“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
(Matthew 24:6)
Be Not Troubled

FOX NEWS

The evidence for Christianity is like a tsunami

By Josh McDowell

My life growing up was a struggle. When I walked into college, I carried a heavy burden of years of hurt and bitterness.

I was mad at my father for beating my mother. I was angry at a man who worked on our farm and sexually abused me from ages 6 to 13. All of this led to me to really despise God, religion and anything to do with the church. I was the last person in the world who you would expect to become a Christian.

When some young believing students at school challenged me to investigate the evidence for Christianity intellectually, I was shocked. Specifically, they challenged me to investigate the evidence for the resurrection. I thought it was joke. In fact, I thought it would be easy to marshal the evidence disproving the claims of Christ. Since I like a good challenge, I accepted their offer.

I left the university and traveled across the United States, Europe and the Middle East to study ancient manuscripts and gather the evidence against Christianity. After months of study, I returned to a small library in England. I leaned back in my chair, cupped my hands on the back of my head and said “It’s true. It really is true.”

I returned to the university and couldn’t sleep. The evidence for Christianity was stronger than all the years of my pain and skepticism that kept me from believing it. I knew that if I was going to be honest, I could not remain a skeptic. The historical evidence really indicated that Jesus died, was buried, and rose on the third day.

Needless to say, my research had taken quite an unexpected turn. I set out to disprove the historical resurrection of Jesus but ended up becoming a follower of Christ. I first published my research in 1972 in the book “Evidence That Demands a Verdict,” which has since been printed over 4 million times in 44 languages.

The historical evidence for Christianity today is like a tsunami. And yet, the amount of evidence we have engulfs the kind that led me to believe in Christ over five decades ago. The textual, archaeological and manuscript evidence is increasing regularly.

The waves keep crashing as more and more things are being discovered. Because of this, my son Sean and I recently teamed up to revise “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” with all of the latest discoveries that bear upon one verdict: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead in confirmation that he is God.

This is obviously a radical claim to make today. After all, many smart people disagree with me. How do we know the claims of Christ are not “fake news?”

My challenge for you is to consider the evidence for yourself. According to the Apostle Paul, if Christ did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is false, and Christians are to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17). But if Jesus did rise, then Christianity is true. The evidence is there, if you are willing to consider it. After 50 years of studying it, I can tell you that this tsunami has not let up.

CHARISMANEWS

The Deep Prophetic Meaning of Modern Israel's 70th Birthday

Ron Cantor

April 9, 2018

In 586 B.C., the Jews were exiled from Judea to Babylon. Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11-12) prophesied that the exile would last 70 years. Isaiah prophesied, some 150 years before it happened, that a ruler named Cyrus (Isa. 44:28) would be the instrument of the restoration. He would set the exiles free (Is. 45:13), rebuild Jerusalem (Is. 44:28, 45:13), and have the temple reconstructed (Isa. 45:13).

President Trump, in the 50th year, since Jerusalem was returned in full to Israel (1967), has stood with Israel as strongly as any U.S. president since Harry S. Truman. Truman was the first world leader to recognize the reborn nation of Israel. President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's eternal capital and pledged to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Israel's 70th anniversary, May 14. Many prophetic voices have called him a type of Cyrus.

Spiritual Significance

Someone asked me the other day, "What is the spiritual significance of this 70th year?" I was stunned I had not seen it sooner! Since June, just after we celebrated 50 years of a united Jerusalem, about 12 different Israeli ministries have been planning a major outreach with American evangelists Todd White, Tom Ruotolo and Robbie Dawkins, who move in healing and prophecy.

During this 70th year, we carried it out. Last week, we had more than 200 people on the streets of Jerusalem, not only preaching the good news of Yeshua, but also praying for sick and seeing them healed. There were many who had words of knowledge regarding sicknesses and family members in need. Several Israelis prayed to receive Yeshua.

Israeli believers found a boldness they had never known. One of them said that he moved to Israel more than 20 years ago and has always been paralyzed with fear. However, this week, he and his team boldly shared the gospel. He went to one of his clients with his team and the client was in severe back pain. This man was instantly healed and then told all his employees to come receive prayer, and they were healed.

As far as I know, this was the largest outreach of prophetic/healing evangelism in Jerusalem since the very first believers. And it happened just as we are approaching the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of Israel as a nation.

God's Prophetic Timetable

Keep tracking with me for a minute. Asher Intrater wrote in his book Alignment that when Yeshua told His disciples in Acts 1, that God had the perfect timing for Israel's restoration (Acts 1:7), He also told them that their focus, for now, did not need to be on Israel, but preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth.

So when they had come together, they asked Him, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the dates, which the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:6-8).

2 Days Are Like 2,000 Years

In John 4, Yeshua leaves the Jews of Jerusalem to go reach the Jews of the Galilee. Yet, on the way, he purposely goes through gentile Samaria. Now I know some people teach that Samaritans were half Jews, but they were not. Yes, some intermarried with Israelites, but they came from the Assyrian kingdom after the 10 northern tribes were conquered.

I believe that Yeshua's miracle of turning the water into the best wine was prophetic. God was saying that Yeshua, the bridegroom, has saved the best wine—revival—for the end times. It will be even greater than what we see in Acts. In John 4, Yeshua leaves the Israelite population—brings revival to a Samaritan town and stays with them for two days—and then returns to the Jews in the Galilee.

Peter tells us that, "With the Lord a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Pet. 3:8) The Lord spent two days with the gentiles, or symbolically 2,000 years. But then, He returns to the Galilee, and while they had rejected Him in the past, it says they welcomed Him (John 4:45).

