"Guns, God & The Problem Of Evil"

"Evil is real. As long as humans have walked the earth, people have chosen to do evil things," said Dirty Jobs host, Mike Rowe in a facebook post. "This is what happened in Florida. A nineteen-year old man chose to do an evil thing. He planned it. He executed it. He succeeded."

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week led to 17 deaths and a raging debate on why such things keep happening.

Rowe says that while it's important to figure out the contributing factors in the shootings, such as video games, accessible firearms, single parents, no parents, powerful medications, social media, mental illness, bullying, or anything else we can think of that might have driven the shooter--we shouldn't lose sight of the root cause: Evil.

Billy Graham, who passed away this week, left us the following example of how evil works:

"Satan may be able to put evil thoughts directly into our minds. For example, when Judas turned against Jesus and secretly betrayed Him to His enemies, the Bible says that 'Satan entered Judas'" (Luke 22:3).

"But Judas alone was responsible for what he did; he could not blame Satan for his actions. Driven by greed, he willingly accepted the money he was offered to reveal where Jesus could be found. In other words, Satan only took advantage of his sinful desires. The Bible warns that 'each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed'" (James 1:14).

The bottom line? Politically charged conversations won't stop evil people from doing evil things. The best we can do is make it harder.

"But evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse as they deceive others and are themselves deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13

A wise man once said: "The Bible says that the problem is within us--within our hearts and souls. We are separated from God, and we need to have our souls restored. Something that only God can do."    -- Billy Graham 1918-2018

Billy Graham's Final Column" "By the time you read this, I will be in heaven."

News:

• The Wall Street Journal: Trump Holds 'Listening' Session For Victims Of School Shooting; pledges to push stricter gun laws, raise age limit from 18 to 21, ban bump stocks, and place armed guards or gun-trained teachers in schools.
• ABC News: Florida shooter claims he heard voices telling him to carry out massacre.
• USA Today: Billy Graham to lie in honor in Capitol Rotunda for service to the nation.

"Russia+Iran+Israel-the U.S. = Urgent Warning: Believers look up/nonbelievers wake up"

News out of the Middle East last week made those of us tracking bible prophecy hold our breath. For a while there, it looked like Ezekiel's prophecy had begun...or possibly even Isaiah 17:1, the destruction of Damascus.

On Saturday (Israel's Sabbath), Iran sent an unmanned aerial vehicle (aka spydrone) into Israeli airspace from a base in Syria.

Israel shot down the drone and launched multiple air strikes on Iran-backed positions in and around Damascus.

Syrian air defense managed to shoot down one of Israel's F-16 fighter jets as it returned from the bombing raid, something that hasn't happened in decades. Oh, and BTW the anti-aircraft missiles that downed the Israeli plane? Russian--though operated by Syria.

Iran and Russia are present in Syria to provide military backing to the Syrian government. Russia is an ally of both Iran and Syria, but also maintains cordial ties with Israel. Based on the Ezekiel 38 prophecy, we believe this "cordial" relationship between Russia and Israel is about to end.

Iran, (the country formerly know as Persia), has threatened to "wipe Israel off the map" for years, but Saturday marked their first ever direct confrontation. Given Russia's close ties to Iran, why wasn't this escalation prevented?

Meanwhile, "a U.S. jet operating in Syria destroyed a Russian-made T-72 battle tank near Al Tabiyeh, Syria on Saturday," the Pentagon confirmed.

The tank was destroyed after Russian mercenary forces fired on a position held by U.S. troops and their Syrian rebel allies earlier last week.

The story has come to light bit by bit, but apparently 500 "pro-regime forces" (meaning--you guessed it--Russians!) fired on special operations troops and attacked a headquarters used by U.S. troops in Deir al-Zor province approximately 5 miles east of the Euphrates River.

The U.S. responded with a furious barrage of air and artillery strikes killing as many as 200 or 300 Russian mercenaries, insisting the attack was unprovoked.

The Russian media version of the story said Russian private contractors and pro-government forces advanced on oil fields in the eastern Deir al-Zor province and were targeted by the United States, claiming the attack was...wait for it..."unprovoked".

The truth? Ezekiel 38 details a Russian-led coalition (including Iran and other Muslim nations) that orchestrates a surprise attack against Israel. Some speculate the reason for Russia's involvement will be to capture Israel's recently discovered massive natural gas and oils supplies (the same reason Russia wants the Balkans). For the first time in history every major player mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy are amassed militarily on the Syrian /Israeli border. The prophecy does not mention the U.S. Hmmmm...can't help but wonder why.

JD Farag connects the prophetic dots in his short, but comprehensive prophecy update--a must-see to get us up to speed on future events. You don't want to miss this one.

