessel to be carried in procession to the Temple on the Feast of Tabernacles. Though there are traces of a Herodian bath and open reservoir (about 58 feet x 18 feet, originally 71 feet x 71 feet with steps on the west side), there can be no certainty that this was the actual pool in question. It has been suggested that the part of the city round the Upper Pool (‘Am Silwdn) 100 yards above was called ‘Siloam’, the Lower being the King’s Pool (Ne. ii. 14) or Lower Gihon.

When Hezekiah was faced with the threat of invasion by the Assyrian army under Sennacherib he ‘stopped all the fountains’, that is, all the rivulets and subsidiary canals leading down into the Kedron ‘brook that ran through the midst of the land’ (2 Ch. xxxii. 4). Traces of canals blocked at about this time were found by the Parker Mission. The king then diverted the upper Gihon waters through a ‘conduit’ or tunnel into an upper cistern or pool (the normal method of storing water) on the west side of the city of David (2 Ki. xx. 20). Ben Sira tells how ‘Hezekiah fortified his city and brought the water into its midst; he pierced the rock with iron and enclosed the pool with mountains’ (Ecclus. xlviii. 17—19). Hezekiah clearly defended the new source of supply with a rampart (2 Ch. xxxii. 30). The digging of the reservoir may be referred to by Isaiah (xxii. 11).

In 1880 bathers in the upper pool (also called hirket siht’dn) found the entrance to a tunnel and about 15 feet inside a cursive Hebrew inscription, now in Istanbul, which reads:

” was being dug out. It was cut in the following manner . . . axes, each man towards his fellow, and while there were still three cubits to be cut through, the voice of one man calling to the other was heard, showing that he was deviating to the right. When the tunnel was driven through, the excavators met man to man, axe to axe, and the water flowed for 1,200 cubits from the spring to the reservoir. The height of the rock above the heads of the excavators was 100 cubits’ .

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(The Bible as History romances this story but gives an eye witness account of walking through the tunnel. It says…

Two Arab boys were playing there, one of them fell in. Paddling for all he was worth he landed on the other side where a rock wall rose above the pool. Suddenly it was pitch black all round him. He groped about anxiously and discovered a small passage. The name of the Arab boy was forgotten but not his story. It was followed up and a long underground tunnel was discovered. A narrow passage about 2ft wide and barely 5ft high had been cut through the limestone. It can only be negotiated with rubber boots and a slight stoop. Water, knee deep rushes to meet you. For about 500 yards the passage winds imperceptibly uphill. It ends at the Virgin’s fountain, Jerusalem’s Water supply since ancient times. In Biblical days it was called ‘The Fountain of Gihon’. As experts were examining the passage they noticed by the light of their torches old Hebrew letter on the wall. The inscription which was scratched on the rock only a few paces from the entrance at the pool of Siloam reads as follows….”The boring through is completed and this is the story of the boring. While yet they plied the pick each towards his fellow and while yet there were three cubits to be bored through there was heard the voice of one calling to the other that there was a hole in the rock on the right hand and on the left hand, And on the day of the boring the workers in the tunnel struck each to meet his fellow, pick upon pick. Then the water poured from the source to the pool twelve hundred cubits and a hundred cubits was the height of the rock above the heads of the workers in the tunnel.”

The Turkish Government had the inscription prized out before the First World War. It is now exhibited in the museum at Istanbul.

During a siege the number one problem is that of drinking water. The founders of Jerusalem, the Jebusites, had sunk a shaft through the rock to the Fountain of Gihon. Hezehiah directed its water, which would have otherwise flowed into the Kidron Valley through the mountain to the west side of the City. The Pool of Siloam lies inside the second perimeter wall which he constructed.

There was no time to lose. Assyrian troops could be at the gates of Jerusalem overnight. The workmen therefore tackled the tunnel from both ends. The marks of the pickaxes point to each other as the inscription describes.

Oddly enough the canal takes an ‘S’ shaped course through the rock. Why did the workmen not dig this underground tunnel the shortest way to meet each other, that is in a straight line. The wretched job would have been finished quicker. 700ft of hard work would have been saved out of a total of 1700ft.

Locally there is an old story which has been handed down which claims to explain why they had to go the long way round. Deep in the rock between the spring and the pool are supposed to lie the graves of David and Solomon. Archaeologists took this remarkable piece of folk-law seriously and systematically tapped the walls of the narrow damp tunnel. They sank shafts into the rock from the summit, but they found nothing.

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When this remarkable Judean engineering feat was excavated the marks of the picks and deviations to effect a junction midway were traced. The tunnel traverses 1,777 feet (others 1,749 feet), twisting to avoid constructions or rock faults or to follow a fissure, to cover a direct line of 1,090 feet. It is about 6 feet high and in parts only 20 inches wide. It has been suggested that this or a similar tunnel was the gutter (sjnndr) up which David’s men climbed to capture the Jebusite city (2 Sa. v. 8). Modern buildings prevent any archaeological check that the upper pool is the ‘reservoir’ (bereicd) of Hezekiah or that from this the waters overflowed direct to the lower pool.

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The New Bible dictionary has this…

Below the southern wall, in the bill opposite the village of Silwan (Siloam) where the old Jebusite stronghold stood that afterwards became the city of David, the famous Siloam inscription was found cut in Hebraic characters of the time of King Hezekiah on the rocky side of the water channel made by this monarch, when he “turned the upper water course of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David” The piece of rock bearing this inscription has recently been removed and broken, but was fortunately recovered, and now rests in the Ottoman Museum at Constantinople. Another inscription of almost equal importance was found at the north-west corner of the Haram enclosure, on a tablet that formerly served as a notice forbidding strangers to enter the Temple Courts on pain of death. Built in the wall over the Double Gate on the south side of the Temple Area, is a Latin inscription that originally belonged to a statue of Hadrian. On this, the south side of the city, but further west, below Neby Daud, where excavations are being carried on at the present time, old Jebusite houses have been brought to light. Other work is in contemplation that will probably settle the position of the city of David and open the tombs of the Kings of Judah.

The Kidron is the only stream of water in Jerusalem the people of Jerusalem ever see without setting out on a day’s journey. It appears at rare intervals of one or two years, and then only after a plentiful supply of rain. As soon as the water begins to flow the news spreads over the City and men women and children flock to see it, In their anxiety to see most of the wonder they picnic there all day long and hold a general holiday.

It now runs only from ‘Bir Eyub’ (Job’s Well) when this overflows; but in the days of old, when Hezekiah was King, and compelled to keep constant watch over his Assyrian enemy, Sennacherib, it ran all down the valley from Ain Umm ed Deraj (Spring of the Mother of Steps), the Virgin’s Fountain, and was known as ‘the brook that overflowed in the midst of the land’. (2 Chron 32v4).

Its course was, however, perverted by the primitive Jewish Engineers in order to provide for the wants of the City, and cut off the water supply of the besieging army. (see 2 Chron 32v30).

“The same Hezekiah also stopped up the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the City of David”.

The channels that were made for this purpose have since been found and one contained the famous Siloam inscription, one of the most valuable and interesting ever discovered. It has lately been removed and broken but a photograph of a squeeze with a translation is sold by the Palestine Exploration Fund. This practically settles the site of the ‘City of David’. ‘the stronghold of Zion’, the hill above the spring through which these channels were cut from the Virgin’s Fountain, (the upper watercourse of Gihon).in the Kedron Valley.on the East to the ‘King’s Pool.’ ‘The Pool of Hezekiah’ now the ‘Pool of Siloam’ in the Tyropean Valley on the ‘west side’.

The upper watercourse of Gihon that played such an important part in the reign of Hezekiahis an intermittent spring in the Kedron Valley below the southern wall of the City. It is now known to Europeans as the ‘Virgin’s Fountain. And to the natives as ‘Ain Umm ed Deraj’. The peasants call it also the ‘Dragon’s Well’ because they believe a dragon lives in the bottom who swallows up the water, which can only escape when he is asleap. This spring has been a subject of many a conroversy, and is still, but has fairly proven to be the ‘Upper Watercourse of Gihon’, and is claimed by some to be ‘En Rogel’. mentioned in Joshua 15v7.and again in 18v16 as well.

“And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of Jebusi on the South and descended to En Rogel

The identification of the large stone near the ‘Virgin’s Fountain’ on the rocky side of the village of Silwan (Siloam) by M. Clermont-Gannneau now called in Arabic ‘Zehwele’ with the ‘stone of Zoheleth’ naturally assisted in identifying this as the mark of the tribal border of Judah and Benjamin.

But, unfortunately, its position does not answer the requirements of the text quoted above, “to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom to the side of Jebusi on the south.” “The end of the mountain” is lower down the valley, below the Pool of Siloam, where the Tyropeon joins the Kedron, and near to this is “Bir Eyub” (Job’s Well), “before the valley of the son of Hinnom.”

Before the water of the “upper watercourse of Gihon” was turned by the Jewish king to the Pool of Siloam (the lower pool of Gihon’), it flowed straight down the valley to Job’s Well (En Rogel), and watered the King’s gardens that lay between, where now the best vegetables are grown for the Jerusalem market.

Job’s Well (Bir Eyub), or, as it is often termed, Joab’s Well, on account of its identification as En Rogel, has never been properly examined. It was opened by the Crusaders in 1184 A.D., and during the 15th and 16th centuries was known as the well of Nehemiah. There can be no doubt that it is in some way connected with an intermittent spring, as the flow from it after heavy rains is more than enough to empty the well itself. The hillside on the east of this well has the same rocky character as that above the Virgin’s Fountain When Adonijah was making his feast (1 Kings 1v9), on being proclaimed King, the noise of the revellers was heard in the city. So Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, went to the aged King David, and told him what was taking place, reminding him at the same time of his promise of the kingdom for her son. After seeing the prophet Nathan, he said: “Cause Solomon, my son, to ride upon mine own mule and bring him down to Gihon.” He was there anointed King, and the sound of rejoicing that went through the city was heard also by Adonijah and his adherents, but a bend in the valley hid the scene from view. Soon, however, the news was carried to him that Solomon had been anointed king in Gihon. This could very easily have been the lower Gihon if the En Rogel is the “Upper Gihon,” as one is on the eastern side of the hill, and the other on the “west side.”

(See 1 Kings 1.)

The most reasonable conclusion to be drawn is that Bir Eyub is En Rogel, and the spring further up the valley, Virgin’s Fountain, is the upper watercourse of Gihon, The pool on the “west side” of the hill, that separates the Kedron Valley from the Tyropeon, is the lower pool of Gihon, the pool of Hezekiah,’ “King’s Pool” (of Nehemiah), and the pooi of Siloam, in the time of our Saviour.

See (Joshua 15. 7 and 17v16, 2 Chron. 17v4-30, I. Kings 1)

The Brook Kedron (2 Sam. 15v23, 1. Kings 15v13, 2 Kings 23v6, 2. Chron. 29v16, Jer. 31v40, John 18v1)

is now a dry torrent bed, except what is seen in the picture, and that, as before mentioned, appears only once or twice in as many years. It runs along the eastern side of Jerusalem, commencing some distance to the north-east, broad and shallow at first, deepening only as it separates the city from the slope of the Mount of Olives. Between the south-east corner and the village of Silwan (Siloam) it becomes a deep ravine, widening out again towards the Virgin’s Fountain (Mn Umm ed Deraj) into the King’s gardens, where it is joined, after passing the Pool of Siloam on the west, by the Valley of Hinnom, close to Bir Eyub, and afterwards pursues its course towards the wilderness of the Dead Sea, as Wady en Nar, i.e., the Valley of Fire.

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The Bible and Archaeology – Is the Bible from God? (Kyle Butt 42 min)

You want some evidence that indicates that the Bible is true? Here is a good place to start and that is taking a closer look at the archaeology of the Old Testament times. Is the Bible historically accurate? Here are some of the posts I have done in the past on the subject: 1. The Babylonian Chronicle, of Nebuchadnezzars Siege of Jerusalem, 2. Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. 3. Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism), 4. Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. 5. The Discovery of the Hittites, 6.Shishak Smiting His Captives, 7. Moabite Stone, 8. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9A Verification of places in Gospel of John and Book of Acts., 9B Discovery of Ebla Tablets. 10. Cyrus Cylinder, 11. Puru “The lot of Yahali” 9th Century B.C.E., 12. The Uzziah Tablet Inscription, 13. The Pilate Inscription, 14. Caiaphas Ossuary, 14 B Pontius Pilate Part 2, 14c. Three greatest American Archaeologists moved to accept Bible’s accuracy through archaeology., 

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REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 29 BIBI NOTED “as the prime minister of Israel I will not endanger over three thousand years of the Jewish people’s struggle for a place among the nations by capitulating to conditions that would endanger the one and only Jewish state.”  (Plus 60 MINUTES interview tonight with Joe Biden)

October 15, 2023 – 8:08 pm

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In the earlier post entitled:

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 24 BIBI LOSES HIS TEMPER WITH ALBRIGHT

BIBI NOTED “as the prime minister of Israel I will not endanger over three thousand years of the Jewish people’s struggle for a place among the nations by capitulating to conditions that would endanger the one and only Jewish state.”

Contrast this with President Biden’s ideas today on 60 MINUTES!!!

President Joe Biden: The 2023 60 Minutes interview transcript

60-minutes

BY SCOTT PELLEY

/ CBS NEWS

Rarely does a president confront so much peril; the catastrophe in Israel—the war in Ukraine—and no help from a paralyzed Congress. Late Thursday, we met President Biden at the White House. It had been a rough week and we could see it on him. Mr. Biden will be 81 next month. And he has said that when he’s tired, his life-long stutter can creep back in. But he wedged us into his schedule to express his commitment to Israel after the massacre of more than 1,000 civilians eight days ago. Twenty nine Americans were killed. Fifteen are missing—and at least a small number of them are known to have been taken hostage. In a video call on Friday, Mr. Biden had this message for Americans in Israel whose loved ones have vanished.

: President Biden: I’m saying we’re gonna do everything in our power to find those who are still alive and set them free. Everything in our power. And– I’m not gonna go into the detail of that, but there’s– we’re workin’ like hell on it.

Scott Pelley: Why do you feel so strongly about speaking to these families personally on Zoom?

President Biden: Because I think they have to know that the president of the United States of America cares deeply about what’s happening. Deeply. We have to communicate to the world this is critical. this is not even hum– human behavior. It’s– it– it– it’s– it’s– it’s pure barbarism. And we’re gonna do everything in our power to get them home if we can find them.

Friday’s hour-long call with 14 families included a father who told us the president answered desperate pleas with empathy and patience.

Scott Pelley: Is getting the American hostages back safely among your highest priorities now?

image0-1.jpg
President Joe Biden participates in a zoom call with relatives of American citizens who are being held hostage or missing in the Israeli Hamas conflict Friday, October 13, 2023, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)ADAM SCHULTZ

President Biden: Of course, it is. But it’s hard to– hard to make distinctions. It’s– most important thing is ending this brutality and to hold those who committed it accountable.

To confront the ‘brutality,’ Mr. Biden ordered two aircraft carriers plus cruisers and destroyers to the region. There are about 900 U.S. troops in Syria–on a counterterrorism mission since 2015.

Scott Pelley: Can you foresee U.S. troops in combat in this new Middle East war?

President Biden: I– I don’t think that’s necessary. Israel has one of the finest fighting forces in the country. I guarantee we’re gonna provide them everything they need.