Prophetic Meaning

Could this be foreshadowing that Yeshua would begin with the Jews, but then focus on the gospel going forth into all nations for 2,000 years, and then come back to the Jewish people, who will welcome Him? Yes, because this is exactly what Scripture says!

Yeshua tells the Jews of Jerusalem, "For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" In Hebrew, this phrase, "Blessed is he who comes," is how we greet people, even today. Yeshua is saying, "Until you—the Jewish people—welcome me, I will not return."

Furthermore, we have this promise in Romans 11 that tells us only after a massive Gentile harvest, will revival come to Israel.

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you be wise in your own estimation, for a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved (Rom.11:25-26).

He calls this revelation a mystery and warns the Romans that they could miss it because of pride over Israel (Rom. 11:19-21). And here is the mystery: We are approaching or have already approached the fullness of the nations. Now it is time for Jewish harvest, even as Israel celebrates her 70th birthday since rebirth. It is time for the eyes of the Jewish people to be opened to her Messiah.

Hallelujah! God is the author of the times and dates, and He has woven a beautiful mosaic that will result in a great harvest in Israel and in the nations.

(He may be right. We shall see. Luke 21:24 states specifically that there is a specific time period for the conversion of the gentiles. “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

Does the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14 2018 mark the completition of the “times of the gentiles”? Again, we shall see. It would certainly appear to be a significant time in history.

“In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and will rebuild the ruins of it, and will set up the parts thereof that have been broken down, and will build it up as in the ancient days: that the remnant of men, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, may earnestly seek me, saith the Lord who does all these things.” Amos 9:11-12

“For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 23:39 Could those who come in the name of the Lord be the Lord's witnesses?

“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. “ Acts 1:6-8

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and compassion: and they shall look upon me, because they have mocked me, and they shall make lamentation for him, as for a beloved friend, and they shall grieve intensely, as for a firstborn son.” Zechariah 12:10)

THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL

China Issues Decree that Demands All Christians Register With the Government in the Henan Province

Updated: April 16, 2018 at 9:52 am EST

The Chinese government issued a notice declaring that all who are religiously affiliated in the Henan Province must register with the government in Anyang, the northernmost city in the region.

The order declares that Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, and Muslims must register; however, according to a source that spoke to ChinaAid, the communist government is only going after those who identify as Christians.

“In the past two months, the government banned all Catholic churches and (Protestant) house churches, and that didn’t happen to any other religions.”

Over the past several months China has ramped up the amount of censorship, imprisonment, and abuse of Christians which the Christian Journal has documented.

An officer in China, from the Pingyuan Neighborhood Committee, speaking to ChinaAid stated that all who are religiously affiliated are required to register, but she did not believe that the order was a cause for alarm.

“Bring your household registration and ID card to register,” she said. “Fill out a form, fill in your name, birth date, address, religious background, when you converted, the religious background of your family members, etc.”

The order, obtained by ChinaAid, details can be seen below;

___________________________________________________________________________________

Notice
Residents who are Buddhists, Taoists, Catholics, (other forms of) Christian, and Muslims should register at the Neighborhood Committee located on the third floor of the Golden Vienna Community as soon as possible.
Pingyuan Neighborhood Committee: 5396862
April 4, 2018

___________________________________________________________________________________

Historically, when a government has required a specific ideology, gender, or race to register the intent was malicious. For example, in 1937 and 1938 the German Jews were required to register their property which in turn disallowed them from earning a living.

Furthermore, “In August 1938, German authorities decreed that by January 1, 1939, Jewish men and women bearing first names of “non-Jewish” origin had to add “Israel” and “Sara,” respectively, to their given names. All Jews were obliged to carry identity cards that indicated their Jewish heritage, and, in the autumn of 1938, all Jewish passports were stamped with an identifying letter ’J.'”

The Chinese government has displayed actions that starkly remind citizens of a China under Mao Zedong.

(Henan Porvince has a population of over ninety-five million. “Henan has also the largest Christian population by numbers and percentage of any province of China, 6.1% of the province's population as of 2012, corresponding to approximately 7 million Christians.” Wikipedia)

WND

FRANKLIN GRAHAM URGES PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN ACCUSED OF TERROR

'Give him courage and boldness as he stands before the lions'

By Bob Unruh

April 16, 2018

Franklin Graham

Samaritan’s Purse chief Franklin Graham is urging Christians to pray for American pastor Andrew Brunson, whose trial on claims his Christianity makes him a terrorist started on Monday.

“Missionary and American pastor Andrew Brunson is facing trial in Turkey … and he needs our prayers,” Graham said on social media. “He is being falsely accused; and in my opinion, this is because of his Christian faith. Some of his family live in the area where my father lived in North Carolina. I know that this is very difficult, to be falsely accused in a Muslim country. Please join me in lifting Pastor Brunson up in prayer, that God will protect him and give him courage and boldness as he stands before the lions.”

The American Center for Law and Justice, which has documented Brunson’s case as it has developed, said the situation for Brunson now is “critical.”

“Pastor Andrew is innocent. He is no terrorist. He is a father, a husband, and a peaceful man of God. But he is facing what could amount to the rest of his life in prison,” the international organization said.

“Pastor Andrew has already spent 18 months behind bars, locked away from his wife and children and the church family he pastored in Turkey for 23 years without incident. He has committed no crime or activities against the state. In fact, at the time of his arrest, he was applying for permanent residency in Turkey. It’s where he lived and raised his family for over two decades.”

