"Gateway To Hell Coming To NYC?"

"Next month the Temple of Baal will come to Times Square," according to The New York Times. "Reproductions of the 50-foot arch that formed the temple's entrance are to be installed in New York and in London."

The Institute of Digital Archaeology plans to display the arch for World Heritage Week in April.

Originally located in Syria, the 2000-year old Temple of Baal (aka Temple of Bel) was destroyed by ISIS, along with hundreds of other historic landmarks and priceless antiquities.

This temple was consecrated in A.D.32 to the Semitic god Baal (or Ba'al-ze-bub, lord of the flies), a demonic entity for whom abominations were performed.

In ancient times, Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution along with perverted sex-acts.

The priests of Baal, whipped into a frenzy of ecstatic dancing and self-mutilation, then sacrificed children on Baal's alter by burning them alive.

While preserving history is a good thing, some landmarks shouldn't be re-created and brought to the United States.

In light of its horrific past (and the fact that some are already making wild claims that the arch could serve as a "gateway" or portal for hellish entities) wouldn't it make more sense to reproduce something a little more benign, like say, the Elian monastery, which was also razed by ISIS?

A wise man once said: "Our real battle is not with human cultists, false religionists, atheists, agnostics, and pseudo-Christians, but with the demonic beings working through them, of which even the flesh and blood opponents themselves are sometimes unaware." -- Barry J. Beitzel, Ph.D.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers  of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all, to stand" -- Ephesians 6:10-13

News:

• The Washington Post: FDA Makes Abortion Pill Easier To Get; Increase In Terminated Pregnancies Expected
• DEBKAfile: Threat of nuclear terrorism tops agenda at Washington summit; Brussels brings topic urgency.
• Breitbart: U.S. & Israel orders citizens out of Turkey along with U.S. military families due to deteriorating security situation.

"ISIS: Ancient Prophecy About to Be Fulfilled"

An ancient Islamic prophecy is fueling ISIS militants into ever greater acts of terrorism.

The prophecy, a 1300-year old hadith (which is a report of the teachings and sayings of the prophet Mohammad) predicts a battle in Syria between an Islamic army and an 'infidel horde' from Rome.

Apparently, this 'horde' will be flying 80 banners as they take on a Muslim army in the Syrian town of Dabiq, ushering in the 'malahim' or the apocalypse.

Who wins? The Muslims, of course.

This prophecy is a fundamental part of ISIS ideology, a huge recruitment tool and serves to convince jihadists they're on the 'cusp of history'.

Social media is buzzing with ISIS supporters comparing recent events (especially in Syria) to the prophecy and proclaiming the 'malahim' is coming.

ISIS fighters conquered Dabiq in 2014 which "proved" the prophecy's validity (at least in their eyes) and now they are certain The End is near.

"The U.S. and its allies will descend on Syria once they see that the air campaign has failed. That is a promise by God and His Messenger," ISIS fanatics tweeted back in 2014.

"The U.S. and its allies?" What happened to Rome? Their prophecy said the "horde" would be Roman.

Seems ISIS adjusts its prophecies to fit whatever facts on the ground seem to indicate. ISIS has now given up on--or amended--the idea that America is "Rome" in their prophecy.

So, who has ISIS adopted as their "Rome" this year? Turkey (...or was that Iran?)

A wise man once said: "The inevitable defeat of the Islamic State at Dabiq, should it ever confront "Rome", would argue against the prophecy's applicability. But in the apocalyptic imagination, inconvenient facts rarely impede the glorious march to the end of the world." -- William McCants, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Center for Middle East Policy

"If the prophet speaks in the LORD's name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the LORD did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without My authority and need not be feared"  Deuteronomy 18-22. 

News:

• Fox News Channel: ISIS calls for global "Jihad", "Islamic caliphate will soon become reality in Europe," claims terror group.
• Associated Press: "Hundreds" Of ISIS Fighters Trained To Attack In Europe. Meanwhile, Brussels lowers Alert Status only 2 days after major Brussels attack.
• Daily Mail: ISIS Planned Nuclear Power Plant Attack Uncovered Video Footage Reveals

"3 Steps to a Perfect Body"

"Millions have lost weight on NutriSystem and you can too!" says the NutriSystem TV spot featuring Marie Osmond (in her new "perfect" body).

But let's face it gang--most Americans will do anything to lose weight...except (you guessed it) diet and exercise.

The Good News? Christians don't need to diet and exercise to get a perfect body.

In his book, The Case For Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence For The Resurrection, Lee Strobel probes the core issues of Christianity.

Was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead a superstitious myth or life-changing reality?

Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief.

In his book, Strobel examines:

• The Medical Evidence--was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax?
• The Evidence of the Missing Body--was Jesus' body really absent from His tomb?
• The Evidence of Appearance--was Jesus seen alive after His death on the cross?

Based on the historical data, Strobel became convinced the evidence for the resurrection was entirely credible and, in fact, undeniable.

