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This newsletter is available online by
clicking here. The archived newsletter are also available by
clicking here.
The News In Review newsletter is a service
provided
by Understand The Times that
is a compilation of the news articles
previously posted
on our site . Understand The Times does not
endorse these events but rather is
showing the church the current events.
The
purpose of posting these articles is to warn the church of deception from a
Biblical perspective.
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March 1 - Pentagon prepares "aerial refueling" for Israeli planes striking Iran
Artical: Wars And Rumors Of Wars
In a dramatic U-turn to show
Israel that Washington is serious about its military option against Iran's
nuclear program, Pentagon officials disclosed Thursday, March 1, that
"military options being prepared start with
providing refueling for Israeli planes and include attacking the pillars of the
clerical regime.
They include the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its elite Qods Force,
regular Iranian military bases and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security."
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in Washington's first public
reference to possible joint military action with Israel against Iran.
Barring last-minute changes, US President Barack Obama and
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will still be at profound cross
purposes on Iran when they meet at the White House on March 5. Israel's Defense
Minister Ehud Barak flew to Washington to try and work out with US Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta Wednesday, Feb. 29 a formula for bridging the widening
gap. debkafile's Washington sources report that notwithstanding their smiling
embraces, Barak flew straight back home to inform the prime minister they had
failed.
While still airborne, Barak heard White House Spokesman Jay Carney further
sharpen Obama's current tone: "I think we have been clear
about this - that any (Israeli) military action in that region threatens greater
instability in the region, because Iran borders both Afghanistan and Iraq - we
have civilian personnel in Iraq, we have military personnel as well as civilians
in Afghanistan."
Carney added "But our approach right now
is to continue to pursue the diplomatic path that we've taken, combined with
very aggressive sanctions."
Read Full Article....
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February 28 - E-passports spread to half the globe
Artical: One World Government
Nearly half of all United Nations (U.N.) member states
are now issuing biometric e-passports, according to the
newest data from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the
U.N. agency that oversees international air travel. ICAO, which held its
20th TAG/MRTD meeting in September, reports that
93 out of 193 U.N. member states now issue
e-passports, with 21 additional countries ready to deploy the technology in
the next 12 to 48 months. ICAO estimates that as of July
2011, these 93 states have issued more than 345
million e-passports, of which almost 340 million are in circulation.
As per ICAO specifications, each of
these documents contains a contactless integrated circuit chip that stores
biometric data-i.e. facial, fingerprint or iris-of the passport holder as
well as other encrypted identification data. Forty-five of the e-passport
issuing states store both fingerprint and facial data on their documents,
while 34 store only the facial data. The remaining 14 states currently use
facial data, but will begin including fingerprints by the end of 2011.
According to ICAO's findings, the
U.S. remains the largest issuer with 72 million documents issued to date.
The U.S. issued 13 million in the past year. The UK, which issued 5 million
e-passports in 2011, ranks as the second largest issuer with 27 million in
total.
According to ICAO, just eight states read e-passports at airports and
borders. These include the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, Portugal, New Zealand,
Japan, Indonesia and Germany. IMS Research
predicts that within five years 90% of passport holders will be using
e-passports with integrated smart card IC chips.
Nearly half of all current passports issued today use
smart chip technology, thanks to a rapid migration started in 2007.
"This trend is set to continue,"
states Alex Green, author of the IMS report "Electronic
Government and Health Care ID Cards." There are still a few countries around
the world that are not yet issuing e-passports. However, most have started
and with the typical five to ten year replacement rates for passports,
it is only a matter of time before all passports in circulation are
e-passports," explains Green.
The report examines the use of biometrics in e-passports, which is still
largely limited to a digital image of the holders face stored on the IC.
Green says this will change: "By 2014, the
situation is forecast to have been reversed. By this time the majority of
passports being issued will also include additional biometric data such as
one or more fingerprints, iris scans, etc."
Read Full Article....
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March 1 - UN to propose planetary regulations of water, food
Article: One World Government
An environmental
report issued by an agency of the United Nations last month has some
critics sounding the alarm, saying
it is a clarion call for "global governance" over how the Earth is
managed.