The ACLU reported, “To accuse him of ‘Christianization’ – equating it to membership in an armed terrorist organization and military/political espionage against the people he’d come to love – is ludicrous. Pastor Andrew is on trial because of his Christian faith. Nothing more.”

Brunson was arrested at the end of 2016, and only in the last few weeks was told why.

The ACLU said the government’s “confounding 62-page indictment submitted by the prosecution … reads more like a rambling diatribe against Christianity.”

It attacks Israel, and offers hearsay claims from “secret witnesses.”

“We have learned that Senators Tillis and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, are attending the pastor’s trial in Turkey. Hopefully their physical presence might demonstrate to Turkey, and President Erdogan, how serious the U.S. is taking this case and how it might affect relations between our two countries,” the ACLJ says.

“The eyes of the entire word need to be laser focused on Turkey right now and unite to demand this innocent man’s release. We cannot tolerate a U.S. citizen being imprisoned for the rest of his life because of his Christian faith. It is a gross violation of his human rights and religious liberty.”

The ACLJ has suggested that Brunson was arrested without a crime because Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to use him as a political pawn to force the U.S. to return an exiled political opponent, Fethullah Gülen.

In January, 24 members of the Council of Europe signed a document demanding Turkey release Brunson.

The written declaration criticizes Erdogan for using Brunson as “a bargaining chip” with the U.S. to extradite Gulen, whom Erdogan blames for the failed coup attempt in July 2016.

ACLJ said its international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice, submitted a written question to the Council’s Committee of Ministers “with the argument that Turkey is violating its international commitments to respect and apply human rights within its territory.”

The question to the ministers was: “What do you intend to do to ensure that Turkey adheres to its European commitments and obligations. And what can you do to ensure the effective enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the European Convention by Pastor Brunson?”

Eventually, 24 members of the council – from Moldova, Sweden, Ukraine, Romania, Ireland, Armenia, Spain, San Marino, Poland, Serbia, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Hungary, Netherlands and Croatia – signed a document stating Brunson has been held for more than 400 days, “without any reason, and in blatant violation of his rights.”

The ministers’ statement said: “He has lived under inhumane conditions and lost over 50 pounds. While no evidence had ever been set forth to substantiate any crime from him, the Turkish authorities have systematically denied the multiple appeals contesting his detention.”

Turkey, once held up as an example of a moderate Islam friendly to Western values, has been sliding backward in recent years. The latest crackdowns on Christianity signaled an acceleration of its return to Islamic Shariah law under the Erdogan regime.

For example, the country, which is 99 percent Muslim, recently seized ownership of 50 churches.

The last time Turkey was ruled by Shariah, under the Ottoman Empire, it slaughtered more than 1.5 million Christians of Greek, Armenian and Syrian descent.

MailOnline

American pastor being held in Turkey on terrorism charges denies he was linked to any coup attempt as a court rules he must stay in prison during his trial

• Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor from North Carolina, has been detained in Turkey since October 2016

• The 50-year-old ran a Protestant church in the western city of Izmir

• He is facing up to 35 years in prison if he is convicted of terrorism charges

• Brunson rejected all the charges against him at his first court hearing on Monday

• The judge ruled that Brunson must stay in jail for the duration of his trial after deeming him to be a flight risk

• North Carolina senator Thom Tillis and US ambassador at large for religious freedoms Sam Brownback both attended his trial

By AFP

PUBLISHED: 22:08, 16 April 2018 | UPDATED: 22:35, 16 April 2018

An American Christian pastor being held in a Turkish prison on terrorism charges will remain in custody during his trial, a court has ruled.

Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor from North Carolina, has been detained by Turkish authorities since October 2016.

The 50-year-old, who ran a Protestant church in the western city of Izmir, is facing up to 35 years in prison if he is convicted.

Brunson - wearing a black suit, speaking fluent Turkish and sometimes bursting into tears - emphatically rejected all the charges against him at the first hearing at the court in the town of Aliaga on Monday.

He is accused of engaging in activities on behalf of the group led by exiled Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says is behind a failed 2016 coup, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Both the Gulen movement and the PKK are banned by Turkey as terror groups.

Brunson is also accused of espionage for political or military purposes.

The judge ruled on Monday that Brunson must stay in jail after deeming him to be a flight risk.

The 50-year-old, who ran a Protestant church in the western city of Izmir (pictured above), is facing up to 35 years in prison if he is convicted

The judge said the ruling was based on evidence given by witnesses in the case and the risk that Brunson might flee.

Brunson's next hearing is scheduled for May 7.

In an indication of the importance of the case for Washington, the hearing was attended by Sam Brownback, the US ambassador at large for religious freedoms, and Senator Thom Tillis from Brunson's home state of North Carolina.

'We are very disappointed. If anything, I think the information that has been presented today creates a more compelling reason why he is innocent,' Tillis told reporters after the ruling.

Brunson reacted with emotion, telling his wife Norine in English: 'I am going crazy. I love you.'

He had earlier told the judge tearfully: 'I want to return my home. For 16 months I have been separated from my wife.'

Brunson told the court: 'I want the whole truth to be revealed. I reject all the accusations in the indictment. I haven't been involved in any illegal activity.'

Brunson, who moved to the country in 1993 and opened his Izmir church in 2010, added: 'I haven't done anything against Turkey. On the contrary, I love Turkey. I have been praying for Turkey for 25 years.'

The Brunson case has further hiked tensions between NATO allies Turkey and the United States, with US President Donald Trump raising the issue in talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Relations are already strained over American backing for a Kurdish militia in Syria despised by Ankara and the jailing of two employees at American missions in Turkey.