Scott Pelley: Because of what we’re seeing in the Middle East, is the threat of terrorism in the United States increased?

President Biden: Yes. I had a meeting this morning with the Homeland Security people, with the FBI, with– for the Situation Room, for the better part of an hour to discuss how we make sure that we prevent a lone wolf and/or any cohi– coordinated effort to try to do what was done in synagogues before, do what was done to Jews in the street. we’re making a major effort to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Saturday, October 7th, has been called Israel’s 9/11. More than 1,000 Hamas terrorists from Gaza smashed through a border wall to commit mass murder–families in their homes, crowds at a concert, people in the street.

Israel is striking back with the largest bombardment of Gaza ever. More than 2,000 have been killed by Gaza’s count.

Scott Pelley: Certainly, about 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed in the initial attack, but now Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians are being killed in the counterattack. Is it time for a ceasefire?

President Biden: Look, there’s a fundamental difference. Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust. And– so I think Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They’re hiding behind the civilians. They put their of—their—their—their headquarters where civilians are and buildings and the like. But to the extent they can separate out and avoi—I’m conf– the Israelis are gonna do everything in their power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians.

Hamas is an Islamist terrorist group and the government of Gaza. Gaza is 25 miles long and averages 5 miles wide. Israel severely limits its economy so most Gazans are destitute. Now, Israel has cut off food, fuel, electricity and most water, and has ordered 1 million Gazans to evacuate to the southern half of Gaza. The U.N. warns of a humanitarian disaster.

Scott Pelley: There are about 2 million people in Gaza, as you know, Mr. President, 2 million people trapped. About half of them are children. Are you asking Israel to establish a humanitarian corridor in that area or get humanitarian supplies into it?

President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden60 MINUTES

President Biden: Yes, our team is talkin’ to ’em about that. And– whether there could be a safe zone. We’re also talking to Egyptians– whether there is an outlet to get these children and– and women out— into—out of that a that area at this moment. But it’s– it’s c– hard.

Scott Pelley: You would like to see a humanitarian corridor that allows some of the 2 million Gazans out of the area?

President Biden: Yes.

Scott Pelley: You would like to see humanitarian supplies brought into Gaza?

President Biden: Yes.

Scott Pelley: So you do not agree with the Israeli total siege of the Gaza Strip?

President Biden: I’m confident that Israel is going to act under the measure– the– the rules of war. There– there’s– standards that democratic institutions and countries w– go– go by. And so– I’m– I– I’m confident that there’s gonna be an ability for the innocents in Gaza to be able to have access to medicine and food and water.

Scott Pelley: Would you support Israeli occupation of Gaza at this point?

President Biden: I think it’d be a big mistake. Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that…It would be a mistake to…for Israel to occupy…Gaza again. We…but going in but taking out the extremists the Hezbollah is up north but Hamas down south. Is a necessary requirement.

Scott Pelley: Do you believe that Hamas must be eliminated entirely?

President Biden: Yes, I do. But there needs to be a Palestinian authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.

That path, called “the two state solution,” has been U.S. policy for decades. It would create an independent nation next to Israel for 5 million Palestinians who live in Gaza and on the West Bank of the Jordan River.

Scott Pelley: And you believe Israel would pursue that after what’s occurred–

Scott Pelley speaks with President Biden
Scott Pelley speaks with President Biden at the White House60 MINUTES

President Biden: Not now. Not now. Not now, but– but I think Israel understands that a significant portion of Palestinian people do not share the views of Hamas and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is a powerful Islamist militia to Israel’s north which is armed and trained by Iran. Iran also supports Hamas.

Scott Pelley: There’s limited fighting already on the northern Israeli border, and I wonder what is your message to Hezbollah and its backer, Iran?

President Biden: Don’t. Don’t, don’t, don’t.

Scott Pelley: Don’t come across the border? Don’t escalate this war?

President Biden: That’s right.

Scott Pelley: Is Iran behind the Gaza war?

President Biden: I don’t wanna get into classified information. But to be very blunt with you, there is no clear evidence of that.

Scott Pelley: At this point, no evidence that Iran is behind any of this?

President Biden: Correct. Now, Iran constantly supports Hamas and Hezbollah. I don’t mean that. But in terms of were they– w– did they have foreknowledge; did they help plan the attack– the– there’s– there’s no evidence of that at this point.

The president is asking for billions of dollars for Israel and Ukraine. But Congress is paralyzed. Hard-right Republicans are obstructing the election of a speaker of the house.

Scott Pelley: Does the dysfunction that we’ve seen in Congress increase the danger in the world?

President Biden: Yes. Look, this is not your father’s Republican Party. Thirty percent of it’s made up of these MAGA Republicans who are maybe– democracy is something I don’t– they don’t look at the same way you and I look at democracy.

Scott Pelley: Are the wars in Israel and Ukraine more than the United States can take on at the same time?

President Biden: No. We’re the United States of America for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history– not in the world, in the history of the world. The history of the world. We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense.

Russia’s unprovoked invasion occupies nearly 20% of Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded. In an interview last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told us he could lose without U.S. aid.

Scott Pelley: How do these wars in Israel and Ukraine relate to the safety of the American people?

President Biden: Overwhelmingly, they relate. For example, in Ukraine one of my objectives was to prevent Putin, who has committed war crimes himself, who– from bein’ able to occupy an independent country that borders NATO allies and is on the Russian border. Imagine what happens now if he were able to succeed. Have you ever known a major war in Europe we didn’t get sucked into? We don’t want that to happen. We want to make sure those democracies are sustained. And Ukraine is critical in making sure that happens.

Mr. Biden told us images of October 7th reminded him of the Holocaust—which he has studied– taking his family to the Dachau death camp in Germany. This is 2015, the man in the wheelchair is a Dachau survivor. Behind Mr. Biden is the president’s granddaughter.

President Biden: I want my children and grandchildren to fully understand exactly what happened and why you couldn’t deny the carnage going on if you were living in Germany and in Europe.

Scott Pelley: Why do you feel so strongly? What does Israel mean to you?

President Biden: The Jews have been subject to abuse, prejudice, and– and– attempt to wipe them out for, oh, God, over a th– thousand years. For me, it’s about decency, respect, honor. it’s just simply wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It violates every religious principle I have and every way– and every single principle my father taught me.

As we spoke to the president, his secretary of state was in Israel, his secretary of defense was in a NATO meeting on Ukraine. America’s oldest president seemed tired from directing all of this. But he was very clear on what he stood for and how his policies, in his view, would see America through.

Scott Pelley: Mr. President, given these two wars and the dysfunction in Congress, are you sure that you want to run again?

President Biden: Yes ..because.. I’m sure. Look, when I ran, I said, “The world’s at an inflection point.” The world’s changing, but we have an opportunity to make it– so, imagine if we were able to succeed in getting the Middle East put in place where we have normalization of relations. I think we can do that. Imagine what happens if we, in fact, unite all of Europe and Putin is finally put down where he cannot cause the kind of trouble he’s been causing. We have enormous opportunities, enormous opportunities to make it a better world.

Produced by Maria Gavrilovic. Associate producers, Alex Ortiz and Katie Brennan. Broadcast associate, Michelle Karim. Edited by Sean Kelly.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-h

White House roasts ‘Squad’ Democrats for ‘repugnant’ comments after brutal Hamas murders: ‘Disgraceful’

‘Squad’ members called for US to cut off support for Israel after Hamas butchered Israeli women and children

Brandon Gillespie

By Brandon Gillespie Fox News

Published

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre turned up the heat on members of the far-left “Squad” during Tuesday’s press briefing, blasting their comments on the war between Israel and Hamas as “wrong,” “repugnant,” and “disgraceful.”

“I’ve seen some of those statements this weekend, and we’re going to continue to be very clear. We believe they’re wrong, we believe they’re repugnant, and we believe they’re disgraceful,” Jean-Pierre said when asked for the administration’s reaction to comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.

“Our condemnation belongs squarely with terrorists who have brutally murdered, raped, kidnapped hundreds, hundreds of Israelis. There can be no equivocation about that. There are not two sides here. There are not two sides,” she added.

Squad members and Karine Jean-Pierre

From left to right: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. (Getty Images)

In their statements following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas over the weekend, Tlaib and Bush ignited outrage when they called for U.S. assistance to Israel to end.

“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day,” Tlaib’s statement read. “As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue.”

Bush’s statement said, “As part of achieving a just and lasting peace, we must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending U.S. government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”

DEMOCRAT BLASTS ‘SQUAD’ MEMBERS OVER CALLS TO END ISRAEL ASSISTANCE: ‘IT SICKENS ME’

Ocasio-Cortez and Omar both called for a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas on Saturday, the day of the attacks that saw hundreds of Israelis and many from others countries brutally slaughtered, including women, children and babies.

Additionally, in a Monday social media thread, Omar seemed to equate the Israeli victims killed by Hamas terrorists this weekend and Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli response.

“Just as we honor the humanity of the hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and 9 Americans who were killed this weekend, we must honor the humanity of the innocent Palestinian civilians who have been killed and whose lives are upended,” she wrote on X, going on to highlight the hardships of living in Gaza and accusing Israel of operating an “apartheid” state in an attempt to explain violence by Hamas.

BIDEN RIPPED FOR NOT MENTIONING IRAN BY NAME IN SPEECH ON HAMAS ATTACKS: ‘UTTERLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND WEAK’

Israel defense force armored personnel carrier vehicle

Israeli forces establish heavily armed control points along the border as Israel tightens measures by the army, police and other security forces after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in Sderot, Israel over the weekend.  (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“Palestinian residents of the West Bank have scarcely better lives than Gazans — with the routine destruction of their ancestral homes, destruction of their crops, and violent attacks by Israeli settlers,” she wrote.

“Palestinians have few recourses for justice and accountability. Attacks by the IDF and settlers against Palestinians are regularly met with impunity. Efforts to seek justice in international courts are stonewalled by the Israeli government, with U.S. support,” she added. “As the world is condemning Hamas’s attacks, we must also oppose an Israeli military response that has already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, including nearly two dozen children.”

Fox has reached out to the offices of Omar, Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez and Bush for comment.

Fox News’ Houston Keene and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.

Want to see some Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled?

Fulfilled Prophecy as Evidence for the Bible’s Divine Origin

  • 2,000 prophecies including some 300 prophecies and implications about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
  • There are no prophetic failures.
  • While there are both obvious and subtle prophecies, most are very detailed and specific.
  • No other religion has specific, repeated, and unfailing fulfillment of predictions many years in advance of contingent events over which the predictor had no control.
  • Studies of psychics show only around 8% of their predictions come true and virtually all of these can be attributed to chance and a general knowledge of circumstances.
  • Mathematicians have calculated the odds of Jesus fulfilling only 8 of the Messianic prophecies as 1 out of 1017 (a 1 followed by 17 zeros). This is equivalent to covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep, marking one of them, mixing them all up and having a blind-folded person select the marked one at random the first time. For more on this, see What Are The Odds?
  • Fulfilled prophecy is powerful evidence that the Bible is divine rather than human in origin.
  • Objection: Jesus manipulated events to fulfill prophecy. Answer: (a) Many prophecies were out of his control (ancestry, place of birth, time of death). (b) His miracles confirmed Jesus to be the Messiah. (c) There is no evidence that Jesus was a deceiver. (d) In order to manipulate all the people (including his enemies) and even his disciples to make it appear that he was the Messiah, Jesus would have needed supernatural powers. If he had such powers, he must have been the Messiah he claimed to be.

Examples of Non-Messianic Prophecies

  • The Succession of Great World Kingdoms (Daniel 2:37-42). Even negative critics agree that Daniel foretold the governments in order of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
  • Cyrus King of Persia (Isaiah 44:28-45:1). Since Isaiah lived between about 740 and 690 BC and Cyrus did not make his proclamation for Israel to return from exile until about 536 (Ezra 1), there would have been no human way for him to know what Cyrus would be named or what Cyrus would do.
  • Israel to Be Returned to Its Land A Second Time (Isaiah 11:11-12). The first time God reclaimed a people was from Egypt through the Exodus; the second time is from the Babylonian Exile (Isaiah 51:9-11).
  • The Closing of the Golden Gate (Ezekiel 44:2-3). The Golden Gate is the eastern gate of Jerusalem, through which Christ made his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday before the crucifixion (Matthew 21). Ezekiel predicted its closing and in 1543 Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent closed the gate and walled it up, not knowing he was fulfilling prophecy. It remains sealed to this day exactly as the Bible predicted.
  • The Destruction of Tyre (Ezekiel 26:3-14). The prophecy was partly fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city and left it in ruins. Alexander the Great later attacked the seemingly impregnable Island of Tyre by taking the stones, dust, and timber from the ruined mainland city to build a causeway to the Island. This prophecy is comparable to saying that Chicago will be destroyed and never rebuilt.
  • The Doom of Edom (Petra) (Jeremiah 49:15-17). Given the virtually impregnable nature of the ancient city carved out of rock and protected by a narrow passageway, this was an incredible prediction. Yet, in 636 AD it was conquered by Muslims and today stands deserted but for tourists.
  • Flourishing of the Desert in Palestine (Ezekiel 36:33-35). Since before the turn of the twentieth century, Israel has been renovated and Israel’s agriculture is flourishing.
  • Destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 13:1-2). Fulfilled literally when the Romans completely destroyed Jerusalem and the temple buildings. According to historian and eyewitness Josephus, some of the stones were 37 feet long, 12 feet high and 18 feet wide. Stones were even pried apart to collect the gold leaf that melted from the roof when the temple was set on fire.

Examples of Messianic Prophecies

Topic Old Testament New Testament
Messiah to be the seed of the Woman Genesis 3:15 Luke 2:5-7
Galatians 4:4
Messiah to be the seed of Abraham Genesis 12:2-3, 18:18 Matthew 1:1-2
Luke 3:34
Acts 3:25
Galatians 3:16
Messiah to be of the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 Matthew 1:1-2
Messiah to be of the seed of David 2 Samuel 7:16
Psalm 132:11
Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15		 Matthew 1:6, 22:42-45
Luke 1:31-33
Acts 2:29-30
Romans 1:3
Messiah to be born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18-25
Luke 1:26-38
Messiah to be born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1-6
Luke 2:4-6
Tribute paid to Messiah by great kings Psalm 72:10-11 Matthew 2:1-11
Messiah to be heralded by a messenger Isaiah 40:3
Malachi 3:1		 Matthew 3:1-3
Messiah to be the Son of God Psalm 2:2,7 Matthew 3:17
Luke 1:32-33
Messiah to be anointed by the Holy Spirit Isaiah 11:2 Matthew 3:16-17
Galilee to be the first area of Messiah’s ministry Isaiah 9:1-7 Matthew 4:12-16
Messiah to be meek and mild Isaiah 40:11, 42:2-3, 53:7 Matthew 12:18-20, 26:62-68
Messiah to minister to the Gentiles Isaiah 42:1, 49:6-8 Matthew 12:21
Luke 2:28-32
Messiah will perform miracles Isaiah 35:5-6 Matthew 9:35, 11:3-6
John 9:6-7
Messiah to be a prophet like Moses Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Matthew 21:11, 24:1-35
John 1:45, 6:14
Acts 3:20-23
Messiah to enter the temple with authority Malachi 3:1-2 Matthew 21:12
Messiah will enter Jerusalem on a donkey Zechariah 9:9-10 Matthew 21:1-11
Messiah to be betrayed by a friend Psalm 41:9 John 13:18-21
Messiah to be forsaken by his disciples Zechariah 13:7 Matthew 26:31, 56
Messiah will be smitten Isaiah 50:6 Matthew 26:67, 27:26,30
Messiah to experience crucifixion (long before crucifixion was invented) Psalm 22:15-17 Matthew 27:34-50
John 19:28-30
Messiah will be pierced Zechariah 12:10 John 19:34-37
Details of Messiah’s suffering and death and resulting salvation (hundreds of years before Christ!) Psalm 69:21
Isaiah 53:2-12,		 Matthew 26-27
Mark 15-16
Luke 22-23
John 18-19
Messiah to die in 33 AD Daniel 9:24-26 33 AD is the widely accepted historical date of the crucifixion
Casting of lots for His garments Psalm 22:18 John 19:23-24
Messiah to be raised from the dead Psalm 16:10 Acts 2:25-31, 13:32-37, 17:2-3
Messiah’s resurrection Job 19:25
Psalm 16:10		 Acts 2:30-31, 13:32-35, 17:2-3
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Messiah to ascend to heaven Psalm 68:18 Luke 24:51
Acts 1:9
Ephesians 4:8-13
Messiah to be at the right hand of God Psalm 110:1 Matthew 26:64
Mark 14:62
Romans 8:34
Hebrews 1:3
Messiah, the stone which the builders rejected, to become the head cornerstone Psalm 118:22-23
Isaiah 8:14-15, 28:16		 Matthew 21:42-43
Acts 4:11
Romans 9:32-33
Ephesians 2:20
1 Peter 2:6-8

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Related posts:

Did Jesus claim to be the Messiah?

