“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
(John 19:30)
Paid In Full

TETELESTAI – IT IS FINISHED! PAID IN FULL!

preceptaustin

April 5, 2013

MEDITATION ON “IT IS FINISHED” which can also be translated “PAID IN FULL!” THREE words in English, ONE word in Greek – TETELESTAI! The GREATEST WORD from the GREATEST MAN on the GREATEST DAY in all eternity! One word, but no word ever uttered has so changed the history and destiny of mankind. In Latin tetelestai is rendered with two words “Consummatum est” (It is consummated!) Jesus spoke 7 times on the Cross. TETELESTAI was Jesus’ next to last word and was followed by “Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” “IT IS FINISHED!” “Yes, indeed/Finished, every jot/Sinner, this is all you need/Tell me, is it not?” (Ira Sankey)

As Spurgeon says TETELESTAI conveys “an ocean of meaning in a drop of language, a mere drop. It would need all the other words that ever were spoken, or ever can be spoken, to explain this one word. It is altogether immeasurable. It is high; I cannot attain to it. It is deep; I cannot fathom it. IT IS FINISHED is the most charming note in all of Calvary’s music. The fire has passed upon the Lamb. He has borne the whole of the wrath that was due to His people. This is the royal dish of the feast of love.” J C Ryle wrote that “It is surely not too much to say, that of all the seven famous sayings of Christ on the cross, none is more remarkable than TETELESTAI.” A C Gaebelein adds “Never before and never after was ever spoken ONE WORD which contains and means so much. It is the shout of the mighty Victor. And who can measure the depths of this ONE WORD!” A W Pink writes that “Eternity will be needed to make manifest all that TETELESTAI contains.” Matthew Henry described TETELESTAI as a “comprehensive word and a comfortable one.” Charles Simeon adds that ‘since the foundation of the world there never was a single word uttered, in which such diversified and important matter was contained. Every word indeed that proceeded from our Saviour’s lips deserves the most attentive consideration: but TETELESTAI eclipses all. To do justice to it, is beyond the ability of men or angels: its height, and depth, and length, and breadth, are absolutely unsearchable.”

Clearly to contemplate TETELESTAI is to come to the realization that “the place whereon we stand is holy ground.” May the Holy Spirit help us to comprehend and to handle rightly “this text which is at once so small and yet so great!”

It has been well said that Christ’s RESURRECTION is the Father’s “AMEN” to His Son’s declaration “IT IS FINISHED.” Looking at the Cross we see the work of redemption completed. Looking at the open tomb we see Jesus’ finished work fully accepted by the Father. The payment required for sin is death and when Christ said TETELESTAI, He was saying that the sin debt was “PAID IN FULL!” If you believe that dear reader, His righteousness has been credited to your account. We owed a debt we could never pay. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe! Tony Evans says “All the funds necessary to pay for our total redemption were put up by Jesus Christ on the Cross.” Or as Warren Wiersbe put it “He took my bankruptcy and covered it with His solvency.” He didn’t just make a down payment and then expect me to keep up the installments. “But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself”. His empty tomb and His resurrection are indisputable testimony to the fact that the Father accepted His Son’s payment for sin on our behalf, as our Substitute. Thus TETELESTAI is not a cry of defeat of a dying Man, but a cry of triumph of a Living, Life Giving Redeemer, a divine proclamation that the WORK OF REDEMPTION had been fully, finally and forever accomplished.

Spurgeon adds “What a grand utterance (is “Tetelestai”)! Now are we safe, for salvation is complete. The (sin) debt was now, to the last farthing, all discharged. The atonement and propitiation were made once and for all and forever, by the one offering made in Jesus’ body on the Tree. There was the cup; Hell was in it; the Savior drank it—not a sip and then a pause—not a draught (a single act of drinking) and then a ceasing. He drained it till there is not a dreg left for any of His people. The great ten-thronged whip of the Law was worn out upon His back. There is no lash left with which to smite one for whom Jesus died. The great cannonade (“continuous heavy gunfire”) of God’s justice has exhausted all its ammunition—there is nothing left to be hurled against a child of God (Beloved, do you believe these great benefits are yours in Christ?). Sheathed is thy sword, O Justice! Silenced is thy thunder, O Law! There remains nothing now of all the griefs and pains and agonies which chosen sinners ought to have suffered for their sins, for Christ has endured all for His own beloved and IT IS FINISHED. Christ has paid the debt which all the torments of eternity could not have paid. Once again—when He said, “IT IS FINISHED,” Jesus had totally destroyed the power of Satan, of sin and of death. The Champion accepted the challenge to do battle for our soul’s redemption against all our foes. He met Sin. Horrible, terrible, all-but omnipotent Sin nailed Him to the Cross. But in that deed, Christ nailed Sin also to the tree. There they both did hang together—Sin and Sin’s Destroyer. Sin destroyed Christ and by that destruction Christ destroyed Sin.”