'That relationship is going to have difficulty in moving forward as long as Andrew Brunson is incarcerated,' Brownback told reporters at the courthouse.

In September last year, Erdogan suggested that Turkey could free Brunson if Washington handed over Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

Washington brushed off the offer but has been working intensely to secure the release of Brunson, one of several American nationals caught up in the crackdown after the failed coup against Erdogan in July 2016.

In February, NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual national, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years for being a member of Gulen's movement in a conviction denounced by Washington.

Senator Tillis said Monday there was 'no deal', adding: 'This is about what we believe is an innocent man who has been in prison for a year and a half.'

In his statement to the court, Brunson rejected the accusations of links to Gulen's group, saying: 'That would be an insult to my religion. I am a Christian. I would not join an Islamic movement.'

Gulen denies any role in the failed coup and says his Hizmet (Service) movement promotes a peaceful form of Islam.

Numbering just several thousand, the Protestant community in overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim Turkey largely comprises converts from Islam, expatriates and refugees.

The Turkish Association of Protestant Churches said in a report that 2017 was marked by continued hate crimes and physical attacks.

Brownback described the trial as a 'religious freedom case'.

'Turkey, in its history, has been very open so that's one of the things that's really troubling about this,' Brownback said.

All News Pipeline

They Weren't Kidding When They Said They'd 'Own The Weather By 2025'! Is Full-Scale Weather Warfare Inducing Global Famine?

- Lucifer's Annihilation Plan Against Christians Is In Full Effect

April 17, 2018

Article

CBNNEWS.COM

Muslim Family Tortured by Visible 'Demonic Bat Creatures,' Then Dad Literally Sees 'the Light' of Jesus

Lucille Talusan

April 14, 2018

Video

NAUTILUS

Your Brain’s Music Circuit Has Been Discovered

POSTED BY DANIEL A. GROSS ON APR 13, 2018

Before Josh McDermott was a neuroscientist, he was a club DJ in Boston and Minneapolis. He saw first-hand how music could unite people in sound, rhythm, and emotion. “One of the reasons it was so fun to DJ is that, by playing different pieces of music, you can transform the vibe in a roomful of people,” he says.

With his club days behind him, McDermott now ventures into the effects of sound and music in his lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is an assistant professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. In 2015, he and a post-doctoral colleague, Sam Norman-Haignere, and Nancy Kanwisher, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at MIT, made news by locating a neural pathway activated by music and music alone. McDermott and his colleagues played a total of 165 commonly heard natural sounds to ten subjects willing to be rolled into an fMRI machine to listen to the piped-in sounds. The sounds included a man speaking, a songbird, a car horn, a flushing toilet, and a dog barking. None sparked the same population of neurons as music.

Their discovery that certain neurons have “music selectivity” stirs questions about the role of music in human life. Why do our brains contain music-selective neurons? Could some evolutionary purpose have led to neurons devoted to music? McDermott says the study can’t answer such questions. But he is excited by the fact that it shows music has a unique biological effect. “We presume those neurons are doing something in relation to the analysis of music that allows you to extract structure, following melodies or rhythms, or maybe extract emotion,” he says.

When it comes to understanding subtle neurological activity, brain scans are more like magnifying glasses than microscopes. fMRI scans highlight activity in specific regions of the brain, but each data point corresponds to hundreds of thousands of brain cells. Until recently, scientists didn’t have a way to disentangle the behavior of smaller groups of neurons. Even if music and language seemed to activate the same regions of the brain, no one knew if they activated the same cells.

The MIT team adopted a new technique to break down the fMRI data. They tried to explain the response to each of the distinct sounds at each point in the brain as a sum of a small number of canonical responses, each potentially corresponding to a different population of neurons. It was a little like zooming in on a photograph until pixels appear, and then finding a way to separate each pixel into even smaller components.

The results challenge a persistent claim that the brain processes music and language in the same way. “You have different neural circuitry that’s involved in music and language,” says McDermott. “There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of overlap.” Could music be its own form of communication? “To the extent that music functions for communication, it’s quite different from language in that it doesn’t denote specific, concrete things in the world, like something you would say,” he says. “But it obviously expresses something, typically something emotional.”

Intriguing research by Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, Ph.D., a research neuroscientist at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that listening to music activates the brain’s mirror-neuron system, a hub in the brain, Molnar-Szakacs says, that includes the limbic system, associated with emotion, that stirs a sense of human agency and “social belonging.”

McDermott says his research “doesn’t really speak to any kind of social activity.” It locates music-selective neurons in an area anterior to the primary auditory cortex. “Beyond the anatomical location,” he adds, “we don’t really know anything more.” Yet McDermott, whose field of study is hearing, and not necessarily music, would love to know the role and purpose of musical circuitry in the brain.

“It’s pretty clear that music has a biological basis,” he says. “The evidence is that music is a universal phenomenon. It doesn’t seem to be a purely cultural convention in the way that movies are. In pretty much every culture we know of, no matter their state of development or technological advancement, there’s always something you see and recognize as music. That seems to suggest that there’s something in the human brain that causes groups of humans to engage in musical behavior.”

With his neuroscience career, and two young kids, McDermott says he doesn’t listen to music as often as he once did. But the presence of his record collection in his MIT office reminds him of the hold that music has on his professional and personal lives. “Music is a playground for the auditory system,” he says. “There’s just all kinds of really interesting perceptual phenomena that musicians and producers have discovered and taken advantage of when they create a piece of music.” For McDermott himself, “Listening to music is a constant source of inspiration and ideas.”

Daniel A. Gross is a writer and public radio producer based in Boston.