November 10, 2014 – 7:38 am

______ Ben Parkinson pictured below: On November 9, 2014 at Fellowship Bible Church, Ben Parkinson noted in his sermon that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and that the Jewish leaders knew what Jesus was claiming when Jesus referred to himself as “I AM.”  John 8:57-59 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 57 So the Jews said to […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

To all interested Jews who want to investigate the claims of Jesus!!!!

October 30, 2014 – 7:08 am

One of my favorite messages by Adrian Rogers is called  “WHO IS JESUS?”and he goes through the Old Testament and looks at the scriptures that describe the Messiah.  I want to encourage you to listen to this audio message which I will send to anyone anywhere anytime. I have given thousands of these CD’s away […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers | Edit | Comments (0)

WHY DID MESSIAH HAVE TO DIE? by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

October 29, 2014 – 12:54 pm

________________ Picture of a Jew praying at the Wailing Wall: ______ WHY DID MESSIAH HAVE TO DIE? by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum © 1983, 2005 Ariel Ministries. All rights reserved. This manuscript is for your personal use only. No part of this manuscript may be reproduced in any form, except in brief quotation in a […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

A Note to all Orthodox Jews who are looking for their Messiah

October 28, 2014 – 2:01 pm

________________ Picture of a Jew praying at the Wailing Wall:   _______ I thought of you last Sunday when I heard the sermon at Fellowship Bible Church since the passage  John 5:18-47 was about Jesus talking to the religious Jews of his day who were skeptical about his claims that he was the Messiah. When I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers | Edit | Comments (0)

Brandon Barnard’s sermon (at Fellowship Bible Church Little Rock 10-26-14) on Jesus’ message to the Jewish Skeptics of his day!!!!

October 28, 2014 – 1:07 pm

_____ Brandon Barnard pictured below: Dr. Charles Barg’s book below: Dr. Jack Sternberg below: When I was 15 I joined my family on an amazing trip with our pastor Adrian Rogers to the land of Israel in 1976 and the most notable event to me was our visit to the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Atheists Confronted | Tagged |Edit | Comments (0)

“A Jewish Doctor Speaks Out: Why I Believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah” written by Dr. Jack Sternberg (author of the book CHRISTIANITY: THE JEWISH ROOTS)

October 28, 2014 – 12:16 pm

Shout Out | Jack Sternberg | A Fellow Physician Began Attending Church – and He was Jewish Published on Jan 6, 2014 Welcome to our weekly podcast of Jewish stories of faith from doubters to doctors to the devoutly Orthodox. We release a new, incredible life journey each Monday. For more information go to jewsforjesus.org/shoutout! […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged , |Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on Isaiah 53 (April 16, 2012)

July 22, 2014 – 4:18 pm

The Astonishing Servant of Jehovah (Isaiah 53) John MacArthur Published on Apr 16, 2012 by JohnMacArthurGTY http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-435Now for this morning, I finally want you to open your Bible to the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 53, and we are about to embark on a study of this immensely important portion of the Old […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

One of John MacArthur’s finest sermon’s Jesus’ Power over Death, (Matthew 9:23-26) Refers to quote from late in Gandhi’s life!!

March 10, 2014 – 7:48 am

___________ Grace to You :: Unleashing God’s Truth, One Verse at a Time   One of John MacArthur’s finest sermon’s Jesus’ Power over Death, (Matthew 9:23-26) Part 2 Scripture: Code: 2266 Would you look with me at Matthew chapter 9…Matthew chapter 9…We’re continuing in our examination of verses 18 through 26. Matthew 9 verses 18 through 26, and […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

“WHAT’S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT PRE-MILLENNIALISM?” Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.(3200 words)

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REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 28 USA  ELECTION INTERFERENCE BY BIBI? BUT CLINTON ADMITTED HE DID I!!! THAT IS IRONIC!!!

October 15, 2023 – 6:26 pm

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tuti netanyahu

Yonathan Netanyahu –

Yoni, Bibi and Iddo Netanyahu (Courtesy Netanyahu family)

Yoni, Bibi and Iddo Netanyahu (Courtesy Netanyahu family)

tuti netanyahu

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tuti netanyahu

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Clinton to Netanyahu: I’ll oppose any outside solution to conflict

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in New York, September 25, 2016 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

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bill_clinton_benjamin_netanyahu_getty.jpg

In this handout photo provided by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets former U.S. President Bill Clinton, on November 8, 2010 in New York City. | Getty

In the earlier post I wrote about this same subject.

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 20 HILLARY CLINTON TALKS A LOT ABOUT ELECTION BUT HER OWN HUSBAND ADMITTED IN CHAPTER 25 HIS OWN ELECTION INTERFERENCE IN ISRAEL TRYING TO GET BIBI BEAT!!! at this link: https://thedailyhatch.org/2023/10/15/review-of-bibi-my-story-by-benjamin-netanyahu-part-20-hillary-clinton-talks-a-lot-about-election-but-her-own-husband-admitted-in-chapter-25-his-own-election-interference-in-israel/

USA  ELECTION INTERFERENCE BY BIBI? BUT CLINTON ADMITTED HE DID I!!! THAT IS IRONIC!!!

American anxiety that Israel would act against Iran dominated the rest of the year leading to the presidential elections. Before the elections, Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for president, visited Israel. As I had done with Obama when he visited Israel as a presidential candidate, I met Romney to discuss Iran, the Palestinians and the American-Israeli alliance. I could easily imagine Romney, who was handsome and fit, with only a bit of gray hair, at BCG thirty-five years earlier. We never actually mingled during our time there because Mitt was a senior manager and I was a junior consultant, and we also never worked on the same case. Nonetheless, like anyone who had been at BCG in those days we reminisced about Bruce Henderson. All BCG graduates spoke in a common code when it came to economic matters. On the economy Romney spoke passionately and authoritatively. He was knowledgeable about political and defense matters as well, but spoke about them with a bit less passion. Passion and conviction are the foundation of strength, which is what most people look for in a leader. Obama had these in abundance, even if his convictions and his reading of reality were often in direct conflict with my own. As the months passed by during 2012, Obama sent a string of envoys to try to convince me not to act militarily. These included Leon Panetta and National Security Council director Tom Donilon, a straightforward professional. Both described to me in detail the developments in America’s military preparations, hoping to curb Israel’s activities. I was noncommittal. Israeli preparations were real, and if they prompted similar preparations by the Americans, so much the better. Still, the balance of American policy was to avoid concrete action, and even more than that, to make sure that I avoided it. Administration spokespersons constantly briefed against the wisdom and efficacy of such an attack.

On August 30, 2012, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went further, saying, “The US will not be complicit in any Israeli action.” His choice of words outraged me. It both imputed an illegitimate, even criminal, nature to a potential Israeli action and signaled to Iran that the United States did not support Israel. This was putting blinding daylight between the US and Israel. What better way to reassure Iran that it was not in any danger if it continued to pursue its nuclear program? Worse signals of America’s passivity would soon follow.

On the eve of the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, I said on Bloomberg Television: “Iran will not stop unless it sees a clear determination by the democratic countries and a clear red line. They don’t see a clear red line and I think the sooner we establish one, the greater the chances that there won’t be a need for other types of action.” Barely a few hours passed before Secretary of State Clinton, while being interviewed on Canadian television, said emphatically, clearly in response to me, “The US is not setting deadlines for Iran.” Stunned by the speed in which the American administration rushed to distance themselves from Israel and assuage Iran’s fears, we briefed the press: “Without a clear red line Iran will not cease its race toward a nuclear weapon.”

The next day, September 11, I used a press conference during a visit by the Bulgarian prime minister, Boyko Borisov, to push back with my own words. “The world tells Israel, ‘Wait, there’s still time,’ ” I said. “And I say, ‘Wait for what? Wait until when?’ Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel. “If Iran knows that there is no red line and no deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it’s doing. It’s continuing, without any interference, towards obtaining nuclear bombs.”1 I had a challenging phone call with Obama following my speech. My agenda was clear—get tough on Iran. Obama’s agenda was centered on something else—making sure I didn’t meet with Romney when I came to the UN a few days later. A month earlier, Ron Dermer—whom I had appointed as Israel’s ambassador to Washington in 2013—told Dan Shapiro, who had been appointed US ambassador to Israel, that in my coming visit to the UN I would want to see Obama. Obama didn’t want to have the meeting, believing it would prompt a parallel meeting with Romney, who had asked to meet me when I came to the US. At the same time, Obama did not want it to look like he was snubbing me so close to the election. He argued that meeting opposing presidential candidates so close to an election would politicize the discussions. I thought differently. I wasn’t concerned with politics but rather with Israel’s survival.

Four years later I met with both candidate Donald Trump and candidate Hillary Clinton on the eve of the 2016 elections. I spoke to both about Iran. But now I felt boxed in by a direct plea from the president of the United States. “C’mon, man, work with me on this,” he said. His plea was so direct and so candid that I was left with little choice. Would I force upon the president of the United States a meeting he didn’t want? I instructed National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror to tell the press that we hadn’t asked for a meeting with Obama, even though Dermer had. Amidror said it was the only time he had lied in all his years of public service. I offered a lame excuse to Mitt Romney on why we couldn’t meet. He accepted it graciously. In my September 11 phone conversation with Obama, I weighed in on the statements by Hillary and General Dempsey. “These statements convey that the US has no deadline and undermine Israel’s right to self-defense. The number one terror regime in the world calls for the annihilation of my country and my people, and most of the criticism is reserved for whether Israel should act or not act.” Obama pushed back on this: “We’ve imposed the toughest sanctions ever on Iran. The idea that we’re spending more time convincing Israel not to act than on Iran is not true. Some of the concerns we raised were raised by your military people, too.” Ouch! I had wondered when he would get to that one. “We don’t need to get into the deliberations of our military but they are more nuanced than that,” I said. “At least they don’t speak out publicly, while the head of your military did speak out against us, which is extraordinary.” But my main point was reserved for something else. “I believe that if Iran sees a clear red line, they will not cross it,” I said to the president. “I can’t give a red line,” he replied, “that says that if they have X amount of centrifuges on Y date, then I’d bomb a week later. The red line I gave is no nuclear weapons.” That, I thought, would be too late. When the conversation ended, I put the phone down and looked at my staff. As in all such conversations with foreign leaders, they had sat around the table and heard the exchange, occasionally handing me notes with suggestions. “I guess we have no choice,” I said. “We’ll have to be the ones to draw the red line. We’ll do that when I next speak at the UN.”

https://www.foxnews.com/media/flashback-george-soros-wrote-op-ed-bashing-us-israel-not-working-hamas

Flashback: George Soros wrote op-ed bashing US, Israel for not working with Hamas

‘America and Israel Must Open the Door to Hamas,’ the 2007 Soros op-ed argued

Gabriel Hays By Gabriel Hays Fox News
Published
Left-wing megadonor and billionaire George Soros blasted the U.S. and Israel for not recognizing terror group Hamas as a legitimate government in an op-ed 16 years ago.

The New York Post recounted Friday how in a 2007 Financial Times op-ed, the wealthy progressive blasted the U.S. government for supporting Israel’s decision not to work with Hamas after it won an election to govern Gaza the previous year.

Last weekend, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 people, including 27 Americans. They also kidnapped approximately 150 people.

LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS

George Soros at the World Economic Forum (WEF)

Hungarian-born US investor and Democrat donor George Soros wrote an op-ed in 2007 slamming the U.S. and Israel for not recognizing Hamas election in Palestine. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

In his piece, titled, “America and Israel Must Open the Door to Hamas,” Soros claimed, “The Bush administration is again committing a blunder in the Middle East by supporting the Israeli government in its refusal to recognize a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.”

He argued that the decision impeded peace between Israel and the Palestinian people and the Middle East at large. He wrote, “This precludes any progress towards a peace settlement at a time when such progress could help avert conflagration in the greater Middle East.”

Israel condemned Hamas’ election in 2006, as the terror group’s main goal is to establish a Palestinian stateincluding the city of Jerusalem as its capital by employing violence.

The billionaire added that the U.S. and Israel’s hope for new elections to deny Hamas’ majority is “a hopeless strategy, because Hamas would boycott early elections and, even if their outcome resulted in Hamas’s exclusion from the government, no peace agreement would hold without Hamas support.”

He noted that, “If Israel had accepted the results of the election, that might have strengthened the more moderate political wing. Unfortunately, the ideology of the ‘war on terror’ does not permit such subtle distinctions.”

ISRAEL, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, UK, US AND OTHERS HAVE OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED HAMAS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

Israeli tanks

A column of Israeli Merkava battle tanks is amassed in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 11, 2023. (JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Hamas’ extremist and violent ambitions, Soros argued that Israel must negotiate with the group for its own benefit.

He said, “Defenders of the current policy argue that Israel cannot afford to negotiate from a position of weakness. But Israel’s position is unlikely to improve as long as it pursues its current course.”

Soros accused Israel of adopting heavy-handed retaliation tactics against Hamas violence, saying, “Military escalation – not just an eye for an eye but roughly 10 Palestinian lives for every Israeli one – has reached its limit.”

He also urged Israel and U.S to loosen the requirement that Hamas and Palestinian authorities recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state, stating, “that could be made a condition for an eventual settlement rather than a precondition for negotiations.”

The op-ed concluded with a jab towards President George W. Bush’s “war on terror” at the time, claiming it had encouraged Israel to make these errors regarding Hamas. “Demonstrating military superiority is not sufficient as a policy for dealing with the Palestinian problem. There is now the chance of a political solution with Hamas brought on board by Saudi Arabia. It would be tragic to miss out on that prospect because the Bush administration is mired in the ideology of the war on terror.”

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Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology – #1 Dead Sea Scrolls

This post wraps up our Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology series. To see the complete series please click here.