TETELESTAI is the perfect tense (see below) of the verb teleo which is derived from telos (a goal achieved, a consummation, a result attained) and means to bring something to a successful end to or to its intended or destined goal. It does not mean just to complete a task but to carry it out fully, to bring it to the finish or to perfection. It follows that Jesus’ cry of TETELESTAI is a word of finality. The idea is “It is finished, it stands finished, and it always will be finished!” His work of redemption is complete and nothing needs to be or can be added to it. Sin is atoned for Satan is defeated and rendered powerless every requirement of the Law has been satisfied and God’s holy wrath against sin has been satisfied (or propitiated). Redemption is eternally secured. We are reconciled in Christ’s “fleshly body through death” that we might be presented before God “holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”. Speaking of Christ’s cry of TETELESTAI, Frank Boreham makes the interesting observation that “This divine self-satisfaction appears only twice, once in each Testament. When He completed the work of Creation, He looked upon it and said that it was “very good,” when He completed the Work of Redemption, He cried with a loud voice TETELESTAI! (Jn 19:30) It means (in essence) the same thing.”

THE PERFECT TENSE: TETELESTAI is in the perfect tense which describes a PAST completed act with PRESENT effect, emphasizing that the past completed event of Christ’s death on the Cross has ongoing, even permanent effects. Jesus’ sacrifice may have occurred in time and space, but its results will last for eternity! In other words, when Jesus declared “IT IS FINISHED”, He was saying that His mission to redeem sinners had reached its intended goal and that the benefits to the redeemed would last throughout eternity. Erwin Lutzer adds that “This means that my sins are on Jesus, not on me. Yes, there is sin within me but not on me. My sinful nature keeps luring me toward sin, and even in my best moments my works are tainted with selfish motives. But legally, I am accepted on the basis of the merit of Jesus. Figuratively speaking, I have a new set of clothes and a clear record in heaven. The righteousness of Jesus has been (forever) credited to my account.” All that truth in one Greek tense! Beloved our Redeemer’s ransom payment is sufficient for this life and the life to come! May God enable us by His Spirit, to live victoriously in light of the truth of this “Word of the Cross” (especially the great word “tetelestai”) which is the “power of God” to us “who are being saved (daily by the Spirit)” .

Observe how the word TETELESTAI was commonly used in the ancient world:

(1) SERVANTS: Servant used TETELESTAI when reporting to their master, “I have COMPLETED (TETELESTAI) the work assigned to me”. In another ancient secular Greek text we read of the example of a father sending his son on a mission. The son was not to return until he had performed the last act of the mission. When he did return from a successful mission, he used the word TETELESTAI to report to his father that he had accomplished the goal. As Jesus Himself testified “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to ACCOMPLISH (teleioo – also derived from telos = goal) His work. I glorified Thee on the earth, having ACCOMPLISHED (teleioo) the work which Thou hast given Me to do. (And so He laid) down His life for His friends.”

(2) PRIESTS: Priests would examine animals for blemishes before they were sacrificed. If the lamb was faultless, perfect, and acceptable, the priest would say, “TETELESTAI!” Jesus is the Lamb of God Who alone was “without sin”. As Peter testifies we “were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

(3) ARTISTS: Frank Boreham writes that “When the painter or the sculptor had put the last finishing touches to the vivid landscape or the marble bust, he would stand back a few feet to admire his masterpiece, and, seeing in it nothing that called for correction or improvement, would murmur fondly, ‘Tetelestai!’ ‘Tetelestai!’” “IT IS FINISHED!” All the Old Testament “pictures” (types) of Messiah were fulfilled in Christ and were only a “shadow of what is to come; but the substance (reality) belongs to Christ.”. The death of Jesus on the Cross “finished the picture” of redemption, a masterpiece which had been in the Father’s heart “from before the foundation of the world”.

(4) MERCHANTS: In ancient times when a promissory note was paid, the one holding the note wrote “TETELESTAI” across it. A deed to property was not in effect until it was dated and signed, and when this was accomplished, the clerk wrote “TETELESTAI” across the deed. When someone had a debt and it was paid off, the creditor would write “TETELESTAI” on the certificate of debt signifying that it was “PAID IN FULL”. Several years ago, archaeologists digging in Egypt uncovered the “office” of an ancient “CPA.” In this office they found a stack of bills, with the Greek word “tetelestai” inscribed across each bill – “Paid in full”!

When Christ gave Himself on the Cross, He fulfilled all the righteous demands of the law and our “sin debt” was PAID IN FULL. The OT sacrifices covered sin but could never take sin away. Jesus accomplished what all of the old covenant sacrifices could not do. “In eternity the Son gave the Father a “promissory note” that He would pay the price for humanity’s redemption. “There is no mortgage on the saints.” Wayne Grudem adds that “If Christ had not paid the full penalty, there would still be condemnation left for us. But since he has paid the full penalty that is due to us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” .