Strobel's verdict? Jesus Christ really is the one and only Son of God, who proved it by rising from the dead.

"But to all who believed Him and received Him, He gave the right to become children of God" -- John 1:12  (emphasis added)

The 3 steps to a perfect body?

Believe + Receive = Become

A wise man once said: "Our bodies will be real, physical, genuinely human bodies--the very same bodies we have while on this earth--yet wholly perfected and glorified." -- John MacArthur, Christian scholar

"Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true and everyone should accept it." 1Timothy 4:7-9

News:

• U.S. News: Trump Predicts "Riots" If He Doesn't Get GOP Nomination; Black Lives Matter: "We will incite riots everywhere if Trump wins."
• Reuters: U.S. student sentenced to 15 yrs hard labor by North Korea for stealing a political banner as a souvenir.
• WSJ: Global Government Debt Actually Triple What Previously Thought 

"Predicting the Next U.S. President Through Algorithms"

Want to know who will win the election, when the economy will tank, or where the next global hot spot will be?

We've got two words for you: Predictive analytics, a science that employs a wide variety of statistical techniques to predict--you guessed it--the future.

Analysts use algorithms, predictive modeling and data mining to extract information from data to predict trends and probable future scenarios.

For example, academics from the Gulf University for Science and Technology accurately predicted the price of oil using complex computer algorithms.

The price of crude oil plays an important role in global economics affecting the price of almost everything else. Soon they expect to be able to accurately predict the price of other commodities, a major breakthrough when it comes to financial planning. Imagine how helpful it would be to know in advance how much you'll need for basic living expenses--especially for retirement planning.

While predictive analytics isn't 100% accurate, (it can't predict wild card events, like say, the exact timing of a destructive earthquake), it can come close.

For now the accuracy rate is about 70%, but The Office of Naval Research believes it will eventually come closer to 99% and expand to include the ability to predict wars, protests, revolutions, and most human behavior in advance.

What predictive analytics does today is give us a reasonable probability and an educated guess of future events we wouldn't otherwise have.

What it could do in the future, in the wrong hands--who knows? Revelation 13 describes a worldwide monetary and surveillance system that will require sophisticated technologies and  the ability to track every person on the planet. No generation before ours could have realistically fulfilled those prophecies.

So what do analysts predict in regards to the U.S. Presidential election?

Too early to say, claim most. One (and only one, so far) believes the data points to the first woman president.

"..and he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation." Revelation 13:7

A wise man once said: "The more I study science the more I believe in God." --Albert Einstein

News:

• The Hill: Clinton would easily beat Trump by double-digits in general election, according to poll released Wednesday.
• USA Today: Pentagon admits it has deployed military spy drones over the U.S. for non-military missions, according to report made public by the Freedom of Information Act.
• The New York Times: ISIS detainee tells U.S. of miliatants' plan to use mustard gas in Iraq and Syria. 

"Trump, Cruz, Rubio: WWJD?"

Evangelicals are a mixed bag, politically speaking," says Nathan Finn, church historian and Dean of the School of Theology at Union University.

You can say that again--evangelicals, politically speaking, seem to be all over the map when it comes to choosing a candidate that best reflects our Christian values.

"We come in a variety of ethnicities and worship in a multitude of languages," Finn explains.

"The vast majority of us are pro-life and affirm the biblical view of marriage, but these are not the only issues that affect how one votes."

Of course not. There's Israel--and with several possible Supreme Court appointments looming, the stakes could not be higher. Integrity and character matter.

Meanwhile, Franklin Graham, son of internationally known evangelist Billy Graham, has decided to leave the GOP. "I don't have faith in either party," he said. "The only hope for our country is God."

"I believe we are perilously close to the moral tipping point for the survival of the United States of America," Graham warned.

Speaking to NBC News, Graham said that he is not affiliated with any party because the whole American political system is godless and contrary to the Founding Fathers' vision.

"This may be the most important election in our nation's history. America is headed in the wrong direction and only God can turn it around."

Rather than promote a party or candidate, Graham has launched a bus tour taking a message of repentance and prayer to all 50 state capitals, urging Christians to honor God in their homes, public lives and at the ballot box.

Roughly 50 million Christians failed to vote in the last election. Imagine if every Christian voted biblical values in every election--how different would this country be today?

As followers of Christ, we don't have the luxury of being a "mixed bag". We must all prayerfully ask God (politically speaking) "WWJD?"

The Last Days Church

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Ruler of God's creation. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:14-16.

A wise man once said: "In very vivid terms, the Lord rejects the halfhearted efforts of self-satisfied Christians." --Len Wood, Th.M

News:

• Tribune: Supreme Court's female justices take aim at Texas abortion restrictions; clash with conservative colleagues over most important abortion case in decades.
• Reuters: North Korea orders nukes on stand-by after U.N. Security Council impose harsh, new sanctions.
• Fox News Channel: Republicans at each other's throats over possible Trump nomination; providing Dems with a "house divided"