(“And it came to pass when the evil spirit was upon Saul, that David took his harp, and played with his hand: and Saul was refreshed, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him.” 1 Samual 16:23)

***

AMMC

RT

'Oxygen starvation, not gas’: Veteran UK reporter Fisk doubts MSM narrative on Douma ‘chem attack’

April 16, 2018

A damaged buildings are seen in the city of Douma, Damascus, Syria April 16, 2018. © Ali Hashisho / Reuters

Veteran UK reporter Robert Fisk went to Syria’s Douma and heard that residents shown in notorious “gas attack footage” actually suffered from oxygen loss due to hiding in trash-filled shelters, and not from chemicals.

If you feel overwhelmed by MSM coverage of the “chemical attack” in Douma, here’s your voice in the wilderness. Robert Fisk, a veteran UK foreign correspondent with the Independent, and one of the few Western reporters to have interviewed Osama bin Laden, went to Douma to go beyond what the Western media portrayed in early April as the “Bashar Assad regime’s chemical attack.”

Fisk’s thought-provoking piece is centered around the witness accounts of Assim Rahaibani, a 58-year-old local doctor who told him that patients caught in the heart-wrenching video – the one claiming to show the aftermath of the alleged chemical weapons attacks in Douma – did not actually suffer from any toxins.

They were “overcome not by gas but by oxygen starvation”because they had to live in rubbish-filled underground shelters in order to survive the perils of fighting. The doctor told the Independent reporter that on the night of April 7, when the alleged attack supposedly took place, “there was wind and huge dust clouds began to come into the basements and cellars where people lived.”

Patients began to arrive in his subterranean hospital suffering from hypoxia and oxygen loss, Dr Rahaibani continued. “Then someone at the door, a ‘White Helmet’, shouted “gas!” and a panic began. People started throwing water over each other.” He added:“Yes, the video was filmed here, it is genuine, but what you see are people suffering from hypoxia – not gas poisoning.”

The footage in question was posted on YouTube on the day of the alleged chemical attack. Shortly after, graphic images purporting to show the horrific consequences of the attack began flooding social media. Though there may have been inconsistencies within the video and the images themselves, they were widely reported by Western media outlets which were quick to put the blame on the Syrian government.

The US and its allies the UK and France cited the purported gas attack in Douma as the pretext for military action against Syria that saw over 100 cruise missiles pounding Syrian civilian and military targets on April 14.

However, in the war-ravaged town of Douma, people seemed unable to link the alleged chemical incident and the US-led air assaults, Fisk writes.

“Oddly, after chatting to more than 20 people, I couldn’t find one who showed the slightest interest in Douma’s role in bringing about the Western air attacks,” he notes. “Two actually told me they didn’t know about the connection.”

Fisk says people in Douma were happy to see foreigners among them, and were willing to talk about other things. They told him of “the Islamists under whom they had lived,” and of militants who “had stolen civilian homes to avoid the Syrian government and Russian bombing.”

“How could it be that Douma refugees who had reached camps in Turkey were already describing a gas attack which no one in Douma today seemed to recall?” he asks in conclusion, adding that news would have spread incredibly slowly among residents who were so isolated from each other.

(Robert Fisk has proven to be very reliable in his reports over the years. We have personally corresponded with him. Ed)

***

New American

Tucker Carlson of Fox News Exposes Warmongers on Syria

Written by Alex Newman

Thursday, 12 April 2018

Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, who has become one of the station's lead commentators, blew a massive hole this week in the bipartisan establishment's warmongering narrative on Syria, the chemical attack blamed on dictator Bashar al-Assad, and much more. His historic monologue exposing the establishment's lies and thirst for blood has gone viral across the Internet. In response, the establishment and its propagandists on both left and right freaked out, furiously accusing the mainstream Fox commentator of being “far-right.” Some especially unhinged voices even libeled him as a potential racist or even Russian propagandist — all for asking the tough questions that millions of war-weary Americans have been asking, too.

In a segment that some analysts described as Carlson's “most important ever,” the enormously popular Fox News host began by pointing out that the entire D.C. establishment was demanding regime change in Syria, to be orchestrated by American military power. “Tonight leaders on both sides of the aisle in Congress, in the media, in our intelligence services, and in virtually every over-funded think tank in Washington, have suddenly aligned tonight on a single point of agreement: America must go to war in Syria, immediately,” Carlson explained. “Bashar al Assad cannot continue to lead that country, he must be overthrown!”

Carlson was responding to establishment howls for blood following the reported chemical attack outside Damascus over the weekend. Even before anything was known about the attack, the usual suspects — Deep State swamp creatures in both parties and in the “fake news” — were all demanding deeper U.S. military involvement to punish Assad. Outside of the Deep State's propaganda machine, however, more than a few experts, commentators, ambassadors, foreign governments, and even United Nations weapons inspectors were suggesting that the attack may have been a “false flag” orchestrated by the establishment-backed jihadists waging war on Assad. Trump's top officials, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, said the intelligence was still being assessed.

Carlson noted that fringe left-wing activist Howard Dean and neoconservative globalist Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) typically agree on very little. But both were calling for a U.S. war in Syria. “This morning the foreign policy team over at MSNBC explained that it's far more important for American troops to fight in Syria than it is to secure our own border here in America,” Carlson continued before showing footage of radical left-wing MSNBC talking heads banging the war drums. “That ought to make you nervous.”

Universal bipartisan agreement on anything, Carlson continued, “is usually the first sign that something deeply unwise is about to happen, if only because there is nobody left to ask skeptical questions.” And Americans should be skeptical about the narrative on Syria, beginning with the poison gas attack, the Fox News host warned. “All the geniuses tell us that Assad killed those children, but do they really know that? Of course they don't really know that, they're making it up. They have no real idea what happened.”