(5) PRISONERS: When a Roman citizen was convicted of a crime, he was thrown into prison. A “Certificate of Debt” listing all his crimes was nailed to his cell door so that anyone passing by could know what he had been accused of and the penalty assessed. When the prisoner had served his sentence and was released from bondage, the indictment was taken down from the door and the judge who had put him in prison would sign the indictment and write across it the word TETELESTAI. The freed prisoner was then given this document and if questioned as to why he was out of jail, he could point to the indictment across which the judge had written TETELESTAI. He could rest in safety and security because the word TETELESTAI guaranteed his deliverance and his liberty. The charges for those crimes could never again be brought against him. He would never be a victim of “double jeopardy” (having to pay for the same crime twice). When Jesus cried “TETELESTAI” on the cross, He was saying that anyone who places his trust in His sacrificial death on their behalf, receives in essence a “certificate of debt” with the inscription of “tetelestai”, indicating that all their “crimes” (past, present and future) against God have been PAID FOR IN FULL! In light of this truth, Paul could write that because our debt was PAID IN FULL by Jesus, God “has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out (Greek = completely obliterated) the condemning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it over His own head on the Cross. And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, He exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in His final glorious triumphant act!” Erwin Lutzer adds that “On the cross, the justice of God was fully satisfied when our heavenly Substitute paid the great price of ransom. As Spurgeon put it, we can stand with confidence despite the thunder of the law and the lightening flash of justice, “for we are safe beneath the cross.” He paid the very last cent of the wages of our sin.”

Beloved, Satan may accuse us of “high treason” against God but now and forever “we have an Advocate (paraclete) with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” Who cries “I object” to every accusation of the Adversary, to which the Father says “Objection Sustained!” Yes, when we sin, we need to confess and repent in order to enjoy fellowship with God but our eternal salvation is never in doubt or subject to “double jeopardy” because Christ has once and for all time cried “TETELESTAI!” Beloved child of God, if you have a sin regarding which you find it difficult to accept the Father’s full forgiveness, let your mind dwell on the truth of “TETELESTAI,” and then put that sin on God’s ledger and write “Paid in Full” next to it! The truth inherent in the word TETELESTAI should give every believer great assurance, comfort and peace that all of our sin debt, past, present and future, is PAID IN FULL and there remains no sacrifice to be paid! There is nothing we must or even could contribute to the remission of our debt, except receive the “free gift of eternal life” by faith. Jesus “having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.”. As the hymn writer E M Hall put it “Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

Andrew Murray writes that “every day that our confidence grows fuller in Christ’s FINISHED WORK must see our heart more entirely yielding itself like Him, a whole burnt offering in the service of God and His love.”

Spurgeon says that “The general religion of mankind is “DO,” but the religion of a true Christian is “DONE.” IT IS FINISHED is the believer’s conquering word. INCARNATE LOVE has fulfilled His self-imposed task. Jesus, as the Substitute for sinners, was condemned to die, and He died that He might finish the work of our redemption. Your sins have sustained their death-blow, the robe of your righteousness has received its last thread. It is done, complete, perfect. It needs no addition; it can NEVER suffer any diminution. Oh, Christian, do lay hold of this precious thought. I may not be able to state it except in weak terms, but let not my weakness prevent your apprehending its glory and its preciousness. This thought is enough to make a man leap, though his legs were chained with irons, and to make him sing, though his mouth were gagged. We are PERFECTLY ACCEPTED in Christ, and our justification is not partial. It does not go to a limited extent, but goes the whole way. Our unrighteousness is covered. From condemnation we are entirely and irrevocably free. ‘Consummatum est. The work is done, redemption is accomplished; the salvation of My people is forever secured. Sin will never be mentioned against them anymore, forever. Oh, wondrous deed of Deity! Oh, mighty feat of love accomplished once for all!”

J C Ryle encourages us to REST our souls on the finished work of Christ noting that “We need not fear that either sin or Satan or law shall condemn us at the last day. We may lean back on the thought, that we have a Savior Who has done all, paid all, accomplished all, performed all that is necessary for our salvation. We may take up the challenge of the Apostle, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He Who died, yes, rather Who was raised, Who is at the right hand of God; Who also (continually) intercedes for us.” when we look at the FINISHED WORK of Christ, we may feel peace.” Hallelujah!