Old Testament Scribes

How accurate is the Old Testament we hold in our hands? It’s popular today to attack the accuracy of the Bible on the grounds of its lack of effective transmission. Popular authors claim the Bible we have today has simply been copied too many times, with too many textual errors, to be believed as the very words of God handed down to us over the millennia.

Free Video – Session 1 from the Church History Boot Camp

Every single copy of the Old Testament was hand copied up until the printing press came along in the 15th century AD. Imagine that, some of the books of the Old Testament were copied over and over for more than 3,000 years (traditional view of dating). Can a document copied so many times by hand truly be accurate today?

Tradition tells us the Hebrew people were meticulous copyists of Scripture. Scribes were so aware of their task they would go to great lengths to make sure their hand-written copy of Scripture was free from error. Hebrew scribes were bound to the following rules:

  1. They could only use clean animal skins, both to write on, and even to bind manuscripts.
  2. Each column of writing could have no less than forty-eight, and no more than sixty lines.
  3. The ink must be black, and of a special recipe.
  4. They must verbalize each word aloud while they were writing.
  5. They must wipe the pen and wash their entire bodies every time before writing God’s name.
  6. There must be a review within thirty days, and if as many as three pages required corrections, the entire manuscript had to be redone.
  7. The letters, words, and paragraphs had to be counted, and the document became invalid if two letters touched each other. The middle paragraph, word and letter must correspond to those of the original document.
  8. The documents could be stored only in sacred places (synagogues, etc.).

Silver Amulet Scroll and Nash Papyrus

With all the careful scribal work a shockingly few number of Old Testament ancient manuscripts exist until today. The silver amulet scroll is by far the oldest. The scroll was mentioned as #4 in this top ten series. The amulet scroll dates way back to 600 BC. This is fantastic but it is only a couple verses of the entire Bible. So we can get a feel for the accuracy of those couple verses but not be able to get a good representative sample for the entirety of Scripture.

The Nash Papyrus dates to around 200 BC. It’s also a wonderful discovery but similar to the amulet scroll it only contains a hand-full of verses. Gratefully those verses are the Ten Commandments, but nonetheless our only 2 manuscripts of the Old Testament from the BC era are a very small representation of the entire Old Testament canon.

Codex Aleppo

Codex Aleppo is the oldest entire Old Testament possessed by humanity. The manuscript dates to around 900AD. The priceless manuscript is indeed magnificent. When analyzing the more than 2.7 million writing details that make up the Old Testament, the manuscript appears to be very precise in its creation. Although we have such a beautiful manuscript, the elephant in the room is that this manuscript dates from 900AD. Many New Testament manuscripts are older than our oldest Old Testament manuscript. Most of the Old Testament was written over 1500 years before Codex Aleppo.


1946-47

The greatest biblically relevant archaeological discovery, made in the winter of 1946-47, would shake up the biblical and archaeological world. John C. Trever has done a good job reconstructing the story of the scrolls from several interviews with the Bedouin people.

Muhammed edh-Dhib, a 15 year old Bedouin living in Bethlehem, was with his cousin in the region of the Dead Sea. Jum’a Muhammad, the cousin of edh-Dhib, noticed some possible cave openings while out shepherding some goats. Edh-Dhib made it into a cave and discovered something that had been untouched for more than 2,200 years. He reached into a pot and retrieved some scrolls and showed them to Jum’a.

The impact of these scrolls were not readily apparent. The scrolls were taken back to the Bedouin camp to show the rest of the family. The Bedouin kept the scrolls hanging on a tent pole while they figured out what to do with them, periodically taking them out to show people.

The scrolls were first taken to a dealer named Ibrahim ‘ljha in Bethlehem. In one of those famous dumb moments of history ‘ljha returned them saying they were worthless. Undaunted, thankfully, the Bedouin went to a nearby market, where a Syrian Christian offered to buy them. A sheikh joined their conversation and suggested they take the scrolls to a part-time antiques dealer. The Bedouin left one scroll with the dealer and then sold three scrolls to another for the ridiculous sum of $29!

George Isha’ya, a member of the Syrian Orthodox Church, heard about the scrolls and contacted St. Mark’s Monastery in the hope of getting an appraisal, news of the find then reached Metropolitan bishop Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, better known as Mar Samuel.

After examining the scrolls and suspecting their astronomical worth, he expressed interest in purchasing them. Four scrolls found their way into his hands. More scrolls continued to arrive on the scene. By the end of 1948, nearly two years after their first discovery, scholars had yet to locate the source of the manuscripts.

What was all the fuss about? After careful analysis and scientific analysis at the University of California, Davis it was determined that a new era of Old Testament biblical manuscripts had arrived. We were witnessing what appeared to be the discovery of an entire library of Old Testament and ancient Jewish writings. How old were these books? Remember our oldest complete Old Testament had been 900AD. An entire scroll of Isaiah was found and dated to around 200BC! Can you believe that, in one discovery 1100 years of biblical hand-written copies were spanned.

Magnitude of the Discovery

Archaeologists were able to track down the origin of the first scrolls and together with the Bedouins ended up finding a total of 972 manuscripts from 11 different caves. All 11 caves are in the southeastern Dead Sea area of Israel. The area receives almost no rainfall making it a perfect climate for ancient manuscripts to last thousands of years without decomposing.

The scrolls contain verses from every Old Testament book except for one. Only about 1/3rd of the scrolls are biblical writings. 2/3rds of the manuscripts are not biblical but pertain to Jewish life at the time. Think of it as stumbling across the 1,000 volume library of a Christian with many books of the Bible but then all sorts of books about 21st century Christian life and thought. This is the equivalent of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery. Many of the non-biblical books discovered were not known to even exist!

The scrolls, for some insane reason, were put up for sale in the Wall Street Journal on June 1, 1954. They were purchased for $250,000 and brought to Jerusalem where they eventually became housed in a museum called the Shrine of the Book where they reside today when not circulating in museums around the world. The scrolls today are considered priceless. Just to purchase a replica facsimile copy of 3 of the scrolls currently will run you $60,000 (a donation of replica scrolls to Parchment & Pen will not be turned down).

Significance of the Discovery

The scrolls are still, after decades, a discovery still being digested. The 972 manuscripts have shed great light on the accuracy and complexity of the Old Testament. The Isaiah Scroll, in comparison to Codex Aleppo and other manuscripts, show that the message of the Old Testament has not been changed over millennia. More articles and books have been written about the Dead Sea Scrolls than any other archaeological discovery with biblical significance. The scrolls are shedding a great deal of light on the Jewish religious world of roughly 200BC-90AD. The scrolls are generally showing the modern-day Old Testament to be an extremely accurate representation of the original writers.

Work in Progress

Google has announced a new deal with the Israeli Antiquities Authority to photograph all of the scrolls in order to make high-resolution photos available to anyone online for free. The scrolls continue to amaze and delight us; where we once had only a couple fragments of the ancient Old Testament we now enjoy an abundant library.

Please join the discussion by posting your thoughts in the comments section below.

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The Bible and Archaeology – Is the Bible from God? (Kyle Butt 42 min)

You want some evidence that indicates that the Bible is true? Here is a good place to start and that is taking a closer look at the archaeology of the Old Testament times. Is the Bible historically accurate? Here are some of the posts I have done in the past on the subject: 1. The Babylonian Chronicle, of Nebuchadnezzars Siege of Jerusalem, 2. Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. 3. Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism), 4. Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. 5. The Discovery of the Hittites, 6.Shishak Smiting His Captives, 7. Moabite Stone, 8. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9A Verification of places in Gospel of John and Book of Acts., 9B Discovery of Ebla Tablets. 10. Cyrus Cylinder, 11. Puru “The lot of Yahali” 9th Century B.C.E., 12. The Uzziah Tablet Inscription, 13. The Pilate Inscription, 14. Caiaphas Ossuary, 14 B Pontius Pilate Part 2, 14c. Three greatest American Archaeologists moved to accept Bible’s accuracy through archaeology., 

Related posts:

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part I “Old Testament Bible Prophecy” includes the film TRUTH AND HISTORY and article ” Jane Roe became pro-life”

April 12, 2013 – 5:45 am

I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is Saline […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 2

August 8, 2013 – 1:28 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 1

August 6, 2013 – 1:24 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Tagged , | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur: Fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? (Ezekiel 26-28 and the story of Tyre, video clips)

April 5, 2012 – 10:39 am

Prophecy–The Biblical Prophesy About Tyre.mp4 Uploaded by TruthIsLife7 on Dec 5, 2010 A short summary of the prophecy about Tyre and it’s precise fulfillment. Go to this link and watch the whole series for the amazing fulfillment from secular sources. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt4mDZUefo ________________ John MacArthur on the amazing fulfilled prophecy on Tyre and how it was fulfilled […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (1)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2)

August 1, 2013 – 12:10 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1)

July 30, 2013 – 1:32 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Adrian Rogers: “Why I believe the Bible is true”

July 9, 2013 – 8:38 am

Adrian Rogers – How you can be certain the Bible is the word of God Great article by Adrian Rogers. What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word? I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God. First, I believe the Bible is the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy by Jim Wallace

June 24, 2013 – 9:47 am

Is there any evidence the Bible is true? Articles By PleaseConvinceMe Apologetics Radio The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy Jim Wallace A Simple Litmus Test There are many ways to verify the reliability of scripture from both internal evidences of transmission and agreement, to external confirmation through archeology and science. But perhaps the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part M “Old Testament prophecy fulfilled?”Part 3(includes film DEATH BY SOMEONE’S CHOICE)

April 19, 2013 – 1:52 am

  I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

Evidence for the Bible

March 27, 2013 – 9:43 pm

Here is some very convincing evidence that points to the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Archaeological and External Evidence for the Bible Archeology consistently confirms the Bible! Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

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By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 27 SHOULD ISRAEL ATTACK IRAN OR WAIT TILL THEY HAVE NUCLEAR BOMB? ISRAEL DID NOT ASK USA FOR PERMISSION EITHER!!!

October 15, 2023 – 5:19 pm

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https://www.youtube.com/live/rQaiPuBYaNY?si=GfJc-6SNK_PEdPRL

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Yoni, Bibi and Iddo Netanyahu (Courtesy Netanyahu family)

Yoni, Bibi and Iddo Netanyahu (Courtesy Netanyahu family)

tuti netanyahu

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tuti netanyahu

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Clinton to Netanyahu: I’ll oppose any outside solution to conflict

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in New York, September 25, 2016 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

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bill_clinton_benjamin_netanyahu_getty.jpg

In this handout photo provided by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets former U.S. President Bill Clinton, on November 8, 2010 in New York City. | Getty

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SHOULD ISRAEL ATTACK IRAN OR WAIT TILL THEY HAVE NUCLEAR BOMB? ISRAEL DID NOT ASK USA FOR PERMISSION EITHER!!!

Obama responded by saying that if we attacked, the sanctions he had orchestrated would collapse. He explained that the reason so many countries agreed to them was that the US told them the alternative was Israeli military action. If Israel acted, these countries would immediately lift all sanctions. I had heard this before in the Mavi Marmara affair. Once again Obama minimized the power of America and chose to “lead from behind.” It was clear to me that if countries had to choose between doing business with the small Iranian economy or the $20 trillion American economy they would choose the latter. If the United States maintained sanctions following an Israeli attack, other countries would maintain them, too. “I haven’t yet decided to act militarily,” I told Obama. “But I want you to know that I reserve the full right to do so.” “I can’t decide that for you,” he answered. “I can only tell you what I think: it would be a mistake.” “I hear you,” I said. “But I didn’t come here to get a green light.” In consultation with Defense Minister Barak, we postponed the decision on a potential strike by a few months. Undoubtedly, however, I assumed US intelligence picked up enough signals to reveal that preparations were taking place.

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https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/10/13/the

The Far Left’s Inexplicable Defense of Hamas’ Bloodlust

Deroy Murdock /

Yemenis wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans against Israel during a demonstration in support of Palestinians on Friday in Sanaa, Yemen. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu/ Getty Images)

Hamas unleashed an unprovoked, surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, during Shabbat and the Simchat Torah holiday.

The Gaza Strip-based terrorist group’s Pearl Harbor-style onslaught included 2,200 rockets that blasted communities as far north as Tel Aviv. Regardless, Israel’s critics and enemies point their fingers at the Israelis, as if they had bombed themselves.

  • The Biden administration’s statements have improved, but its knee-jerk response was dreadful. “We urge all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks,” the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs declared, soon after the mayhem erupted. Washington’s initial message to Jerusalem: Don’t do anything. Just stand there. This wrongfully even-handed X post sparked outrage and soon disappeared.
  • George Achi, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s director of journalistic standards, instructed his newsroom colleagues: “Do not refer to militants, soldiers, or anyone else as ‘terrorists.’ The notion of terrorism remains heavily politicized and is part of the story.”
  • “We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” read a joint statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the situation in Palestine. “The apartheid regime is the only one to blame.” Members of 33 undergraduate groups signed this communique.

This manifesto so nauseated hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman and other CEOs that they hope to place its signatories on a do-not-hire list.

  • Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., displayed a Palestinian flag in front of her Capitol Hill office, beside the star-spangled banner. Other radical “Squad” members have slammed Israel, even as Israelis hose their countrymen’s blood from sidewalks.
  • Black Lives Matter of Chicago created an “I stand with Palestine” meme, complete with a paragliding terrorist, like those who flew from Gaza into Israel, with guns blazing.
  • Pro-Palestine demonstrators in Times Square dressed as Hamas killers. One protester waved a swastika on his cellphone screen.

These doe-eyed dreamers and Islamofascist fifth columnists should focus on Hamas’ atrocities before they denounce Israel and defend its tormentors.

  • “We saw boys and girls bound, who were shot in the head,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a TV address Wednesday. “Men and women burned alive. Young women who were raped and slaughtered. Soldiers who were beheaded.”

Netanyahu declared via X: “Hamas is ISIS. We will crush and eliminate it as the world crushed and eliminated ISIS.”

  • “Babies with their heads cut off, that’s what [the soldiers] said,” i24 News’ Nicole Zedek reported from Kibbutz Kfar Aza near Sderot, just outside Gaza. “Families gunned down, completely gunned down in their beds.”
  • CNN’s Nic Robertson said, “There were so many murdered members of this Kibbutz. Men, women, children, hands bound, shot, executed, heads cut.”
  • “They killed babies in front of their parents, and then killed the parents,” said Israel Defense Forces Gen. Itai Veruv. “They killed parents, and we found babies between the dogs and the family killed before him. They cut heads of the people.”
  • “A pregnant woman in southern Israel was found by Hamas terrorists,” India’s TV9 Network’s Aditya Raj Kaul explained via X. “They dissected her body. Her stomach was cut open, and they took the fetus out with the umbilical cord. And let the unborn child die slowly out of his mother’s womb. This is what inhuman savages Hamas do to people.”
  • “Israelis—young and old—were slaughtered in their homes,” Aviva Klompas, former head speechwriter at Israel’s U.N. Mission, wrote via X. “Entire families were butchered in cold blood. In one home, a terrorist shot the parents dead, took a child’s cellphone, and livestreamed the horrors on the child’s Facebook account.”

“Our children suffered the most horrific experience no one could even imagine—going to enjoy music with friends in nature and get bombarded with hand grenades and automatic weapons, and just being slaughtered, one after another,” David Abramov told CBS News. His son Laor, an aspiring DJ, vanished after Hamas swiped him in a pickup truck. “Young, beautiful, happy people go to celebrate life and meeting monsters that come to celebrate death.”

