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Gog As Antichrist: A Historical Survey

11/22/2012 1 comment

By Joel Richardson – “The primary purpose of this article is to catalogue a partial list of historians, Bible scholars, commentators and teachers, both Jewish, Christian, and secular, whose interpretations of ‘Gog of Magog’ of Ezekiel 38-39 support the view that Gog is one and the same with the Antichrist / Beast of the New Testament. We will also identify the scholars who identify Gog and his hordes as coming from the region of modern day Turkey or just over the border in Syria, as opposed to in modern day Russia. In this survey, it will become apparent that the popular modern view of Gog as an eschatological character distinct from the Antichrist who comes from Russia is largely a modern novelty, representing a significant minority position within Church history.

Pliny the Elder was a first-century Roman military commander, author, naturalist, and philosopher. He spoke of a city called, ‘Bambyce, otherwise called Hierapolis; but of the Syrians, Magog [or Mabog].’ Ancient Heirapolis sat on the border of modern-day Turkey and Syria; thus, according to Pliny, so did Magog, the home of Gog.

Hippolytus of Rome, (170—235), an early Christian theologian, in his Chronicon, written in the early third century, rejected the now well-known claim by Josephus, identifying Magog with the Scythians north of the Black Sea. Instead, Hippolytus connected Magog with the Galatians in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey.

Moses Ben Maimonides, (aka., Rambam) (1135—1204), the revered Jewish sage, in Hichot Terumot, along with Hippolytus and Pliny, identified Magog as being on the border of Syria and modern day Turkey.

Rabbi David Kimchi, (aka., Radak) (1160–1235), another famous medieval Jewish rabbi, commenting on Zechariah 14, says this portion of Scripture—which virtually all Christians affirm refers to the Antichrist—is a reference to the war of Gog of Magog.

Nicholas of Lyra (1270—1349), a Franciscan scholar of Hebrew, and renowned Biblical exegete from the University of Paris. Lyra’s works were greatly influential among the reformers. Lyra believed that Gog was another title of the Antichrist. Lyra argued that Gog means ‘covered’ which is a reference to the Antichrist as Satan covering himself with the shape of a man. According to 17th century exegete John Mayer, Lyra’s view of Gog as the Antichrist ‘is most generally received’. Lyra also affirmed that the religion of the ‘Turks’, a term used to refer to Muslims in general, was the religion of the Antichrist.

Martin Luther (1483—1546), the German monk, priest and iconic reformer, understood Gog to be a reference to the Turks, whom God had sent as a scourge to chastise Christians.

Franciscus Junius (1545—1602), a French Huguenot scholar and theologian. Junius saw Gog as Read more…

Categories: Radical Islam, Theology and Eschatology, Wars and Rumors of War

Poll: Palestinians Itching For Another Fight With Israel, Don’t Want Long-Term Gaza Ceasefire

11/22/2012 2 comments

Genesis 6:11b-12, “‘You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.'”

By Ryan Jones, Israel Today – “According to a survey conducted by the Palpress Arabic-language website, the Palestinians are itching for another fight with Israel, less than a day after the Jewish state agreed to prematurely halt its campaign to eliminate the Gaza missile threat.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the unfavorable truce, [which baffled many Israelis][1], that it was right to return calm to the region as soon as possible. Netanyahu said Israel is interested in a long-term cessation of hostilities, an end to conflict.

But, just as most Israelis feared, it appears groups like Hamas will only use the days and months of calm ahead to prepare for the next round of violence. And they will apparently have majority support among the public for doing so.

The Palpress survey, which was actually an Internet referendum, showed that 64 percent of Palestinian Arabs oppose a long-term ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

And why would they vote otherwise? The circumstances of the ceasefire – it was called while Hamas was still attacking Israel – and the subsequent Hamas celebrations in Gaza gave the impression that the terrorists had won the brief war with Israel. For all intents and purposes, in Palestinian eyes, Israel surrendered.” Source – Israel Today.

Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Blasts Ceasefire With Israel, Urges Holy War – “The top leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood denounced peace efforts with Israel and urged holy war to liberate Palestinian territories on Thursday – one day after the country’s president, who hails from the movement, mediated a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians to end eight days of fierce fighting. ‘The enemy knows nothing but the language of force,’ said Mohammed Badie. ‘Be aware of the game of grand deception with which they depict peace accords,’ he said in a statement carried on the group’s website and emailed to reporters.” Read more.

Daniel Greenfield: There Is No Ceasefire – “There is no ceasefire, despite declarations from the international community to the contrary, just as there has been no peace for the past twenty years despite peace accords being signed. In the language of diplomacy, ceasefire does not mean that the rockets will stop falling and peace does not mean an end to the violence. They mean only that Israel is not allowed to fight back when the rockets fall and the bombs go off. Peace does not mean an absence of killing; what it means is that the terrorists are the only ones allowed to kill.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War

For Fourth Straight Year, Obama’s Thanksgiving Message Doesn’t Thank God

11/22/2012 3 comments

Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Obama is simply trying to exercise a bit of humility. Because he figured he would have looked a little too conceited thanking himself …

By BEN SHAPIRO, Breitbart – “Yet again, President Obama’s Thanksgiving message eschewed any direct reference to thanking God, making this the fourth straight year in which the President of the United States has ignored the central message of the holiday in favor of political grandstanding.

This year, Obama’s central message was that now that he’s been re-elected, Americans should agree with all of his policies. His unity routine sounds strangely empty after a campaign in which he focused on dividing Americans:

But most of all, it’s a time to give thanks for each other, and for the incredible bounty we enjoy.

That’s especially important this year.  As a nation, we’ve just emerged from a campaign season that was passionate, noisy, and vital to our democracy.  But it also required us to make choices – and sometimes those choices led us to focus on what sets us apart instead of what ties us together; on what candidate we support instead of what country we belong to ….

We’re also grateful that this country has always been home to Americans who see these blessings not simply as gifts to enjoy, but as opportunities to give back.  Americans who believe we have a responsibility to look out for those less fortunate – to pull each other up and move forward together.

How are we supposed to move forward together, you ask? Why, with greater government spending, of course!

As for God, here was the only mention – as a throwaway line in a hackneyed aphorism, used constantly by this president for communitarian sloganeering:

As Americans, we are a bold, generous, big-hearted people.  When our brothers and sisters are in need, we roll up our sleeves and get to work – not for the recognition or the reward, but because it’s the right thing to do.  Because there but for the grace of God go I.  And because here in America, we rise or fall together, as one nation and one people.

No mention of thanking God. None.

But, of course, we’re used to this. In 2011, there was Read more…

Categories: Anything Else

An Obama Nation: Pennsylvania College Slashes Work Hours For Hundreds Of Professors To Avoid Obamacare

11/22/2012 1 comment

By WYNTON HALL, Breitbart – “Pennsylvania’s Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is slashing the hours of 400 adjunct instructors, support staff, and part-time instructors to dodge paying for Obamacare.

‘It’s kind of a double whammy for us because we are facing a legal requirement [under the new law] to get health care and if the college is reducing our hours, we don’t have the money to pay for it,’ said adjunct biology professor Adam Davis.

On Tuesday, CCAC employees were notified that Obamacare defines full-time employees as those working 30 hours or more per week and that on Dec. 31 temporary part-time employees will be cut back to 25 hours. The move will save an estimated $6 million.

‘While it is of course the college’s preference to provide coverage to these positions, there simply are not funds available to do so,’ said CCAC spokesperson David Hoovler. ‘Several years of cuts or largely flat funding from our government supporters have led to significant cost reductions by CCAC, leaving little room to trim the college’s budget further.’

The solution, says United Steelworkers representative Jeff Cech, is that adjunct professors should unionize in an attempt to thwart schools seeking similar cost-savings efforts from avoiding Obamacare.