In fact, like any criminal investigator, Carlson asked the key question — who benefits? Obviously, Assad, who was on the verge of crushing the al Qaeda-led, globalist-backed uprising against his regime, has the most to lose.

“Assad's forces had been winning the war in Syria. The administration just announced its plans to pull American troops out of Syria having vanquished ISIS. That's good news for Assad. About the only thing he could do to reverse it and to hurt himself would be to use poison gas against children,” Carlson noted. “Well he did it anyway, they tell us. He's that evil! Please keep in mind this is the same story they told us last April. Do you remember that it was almost exactly a year ago that the new administration announced it was no longer seeking to depose Assad from power? Regime change was no longer our policy.”

In fact, practically the same scenario played out last year. And yet, even the U.S. government admits that it still has no proof Assad was behind the previous attack. “The story, it turns out, was propaganda, designed to manipulate Americans, just like so much of what they say,” Carlson said, no doubt sparking unfathomable rage and fury among establishment warmongers, war profiteers, and their propagandists in the press. “We've seen this movie before and we know how it ends.”

Like any liberty-loving American, Carlson declined to defend Assad's moral character, even suggesting he was “perfectly capable” of gassing children. For the sake or argument, Carlson suggested a thought experiment: Suppose the establishment was not lying this time, and Assad really did use chemical weapons. “Would that be worth starting a new war?” he asked. “Overthrowing Assad's regime in Syria would result in chaos. Many thousands would die. In fact we might likely see the genocide of one of the last remaining Christian communities in the Middle East and we ought to care about that.” Indeed, as this magazine has been documenting for years, one common thread running through U.S. military interventions overseas is the slaughter of Christians.

Some of the dead in Syria would undoubtedly be American servicemen, Carlson continued, adding that any new war would likely cost tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of dollars. “Would it make America safer? Would it make the region more stable? Let's see, how exactly did regime change work in Iraq and Libya?” Carlson asked, reminding millions of Americans about the costly tragedies unleashed across the region by illegal U.S. military intervention. “That doesn't matter! say our moral leaders on CNN and everywhere else.” The Fox host also pointed out Washington's dirty little secret: Many of the “rebels” backed by the U.S. government are actually “Islamist crazies”seeking Sharia law, as this magazine has been documenting since the start of the conflict in 2012.

Carlson pointed to Trump's own comments on Syria over the years — principles that helped endear him to the American people so much that they elected him to the presidency, in defiance of the entire warmongering establishment and all of its propaganda outlets disguised as news agencies. “We should stay the hell out of Syria, the rebels are just as bad as the current regime, what will we get for our lives and billions of dollars? Zero!” Trump tweeted when Obama was banging the war drums. “Let the Arab League take care of Syria. Why are these rich Arab countries not paying us for the tremendous cost of such an attack?”

Carlson followed that up by hammering on the lies of the establishment. “Now the same people who brought you a dying American middle class, undefended American borders and endless pointless wars in countries you could not find on a map, are telling the president he's got to depose Assad for reasons that are both unclear and demonstrably dishonest,” Carlson said. “And by the way, it may happen. Before it does, Congress ought to consider a brand-new constitutional amendment. Let's call it the Lindsey Graham Amendment. Here's what it would say: Congress shall topple no government until it finishes re-building the last government it toppled and furthermore talk-show generals shall be required to personally visit the battlefield of every war they advocate for.”

A separate segment by Carlson featuring left-leaning but non-establishment investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald made similar points.

Of course, the dying propaganda organs of the establishment were left foaming at the mouth over the Carlson monologue. Newsweek, for example, which recently sold for $1 and was caught faking web traffic numbers to scam advertisers, ran an unhinged rant by far-left warmonger Michael Edison Hayden. It was almost too ludicrous to believe. Among other claims, Hayden argued that the “alt-right” movement was responsible for helping “inject” supposed “conspiracy theories” and opposition to military intervention into Trump's base of support. The piece even quoted a fringe law professor claiming distrust of the media has its roots in the John Birch Society, which the author also falsely characterizes as “far-right” along with Carlson and everyone else who questions the war propaganda. In the comments section, readers from across the political spectrum ridiculedNewsweekand the author.

In a follow-up propaganda piece, Hayden went even further, claiming Carlson's Syria segment “mirrored certain aspects of what has been said on neo-Nazi and white nationalist conspiracy websites.”

On the neoconservative pseudo-right, warmongering propagandists were similarly outraged by Carlson's monologue. One especially unhinged advocate for killing more people in illegal Middle East wars, associate editor Noah Rothman of the discredited neocon war-propaganda journal "Commentary," slammed Carlson for his assertions which “represent nothing less than undiluted Russian propaganda.” The screed accused Carlson of “willfully” misleading his audience to “advance Russian geopolitical narratives in defense of a blood-soaked regime that threatens American interests.” Far-left establishment propaganda organs celebrated “conservative” Rothman for slandering Carlson. By contrast, Carlson had the decency to invite Rothman on his show, before proceeding to make a mockery of his agenda and dishonesty.

Carlson's monologue may go down in history as one of the most important wrecking balls to hit the warmongering establishment's propaganda to ever make it on to the TV screens of the increasingly discredited establishment press. Of course, with the rise of the Internet, Fox's reputation as “conservative” or “fair” has come under growing scrutiny — especially considering the membership of Fox's parent company in the global government-promoting Council on Foreign Relations, the premier organ of establishment power and warmongering propaganda in America. But as the firing and destruction of then-immensely-popular commentator Glenn Beck showed, the globalist power-brokers who control the media are only willing to tolerate so much truth before the ax comes down. Americans should do everything possible to spread the truth through every medium still available.