  • In a Hamas X video, its forces excavate water pipes, slice them, pack them with explosives, and convert them into do-it-yourself bombs, which they lobbed into Israel. “Allahu Akbar!” (“God is great!”) a men’s chorus sings on the soundtrack.

And what was Hamas’ message to Gazans thirsty for running water? Go to hell.

Hamas makes the Palestine Liberation Organization look like moderates. These rats resemble 1970s-era Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge.

All told, Hamas has killed some 1,200 Israelis. This has been the biggest orgy of Jew killing since the liberation of Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

Conversely, Israel acts in self-defense. Any collateral damage that rank-and-file Palestinians suffer will not be because the Israel Defense Forces gunned them down in their living rooms, but because their jihadist leaders launched this genocidal bloodbath.

Until last weekend, Israel had been pursuing peace like never before. In conjunction with then-President Donald Trump, Israel already had signed mutual-recognition treaties with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco. Atop these four Abraham Accords, Israel and Saudi Arabia lately had signaled that a separate peace was within reach.

“I believe that we are at the cusp of … an historic peace with Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu told the United Nations last month. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Fox News: “Every day we get closer.”

This is what it looks like when doves fly.

But that enraged the ayatollahs, arguably the most evil, hateful, destructive, and apocalyptic humans alive. The Wall Street Journal reports that Iran and Hamas engineered this war on Israel to car-bomb any truce between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

Hamas’ ensuing carnage has killed at least 27 Americans, as of this writing. Fourteen other U.S. citizens are missing and could be kidnapped or dead.

These facts alone should quell the Far Left’s lust for Hamas.

Alas, this catastrophe hurts America. Thus, too many on the Left are exactly where one typically finds them—on the wrong side of the Stars and Stripes.

The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

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34. King Herod

The 1st century AD Jewish writer Josephus recorded the ascension of King Herod to the throne of Judea. The Bible also refers to King Herod in such passages as Matthew 2:1, which reads, “…Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod” (NIV).  A quote from Josephus concerning Herod is as follows:
“As soon as Herod was established on the throne, he conferred honors on those in Jerusalem who had supported his cause, and punished the partisans of Antigonus. Converting his valuables into money, he sent large sums to Anthony and his friends.”

Quote taken from: Josephus, Josephus the Essential Works. Trans & Ed. by Maier, Paul L. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007. Print. P.  241.

35. King Herod’s wine jug

The inscription on this piece of  a wine jug refers to King Herod who is noted in the Bible as having killed the babies in Bethlehem near the time of Christ’s birth.

Click “Read more” below to see the museum placard that accompanies this artifact.
PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION: © Randall Price

36. Augustus

The first of the three Roman emperors mentioned in the Bible is  Augustus who reigned from 27 BC – AD 14. He is referred to in Luke 2:1 and is a well documented historical figure. The photo here shows a marble bust located in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Turkey.

PHOTO © Michael J. Caba

37. Tiberius

The second of the three Roman emperors mentioned in the Bible is Tiberius who reigned from 14-37 AD. He is referred to in Luke 3:1, and his reign is also discussed by other ancient authors (e.g. Tacitus, Suetonius, etc.). The photo here shows a bust located in the Ephesus Museum, Turkey.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © BiblePlaces.com

38. Claudius

The third of the three Roman emperors mentioned in the Bible is Claudius who reigned from 41-54 AD. He is noted in Acts 11:28 and 18:2. Ancient historians such as Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio also wrote about him. The photo here shows a model head located in the Museum of Roman Civilization, Rome.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © BiblePlaces.com

39. Caeser’s image

In Luke 20:23-25 Jesus requested a coin and then asked the crowd, “Whose image and inscription are on it?” They replied that it was “Caesar’s.” Several types of coins were in circulation at that time that showed an image of Caesar, with the one displayed here being a typical example. It contains the image of Tiberius Caesar who reigned 14-37 AD, the time of the ministry of Christ. The text on the silver coin is written in Latin, and the coin itself is now in a private collection. Click on “Read more” below to see the reverse side of the coin.

PHOTO: © Michael J. Caba

40. John the Baptist

This quote, from the 1st century AD Jewish writer Josephus, references the execution of John the Baptist, which is also recorded in the Bible (Matthew chapter 14).

“Now, to some of the Jews the destruction of Herod’s army seemed to come from God as a…punishment for what he did to John who was called the Baptist. For Herod had executed him…” (Jewish Antiquities).

Quote taken from: Josephus, Josephus the Essential Works. Trans & Ed. by Maier, Paul L. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007. Print. P.  271.

41. The Temple Mount

View of the Western Wall,* which is part of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Many people from around the world come here to place written prayers into the crevices between the building blocks. The lower portion of the wall displayed in the photo represents part of the Temple complex that was rebuilt by King Herod starting in c. 19 BC. Herod’s rebuilt Temple was the one visited by Christ. The Gospels record Christ at the Temple in such passages as John 2:12-25. Click “Read more” below to see an aerial photo of the Temple Mount.

*Sometimes referred to as the “Wailing Wall.”

PHOTO: © Michael J. Caba

42. Peter’s house (probable)

This photo displays the location of a first-century AD house in the village of Capernaum that archaeological evidence indicates was quite likely the home of the Apostle Peter with whom Jesus may have lived (Mark 1 and 2). The miracle during which a paralyzed man was lowered through the roof likely occurred at this location. Excavations were carried out on the site between 1968 and 1998, and it was learned that it was used early in the Christian era as a church and as a place of pilgrimage. Also, inscriptions that refer to Jesus Christ were found. Today the structure is still visible under a larger modern church that was built over it to commemorate the site. To see a photo of this modern church, click  “Read more” below.

PHOTO: Michael J. Caba

43. Pool of Siloam

In 2004 workers digging a sewer line in Jerusalem uncovered this terraced stone pool that was identified by archaeologists as the Pool of Siloam referred to in John’s Gospel. This pool is noted in John 9:7 as the place where Jesus sent a blind man to be healed. The approximate date the pool was originally constructed was indicated by coins placed in antiquity into the plaster pool lining. The pool, which is about 225 feet wide, is located near the end of Hezekiah’s tunnel (discussed above) and can be seen by visitors to the area.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © Greg Gulbrandsen

44. Pontius Pilate

This inscribed limestone slab was found in Caesarea Maritima, Israel in 1961. It was originally made in c. 30 AD. It is written in Latin and reads, “Tiberium Pontius Pilate Prefect of Judea.” Pontius Pilate is known from the Bible as the one who condemned Jesus to death (Matthew 27).The artifact is about 32 inches in height and is now housed in the Israel Museum.

PHOTO RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN: BRBurton (Thank you)

45. Mars Hill

View of Mars Hill, also called the “Areopagus,” in Athens, Greece. The Bible reads, “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious….” (Acts 17:22 NIV). Mars Hill (the Areopagus) is located next to the Acropolis in the center of Athens, and it appears to have originally had a building on it in which the Areopagus council met (the building is now gone). Paul likely gave his speech before the Areopagus council in the building on this hill, or perhaps in another building in which the  council met (e.g. Royal Stoa). Today there is a plaque on the side of the hill, and this plaque contains the text of Paul’s speech. The full plaque can be read in modern Greek by clicking “Read more” below and enlarging the photo.

PHOTO: © Michael J. Caba

46. Gallio

The Bible refers to a proconsul in ancient Greece by the name of Gallio (Acts 18). The Greek language inscription shown to the left refers to the same Gallio noted in the Bible. It was written in the 1st century AD and was discovered in Delphi in 1905. It originally consisted of various fragments that were pieced together in 1967. The artifact is now in the Delphi museum, Greece. Click on “Read more” below to see the remains of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © BiblePlaces.com; ARTWORK ON PHOTO: Michael J. Caba

47. Ephesian theater

The photo displays a view of the theater in ancient Ephesus, which is now in modern Turkey. In Acts 19:29 reference is made to this theater in which a crowd gathered to protest the ministry of the Apostle Paul. The theater had a seating capacity of approximately 24,000 and can still be visited today. Click “Read more” below to see the late 5th to early 6th century picture of the Apostle Paul in The Grotto of Saint Paul, Ephesus, Turkey.
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © BiblePlaces.com

48. Artemis of the Ephesians

The Bible records that the people involved in a riot in the city of Ephesus  shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:34 NIV). This photo displays a marble statue of the goddess known as the “Great Artemis.” It was discovered in the city and measures over nine feet in height. It was made in the 1st or early 2nd century BC and is now on display in the Ephesus museum. Ephesus was known in the ancient world as a center for the worship of Artemis, and the temple devoted to her in the city was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © BiblePlaces.com

49. Erastus (probable connection)

The inscription shown in the photo was discovered in 1924 at the location of ancient Corinth in Greece. The text is in Latin and reads, “Erastus…bore the expense of this pavement.” This is probably a reference to the same “Erastus” referred to in Romans 16:23 as a city official. The inscription, with seven inch letters, dates to the 1st century AD. The limestone slab is in its original location in a field at the ruins of ancient Corinth.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION: © BiblePlaces.com

50. Crucifixion of Christ

The Roman historian Tacitus wrote his book, The Annals of Imperial Rome, in c. 110 AD, roughly a decade after the death of the last apostle, John. Tacitus is one of the earliest non-Christian sources to discuss Jesus and his crucifixion. The quote by Tacitus is shown below, and by clicking “Read more” at the bottom of this post additional quotes about Christ and the early Christians can be seen.
Tacitus (Roman historian, c. 110 AD):  “Their originator, Christ, had been  executed in Tiberius’ reign by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate”  (Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome. Rev. ed. Trans. Grant, Michael. New York: Penguin, 1971. Print. P. 365.)

The Bible and Archaeology – Is the Bible from God? (Kyle Butt 42 min)

You want some evidence that indicates that the Bible is true? Here is a good place to start and that is taking a closer look at the archaeology of the Old Testament times. Is the Bible historically accurate? Here are some of the posts I have done in the past on the subject: 1. The Babylonian Chronicle, of Nebuchadnezzars Siege of Jerusalem, 2. Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. 3. Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism), 4. Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. 5. The Discovery of the Hittites, 6.Shishak Smiting His Captives, 7. Moabite Stone, 8. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9A Verification of places in Gospel of John and Book of Acts., 9B Discovery of Ebla Tablets. 10. Cyrus Cylinder, 11. Puru “The lot of Yahali” 9th Century B.C.E., 12. The Uzziah Tablet Inscription, 13. The Pilate Inscription, 14. Caiaphas Ossuary, 14 B Pontius Pilate Part 2, 14c. Three greatest American Archaeologists moved to accept Bible’s accuracy through archaeology., 

Related posts:

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part I “Old Testament Bible Prophecy” includes the film TRUTH AND HISTORY and article ” Jane Roe became pro-life”

April 12, 2013 – 5:45 am

I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is Saline […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 2

August 8, 2013 – 1:28 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 1

August 6, 2013 – 1:24 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Tagged , | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur: Fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? (Ezekiel 26-28 and the story of Tyre, video clips)

April 5, 2012 – 10:39 am

Prophecy–The Biblical Prophesy About Tyre.mp4 Uploaded by TruthIsLife7 on Dec 5, 2010 A short summary of the prophecy about Tyre and it’s precise fulfillment. Go to this link and watch the whole series for the amazing fulfillment from secular sources. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt4mDZUefo ________________ John MacArthur on the amazing fulfilled prophecy on Tyre and how it was fulfilled […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (1)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2)

August 1, 2013 – 12:10 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1)

July 30, 2013 – 1:32 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Adrian Rogers: “Why I believe the Bible is true”

July 9, 2013 – 8:38 am

Adrian Rogers – How you can be certain the Bible is the word of God Great article by Adrian Rogers. What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word? I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God. First, I believe the Bible is the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy by Jim Wallace

June 24, 2013 – 9:47 am

Is there any evidence the Bible is true? Articles By PleaseConvinceMe Apologetics Radio The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy Jim Wallace A Simple Litmus Test There are many ways to verify the reliability of scripture from both internal evidences of transmission and agreement, to external confirmation through archeology and science. But perhaps the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part M “Old Testament prophecy fulfilled?”Part 3(includes film DEATH BY SOMEONE’S CHOICE)

April 19, 2013 – 1:52 am

  I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

Evidence for the Bible

March 27, 2013 – 9:43 pm

Here is some very convincing evidence that points to the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Archaeological and External Evidence for the Bible Archeology consistently confirms the Bible! Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

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By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 25 Pres. Clinton’s Address to the thirteenth Knesset in Jerusalem (1994) BIBI NOTED In his speech to the Knesset in 1994, he recalled the words of his ailing pastor who accompanied him on his first trip to Israel. “If you abandon Israel, God will never forgive you.”

October 15, 2023 – 4:45 pm

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Clinton to Netanyahu: I’ll oppose any outside solution to conflict

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in New York, September 25, 2016 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

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bill_clinton_benjamin_netanyahu_getty.jpg

In this handout photo provided by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets former U.S. President Bill Clinton, on November 8, 2010 in New York City. | Getty

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W O VAUGHT WAS CLINTON’S PASTOR

DESPITE HIS CONTINUED efforts to get me out of office, it was impossible to dislike Bill Clinton personally. Even in the toughest encounters, he maintained an even keel and a glint in his eye that disarmed you. A natural and gifted politician, he was less guided by ideology than by the desire to solve problems by finding a middle ground. It was this search for the center that had guided his economic and social policies when he passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in December 1993 and the sweeping welfare reforms that put him at odds with the left wing of the Democratic Party. In my conversations with him I was impressed by his mastery of these and other economic issues. He was also naturally sympathetic to Israel. In his speech to the Knesset in 1994, he recalled the words of his ailing pastor who accompanied him on his first trip to Israel. “If you abandon Israel, God will never forgive you.” However, in his eyes and those of his staff this often meant “saving Israel from itself,” since time and again Israeli voters apparently didn’t know what was good for them. (This prompted one of my colleagues to wryly comment, “After all, what do we know? We just live here.”) And if saving Israel required intervening in Israel’s electoral campaign, so be it. Clinton twice sent his personal political advisors to help Peres and Barak in the Israeli elections against me, openly admitting the first effort to me when it failed and openly celebrating the second when it succeeded. The irony was that I was falsely accused of interfering in the US elections by the very people who intervened in mine. Clinton was genuinely smitten with Rabin, whom he looked up to. His oration at Rabin’s funeral and his words “Shalom, chaver” (“Farewell, friend”) were genuinely moving.

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT CLINTON TO THE ISRAELI KNESSET The Knesset Jerusalem, Israel October 27, 1994

9:25 p.m. (L)

PRESIDENT CLINTON: Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Netanyahu, ladies and gentlemen of the Knesset: Let me begin by thanking the Prime Minister and the people of Israel for welcoming me to your wonderful country, and thanking all of you for giving me the opportunity to address this great democratic body where, clearly, people of all different views are welcome to express their convictions. I feel right at home. (Laughter and applause.)

Yesterday Israel took a great stride toward fulfilling the ancient dream of the Jewish people — the patriarch’s dream of a strong and plentiful people living freely in their own land, enjoying the fruits of peace with their neighbors. Nearly 17 years after President Sadat came to this chamber to seek peace, and Prime Minister Begin reached out in reconciliation. And just over a year after Israel and the PLO declared a pathway to peace on the South Lawn of the White House, Israel and Jordan have now written a new chapter.