The report, "21 Issues for the 21st Century,"
from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Foresight
Process, is the culmination of a two-year deliberative process
involving 22 core scientists. It is expected to receive considerable
attention in the run-up to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development, which will be held in Rio, Brazil, in June.
But its critics see an agenda
lurking in its 60 pages, which call for a complete overhaul of how
the world's food and water are created and distributed -- something
the report says is "urgently needed" for the human race to keep
feeding and hydrating itself safely.
"This is more utopianism, pie-in-the-sky pleading for 'global
governance,' including what they acknowledge as 'novel governance
arrangements,' including, 'alliances between environmentalist and
other civil society groups,'" charged Chris
Horner, author of Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use
Threats, Fraud and Deception to Keep You Misinformed, and a senior
fellow for energy and environment at the free-market Competitive
Enterprise Institute (CEI) in Washington, D.C.
The Foresight Report suggests actions to save humanity from
starvation, the overheating planet and the collapse of the world's
oceans -- options that include new
"constitutional frameworks," "international protocols" and a "shared
vision" for land and water management that essentially rewire
existing treaties and governments.
The State Dept. has already weighed in on many
of the issues presented by the Foresight Panel in its own statement,
titled "Sustainable Development for the Next Twenty Years United
States Views on RIO+20." Submitted to the U.N by the Bureau of
Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OIES)
in November, this policy vision
makes it clear the State Dept. will back global government solutions
-- whether they be in addressing the overfishing of the oceans,
making national laws and regulations more transparent, addressing
land and ocean-based pollution, or water management.
The U.S. also is wholly supportive of strengthening the UNEP as "a
body through which governments can cooperate to recommend
environmental policies, promote best practices, and build national
capacity for governance, monitoring and assessment," according to
the vision statement.
Questions about the
ability of nations to work with global bodies such as the U.N, and
whether they should subscribe to transnational guidelines or
mandates, will no doubt be a subject of concern in the run-up to the
Rio summit.
Read Full Article....
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March 4 - Perpetual Adoration Chapel in Utica celebrates 20 straight years of praying
Article:Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
Comment from
Understand the Times:
The following article will help
explain the practice of perpetual adoration of a host by the Roman
Catholic Church. While adoration of a wafer takes great commitment
(someone has stared at the wafer in a monstrance continuously for 20
years) you will not find the origin for this idea in the Bible.
However, the Bible does explain why people would do this - they love
to worship idols.
Most people are familiar with churches and their elegant services,
but many of us may not be familiar with much smaller and quieter
settings within some churches, called
adoration chapels. There is an adoration chapel at St. Joseph
St. Patrick's Catholic Church on Columbia Street in Utica,
only this chapel is called the Perpetual
Adoration Chapel. Perpetual, because there is always at least one
person there praying, no matter what time or day. The
Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Joseph St. Patrick's celebrated
its 20th anniversary on Sunday.
It all began back in August of 1991when Father Antone Kandrac,
Pastor of St. Joseph's St. Patrick's at the time, and Betty Frank, a
church official attended the Sacred Heart Conference in Syracuse.
They both received the call back then
from the Holy Spirit to begin perpetual adoration in the church. It
began on March 4th, 1992 and it has been going ever since.
Roberts says she spends a few hours herself each week in the chapel,
"we realize God is with us all over, and we can pray anyplace,
but there's something extra special
about being in the presence of the Lord and being able to be right
there."
Current Pastor of St. Joseph St. Patrick's,
Father Richard Dellos says it's the dedication of about 330 people
from 20 parishes in the Greater Utica which keeps this longstanding
Catholic tradition going here in the Mohawk Valley,
"different people take responsibility to pray before the Blessed
Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament is the extension of the mass, and
people can pray in the presence of our Lord's body and blood, which
is exposed in monstrance." A monstrance is the
vessel used to display the consecrated Eucharistic host during
Eucharistic adoration or Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Roberts says the time spent in the chapel is a very important time
for each person who comes to pray, "there's so many difficulties and
struggles that we all face in the world,
being able to go into that chapel and spend
some quality time with the Lord and being able to meditate, the
relief and the faith and hope that you feel, I can't even describe
it, it just gives peace to a person and gives you the opportunity to
go out and face whatever you have to deal with in the world."