Trump is reportedly still considering his options on Syria and assessing "intelligence," as lawmakers from both parties warn that he has no authority to wage war without congressional authorization. In the meantime, Americans are waking up by the millions.

RonPaulInstitute.org.

RON PAUL: TRUMP’S DISASTROUS SYRIA ATTACK

They say if you cannot learn from history you are condemned to repeat it

April 16, 2018

Over the [last] weekend, President Trump celebrated firing more than 100 missiles into Syria by Tweeting, “Mission Accomplished!” They say if you cannot learn from history you are condemned to repeat it. So I guess we are repeating it.

We all remember that “Mission Accomplished” was the banner behind then-President Bush as he gloated aboard a US navy ship that the war in Iraq had been won. After his “victory,” however, some 4,000 US military personnel were killed, perhaps a million Iraqis were killed, and the country’s infrastructure and social fabric were so badly destroyed that they probably can never be repaired.

Actually, there is much about the US attack on Syria that reminds us of Iraq.

With Iraq, the US moved in to start bombing before international inspectors had completed their mission to verify whether or not Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Had they been allowed to complete their mission and verify that he did not, imagine the suffering, death, and destruction that could have been avoided. In Syria, the US decided to start bombing before the international inspectors were even allowed to start checking claims that Assad gassed his own people in Douma. Why? What was the rush? Was Washington afraid they might not find Assad guilty?

Who really benefits from US attacks on the Syrian government? There were reports that ISIS began making moves immediately after the air strikes. Do we really want to be al-Qaeda and ISIS’s airforce? Is that going to keep us safer? I remember when al-Qaeda was actually considered our enemy, not an ally in overthrowing the last secular government in the Middle East.

Will Syria’s Christians be better off after the recent US attack? Just over a week ago Christians celebrated Easter in Aleppo for the first time in years. What changed? The Syrian army kicked out al-Qaeda, which had been occupying the eastern part of the city. So no, Christians will be much worse off if our “moderate terrorists” take control of Syria.

If Syria really had sarin and other chemical weapons factories, does it make sense for the US to bomb the buildings and risk killing thousands by widely disbursing the poisons? Does it make sense to risk killing Syrian civilians with chemical weapons in retaliation for allegations that the Syrian government killed civilians with chemical weapons? No, it seems more like the phony “mobile WMD labs” we were told that Saddam Hussein had constructed.

If the US knew Syria was manufacturing chemical weapons in the buildings they bombed, why not notify the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)? The OPCW had certified the very building the US bombed as chemical weapons free not that long ago. Why not just call them up and ask them to check it out? After all, they were just arriving in the country as the US started bombing.

There are many more questions about President Trump’s terrible decision to again make war on Syria. For example, where is Congress? It was disgraceful to see Speaker Paul Ryan telling the President he needs no Congressional authorization to attack Syria. All Members of Congress take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and the Constitution says that only Congress can declare war. Does that oath mean nothing these days?

President Trump will come to regret the day he let the neocons take over his foreign policy. Their track record is abysmal. His attack on Syria was clearly illegal and should his party lose the House in November he may find his new fair-weather friends in the Democratic Party quickly turning foul.

JOL

Soleimani says Iran ready ‘to break the rules’ after attack on T-4 base

Following the attack that claimed the lives of seven Iranians in Syria, Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani arrived in Damascus and issued a direct threat to Israel. According to Soleimani, Iran is prepared “to break the rules of the game” by targeting Israel and the US directly.

Becca Noy

April 17, 2018

Iranian military equipment on display Photo Credit: EPA

Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani directly threatened Israel on Tuesday while in Damascus, Hadashot news reported, citing the Lebanese Ad-Diyar newspaper. Last week, seven Iranians were killed in an airstrike that has been attributed to Israel. “Israel is going to pay the price,” he warned from Syria’s capital.

The news report states that Soleimani met with Iranian and Syrian officers who briefed him on the recent airstrike. He also met with Hezbollah members and discussed the threats made by Israel and Washington.

Ad-Diyar stressed that the rare visit by the top Iranian commander was designed to send a clear message to the United States and Israel: if the acts of aggression continue, there will be consequences. Soleimani reportedly said that Iran is prepared “to break the rules of the game” following the attack on the T-4 airbase. According to Soleimani, a counterattack could include targeting Tel Aviv or American bases in the region.

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The Common Sense Show

Breaking News! Massive Military Movements – Reservists Call-Ups – Leaves Cancelled

Paul Martin is reporting that there are at least some military reservists who are being called to active duty.

This video was recently taken in Flagstaff, Arizona. This is quite obviously a massive movement of tanks and armored vehicles. This is meant to representative of what is going on. For example, I have reports of high levels of activity at Wright Patterson AFB. Ft. Carson was shut down for 2 hours earlier today.

In the following video, please note the length of the train needed to accommodate the massive amounts armored vehicles being transported.

Additionally, I received this email 4 hours ago. The contents speak for themselves.

12:52 AM (4 hours ago)

To Common

…buses coming through our small town from a remote region of wy near the colo border. 3 buses 2 60 passenger and a smaller bus (didn’t appear to be a passenger vehicle) about the size of a 20 passenger bus came into the town it appeared from hwy 164 coming from the south and went to I 80 going west that is small rarely used hwy coming from the pawny grasslands.