Tonight we praise the courage of the leaders who have given life to this treaty, Prime Minister Rabin and Foreign Minister Peres. They have shown the vision and the tenacity of other leaders of Israel’s past whose names will be remembered always for their devotion to your cause and your people — Ben Gurion, Maier, Begin.

In your life, Prime Minister, we see the life of your country. As a youth, you wished to fulfill the commandment to farm the land of Israel, but instead you had to answer the call to defend the people of Israel. You have devoted your life to cultivating strength so that others could till the soil in safety. You have fought many battles and won many victories in war. Now, in strength, you are fighting and winning battles for peace. Indeed, you have shown your people that they can free themselves from siege; that for the first time, they can make real a peace for the generations.

For the American people, too, this peace is a blessing. For decades, as Israel has struggled to survive, we have rejoiced in your triumphs and shared in your agonies. In the years since Israel was founded, Americans of every faith have admired and supported you. Like your country, ours is a land that welcomes exiles — a nation of hope; a nation of refuge. From the Orient and Europe, and now from the former Soviet Union, your people have come, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, Yemenites and Ethiopians — all of you committed to living free, to building a common home.

One of nearly four of the citizens of this country is an Arab, something very few people know beyond your borders. Even without the blessings of secure borders, you have secured from your own people the blessings of democracy. With all of its turmoil and debate, it is still the best of all systems.

In times of war and times of peace, every President of the United States since Harry Truman, and every Congress has understood the importance of Israel. The survival of Israel is important not only to our interests, but to every single value we hold dear as a people. Our role in war has been to help you defend yourself by yourself. That is what you have asked. Now that you are taking risks for peace, our role is to help you minimize the risks of peace.

I am committed to working with our Congress to maintain the current levels of military and economic assistance. We have taken concrete steps to strengthen Israel’s qualitative edge. The U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Commission unprecedented Israeli access to the U.S. high-technology market, and acquisition of advanced computers — all these keep Israel in the forefront of global advances and competitive and global markets.

I have also taken steps to enhance Israel’s military and your capacity to address possible threats not only to yourselves, but to the region. F-15 aircraft are being provided, and F-16s transferred out of U.S. stocks. We work closely with you to develop the Arrow missile, to protect against the threat of ballistic missiles.

As we help to overcome the risks of peace, we also are helping to build a peace that will bring with it the safety and security Israel deserves. That peace must be real, based on treaty commitments arrived at directly by the parties, not imposed from outside. It must be secure. Israel must always be able to defend itself by itself. And it must be comprehensive. We have worked hard to end the Arab boycott, and we’ve had some success. But we will not stop until it is completely lifted. (Applause.)

There is a treaty with Jordan and an agreement with the PLO. But we must keep going until Syria and Lebanon close the circle of states entering into peace, and the other nations of the Arab world normalize their relations with Israel.

This morning in Damascus I discussed peace with President Assad. He repeated at our press conference what he had earlier said to his own Parliament, Syria has made a strategic choice for peace with Israel. He also explained that Syria is ready to commit itself to the requirements of peace through the establishment of normal peaceful relations with Israel. His hope, as he articulated it, is to transform the region from a state of war to a state of peace that enables both Arabs and Israelis to live in security, stability and prosperity.

We have been urging President Assad to speak to you in a language of peace that you can understand. Today he began to do so. Of course, it would take more than words — much more than words. Yet I believe something is changing in Syria. Its leaders understand that it is time to make peace. There will still be a good deal of hard bargaining before a breakthrough, but they are serious about proceeding.

Just as we have worked with you from Camp David to Wadi Araba to bring peace with security to your people, so, too, we will walk with you on the road to Damascus for peace with security.

There are those who see peace still as all too distant. Surely, they include the families of those burned in the rubble of the community center in Buenos Aires; those in the basement of New York’s World Trade Center; the loved ones of the passengers on bus No. 5; and of course, two people who, as been noted, are in the chamber with us tonight — and we honor their parents — the parents of Corporal Nachsan Waxman, a son of your nation and, I proudly say, a citizen of ours. (Applause.)

We grieve with the families of those who are lost and with all the people of Israel. So long as Jews are murdered just because they are Jews, or just because they are citizens of Israel the plaque of anti-Semitism lives, and we must stand against it. We must stand against terror as strongly as we stand for peace, for without an end to terror there can be no peace.

The forces of terror and extremism still threaten us all. Sometimes they pretend to act in the name of God and country. But their deeds violate their own religious faith and make a mockery of any notion of honorable patriotism.

As I said last night to the Parliament in Jordan, we respect Islam. Millions of Americans citizens every day answer the Moslem call to prayer. But we know that the real fight is not about religion or culture. It is about a worldwide conflict between those who believe in peace and those who believe in terror; those who believe in hope and those who believe in fear.

Those who stoke the fires of violence and seek to destroy the peace, make no mistake about it, have one great goal. Their goal is to make the people of Israel, who have defeated all odds on the field of battle, to give up inside on the peace by giving into the doubts that terror brings to every one of us. But having come so far, you cannot give up or give in. Your future must lie in the words of a survivor of the carnage of Bus No. 5 who said, I want the peace process to continue; I want to live in peace; I want my children to live in peace.

So let us say to the merchants of terror once again, you cannot succeed; you must not succeed; you will not succeed. You are the past, not the future; the peacemakers are the future. (Applause.)

I say to you, my friends, in spite of all the dangers and difficulties that still surround you, the circle of your enemies is shrinking. Their time has passed. Their increasing isolation is reflected in the desperation of their disgusting deeds.

Once in this area, you were shunned. Now, more and more, you are embraced. As you share the waters of the River Jordan and work with your neighbors, new crops will emerge where the soil is now barren. As you join together to mine the Dead Sea for its minerals, you will bring prosperity to all your people. As you roll up the barbed wire and cross the desert of Araba, the sands will yield new life to you. As you dock in each other’s ports along the Gulf of Aqaba, more and more people will have the chance to experience give wonders of both your lands, and more and more children will share the joys of youth, not the dread of war.

This is the great promise of peace. It is the promise of making sure that all those who have sacrificed their lives did not die in vain; the promise of a Sabbath afternoon, not violated by gunfight; a drive across the plains to the mountains of Moab where Moses died and Ruth was born; A Yom Kippur of pure prayer without the rumble of tanks, voices of fear or rumors of war. After all the bloodshed and all your tears, you are now far closer to the day when the clash of arms is heard no more and all the children of Abraham, the children of Isaac, the children of Israel will live side by side in peace. (Applause.)

 

https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1994/10/1994-10-27-president-clinton-to-the-israeli-knesset.html

This was, after all, the message the prophet Mohammed himself brought to peoples of other faiths when he said, “There is no argument between us and you. God will bring us together, and unto Him is the homecoming.” And this was the message Moses spoke to the children of Israel when, for the last time, he spoke to them as they gathered across the River Jordan into the Promised Land when he said, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.”

This week, once again, the people of Israel made a homecoming. Once again, you choose life. Once again, America was proud to walk with you.

The Prime Minister mentioned a story in his remarks that he never asked me about. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if it weren’t true? (Laughter.) The truth is that the only time my wife and I ever came to Israel before today was 13 years ago with my pastor on a religious mission. I was then out of office. I was the youngest former governor in the history of the United States. (Laughter.) No one thought I would ever be here — perhaps my mother; no one else. (Laughter.)

We visited the holy sites. I relived the history of the Bible, of your Scriptures and mine. And I formed a bond with my pastor. Later, when he became desperately ill, he said I thought I might one day become President. And he said, more bluntly than the Prime Minister did, “If you abandon Israel, God will never forgive you.” (Applause.) He said it is God’s will that Israel, the biblical home of the people of Israel, continue forever and ever. (Applause.)

So I say to you tonight, my friends, one of our Presidents, John Kennedy, reminded us that here on Earth, God’s will must truly be our own. It is for us to make the homecoming; for us to chose life; for us to work for peace. But until we achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and then after we achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East, know this — your journey is our journey, and America will stand with you now and always.

Thank you and God bless you. (Applause.)

Pres. Clinton’s Address to the thirteenth Knesset in Jerusalem (1994)

University DEI Offices Not Being ‘Inclusive’ of Jewish Students After Hamas Attacks

University DEI Offices Not Being ‘Inclusive’ of Jewish Students After Hamas Attacks

Adam Novak /

Pro-Palestine students protest on campus holding signs

Those at U.S. colleges are blaming Israel and supporting Hamas over the latest attacks. While alumni are appalled, their money is often fueling such outrages by expanding campus DEI bureaucracies. Pictured: Cal State Long Beach students hold a campus rally in support of Palestinians after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel Oct. 7. Long Beach, California, Oct. 10, 2023. (Photo: Luis Sinco, Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)

Would you send a check to support Hamas’ gleeful slaughter of innocent Israeli civilians? Your alma mater may help you do it.

Israel, America’s great ally, faced the darkest day in its history Saturday. There is simply no moral justification for Hamas’ terror. The only normal response is to condemn such violence.

Yet, on college campuses across this country, administrators, faculty, and student activists took turns blaming Israel and expressing enthusiastic support for Hamas. And while alumni have been shocked and appalled at these spectacles, it’s often their money that’s fueling such outrages by expanding “diversity, equity, and inclusion” bureaucracies.

One of the fastest-growing budget items at universities today is the explosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion staff. These DEI staff are supposedly there to foster an environment where all ethnic groups and nationalities will feel respected. What better time for a DEI office to voice unqualified support for Jewish students than in the face of Hamas’ war crimes?

 

Except DEI bureaucracies are hotbeds of antisemitism. Heritage scholar Jay Greene looked at tweets by DEI staff at colleges and universities and found that they “pay a disproportionately high amount of attention to Israel and nearly always attack Israel.” (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news and commentary outlet.)

In fact, 96% of their tweets or retweets about Israelwere critical of the Jewish state. In contrast, 62% of their tweets about China (which is currently carrying out a genocide against its minority Uyghur Muslim population) were positive.

In other words, instead of fighting antisemitism on campuses to make them more “inclusive,” DEI staff are fueling hostility toward Jews. And now, we’re seeing the results.

Harvard University’s DEI mission statement says it “establishes a profound sense of belonging for each member of our community.” Yet this week, 33 student groups cosigned a letter that “holds the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”

As the nightmarish images of innocent Israelis being murdered, tortured, and kidnapped populated the news and social media, Harvard took days to utter a response to their campus activists. How many Jewish students at Harvard could possibly feel a sense of belonging on that campus?

At Yale University, Associate Professor of American Studies Zareena Grewal has taken to X (formerly Twitter) in support of Hamas. With over a thousand Israelis dead, including butchered infants, Grewal praised Hamas’ treatment of Israeli captives: “Today, Palestinian freedom fighters showed their humanity in their treatment of Israeli settlers, compared to the brutal actions of the Israeli occupying forces towards Palestinian women and children.”

Yale has been rife with violations of free speech on its campus recently, including the disruption of Alliance Defending Freedom’s Kristen Waggoner. But it chose to defend Grewal’s freedom of expression. How are “diversity” and “inclusion” served by silencing conservatives while letting a faculty member celebrate the murder of over a thousand Jews?  

At Stanford, an instructor of a “Civil, Liberal, and Global Education” course used the Hamas attack to teach Jews a lesson. The instructor demanded Jewish students move themselves into the corner of the classroom, telling them “This is what Israel does to the Palestinians.” Then the instructor said that while 6 million Jewish people were murdered in the Holocaust, “colonizers killed more than 6 million. Israel is a colonizer.”

According to Stanford’s DEI website, “A diverse and inclusive community offers different perspectives, experiences, and cultures that enrich the educational experience.” Do Stanford’s DEI officers have nothing to say about this outrage?

Examples like this are popping up all over the place. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

University of Florida President Ben Sasse offered an unequivocal letter of support to the school’s Jewish community and a stern warning against campus activists supporting Hamas’ terror. Sasse wrote, “I also want to be clear about this: We will protect our Jewish students from violence. … If anti-Israel protests come, we will absolutely be ready to act if anyone dares to escalate beyond peaceful protest. Speech is protected—violence and vandalism are not.”

What a bold and rational stance. But why is this so rare? As universities and colleges pain themselves to appear as havens of diversity and inclusion, Sasse’s cogent statement should be the status quo.

Of course, free speech should be protected on college campuses. And there’s nothing wrong with a university aspiring to create an environment where all students, no matter their culture or ethnicity, can feel welcome.

But what good is a (very expensive) army of DEI officers if campus activists feel empowered to celebrate the deadliest day of violence against Jews since the Holocaust?

Soon, you may get a letter in the mail from your alma mater asking for money to help it cover the cost of an ever-expanding DEI bureaucracy. And you might feel a sense of obligation to an institution that helped shape your life.

But before writing that check, call the DEI office and ask about the status of pro-Hamas activism on campus.

This year, your answer just might be “no.”

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com, and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

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Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology – #8 Caiaphas Ossuary

This post is a continuation of our Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology series. To see the complete series please click here.

1967

1967 was an active year. The Doors kicked off the year releasing their self-entitled debut album. The United States was fully involved in the Vietnam War. The Green Bay Packers won their third consecutive championship against the Dallas Cowboys in the frozen “Ice Bowl.” In 1967 NASA had a lunar orbiter circling the moon taking photos of the surface looking for the best place to take that famous, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

In the Middle East, June 5th through the 10th of 1967 has become known as the Six Day War. It was a war between Israel and the neighboring countries of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The Arab countries of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria additionally sent troops to the war. At the war’s end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. The results of the war affect the geopolitics of the region to this day.

For the first time in centuries Jerusalem was again a unified city. To commemorate the new unification of Jerusalem a forest was planted. The Jerusalem Peace Forest links the city’s eastern and western parts. The forest’s name symbolizes the hope for peace and brotherhood among the united city’s residents.

The Jerusalem Peace Forest, which was planted at the edge of the desert, offers its visitors a unique spectacle created by the natural contrast of green trees surrounded by a barren landscape. Unknown to those in 1967 a marvelous archaeological discovery just happened to lay underneath the Jerusalem Peace Forest. The discovery we will focus on today would never have happened without the six day war in 1967. The discovery would have never happened without the creation of the Peace Forest.

Uneventful Construction Project Turned Eventful

Many archaeological discoveries in Israel come from pure chance. The discovery we are focusing on today is no exception. In December, 1990, a new park was being constructed within the Peace Forest. As the workers, using modern construction equipment, dug down they soon picked up their telephones. A long forgotten ceiling collapsed revealing a room deep in the earth.

The construction superintendent knew he had stumbled upon something ancient. The construction workers suspected they may have found an ancient burial tomb. The park project would be put on hold until the ancient room could be inspected. Israelis, like most cultures, put a priority on honoring the graves of their ancestors. It would be dishonoring for a large modern-day excavator to press on and brashly dig up human bones.

The construction superintendent contacted the Israeli Antiquities Authority. Zvi Greenhut arrived on the scene to see what the construction workers stumbled upon.

Burial Chamber Discovered

Greenhut writes, “When I arrived at the site, I found a rock-hewn loculi burial cave, the type of tomb that is typical of the Second Temple period in Jerusalem. The cave is located in an area in which scores of other such tombs have been discovered, all part of the Jerusalem necropolis which stretches southward as far as the vicinity of the Arab village of Sur Bahir.

