"Doomsday Clock Strikes Again!"

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists dragged out their metaphorical clock again this week--you know, the big ol' clock that measures how close we are to blowing ourselves to smithereens?

Yeah. That clock...the clock that reflects how vulnerable the world is to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, terrorists, new technologies, etc., with midnight symbolizing 'apocalypse'.

"Unless we change the way we think, humanity remains in serious danger," said Lawrence Krauss, top-dog among Atomic Scientist types.

California Gov. Jerry Brown joined former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry for a discussion at Stanford University after the unveiling of the clock.

Perry feared the threat of nuclear war with Russia "was greater today than during the Cold War." Shultz warned about relations between the U.S. and China and our need to "engage" Russia before things really deteriorate into something unstoppable.

And Jerry Brown (aka "Moonbeam")?

Climate change.

That's right, people. Jerry Brown, the genius behind California's bullet train, is staying awake nights worrying about the weather.

The decision to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward is made by the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, a group of physicists and scientists from around the globe, which includes more than a dozen Nobel laureates.

This year the infamous clock remained in place--at 3 minutes to midnight--practically a miracle when you consider the "grave threat" of climate change, and all.

A wise man once said: "We are asked to believe that humans are drastically changing the earth's climate  by burning fossil fuels. The problem with their theory is very simple: It is not true. Our climate is constantly changing for perfectly natural reasons that have nothing to do with carbon dioxide." -- Statement by a coalition of scientists which includes multiple experts formerly from the EPA, Environment Canada, and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC).

"While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease." -- Genesis 8:22

News:

• Fox News Channel: NSA admits anyone connected to the internet can be spied upon.
• The Washington Post: Space Warfare With Russia And China? Pentagon Urged To Prepare For It; New Report Highlights U.S. Vulnerabilities.
• Jerusalem Post: Israel's Electrical Grid Attacked In Massive Cyber Attack; Virus ID'ed & Neutralized

"Apocalyptic Islam"

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, bestselling author Joel C. Rosenberg warned of the greatest challenge facing our world today: Apocalyptic Islam.

"For the first time in human history, the leaders of two nation states are being driven by eschatology. The rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran are consumed by ancient Islamic prophecies that predict the end of the world as we know it. So are the rulers of Islamic State (ISIS). The former are Shi'ite. The latter are Sunni."

"Yet both believe their messiah--known as the 'Mahdi' (or 'Twelfth Imam') will appear on Earth at any moment. Both believe he will usher in the End of Days," says Rosenberg. "Both are determined to hasten his coming."

For ISIS, this means building the caliphate in the Levant, which is a nice way of saying they want to take over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, while slaughtering anyone who gets in their way.

For Iran, the priority is not building the caliphate, but rather building the infrastructure to create an arsenal of nuclear weapons.

When Iran is ready "to commit genocide on an epic scale," warns Rosenberg, they intend to "annihilate America and Israel."

"Apocalyptic thinking is rampant in the Muslim world," Rosenberg cautions.

Roughly half of the 1.6 billion Muslims believe they will live to see the return of the Mahdi and the End of Days, all the while trying to speed things along.

Oh, and in another satanic twist, millions of Muslims believe Jesus is also coming back to earth. Only they don't believe that He is the Messiah or the Son of God as Christians do. Instead, "they believe Jesus is the Mahdi's deputy who will force all infidels to convert to Islam or be slaughtered," says Rosenberg.

A wise man once said: "We have not defeated the idea. We do not even understand the idea." -- Major General Michael K. Nagata, U.S. Special Ops Commander in the Middle East

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."  -1John 4: 7-8

News:

• Associated Press: ISIS Destroys Oldest Christian Monastery In Iraq; 100's Of Priceless Antiquities Systematically Destroyed Across Region
• CNBC: Soros Warns Europe On "Verge Of Collapse" Due To Refugee Crisis
• Reuters: Islamic State (ISIS) Attack Sets Storage Tanks Ablaze At Libyan Oil Terminal 

"Did David Bowie Go To Heaven?"

"Just three days after the release of his final album, Blackstar on his birthday, legendary singer-songwriter David Bowie died," wrote Leonardo Blair of The Christian Post.

And apparently Bowie, "who experimented with Christianity" believed he was going to heaven.

The lyrics of one of his very last songs include the words, "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

We sincerely pray he really is in heaven, because we don't wish the alternative on anybody.

Unfortunately, according to Stardust:The David Bowie Story, he was a follower of Aleister Crowley, once dubbed "the wickedest man in the world" by the British press, and labeled a Satanist because of his title "The Beast" and his prolific occultic publications.