‘They may be complying with the letter of the law, but the letter of law and the spirit of the law are two different things,’ said Mr. Cech. ‘If they are doing it at CCAC, it can’t be long before they do it other places.’

Under the new CCAC policy, adjunct professors will only be allowed to teach 10 credit hours a semester. Adjuncts are paid $730 per credit hour.

‘We all know we are expendable,’ said Mr. Davis, ‘and there are plenty of people out there in this economy who would be willing to have our jobs.'” Source – Breitbart.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters Tags:

Radical Islamist Turns Ardent Zionist: The Story Of Kasim Hafeez

11/22/2012 2 comments

By Fern Sidman – “On Thursday evening, November 15, an audience of several hundred people sat in rapt attention at Temple Israel on New York City’s Upper East Side, as they heard the compelling narrative of a most unusual man.

Kasim Hafeez, 28, is a British-born Muslim of Pakistani descent who was raised in an environment where he was taught that ‘Jews control the world, and Israel is at fault for just about everything.’ As many other young Muslims in the United Kingdom, he embraced the teachings of radical Islam and internalized the visceral hatred for Israel that is endemic to this philosophy.

Growing up in a home where his father praised Adolf Hitler (ym’sh) as a ‘brilliant man’ whose only shortcoming was that he ‘didn’t kill enough Jews,’ Kasim Hafeez was being groomed to be yet another virulent Israel basher, but this life trajectory was abruptly derailed when he decided to undertake some serious research on the political history of Israel. Today, the Nottingham-based university administrator addresses audiences around the globe about the epiphany of truth that changed his life, and his speeches are being sponsored by the premier North American pro-Israel student advocacy organization, StandWithUs.

Prior to the transformative process that made him into a ‘proud Zionist,’ Mr. Hafeez observes that before the 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie’s book entitled, ‘Satanic Verses,’ most mosques in the UK had not as yet undergone the radicalization process, but that changed quite rapidly. ‘I recall that as a young boy, we didn’t want that book on the shelves. We bought copies of it and burned them,’ says Hafeez.

As a teenager, Hafeez remembers that while most Muslims in the United Kingdom ‘faked’ their condemnations of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the great majority of them were exceptionally pleased with the results. ‘We really believed that Israel and the Jews were the center of all evil and because of Israel’s close relationship with the United States and their Western value system, we harbored a real enmity toward America. I had a friend who was convinced that 9/11 was an inside job. A conspiratorial plot hatched the by the US and Israel.’

Speaking of his indoctrination by Muslim extremists, Hafeez ruefully observes that, ‘We were made to feel like the victims of the Western world, so therefore anything goes. We thought we had the moral right to fight back using any and all means.’

‘I used to vigorously campaign against Israel,’ declares Hafeez and ‘while we were encouraged to be better Muslims by taking up the cause of Palestinian statehood, I can tell you that we were constantly deluged with propaganda and false images of the purported plight of the Palestinians.’ In the midst of his immersion in the Muslim campaign to demonize and delegitimize Israel, Hafeez says that he carried signs at demonstrations which Read more…

Categories: Radical Islam Tags:

Israel Sent 20 Letters To The United Nations Regarding Hamas Rockets In 2012 Before Responding Militarily

11/22/2012 Leave a comment

The Palestine-Israel Conflict – “The current bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas did not emerge in a vacuum. Israel is exercising its legitimate right to self-defense in light of repeated rocket attacks coming from Gaza.

Since 1 January 2012, we were able to count 20 separate letters sent by Israel’s Mission to the UN in New York to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the Security Council. In these letters, the Israeli diplomats inform the United Nations about repeated instances of rockets landing to Israel from Gaza. In addition, they ask the U.N. to condemn the rocket attacks and they add “inaction today could help ignite an escalation of conflict tomorrow.” Unfortunately, we were not able to locate a U.N. condemnation of these attacks.

Below is the full list:

This is another list of similar letters from the 2000-2008 period.” Source – The Palestine-Israel Conflict.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War