Spurgeon “Christ has said, “IT IS FINISHED!” and we must cease to work too not only with our hands but with our souls—working no more for life, for that is given; working no more for justification, for that is concluded; but to-day RESTING in Christ for “It is finished!” There is nothing for God to do. “IT IS FINISHED.” There is nothing for you to do. “IT IS FINISHED.” Christ need not bleed. “IT IS FINISHED.” You need not weep. “IT IS FINISHED.” God the Holy Spirit need not delay because of your unworthiness, nor need you delay because of your helplessness. “IT IS FINISHED.” Every stumbling block is rolled out of the road; every gate is opened. The bars of brass are broken, the gates of iron are burst asunder. “IT IS FINISHED.” Come and welcome; come and welcome!.” This is exactly what the great missionary Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, did as he meditated on “IT IS FINISHED” writing that “There dawned upon me the joyous conviction that since the whole work was finished and the whole debt was paid upon the Cross there was nothing for me to do but to fall upon my knees, accept the Savior and praise Him forevermore.” Amen!

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WND

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS GO 'GENDER-INCLUSIVE' ON BIBLE

Author warns U.S. slipping into abyss of declining Christian idenitfication

Published: June 14, 2017

The Southern Baptist Convention’s 2017 meeting is underway during a time of crisis and division for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Much of the division centers on politics – and at the center of the firestorm is Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

Moore spent last year waging a long and bitter war against President Donald Trump and his supporters, including penning frequent attackson the then-candidate in the pages of leftist media outlets like the New York Times.

He also condemned Trump’s immigration policies after the president’s election.

Even before the rise of Trump, Moore had also been pushing the denomination to support amnesty for illegal aliens, skepticism of Israel and other stands with which most American conservatives would disagree.

During last year’s meeting, the Southern Baptist Convention even took time to denounce the display of the Confederate battle flag. Some observers argue Moore may even break evangelical Christians’ reliable support of the Republican Party.

While President Trump has delighted many American social conservatives, especially with his actions against abortion, Moore has been largely frozen out of the White House and was noticeably absent from President Trump’s signing ceremony for an executive order on religious liberty.

And Moore’s strong stand against Trump has angered some Southern Baptist leaders who have pledged to withhold donations to the ERLCand the Southern Baptist Convention’s “Cooperative Program.”

However, the Southern Baptists are also facing serious issues because of reasons which go beyond politics. The Southern Baptist Convention has lost members for close to a decade, with most of the losses coming from those who leave the denomination after being raised in the faith.

Religion News Service reports the Southern Baptist Convention is also losing more members to evangelical and nondenominational churches than they are picking up as converts. And despite Moore’s support for mass immigration, the Southern Baptist Convention is also losing out to other denominations when it comes to attracting immigrants.

Carl Gallups, the author of several books including the recent title “When The Lion Roars,” has expressed concern about the future of the denomination. The pastor has a long history with the organization.

“I have served over 30 years as a senior pastor with the SBC, also spending over a decade of that time as an international youth evangelist with what was then called the Home Mission Board,” he told WND. “During the totality of my affiliation with the SBC I have spoken, by invitation, before the Board of Trustees, of what was then called the Home Mission Board. I have also preached by special invitation in the chapel services of the SBC central headquarters in Nashville and in SBC seminary and university chapel services as well. I have also served for over a dozen years on the Board of Regents for a major SBC University.”

Gallups praised the Southern Baptist Convention for its long record of being steadfast in defending the truth of Christian doctrine.

“The Southern Baptists have been widely acclaimed as one of the most doctrinally conservative Christian denominations,” Gallups said. “Since Southern Baptist churches are autonomous and do not ultimately answer to a higher ecclesiastical body outside the governance of each congregation, there can certainly be variances among individual Southern Baptist churches regarding worship practices, style of local leadership, and even nuances of doctrinal positions. This rather unique style of denominational cooperation might well be a major reason why the Southern Baptist denomination is still so biblically sound in most areas of its ministry endeavors.”

However, Gallups expressed concern that stance may be weakening. The Southern Baptists have now adopted a “gender-inclusive” translation of the Bible. And Gallups warns the denomination seems to be trying too hard to appeal to a secular, anti-Christian culture rather than simply standing for truth.

“Our national obsession with political correctness is destroying our nation and is heavily influencing even the ‘conservative’ Southern Baptist denomination and many of its churches,” the pastor warned. “While every reliable poll indicates that America is slipping ever deeper into the abyss of a declining Christian identification, Southern Baptist membership has also been on a decade of decline. They simply are not hanging on to the younger generation of believers, or potential believers. There are a multitude of reasons why this is happening – too many to recite here – but the main culprit is the political correctness gremlin.”

In June 2015, Thomas Kidd and Barry Hankins, professors of history at Baylor University, argued in The Washington Post Southern Baptists should become more active about evangelism and maintain doctrinal rigor to combat its falling membership rolls. Gallups enthusiastically agrees, but worries the denomination is being cowed by the hostile media climate against believers.