It's the role of Roberts and several other
coordinators of the Perpetual Adoration Chapel
to make sure even one second doesn't go by
without someone there, and sometimes, she herself serves as a
fill-in, "a medical emergency or someone can't make it and we get a
call and we try to have subs prepared or two people in each hour,
but there are times when I may need to go down and cover it myself
and I am prepared to do that, but, we've never left it uncovered."
Read Full Article....
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March 5 - Rick Warren Doublespeak
Article:One World Religion
Comment from
Understand the Times:
Rick Warren is an expert at
saying one thing one time and then making public statements saying
that he did not say what he said. On March 25, 2011 Rick Warren
spoke at Saddleback along with Tony Blair and they explained their
coming idea for a PEACE Plan that could unite all religions. Warren
is a master at double-speak.
Rick Warren issued a response to the Orange County Register's
article "Rick Warren Builds Bridge to Muslims." In his response,
Warren said editor Jim Hinch misinterpreted him. In the article,
Hinch said Warren was "proposing a set of
theological principles that includes acknowledging that Christians
and Muslims worship the same God."
Jim Hinch must have read "A Common
Word Between Us and You" that Warren signed in 2007. He signed the
document with the late John Stott, Brian McLaren, Robert Schuller,
Leith Anderson (NAE President), David Neff (Christianity Today),
Richard Cizik (former NAE VP), and Bill Hybels (Willow Creek).
The document called for peace
between Muslims and Christians. It pushed a common understanding
between both faiths based on the Koran commandment, "O People of the
Scripture! come to a common word as between us and you: that we
worship none but God."
This document was an attempt to
apologize for the supposed mistreatment of Muslims around the world.
Christians should not have signed this document because Allah and
the Judeo-Christian God are not the same. Christians believe Jesus
Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity.
Muslims deny this doctrine as they believe Jesus was only a prophet
and not God. Rick Warren's response to the Orange County Register's
article clarified that he believes the doctrine of the Trinity and
that Jesus is the Son of God. The problem that we have is that he
has a case of doublespeak. Warren denies the Orange County Register
article's contents, but the
document he signed "A Common Word Between Us and You" says
differently.
Steve McConkey, leader of BigWorldWatch.com, says
"A person should not say one thing one time
and another thing later and then blame the reporter.
Read Full Article....
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March 7 - Does Rick Warren Believe Christians & Muslims Pray to "Same God?"
Article: One World Religion
Comment from Understand the Times:
The following
article presents the facts with regard to the Rick Warren statement
that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
However,
documents recently released by Jim Hinch to Ken Silva of Apprising
Ministries show how Hinch came to his conclusion in his story "Rick
Warren Builds Bridge to Muslims."
The OC Register reporter shared a part of the
King's Way document that was agreed upon by local Muslims and
Warren's church. This document shows how Hinch
came to his conclusions.
Below is the
document provided to Apprising Ministries that centered on
theological agreements:
I. WHO: we
believe in
ONE GOD:
1. God is one
(Mark 12:29; Muhammed 47:19)
2. God is the Creator (Genesis 1:1; Al Shura 42:11)
3. God is different from the world (1 Timothy 6:16; An An'am 6:103)
4. God is Good
a. God loves (1 John 4:16; Al Buruj 85:14)
b. God is just (1 John 1:19, Romans 3:26; Hud 11:45)
c. God's love encompasses God's judgment (1 Peter 4:8; Al A'raf
7:156; Al Ghafir 40:7)
The Register story
based the phrases "same God" and "one
God" on the phrasing in this document, which states that Christians
and Muslims believe in one God.