And while Bowie's final album/video is a bizarre collection of occultic symbols we found too disturbing to watch, only God knows what's in a man's heart as he takes his last breath.

Meanwhile, in an article for Focus on the Family, Robert Velarde tackles everybody's least favorite topic: Hell.

• Do Christians really believe in it?
• Why would a loving God send people there?
• Doesn't eternal hell seem like cosmic overkill?

According to Velarde, "Theologically speaking, the doctrine of hell relates to personal eschatology. While eschatology is popularly known in relation to end-times events and various interpretations of the book of Revelation, it also encompasses what may be termed the 'final state' of individual souls."

In other words, every one of us will live forever. The only question: Where?

Velarde contents that Jesus had a lot to say in support of the belief that each person will ultimately spend eternity in either heaven or hell.

"In fact, scholars have determined that Jesus said more about hell than about heaven."

Why? "Rather than being cruel," says Velarde, "Jesus' intention is to offer a way out of such a horrible destiny. But people must be willing to embrace this opportunity."

The key to understanding the doctrine of hell has to do with the nature of God. Simply put:

• God is all-loving, sinless, holy and just.
• Nothing unholy can enter His presence.
• Man is born with an inherent sin-nature.
• Therefore, man must be born again (spiritually) to enter heaven.
• If man (or woman) refuses, he (she) must reside somewhere else (i.e., hell).

So is hell real? "Yes," says Velarde. "But fortunately God has provided the way of salvation for us through Christ."

Velarde warns, "In the end, however, it is up to us to follow or reject His offer."

A famous man once said: "That's the shock: All cliches are true. The years really do speed by. Life really is as short as they tell you it is. And there really is a God." -- David Bowie ( in 2003 interview)

The Bible says there is only One Way into heaven: click here to see what it is.  

"Anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved" (Romans 10:13).

News:

• The Washington Examiner: House Homeland chair warns of terror attacks at Disney, Oscars, Mall of America with killer biological attacks.
• Fox News Channel: Former U.S. Intel Expert, Mike Barrett, warns Americans to stock extra food, water in case of chemical/biological terror attack.
• CNBC: RBC economist cries "Sell Everything" ahead of stock market crash. 

"ISIS: Big Plans for 2016"

Journalist Jurgen Todenhofer, a former member of the German Parliament, says ISIS is "preparing the largest religious cleansing in history."

Todenhofer, author of My Journey Into The Heart of Terror, is the only Western journalist to spend 10 days behind-the-scenes with ISIS.

According to Todenhofer, ISIS considers all other religions except for their own to be "The Enemy".

"I asked them if they were prepared to kill every Shia Muslim, and they scoffed. "150 million or 500 million, we don't care, it's only a technical problem for us. We are ready to do that."

Why? Because Western Muslims who are part of democracies, vote to give people, not Allah, the power to make laws.

Earlier this month, ISIS issued a warning to Israel: "Not one Jew will be left in Jerusalem or around it. We will continue until we eradicate this disease from the world."

Todenhofer said, "They told me they know the Israeli army is too strong for them. They are scared of the Israelis and told me the Israeli army is the real danger. 'We can't defeat them with our current strategy. These people [the IDF] can fight a guerrilla war.'"

"ISIS thinks they can defeat U.S. and U.K. ground troops, who they say have no experience in city guerrilla or terrorist strategies." he said. "But they know the Israelis are very tough as far as fighting against guerrillas and terrorists."

ISIS' goal? To take over the Middle East, except Israel, in its first stage, and then move on to the West while subjecting us to "big acts of terrorism".

Bible prophecy makes it clear God isn't finished with the nation of Israel. And while their understanding is "veiled" when it comes to their Messiah (see Romans 11), it is temporary. The nation of Israel, chosen by God to receive salvation, will ultimately believe in Christ, resulting in great blessings for everyone. In the meantime, though they will suffer untold misery, God's hand is on them.

A wise man once said: "In the book of Joshua, God's speech encouraging Joshua (Joshua 1:2-9) is a warmhearted, tender speech, assuring Joshua of His care, protection, and presence, and urging him to obey His law. It is a model of God graciously encouraging His servants, and its exhortations are still of value today; true success in life cannot occur apart from knowing and doing the will of God." -- Andrew Hill, Ph.D.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

News:

• The Washington Post: N.Korea claims test of hydrogen bomb; UN Security Council gathered in emergency session says test "a clear threat to international peace and security".
• CNBC: Billionaire George Soros warns of impending financial markets crisis; "It's the 2008 crisis all over again."
• The Telegraph: Red wine is bad for you after all, say experts; set to rewrite the rule book on alcohol consumption.