“Many believers are fearful of sharing their faith in an increasingly Christian-hostile culture,” he said. “Conservative Christian young people are often marginalized by practically every aspect of the world in which they are now being raised. The mantras of ‘inclusiveness’ and ‘tolerance,’ as well as the ostracism techniques of relentlessly labeling Bible-believing Christians as ‘homophobic,’ ‘xenophobic,’ or ‘racist,’ are powerful weapons of the demonic realm. As a result, many pastors have become increasingly fearful in proclaiming the whole council of God’s Word or discussing ‘tough’ matters because they are afraid of losing members. And so we have only 17 percent of Americans who identify as Christians actually holding to a biblical worldview. And these statistics are in spite of the United States being the largest ‘Christian’ nation on the planet and the home of the largest conservative evangelical denominations.”

Instead of compromising with a hostile culture, Gallups urges the Southern Baptist Convention to stand boldly for biblical truth and stop trying to win fawning media reports by attacking conservatives or President Trump. He argues the churches which are doing well are those who have refused to cater to the anti-Christian bias of the mainstream media and the larger culture.

“The churches that are spiritually and biblically thriving are the ones that are unashamedly standing in the contextual Word of God, exalting the name of Jesus, engaging in meaningful biblical worship, boldly proclaiming the Gospel message, discipling the body of Christ, and thoroughly engaged in hands-on and true mission endeavors,” Gallups said. “These are the churches that today’s Christian youth are so desperately seeking. These are the churches where young adults want to serve, grow, and raise their families. These are the churches, Southern Baptist or otherwise, that will continue to make a real difference in the advancement of the kingdom work of Jesus Christ.”

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FOX NEWS

School: You may not recite prayer in the name of Jesus Christ

By Todd Starnes

Moriah Bridges wanted to thank God for His immeasurable blessings on Beaver High School’s graduating class. But she could not, because it was against the law.

The Pennsylvania teenager wanted to offer thanksgiving to the Almighty for parents and coaches and teachers. But again, she could not, because it was against the law.

“Make us selfless. Make us just. Make us successful people, but more than that, make us good people,” Moriah wanted to pray. But that too, was determined to be unlawful.

This is the America – the land of the free, the home of the brave. But it is also a place where a young teenager girl is not permitted to mention the name of Jesus Christ or anything remotely religious in a graduation speech at a public high school.

Moriah Bridges, a member of the 2017 graduating class, was asked to provide what they call the closing exercise at Beaver High School’s graduation on June 2.

She crafted a lovely prayer that mentioned her “Heavenly Father” and her “Lord.”

“Lord, surround us with grace and favor everywhere we go,” she prayed. “Soften our hearts to teach us love and compassion, to show mercy and grace to others the way that you showed mercy and grace to us, even to the ultimate sacrifice. Help us love our brothers and our sisters deeply. Lead us to bless them.”

Unfortunately, Moriah was not permitted to deliver that prayer – thanks to the Beaver Area School District.

On May 31, the district notified the teenager that her prepared remarks were unlawful, unconstitutional, and therefore, impermissible.

“The selected students may still address their class and indicate the things that they wish/hop for their class, but they may not do it in the style of a prayer and most certainly may not recite a prayer that excludes other religions (by ending ‘in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” or “in the matchless name of Jesus,’” principal Steven Wellendorf wrote to Moriah in a letter.

The principal flat-out told the young lady that prayer – even student-led prayer – is not permissible by federal law.

“I was shocked that the school said my personal remarks broke the law and I was saddened that I could not draw upon my Christian identity to express my best wishes for my classmates on what should’ve been the happiest day of high school,” Moriah said.

Moriah abided by the school district’s edict – and then she contacted First Liberty Institute, one of the nation’s top religious liberty law firms.

“The last lesson this school district taught its students is that they should hide their religious beliefs from public view,” First Liberty Institute attorney Jeremy Dys told me. “That fails the test of the First Amendment.”

It wasn’t Moriah who broke the law, it was the school district, Dys said.

“In short, school officials – in violation of the First Amendment – forced Moriah to censor her personal remarks during the closing exercise of her commencement ceremony merely because of the religious viewpoint of her remarks,” the attorney said. “Because of Dr. Rowe’s instructions, Moriah was muzzled and restrained by school officials on the penultimate day of her high school career.”

The U.S. Department of Education has a long-standing policy regarding student speech – a policy that covers graduation cermeonies.

“Where students or other private graduation speakers are selected on the basis of genuinely neutral, evenhanded criteria and retain primary control over the content of their expression, however, that expression is not attributable to the school and therefore may not be restricted because of its religious (or anti-religious) content,” the policy reads.

Dys is calling for a meeting with school officials – but so far they have not responded.