It is clear from this document that Rick
Warren is in theological error. In a recent Christian Post article,
he said that he believed in the Triune God. However, again by
promoting the above document, he is in error saying one thing and
another thing later.
Steve McConkey, Director of
BigWorldWatch.com, says "We are concerned that
during these troubling times, there is not clarity in doctrine in
churches. We need to reach out with love, but cannot
compromise the basics of the faith."
Read Full Article....
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March 5 - Churches adopt new Ten Commandments
Article: Unbiblical Christianity
The religious rules, which
Christians believe were etched onto tablets by God and given to
Moses, have been modified to
use up-to-date language and principles.
Inspired by last year's riots,
the new vows include "manage your
anger", "know God" and "catch your breath" and are understood to
be used in more than 600 churches in Britain.
The original "thou shalt
not steal" has become "prosper with a clear conscience", and the
lengthy "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain" becomes "take God seriously".
The commandments, designed by
popular evangelical preacher J John,
have been praised by religious leaders for
bringing practical advice to modern congregations.
Using short,
simple language interspersed with slang, the new rules have now
been released on a DVD called "just10 for churches", aimed at
providing guidance.
The tenth commandment, for example,
has altered the Biblical "thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor
his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's"
to just "find contentment." "Thou shalt not
commit adultery" have been
edited to "affair-proof your relationships",
and "honour thy father and thy mother"
has altered to "keep the peace with your
parents".
J John claims
his commandments enable "everyone to
understand God's timeless principles on how we should live" and
said he was inspired to write them by last summer's riots.
The Reverend Paul Roberts, 54,
vicar of St John the Evangelist in Old Coulsdon, Surrey, which
dates back to 1210 AD, is among those using the new
commandments. He said: "It's
basically a way of presenting the Ten Commandments to help
people connect with them in a positive way.
"Rather than just seeing them
as a list of things you shouldn't do, it is meant to help people
live as God intended for our good.
Wayne Dulson, 40, minister of
Loughton Baptist Church, Essex said: "People really engaged with
the Ten Commandments in a new
and fresh way.
Steve Jenkins, spokesman for the
Church of England, said they
supported new ways of communicating and added: "The Book Of
Common Prayer is very clear that the faith needs to be taught
afresh in every generation."
Read Full Article....
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March 9 - Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Benedict to 'Bury Hatchet' Over Anglican Shift?
Article: Bridges To Rome
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and
head of the Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI
will come together in prayer this coming Saturday
in a symbolic gesture of solidarity and unity after years of tension
over Anglicans
shifting to the Roman Catholic Church.
Tensions between the Anglican and
Catholic churches were heightened in 2009
when the Vatican launched a controversial program
to allow disaffected Anglicans to join the Catholic Church.
With
discontent Anglicans requesting to join the Catholic Church, the Vatican
launched a structure of an "ordinariate" to allow priests and Anglican
followers to enter into full communion. The structures, which have
allowed former Anglicans to convert to Catholicism while maintaining
some of their Anglican traditions, such as allowing married priests to
remain under the pope's offer, have since been created in both the U.S.
and Britain. Debate over female and homosexual
ordination has been most intense in those two countries.
At the height of the controversy in 2009,
the Vatican suggested that the offer
was an attempt to "reach out" to their Anglican sisters and brothers,
but some in the Anglican body believed that the Vatican was overstepping
its bounds and "poaching."
Since 2009, the two church leaders have put
their differences aside despite the tension.
The pope visited Williams in 2010 and affirmed
their commitment to continuing ecumenical
dialogue.
They will come
together again this weekend for a private meeting, and will jointly hold
a public prayer for vespers, or the sunset evening prayer service. The
joint prayer will take place in the Rome monastery of San Gregorio al
Celio.
The choirs of the Westminster Abbey and
the Vatican will also hold two joint
performances later this month, which many view as a sign of burying the
hatchet. A Vatican spokesperson called the prayers
and joint performances a sign "of
moving together along the same path" for the two churches,
according to AFP.
Read Full Article....
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We hope the Weekly News In Review has been a
blessing to you.
Sincerely,
Roger Oakland
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