The limestone bedrock into which the cave is hewn is soft and crumbly and full of cracks, very characteristic of the area. The cave has an irregular floor plan, and its entrance is on the east side. We reached the entrance from within the burial chamber, entering the tomb through what had been the roof.”

What a great sight. They get into the hole dug by the construction equipment. Then they see the secondary hole from the collapsed ceiling. They lower themselves through the ancient ceiling and quickly recognize they’re in a burial tomb from the period of the Second Temple.

The Ossuary

The archaeologists have just stepped back in time more than 2,000 years. As the flashlights sweep the tomb several ossuaries are found. An ossuary is a surprisingly small burial box. When looking at an ossuary you think there’s no chance a body could fit inside the box. That’s not the point. The ossuary is only used to store the bones after the body has decomposed.

An ancient burial chamber would include an area where the most recent death in the family lies on a chiseled-out rock bench. A family member would come into the chamber about a year after their death, take the bones, and place them in an ossuary in order to make room on the bench for the next deceased family member.

Zvi Greenhut discovers an exceptionally fancy ossuary. The ossuary is dated to the first century. It measures 37 centimeters high (14.6 inches) and 75 centimeters long (29.6 inches). The ossuary is covered with an ornate design which would seem to point toward an important person. The contents of the ossuary are studied and found to contain the remains of several people. This is not unusual. A family would place as many deceased relatives as possible into one ossuary.

Inside this ornate ossuary are found the bones of two babies, an adolescent child, a teenage boy, an adult woman, and a man about 60 years of age. The ossuary is an interesting chance discovery but not something to rock the archaeological world.

On the outside of the ossuary is found an inscription in Aramaic dramatically increasing the value of the ossuary and importance of this piece to the world of archaeology. In Aramaic the inscription reads, “Joseph son of Caiaphas.” Another ossuary, additionally, is found in the tomb containing an inscription reading simply, “Caiaphas.” The first ossuary draws the most attention.

The name Caiaphas is found in the New Testament. Cool, we found someone sharing the same name as someone from the Bible. The excitement from this discovery came from the big question, “Is this ‘the’ Caiaphas from the Bible?”

The New Testament describes Caiaphas as one of the primary individuals involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. Matthew, Luke and John each identify Caiaphas as the high priest that presided over the arrest and trial of Jesus. Being the high priest made him second in power only to the Roman governor. Jewish law did not allow the high priest to sentence people to death. The Bible explains Caiaphas worked with the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to carry out a death sentence on Jesus. You may be thinking, “Wait a second. The inscription says Joseph son of Caiaphas. Not just Caiaphas.” That’s what I originally thought too. The way the inscription is written is actually why it drew so much attention.

The first-century historian Josephus helps piece together the significance of the discovery. He identifies the high priest at the time of Jesus as not only Caiaphas but “Joseph Caiaphas.” Josephus tells us additionally Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest from 18 to 36 AD (Jewish Antiquities 18:35). A source outside the Bible helps us to establish the right name at the right time. Josephus later refers to him as “Joseph who was called Caiaphas of the high priesthood” (Jewish Antiquities 18:95).

Significance of the Ossuary

The discovery in 1990 brought excitement to the world of archaeology. The 60 year old man found in the ossuary is determined by Greenhut and others to be the high priest involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. The discovery is significant for really only one reason.

For the past 2,000 years Christians have viewed the crucifixion of Jesus (and subsequent resurrection) as the most important event of all human history. My objective in this series is not to make a reasoned case for the importance of the crucifixion. If you do not hold to the belief that Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, paid for the sins of humankind on the cross then you will not find any significant value in the Caiaphas Ossuary. If you do believe in the crucifixion as the most important event of human history then the Caiaphas Ossuary holds substantial significance. The Caiaphas Ossuary shows to us the bones of a 60 year old man who 2,000 years ago led the charge to put Jesus on the cross. The ossuary strengthens the historical reliability of the cross by supporting the existence of one of its central characters.

What do you think? Do you find the Caiaphas Ossuary to be a significant discovery in archaeology? Join the conversation by commenting on the post. In the next post we head to Jerusalem to get our feet wet.

The Bible and Archaeology – Is the Bible from God? (Kyle Butt 42 min)

You want some evidence that indicates that the Bible is true? Here is a good place to start and that is taking a closer look at the archaeology of the Old Testament times. Is the Bible historically accurate? Here are some of the posts I have done in the past on the subject: 1. The Babylonian Chronicle, of Nebuchadnezzars Siege of Jerusalem, 2. Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. 3. Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism), 4. Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. 5. The Discovery of the Hittites, 6.Shishak Smiting His Captives, 7. Moabite Stone, 8. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9A Verification of places in Gospel of John and Book of Acts., 9B Discovery of Ebla Tablets. 10. Cyrus Cylinder, 11. Puru “The lot of Yahali” 9th Century B.C.E., 12. The Uzziah Tablet Inscription, 13. The Pilate Inscription, 14. Caiaphas Ossuary, 14 B Pontius Pilate Part 2, 14c. Three greatest American Archaeologists moved to accept Bible’s accuracy through archaeology., 

Related posts:

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part I “Old Testament Bible Prophecy” includes the film TRUTH AND HISTORY and article ” Jane Roe became pro-life”

April 12, 2013 – 5:45 am

I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is Saline […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 2

August 8, 2013 – 1:28 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 1

August 6, 2013 – 1:24 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Tagged , | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur: Fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? (Ezekiel 26-28 and the story of Tyre, video clips)

April 5, 2012 – 10:39 am

Prophecy–The Biblical Prophesy About Tyre.mp4 Uploaded by TruthIsLife7 on Dec 5, 2010 A short summary of the prophecy about Tyre and it’s precise fulfillment. Go to this link and watch the whole series for the amazing fulfillment from secular sources. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt4mDZUefo ________________ John MacArthur on the amazing fulfilled prophecy on Tyre and how it was fulfilled […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (1)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2)

August 1, 2013 – 12:10 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1)

July 30, 2013 – 1:32 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Adrian Rogers: “Why I believe the Bible is true”

July 9, 2013 – 8:38 am

Adrian Rogers – How you can be certain the Bible is the word of God Great article by Adrian Rogers. What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word? I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God. First, I believe the Bible is the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy by Jim Wallace

June 24, 2013 – 9:47 am

Is there any evidence the Bible is true? Articles By PleaseConvinceMe Apologetics Radio The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy Jim Wallace A Simple Litmus Test There are many ways to verify the reliability of scripture from both internal evidences of transmission and agreement, to external confirmation through archeology and science. But perhaps the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part M “Old Testament prophecy fulfilled?”Part 3(includes film DEATH BY SOMEONE’S CHOICE)

April 19, 2013 – 1:52 am

  I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

Evidence for the Bible

March 27, 2013 – 9:43 pm

Here is some very convincing evidence that points to the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Archaeological and External Evidence for the Bible Archeology consistently confirms the Bible! Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

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By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

REVIEW OF “Bibi: My Story – by Benjamin Netanyahu” Part 24 BIBI LOSES HIS TEMPER WITH ALBRIGHT

October 15, 2023 – 4:38 pm

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Benzion Netanyahu, father of prime minister, dies at 102

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his father, Benzion, during a memorial ceremony for Yoni Netanyahu at Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem, 2007 (photo credit: Michal Fattal/Flash90)

tuti netanyahu

Yonathan Netanyahu –

Yoni, Bibi and Iddo Netanyahu (Courtesy Netanyahu family)

Yoni, Bibi and Iddo Netanyahu (Courtesy Netanyahu family)

tuti netanyahu

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tuti netanyahu

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Clinton to Netanyahu: I’ll oppose any outside solution to conflict

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in New York, September 25, 2016 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

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bill_clinton_benjamin_netanyahu_getty.jpg

BIBI LOSES HIS TEMPER WITH ALBRIGHT

When the meeting began in a London hotel, Albrightgave me an ultimatum to accept some unacceptable aspect of the negotiations with the Palestinians. “You have two hours to give me an answer,” she told me. “If you don’t, I’ll go down to the press corps in the lobby and tell them who is responsible for blocking peace.” I was furious. “Madam Secretary,” I said, “I don’t need two hours. I don’t need even two minutes. Let’s end this meeting right now and we’ll both go down to the world press. You tell them whatever you want. I’ll tell them that as the prime minister of Israel I will not endanger over three thousand years of the Jewish people’s struggle for a place among the nations by capitulating to conditions that would endanger the one and only Jewish state.” We didn’t go down to the lobby.

https://haltingarkansasliberalswithtruth.wordpress.com/?p=118636&preview=true

6 Things You Need to Know About Jack Lew, Biden’s Choice as Ambassador to Israel

Fred Lucas / /

President Joe Biden’s nominee as ambassador to Israel is Jack Lew, treasury secretary during the Obama administration, when he was responsible for administering sanctions relief as part of the Iranian nuclear deal. Pictured: Lew, then board chairman for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, speaks Nov. 9, 2021, during that organization’s gala dinner in New York. (Photo: Wang Ying/Xinhua/Getty Images)

As war rages between Israel and Hamas terrorists, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to hold a confirmation hearing Wednesday for Jack Lew to become the nation’s next ambassador to Israel despite significant baggage, including his support for the nuclear deal with Iran.

As treasury secretary during the Obama administration, Jacob Joseph “Jack” Lew was responsible for administering sanctions relief to Iran as a result of the U.S.-led multilateral Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Under that agreement, Iran temporarily would agree to stop developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of U.S. economic sanctions.

Lew was once booed before a pro-Israel Jewish audience in New York.

Iran is suspected of helping to plan and finance Hamas’s brutal terrorist attacks Saturday on Israel, based largely on a Wall Street Journal report.

President Joe Biden on Sept. 5 nominated Lew as ambassador to Israel, prompting significant opposition a month before Hamas attacked Israel. Lew, an Orthodox Jew, is a veteran of top jobs in both the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Days before Biden’s formal nomination, Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., was among the first to publicly demand that Biden reconsider nominating Lew for the post.

However, under the current circumstances in Israel, Tenney said, the United States must have an ambassador.

“Jack Lew has made controversial remarks that have undermined American and Israeli national security interests,” Tenney told The Daily Signal in a written statement Friday.

“He is not the best choice to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel. However, in this time of crisis, we need an administrator to coordinate U.S. support for Americans and Israelis,” she said. “The United States must reiterate our unwavering support of Israel, and that includes having an ambassador on the ground.”

After the Hamas attack, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., announced that he would move forward with a confirmation hearing for Lew as part of several steps to assist Israel. Other steps, the Maryland Democrat said, include replenishment of the Iron Dome missile defense system and supplemental funding for Israel’s defense.

“Right now, it is as critical as ever that we have a Senate-confirmed ambassador in Israel,” Cardin said Saturday. “That is why I hope my colleagues will join me in promptly confirming Secretary Jacob J. Lew as the new U.S. ambassador to Israel.”

However, during an interview Friday morning on Fox Business, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, expressed reservations about Lew.

“I would say I think we should have an ambassador in every country. It has to be the right person,” Rubio said, adding:

In the case of Mr. Lew, I have real concerns that he has misled and lied to Congress in the past, in terms of some of the financial arrangements that were made under the Obama administration. That is a valid situation. That is something that needs to be asked. The Republicans haven’t been blocking his nomination. He just got nominated. The paperwork on his nomination arrived literally a week ago here in the Senate. It would have been impossible to confirm him or anybody else. We’ll go through those hearings. We’ll go through that process.

In 2015, Rubio, joined by then-Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., asked Lew for information about sanctions relief for Iran proposed by President Barack Obama.

In 2018, a Senate report said Lew and other Obama administration officials misled Congress on the financial resources available to Iran.

“As Israel responds to the greatest loss of life in its history, and the United States responds to one of the deadliest days since 9/11, our interests would be better served by an ambassador that does not represent the policies of appeasement that provided unprecedented funding to the Islamic Republic of [Iran] and its surrogate Hamas,” Robert Greenway, director of the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal on Friday. (Heritage is the parent organization of The Daily Signal.)

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday that Biden is working with both parties in the Senate to secure a swift confirmation for Lew.

“The Senate is coming back into session next week,” Sullivan said. “Second, when they do, we are going to work with both Democrats and Republicans—and particularly the leaders on both sides and the chair and ranking [member of] the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—to make that happen as soon as humanly possible and then get [Lew] out to the region immediately thereafter.”

Here are six things to know about Lew’s background.

1. Iranian Nuclear Deal

During a 2015 visit to Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress urging opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran.

Pro-Israel groups, and most conservatives and Republican election officials opposed the Iranian nuclear deal, arguing that it wouldn’t stop the development of nuclear bomb, only slow it down, and that sanctions relief took the pressure off the ruling Islamist regime. Opponents also noted that the agreement didn’t allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit certain facilities without permission.

In 2017, during an event at Columbia University in New York, Lew criticized Netanyahu’s opposition to this so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as “provocative.”

“I mean I saw as much provocation coming from the prime minister. … I saw more provocation coming in than I saw going out,” Lew said at Columbia of Netanyahu’s earlier 2017 address to Congress.

After the Obama administration ended in January 2017, Lew became managing partner of Lindsay Goldberg LLC, a private equity firm in New York, and a visiting professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. He is also co-president of the board of the National Library of Israel USA.

“I think that was a huge mistake for Israel,” Lew said during the Columbia speech. “A, it wasn’t going to work; B, it contributed to a trend of Israel identifying on a partisan basis when for most of 70 years there was no question that both parties [Republicans and Democrats] could be pro-Israel,” Lew said.

In a June 2015 speech at The Jerusalem Post’s Annual Conference in New York, Lew, then treasury secretary, attempted to sell the nuclear deal with Iran that was being touted by Obama at the time.

“At the same time, as the framework lays out, the final deal will be built around an incredibly robust and intrusive inspections regime on Iran’s nuclear program,” Lew said in those remarks.

He added: “We will be inspecting and monitoring Iran’s nuclear sites and, importantly, supply chains. Uranium mines, uranium mills, centrifuge production sites, assembly and storage facilities, the purchase of sensitive equipment—all will be under penetrating surveillance.”

Lew’s 2015 speech at The Jerusalem Post’s event was misleading on multiple fronts, New York City lawyer Eric R. Levine wrote last month in an op-ed distributed by Jewish News Syndicate, an Israeli business.

“Unfortunately, Lew failed to tell his audience that Iran’s military sites were totally off-limits to inspections,” Levine wrote. “It did not take much imagination to figure out where Iran would develop its nuclear program.”

Lew also told the 2015 Jerusalem Post gathering that the Iranian nuclear deal “will have blocked all four of Iran’s pathways to develop a nuclear weapon.”

Levine wrote: “As we now know, the JCPOA did the precise opposite. It created a legal path for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.”

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., another member of the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote this week on X, formerly Twitter, that Lew has a lot of questions to answer.

2. What a Senate Investigation Found

In July 2015, Lew appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the same panel that will hold his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

“Iranian banks will not be able to clear U.S. dollars through New York, hold correspondent account relationships with U.S. financial institutions, or enter into financing arrangements with U.S. banks,” Lew testified about what the nuclear deal would mean.

However, more information came to light after both Obama and Lew left office in January 2017.

By February 2016, the Treasury Department had “granted a specific license that authorized a conversion of Iranian assets worth billions of U.S. dollars using the U.S. financial system,” according to a 2018 report by the investigative subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

This Senate report said the Obama administration tried to help Iran use U.S. banks to convert $5.7 billion in Iranian assets. It also said the Office of Foreign Assets Control, an appendage of the Treasury Department that regulates U.S. sanctions law, “encouraged two U.S. correspondent banks to convert the funds.”