The school district’s suggestion that Moriah should offer wishes or hopes for her fellow graduates is ludicrous. Moriah was not praying to some sort of fairy godmother. She was praying to Almighty God.

Ironically, by refusing to allow a student to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the school district excluded the Christian religion.

But these days excluding Christianity to achieve inclusiveness is a standing operating procedure on high school campuses.

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YAHOO!NEWS

Dublin (AFP) - Leo Varadkar promised a "republic of opportunity" Wednesday after he became Ireland's youngest prime minister and the first who is openly gay.

June 14, 2017

The Dublin-born politician's Indian immigrant father and Irish mother were in parliament to watch as the 38-year-old was formally confirmed as taoiseach.

Varadkar, who won the leadership of the ruling centre-right Fine Gael party earlier this month, was confirmed by 57 votes to 50, with 47 abstentions.

In his acceptance speech, Varadkar emphasised youthful energy, arguing that the politics of the past were no longer fit for purpose.

"The government that I lead will not be one of left or right because those old divisions do not comprehend the political challenges of today," he said.

Varadkar takes over a minority government from Enda Kenny, who said his successor reflected a changed Ireland.

"As our youngest taoiseach, he represents a modern, diverse and inclusive Ireland and speaks for them like no other," Kenny said.

He added Varadkar would meet "head on" the challenge of Brexit, an issue of particular concern to Ireland as it shares the only EU land border with Britain.

Varadkar did not mention the government's Brexit strategy in his speech, but has previously warned against taking too tough a line with London in negotiations due to begin next week.

"It has always been the view of the party that we don't want to see Britain being punished" for voting to leave the European Union, he said on June 2.

"We regret that decision but we do respect it and a 'hard Brexit', whether it's a hard Brexit driven from London or forced on London, is one in which Ireland could be a big loser," he said.

Varadkar confirmed he would meet this week with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland to discuss Brexit.

Although regarded as relatively liberal on social issues such as gender equality and abortion rights, Varadkar has been criticised by opposition parties for his right-wing economic views.

Adams said earlier that his party would vote against him noting that "not all young people are progressive" and expressing fears the new taoiseach would "drag this government even further to the right".

The abstention of the biggest opposition party, Fianna Fail, allowed Varadkar to gather the necessary votes required to lead a fragile minority government.

In a move designed to heal any divisions in his own party, Varadkar on Tuesday appointed the man he defeated, Simon Coveney, as deputy leader of Fine Gael.

As part of a cabinet reshuffle expected Wednesday evening, Coveney is widely expected to be appointed minister for foreign affairs, with a key role in communicating Ireland's position on Brexit.

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CNN

Pakistan says slain Chinese misused business visas, were missionaries

By Sophia Saifi and Joe Sterling, CNN

Updated 0454 GMT (1254 HKT) June 13, 2017

(CNN)Two slain Chinese nationals who were kidnapped in Pakistan in May and whose deaths ISIS has claimed responsibility for had been missionaries and the "misuse" of their business visas contributed to their abductions and deaths, Pakistan's interior minister said.

Amid "deep concern over the unfortunate incident," Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday ordered a review of its visa policies and called for the establishment of a database of Chinese nationals.

The man, 24, and woman, 26, killed were among a group of Chinese citizens who obtained a business visa from the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing, the ministry statement said.

Instead of doing business, it is alleged the pair went to the Pakistani city of Quetta and under the guise of learning Urdu from a Korean, they "engaged in preaching," the Pakistani statement said.

The statement did not elaborate on what kind of preaching the two were engaged in.

"Ensuring the security of foreign nationals is a shared responsibility," according to the Interior Ministry statement.

"Where the government makes every effort to provide security to foreigners, the visiting foreign nationals are equally bound to abide by the terms and conditions of their visas and inform local authorities about their movements and activities keeping in view the security requirements, if any."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a social media post discussing the story, the People's Daily newspaper, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece, said Friday that China was the biggest target market for South Korean missionaries and urged people "to cover their souls."

It is not known whether the two Chinese nationals had been accompanied in Pakistan by Korean Christians.

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BREAKINGISRAELNEWS

Is New Scientific Trial to Revive the Dead a Threat to God’s Final Resurrection of Believers?

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz

June 7, 2017

“Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise–awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust–for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades.” Isaiah 26:19 (The Israel Bible™)

(Shutterstock)

A biomedical company is set to begin experiments using stem cells to revive brain dead patients in a manner that troubles theologians, who question whether this attempt to preempt the Messianic resurrection of the dead should be permitted. One prominent rabbi takes it even further, pointing out the clear and obvious flaw that destines the project to failure.

Bioquark, a biomedical startup based in Philadelphia, recently announced that they will begin experiments later this year on patients who have been declared clinically brain dead. The trial will involve a multi-pronged approach, involving injecting stem cells and peptides into the spinal cords, electrical nerve stimulation, and laser therapy. The researchers hope this will grow new neurons and spur them to connect to each other, bringing the brain back to life.