They were pure white totally darkened windows and the only marking was a small insignia on the fender down low. I found the mark through an internet search and a picture of the buses they are pretty clearly U.N. peace keeper buses. They went past my house and I started to follow the to get a better look at them but they got on the Interstate and traffic prevented me from catching up. Air force vehicles got between me and them and slowed me down too much….

please acknowledge if you get this

All False Flags Are On the Table

How many coincidences does it take to make a conspiracy? It is raining false flag information. This headline appeared in the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington:

Airborne ICU in 747 touches down in Spokane for nationwide Ebola drill

One might recall I ran an article which detailed Ebola hotspot of the world, West Africa, in which known terrorists were caught the southern border in Laredo, TX.

Additionally, we have twitter being taken down, AT&T and Verizon have been attacked. The IRS online payment system has been compromised.

If one thinks that the above is disturbing, you might want to sit down. have received information from Paul Martin that inactive reservists are being called up. I have a relative whose military leave was just cancelled.

This is a breaking news report.

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RT

No matter how hard George Soros & Brussels try, no illegal migrants will be admitted to Hungary – FM

April 19, 2018

A Hungarian soldier stands at the Hungarian-Serbian border on April 3, 2018. © Bernadett Szabo / Reuters

Budapest will continue to uphold its strong anti-immigrant stance, despite attempts by the EU and media moguls to portray migration as a positive process and a basic “human right,” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

“No matter how many times George Soros goes to Brussels, no matter how many times the issue of illegal immigration is placed on the agenda, and no matter how many allies George Soros has in Brussels, we will not back down. Illegal immigrants will continue to not be allowed entry into Hungary in [the] future,” the official said in a statement on Wednesday.

Following the landslide re-election win of the conservative anti-immigrant Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary has experienced pressure from the EU and other pro-migrant parties, Szijjarto stated. The results of the decisive win were challenged as the billionaire George Soros came to Brussels to hold talks with the Vice President of the European Commission. A day after Soros’ visit, the EU Parliament held a plenary session on the UN Global Compact for Migration.

“The debate in the European Parliament is also a clear indication of the fact that Brussels and the UN want the same thing: for illegal immigrants to come to Europe,” Szijjarto said, describing the draftresolution as a mere tool “aimed at portraying migration as a fundamental human right and discussing the positive effects of migration.” It said the pro-immigration lobby in the EU parliament blindly pushes its agenda and targets countries which oppose it, while downplaying the grim effects of migration.

“If migration only has positive effects, how is it possible that over the past two and a half years 330 [people] have been killed in Europe in terrorist attacks that have been committed by people with immigrant backgrounds?” the official wondered. “Why are George Soros and his people in the European Parliament fighting against certain European countries instead of acting to combat terrorism?”

“We continue to reject the claim that migration is a positive process,” Szijjarto stressed. Despite the pressure from Brussels, Budapest will continue to oppose it and will solve its “population and job market challenges with Hungarians and with Hungarian families.”

“We would like to see more Hungarian children and more Hungarian families in Hungary, not more migrants. We love our own homeland and will not give it over to others,” Szijjarto concluded.

In Hungary, Soros is often painted as the arch-nemesis of Orban, seeking to meddle in the internal affairs of the country and to push a pro-immigration agenda through his NGOs. Ahead of last Sunday’s elections, Orban’s Fidesz party had introduced the so-called ‘Stop Soros Act,’ targeting NGOs which “organize illegal immigration” and advocate for the rights of migrants. The proposed measures include imposing of a 25 percent tax on foreign donations to NGOs, as well as obliging them to provide detailed data on their activities. The Fidesz party is set to put the legislation up for vote as soon as the parliament reconvenes after the elections.

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RT

Hundreds of thousands demand release of independence leaders in Barcelona

April 15, 2018

Pro-independence supporters march n in Barcelona, Spain, April 15, 2018. © Albert Gea / Reuters

More than 300,000 took to the streets of Barcelona on Sunday to demand that the Spanish government in Madrid release the Catalan independence movement leaders that are being held in detention ahead of the trial.

The protesters, carrying numerous Catalan flags, walked behind a huge banner reading: “For rights and liberties, for democracy and unity, we want them back home!” Many in the crowd also chanted: "Freedom for the political prisoners."

The police said that around 315,000 people participated in the march in central Barcelona.

The rally was organized by the National Catalan Assembly and Omnium pro-independence groups, whose leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, were arrested in Madrid six months ago. Sanchez and Cuixart may face up to 30 years in prison on rebellion charges.

“The majority of Catalans, regardless of their political position, agree that pre-trial jail is not justified,” Camil Ros, the leader of the Catalan branch of the UGT trade union, which also supported the protest, said. “What we as labor unions are asking for now is dialogue.”

Nine Catalan politicians are currently awaiting trial for their role in an attempt by the wealthy region to gain independence from Spain last year.

Some other activists were forced to leave the country, while Madrid is also pushing for the extradition of the former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, from Germany.

Catalonia declared its independence from Spain in October after 90 percent of the voters supported the move in a referendum.

However, Spanish authorities declared the plebiscite illegal and launched a crackdown on the pro-independence movement. Catalonia has been put under Madrid’s direct rule since then, with the region’s new leader to be elected on May 22.

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60 MINUTES

Can technology unravel the secrets sealed by Mt. Vesuvius 2,000 years ago?

Scholars believe the damaged scrolls of Herculaneum could contain lost works of Greek philosophy, Roman poetry, or early Christian writings

CORRESPONDENT Bill Whitaker

April 1, 2018

Video

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Until next week...keep on believing.
Almondtree Productions

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
(1 Peter 2:5)