The investigative subcommittee was led by then-Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

In response to the 2015 letter from Rubio and Kirk, Treasury Department officials told the Republican senators:

“The U.S. Department of Treasury is not working on behalf of Iran to enable Iranian access to U.S. dollars elsewhere in the international financial system, nor are we assisting Iran in gaining access to dollar payment systems outside the U.S. financial system. The [Obama] administration has not been and is not planning to grant Iran access to the U.S. financial system.”

The 2018 Senate report pointed to State Department documents that said the Obama administration conducted “roadshows” across the world to encourage financial institutions to work with Iran.

In June 2018, Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, detailed the Senate report and blasted the Obama administration.

“How bad is this? Remove the words ‘Obama’ and ‘Iran’ and replace them with ‘Trump’ and ‘Russia’ and imagine the outrage that would ensue over the same revelations,” Thiessen wrote in his column. “Democrats would be holding news conferences, and the story would be front-page news.”

“We hear a lot these days from the media about the danger of presidential lies,” he wrote. “Well, when it comes to the Iran deal, the Obama administration took lying to new heights. And no, that’s not Fake News.”

3. Government Resume: ‘No Administration Has Done More for Israel’

Lew, a staffer for then-House Speaker Tip O’Neill in the 1980s, left Capitol Hill to become a lobbyist.

Before he was Obama’s treasury secretary, Lew was his White House chief of staff. Prior to that, he was director of the executive branch’s Office of Management and Budget, a role he also held during the administration of President Bill Clinton, another Democrat.

Lew’s first post in the Obama administration was deputy secretary of state for management and resources at the State Department.

During the 2015 speech promoting the Iranian nuclear deal at The Jerusalem Post event, he asserted: “No administration has done more for Israel’s security than this one.”

But that was hardly the case with the Obama administration, wrote Morton A. Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, in an op-ed that appeared in The Jerusalem Post in late August amid reports that Biden would nominate Lew as ambassador to Israel. Klein opposed this possibility.

Klein wrote:

That’s not exactly the truth of an Obama administration that was about to enrich the extremist, antisemitic, terrorist Iranian mullahs with $150 billion of sanctions relief; repeatedly called for Israel to retreat to the suicidal pre-1967 lines with hypothetical small swaps; sent huge annual sums to the Palestinian Authority—thereby helping to enable the PA’s ‘pay to slay’ payments to Palestinian and Israeli Arabs to murder Jews; sent Egypt $1 billion of the latest weaponry during the frightening one-year period when the Muslim Brotherhood was in charge; repeatedly castigated Jews for building a few apartments in the Jewish homeland; and much more.

Klein went on to refer to nearly $2 billion flown to Iran in early 2016 by the Obama administration and wanted to know what Lew knows.

“For instance,” he wrote, “how was Lew—who was treasury secretary at the time—involved in Obama sending planeloads with $1.7 billion of cash to Iran?”

Klein was referring to Obama’s decision to order planes carrying Swiss francs, euros, and other currencies to Iran.

4. Pro-China Association

The Biden White House, in announcing his nomination, boasted that Lew “currently chairs the board of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.”

The U.S.-China committee is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that professes to encourage understanding and cooperation between the United States and “Greater China” to serve vital American and world interests.

The organization has assets of more than $16 million, according to the Capital Research Center, which monitors nonprofits.

“The manner in which America and China conduct their security, economic, and political relationships in the coming years will have a profound impact on the policy dynamics of the entire global community,” Lew said in a statement on the National Committee website.

“By educating leaders and creating opportunities for dialogue, the National Committee will play an important role in helping the two countries navigate this critical period in their relationship,”  he said.

5. Big NYU Payments

After serving in the Clinton administration as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Lew went to work as executive vice president and chief operating officer for New York University. He was also a professor of public administration there.

Shortly before Lew joined the Obama administration, NYU paid him $685,000 in a severance package, The New York Times reported. The university also provided Lew with a $1.5 million mortgage loan and forgave about one-third of that loan.

In a written response in 2013 to the Senate Finance Committee, which was considering his nomination for treasury secretary, Lew said of the NYU loan: “In addition to my salary, I received housing assistance, tuition remission, and a one-time severance payment upon my departure.”

He added: “I do not recall the interest rate or other specific terms.”

6. Citigroup Payouts

Lew left New York University for Citigroup, where he helped negotiate a $2 million settlement deal with then-New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.

The state of New York was investigating Citigroup because of  its designation of NYU as a preferred lender for students.

The New York Attorney General’s Office alleged that Citigroup paid kickbacks to NYU so that the university would steer students in Citigroup’s direction. The kickbacks allegedly were paid while Lew was in a senior position at the university, but weren’t tied to him directly.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked about the Citigroup arrangement during Lew’s 2013 confirmation hearing for the post of treasury secretary for the Obama administration. Lew responded that he didn’t recall details.

“I do not recall having any conversations with Citigroup officials regarding Citigroup’s selection or actions as a preferred lender for NYU students,” Lew told Grassley. He added: “Also, I do not believe that I approved the selection of Citigroup as a preferred lender for NYU students.”

In January 2009, three months after the federal bank bailout in response to the 2008 recession, Citigroup gave Lew a bonus of $944,518.

Lew earned a combined $2.65 million in 2007 and 2008 for his work at Citigroup, Reuters reported.

Ken McIntyre contributed to this report.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology – #9 Jehu’s Tribute to Shalmaneser III

This post is a continuation of our Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology series. To see the complete series please click here.

Setting the Stage

In 1846 archaeologist Henry Layard led a dig of a site in modern day Iraq named Kalhu. Layard, who also discovered #10 on our list, was fast becoming one of the world’s leading experts on the ancient Assyrians. Kalhu was once the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire. Assyria was the leading world-power for a few hundred years (roughly 900-650BC). Many of the people and events in the Old Testament took place during this time of history.

Kalhu, also known as Nimrud, is located south of Nineveh on the river Tigris. The city covered an area of around 16 square miles. The ruins of the city are located only 19 miles southeast of current-day Mosul.

Layard discovered something in Kalhu shocking the archaeological world. Kalhu’s discovery centered on an Assyrian king named Shalmaneser III. You’ve probably never heard of King Shalmaneser III. He ruled Assyria from 859-824 BC.  His long reign of 35 years consisted of constant military campaigns against eastern tribes such as the Babylonians, the nations Mesopotamia, Syria, etc…

Things are getting Interesting

In 853BC a coalition was formed to try to kick Shalmaneser’s buttocks. The coalition consisted of some leading kingdoms of the time. The Kurkh Monolith, which is an amazing archaeological discovery in its own right, explains the coalition fighting against Shalmaneser. The Kurkh Monolith lists the coalition as the kingdoms of Egypt, Hamath, Arvand, the Ammonites, “Ahab of Israel” and other neighboring states, under the leadership of king Hadadezer of Damascus. The coalition in 853BC defeats Shalmaneser at the Battle of Qarqar.Shalmaneser loses the battle but is determined to win the overall war.

Ahab and Jezebel

Did you catch one of those coalition names? Yes, I’m talking about, “Ahab of Israel.” Ahab and Jezebel are the Bonnie and Clyde of the Old Testament. No married couple did more to lead people away from God than Jezebel and Ahab. Their pathetic exploits take up a surprisingly large portion of the Old Testament. 1 Kings 16 through 2 Kings 10 describe their lives.

God raises up several people to prophecy against and destroy the evil works of Ahab and Jezebel. One of the greatest prophets in the Bible, Elijah, spends his entire prophetic career speaking against Ahab and Jezebel. The Kurkh Monolith confirms the reign of Ahab and also his coalition with the Syrian king Hadadezer of Damascus.

Enter Jehu on the Scene

God raises up a man who would absolutely destroy the royal line of Ahab. In 2 Kings 9 Jehu is anointed the new king of Israel. God then uses Jehu to destroy the evil kings of Israel and Judah. Jehu drives his chariot to a city named Jezreel. 2 Kings 9:30 takes it from here, “When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who? “Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.”

Yes, I admit, the previous verse paints a grotesque scene. If you feel any sympathy for Jezebel you have wasted your sympathy. She was evil to the core. If you read the accounts in 1 and 2 Kings you will see what I mean. She makes people like Osama Bin Laden look like members of the junior varsity team of evil leadership.

The Discovery

As Henry Layard’s team, in 1846, excavated the sandy world of Kahu they encountered a large black object taking them quickly back to the time of Shalmaneser III, Ahab and Jehu. The large black object is known as an obelisk. The word obelisk simply refers to the shape of the object. 21st century Americans are most familiar with a white obelisk known as the Washington monument. This black obelisk is not as big as the Washington monument, it’s only 6 feet tall, but for an archaeological find in the middle of a desert…a black carved object 6 feet tall is a substantial discovery.

We know the obelisk was erected as a public monument in 825 BC at a time of civil war. The relief sculptures surrounding all sides of the obelisk glorify the military achievements of King Shalmaneser III and his chief minister. The king thought the obelisk would help inspire the people toward greater national patriotism and unity thereby helping to end the civil war. The Obelisk lists military campaigns of thirty-one years and the tribute they exacted from their neighbours: including camels, monkeys, an elephant and a rhinoceros. Assyrian kings often collected exotic animals and plants as an expression of their power.

The obelisk contains five different scenes on five different rows.  Each row depicts the tribute of a foreign king. A tribute would usually entail a foreign king coming before Shalmaneser and bowing down before him showing Shalmaneser to be the ultimate king of his land.

Guess what? The second row of pictures on the Obelisk depicts the tribute of one particular king whom we know. When the ancient Assyrian Cuneiform inscription was translated the biblical world was shocked. The inscription reads, “The tribute of Jehu, son of Omri: I received from him silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king [and] spears.”

Significance

  1. This is the ONLY, to my knowledge,contemporaryartistic depiction of anyone mentioned in the Bible. What do I mean by contemporary? This is the only artistic depiction of someone in the Bible done by a person who actually lived during the same time. The Obelisk you see before you was created while Jehu was still the king sitting on his throne in Israel. The people knew what Jehu looked like. History outside of the Bible tells us Jehu and Shalmaneser were kings at the same time. When the Obelisk was created Jehu still had 10 years left of his reign in Israel.
  2. The black obelisk fully supports every detail of the Bible. It makes perfect sense for Jehu to be paying tribute to Shalmaneser. Here are some reasons:
  • Jehu was the mortal enemy of Ahab. Who was one of Ahab’s allies? Hadadezer the king of Damascus. It would be natural for the king of Damascus to hate Jehu.  A man named Hazael assassinated Hadadezer and became the new king of Damascus. We learn from 2 Kings 10:32, “In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel.” Jehu was being routed by Hazael, he needed some help to try to keep the country alive.
  • You may be thinking, “Why in the world would a king of Israel, especially someone like Jehu who was being used by God in powerful ways, ever pay tribute to the King of Assyria?”  Why didn’t Jehu just pray to God and allow God to rescue him from Hazael? We learn from 2 Kings 10:31, “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.” Jehu had some amazing moments being zealous for God, but had other times in his reign when he wasn’t walking with God. It would make perfect sense for Jehu, instead of praying, to be looking for the Assyrian King to rescue him from King Hazael.
  • Don’t forget the coalition defeating Shalmaneser at the battle of Qarqar in 853BC. Shalmaneser would have never forgotten that battle. Two of the people in that coalition: the king of Damascus and Ahab. Jehu and Shalmaneser shared common enemies. It would be natural for Shalmaneser and Jehu to join forces.

The black obelisk depicting Jehu’s tribute to Shalmaneser is such an amazing archaeological discovery. We are brought right into the time frame of the 9th century BC. The discovery provides such rich evidence for the accuracy of many events mentioned in 1st and 2nd Kings. The cherry on the top from the discovery is being able to see the real life depiction of one of the important kings of Israel.

As we continue down our Top Ten list the significance of our discoveries continue to grow. What do you think of the discovery?  Feel free to join the conversation by commenting on this discovery.

The Bible and Archaeology – Is the Bible from God? (Kyle Butt 42 min)

You want some evidence that indicates that the Bible is true? Here is a good place to start and that is taking a closer look at the archaeology of the Old Testament times. Is the Bible historically accurate? Here are some of the posts I have done in the past on the subject: 1. The Babylonian Chronicle, of Nebuchadnezzars Siege of Jerusalem, 2. Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. 3. Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism), 4. Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. 5. The Discovery of the Hittites, 6.Shishak Smiting His Captives, 7. Moabite Stone, 8. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9A Verification of places in Gospel of John and Book of Acts., 9B Discovery of Ebla Tablets. 10. Cyrus Cylinder, 11. Puru “The lot of Yahali” 9th Century B.C.E., 12. The Uzziah Tablet Inscription, 13. The Pilate Inscription, 14. Caiaphas Ossuary, 14 B Pontius Pilate Part 2, 14c. Three greatest American Archaeologists moved to accept Bible’s accuracy through archaeology., 

Related posts:

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part I “Old Testament Bible Prophecy” includes the film TRUTH AND HISTORY and article ” Jane Roe became pro-life”

April 12, 2013 – 5:45 am

I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is Saline […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 2

August 8, 2013 – 1:28 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on fulfilled prophecy from the Bible Part 1

August 6, 2013 – 1:24 am

I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry King’s Show. One of two most popular posts I […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Tagged , | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur: Fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? (Ezekiel 26-28 and the story of Tyre, video clips)

April 5, 2012 – 10:39 am

Prophecy–The Biblical Prophesy About Tyre.mp4 Uploaded by TruthIsLife7 on Dec 5, 2010 A short summary of the prophecy about Tyre and it’s precise fulfillment. Go to this link and watch the whole series for the amazing fulfillment from secular sources. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt4mDZUefo ________________ John MacArthur on the amazing fulfilled prophecy on Tyre and how it was fulfilled […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (1)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2)

August 1, 2013 – 12:10 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 2) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1)

July 30, 2013 – 1:32 am

John MacArthur on the Bible and Science (Part 1) I have posted many of the sermons by John MacArthur. He is a great bible teacher and this sermon below is another great message. His series on the Book of Proverbs was outstanding too.  I also have posted several of the visits MacArthur made to Larry […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Adrian Rogers: “Why I believe the Bible is true”

July 9, 2013 – 8:38 am

Adrian Rogers – How you can be certain the Bible is the word of God Great article by Adrian Rogers. What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God’s Word? I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God. First, I believe the Bible is the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy by Jim Wallace

June 24, 2013 – 9:47 am

Is there any evidence the Bible is true? Articles By PleaseConvinceMe Apologetics Radio The Old Testament is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy Jim Wallace A Simple Litmus Test There are many ways to verify the reliability of scripture from both internal evidences of transmission and agreement, to external confirmation through archeology and science. But perhaps the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Taking on Ark Times Bloggers on various issues Part M “Old Testament prophecy fulfilled?”Part 3(includes film DEATH BY SOMEONE’S CHOICE)

April 19, 2013 – 1:52 am

  I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control  and issues dealing with popular culture. Here is another exchange I had with them a while back. My username at the Ark Times Blog is […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Edit | Comments (0)

Evidence for the Bible

March 27, 2013 – 9:43 pm

Here is some very convincing evidence that points to the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Archaeological and External Evidence for the Bible Archeology consistently confirms the Bible! Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Edit | Comments (0)

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