A wise man once said: "Iran's calculated escalation of threat, and its ambition to project its power and dominance, places all of the people of the region--from Yemen to Lebanon at risk. The U.S. calls for an end to Iranian behavior that threatens peace and stability." -- Heather Nauert, U.S. State Department

Then He instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near" Revelation 22:10.

News:

• The Times of Israel: Russian official: "If Iran attacks Israel, we'll stand with Israel; the U.S. and Russia will be on Israel's side" --Russian Ambassador to Israel, Leonid Frolov
• Breitbart: Israel's 'Deep State' Targets Netanyahu With Bogus Charges; shows remarkable similarities with the Special Counsel probe against Trump.
• The Jerusalem Post: Israel Defense Minister: "Iran declared war on us long ago, Tehran wants to "erase" Israel

"Happiness is a Choice"

As a reporter for The New York Times, John Leland spent a year hanging out with a small group of seniors 85 and up detailing their lives for a series of articles.

Those articles morphed into his latest best seller, Happiness Is A Choice You Make, a book everyone seems to want. Why? Apparently, those old folks have a secret the rest of us need: How to be happy.

"One of the paradoxes of old age is that for all the idealization of youth, people are actually happier when they get older," Leland said.

Wait...what?

According to Leland, studies show 80-year olds are more content that those in their 20s. "Older people see a short time in front of them so they will concentrate on things that are pleasing to them in the moment."

The bottom line according to Leland? You can learn from those who have been around the block a few times and recognize that happiness is a choice you make.

Hugh Whelchel of Theology 101, gives the Biblical definition of true happiness: "In the Old Testament, the word ashre means "well-being", "flourishing", and "happiness". This word is most often translated into English as "blessed".

Ashre is used throughout the Psalms and Proverbs to describe the happy state of those who live wisely according to God's design.

The same formula for ashre is used in the New Testament with the word makarios, the Greek equivalent of ashre.

In Matthew, the Beatitudes could easily read: "Blessed/Happy/Flourishing are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10).

Thus, ashre/makarios is making an appeal to true happiness and flourishing through obedience within the gracious covenant God has given to His people.

A wise man once said: "Here is the irony: the less you're concerned about your happiness and the more you're concerned about Him (God), the happier you get. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." -- Tim Keller, Christian scholar

"Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all those other things" (Matthew 6:33).

News:

• DEBKAfile: New Iranian weaponized drone deployed in Syria "equipped with smart-bomb warheads".
• The Washington Free Beacon: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Defends Plan To Deploy Small Nuclear Arms; new weapons needed to counter Russia and China, he said.
• The New York Times: World Braces For Shocks As Era Of Easy Money Ends 

"New Study: BFF Brains Light Up The Same"

"Scientists long ago understood that 'birds of a feather flock together,'" said Carolyn Parkinson, director of the Computational Social Neuroscience Lab at UCLA. And apparently, they were right.

According to a study released Tuesday, close friends have more in common than they realize: Their brains.

That's right folks, you and your BFF really do think alike.

"Our results suggest that friends process the world around them in exceptionally similar ways," said Parkinson. "You can predict who people are friends with just by looking at how their brains respond."

The study included 42 volunteers connected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) viewing short video clips of news reports, music videos, comedy skits, and documentaries, while researchers watched neural activity in their brains. The findings? Close friends have "eerily comparable neural responses to life experiences." And as an extra added attraction, their brains light up in all the same places making them a natural match. Link: Best Friends' Brains Light Up The Same

"The closer the relationship, the more alike the neural patterns in parts of the brain governing emotional response, high-level reasoning, and the capacity to focus one's attention," the authors of the study said. And conversely, "the relationships we forge with individuals who are clearly different from us--not of our 'tribe'--tend to be practical, task-oriented and short-lived, research has shown." In other words, if you want to "know yourself" take a good, long look at your friends.

A wise man once said: "As a Christian, you should avoid anything that would compromise your relationship with Jesus. That includes entering into a relationship, business deal, or any other association that would tempt you to lower your standards or discredit your integrity. When you team up with someone who does not love and fear the Lord, that relationship can dramatically weaken you spiritually." -- Greg Laurie, Harvest Christian Fellowship

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Proverbs 13:20

News:

• The New York Times: Oprah Winfrey Drops Russell Simmons From Spiritual Advice Book After Multiple Women Accused Him Of Sexual Misconduct
• Associated Press: Leading Islamic Scholar In Custody Amid Rape Claims In Paris
• WND: FBI Says Explosive FISA Surveillance Memo 'Accurate'; Dems did everything they could to hide info from American people