If they succeed, they will be violating a sacred Biblical tenet, Rabbi Moshe Avraham Halperin from the Science and Technology Torah Law Institute, which investigates modern technology within a religious Jewish framework, told Breaking Israel News.

“If they are able to revive a person from total brain death, it will be considered techiyat hamaytim (resurrection of the dead),” said Rabbi Halperin. “Torah law puts limits on man, forbidding him from some areas which are strictly divine. Reviving the dead is one of them.”

The study is not only problematic for theologians. It raises many issues in medical ethics. A similar experiment led by Bioquark in India in 2016 was not cleared by India’s Drug Controller General. Amar Jesani, editor of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics in Mumbai, cautioned that even partial success would traumatize families that had come to terms with a situation they believed irreversible. In point of fact, no families permitted their loved ones to be part of the experiment.

Bioquark plans to try again later this year in an undisclosed location in Latin America. If successful, the experiment would be a medical breakthrough bordering on a miracle. A survey published in 2010 that described cases covering 13 years found that there has never been a single case of a person regaining brain function after all the criteria determining full brain death have been met.

“This is like using genetics to create a new form of life,” said Rabbi Halperin. “There are realms that are strictly divine. Resurrection of the dead is clearly possible. It is definitely going to happen after the Messiah, but it restricted to God.”

Rabbi Yosef Berger,rabbi of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, stated that not only was the experiment forbidden, but it had no chance of success. He cited the 13 Principles of Faith established by Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, the prominent 12th century Torah authority known by the acronym Rambam. The last of his principles states, “I believe by complete faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead at the time that will be pleasing before the Creator.”

“The Rambam states that we must believe that the resurrection of the dead will happen when it is God’s will for it to take place and at no other time,” Rabbi Berger stressed to Breaking Israel News. “Not only does this effort by scientists go against this principle of faith, but we know that true resurrection can only happen by Divine will.

“Resurrection of the dead is described in depth, and it is proof of God’s rule over the physical world. But it is also stated that before the Messiah, there is no return from the grave.”

He added that the phenomenon of death will vanish after the resurrection of the dead, citing the book of Daniel.

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence.” Daniel 12:2

“The scientists believe they are masters over life and death,” said Rabbi Berger. “Just as they cannot create eternal life, they will find that they are not masters over death. For that, there is only One.”

***

BIOMETRICUPDATE.COM

Israel moves to biometric passports, ID cards exclusively

By Stephen Mayhew

June 6, 2017

After several extensions of the pilot phase, Israel moved to biometric passports and ID cards exclusively beginning June 1, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.

The government launched the biometric database’s pilot phase in July 2013, which was supposed to conclude after two years. However, the pilot was extended three times until the Knesset passed the biometric database law earlier this year.

Previously, citizens had the option of selecting either a biometrics-based or regular ID card or passport.

Now all residents will be photographed digitally when they apply for either the ID card or passport, and will have the option to submit their fingerprints to the national database and receive a 10-year passport, or decline and receive a 5-year passport. All applicants over 16 are interviewed as well as part of the process to validate one’s identification.

The database will not include fingerprints of any children under the age of 16. Police and security authorities will have access to the database under certain conditions.

The ID card is a compulsory identity document for Israelis 16 and older. According to the Identity Card Carrying and Displaying Act of 1982: “Any resident sixteen years of age or older must at all times carry an Identity card, and present it upon demand to a senior police officer, head of Municipal or Regional Authority, or a policeman or member of the Armed forces on duty.

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INDEPENDENT

Benjamin Netanyahu to crack down on Israeli human rights groups

It comes after the Prime Minister called for the dismantling of a UN agency that aids millions of refugees, accusing it of anti-Israeli incitement

12 June, 2017

Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is a need to tighten Israel’s laws to prevent foreign governments from funding Israeli human rights organisations

The Prime Minister said the current law requiring some non-profit groups to disclose the funding they receive from foreign governments was not strong enough,Haaretz reported.

Mr Netanyahu said he had managed to stop funding from the Norwegian government, an apparent reference to Norway’s decision to withdraw funds from a Palestinian women’s organisation named after Dalal Mughrabi, who was part of the 1978 Coastal Road massacre that killed 38 civilians, including 13 children.

He said the move was part of “Israel’s decisive foreign policy.”

The current law, which requires Israeli organisations receiving a majority of their financial support from overseas governments to disclose their funding, mainly targets human rights groups.

There are only 27 Israeli organisations that receive more than half of their funding from foreign governments, according to the Justice Ministry.

Of those, 25 are human rights organisations.

It comes after Mr Netanyahu called for the dismantling of a UN agency that aids millions of refugees, which he accused of anti-Israeli incitement.

He accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of perpetuating, rather than solving, the Palestinian refugee problem and said anti-Israeli incitement was rife in its institutions, which includes schools.

“It is time UNRWA be dismantled and merged with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “There is only one reason that the UNRWA provides crucial humanitarian support to 5 million Palestinian refugees – the continuing illegal occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli military and state and the denial of the right of return.

“Netanyahu’s notion that the UNRWA ‘perpetuates’ Palestine’s refugee problem suggests a break with reality. Netanyahu’s defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said that disloyal Palestinian citizens of Israel should be beheaded, and his justice minster Ayelet Shaked described Palestinian children as ‘little snakes’. Let’s take his complaints about incitement with a pinch of salt.”

UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 after hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in the 1948 war that followed Israel’s creation.

It says it currently aids five million registered Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.

KWN

ALERT: Unknown Entity Deletes Portion Of Whistleblower Andrew Maguire’s KWN Audio Interview About A Major Event In 26 Days

June 10, 2017

King World News note: After the release of the audio interview with London whistleblower and metals trader Andrew Maguire, a KWN staff member noticed that something very strange had occurred. A portion of the audio had been deleted (by some unknown entity) that discussed a major event that is going to take place in 26 days. Here is the question and answer that was deleted from the already released audio interview, but was transcribed by the KWN staff member who was able to retrieve it from an unaffected copy.

Eric King: “This summer surprise that you say is in front of us in the gold market, Andrew, I know you can’t say specifically what that is, but can you give a hint at what is in front of us that’s going to be the shocker in 26 days?”

Andrew Maguire: “What we are going to see is a massive amount (absolutely enormous tonnage) of physical gold buying coming in and it’s completely unexpected and unanticipated.” King World News note: Again, this portion of the tape was stripped out of Maguire’s KWN audio interview by some unknown entity. Who would want that question and this portion of the answer deleted and why? This is the first time anything like this has ever happened. As mentioned, a KWN staff member was able to transcribe this portion out of a retrieved copy they kept that was unaffected. What is interesting is that some entity did not want that portion of the audio interview to be heard by the KWN global audience, which includes key government officials from across the globe. All we can say at this point is that this summer surprise is obviously very troubling to the Federal Reserve, Bank for International Settlements, and other Western central banks involved in the paper manipulation of the gold market because it comes at a time when the physical gold market is already extremely tight. It will be very interesting to see if this enormous tonnage of physical gold buying breaks the back of the manipulators and sends the price of gold soaring. After the above deleted portion of tape, the KWN audio interview with Andrew Maguire continued. It left off with a comment and then a question about how the powers that be might handle this behind the scenes emergency. (We'll see.)

***

KWN

Greyerz – The World Is Set To Plunge Into Chaos Over The Next 6 Months

June 11, 2017

As we near the midway point of what promises to be a rowdy month of trading in June, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE, historic moves in currencies, told King World News that the world is set to plunge into chaos over the next 6 months.

Egon von Greyerz: “This past week, we were again reminded of the global instability and disequilibrium. In the UK, the conservative Prime Minister Theresa May decided 8 weeks ago to call an election. This was done due to the conservatives being 20 percentage points ahead of their Labour rivals in the opinion polls, which would have led to a strong backing for the Brexit negotiations as well as another five years in power. But things went disastrously wrong. An extremely badly run campaign by Mrs May and an opportunistically clever campaign led by the Labour leader Corbyn have led to a hung parliament. The conservatives are now dependent on a small Northern Ireland party as well the Scottish conservatives. The effect of the election is a total political chaos that will weaken a UK which is already in a mess with a high debt and untenable budget and trade deficits…

“But the EU bureaucrats led by Mr Junker are of course delighted. They know now that Mrs May who was for a hard Brexit will have to go and the EU will have the upper hand to reach a soft Brexit.

So again, the globalists have sadly won, just like they did in the Netherlands and France recently. The unelected and unaccountable Brussels bureaucrats are absolutely elated. They can now continue to run Europe irresponsibly with open borders for anyone who wants to enter, with a currency which only benefits the Germans, and with a financial system which is rotten in its core and totally bankrupt. But it is not just the financial system which is bankrupt because so are most major EU nations from Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, UK etc.

Events might have taken a bit longer to unravel but the trend is irreversible. Country after country will crash under the burden of debt, and this is not just European countries but also China, Japan, emerging markets and of course the US.

We are now at a time in history when extraordinary events will be the norm. The world is currently as far from a harmonious equilibrium as it has ever been in history. The masses are ultimately responsible for $2.5 quadrillion of debts derivatives and unfunded liabilities. None of this will ever be repaid, and that astronomical sum will grow exponentially as governments accelerate their money creation in their futile attempt to save the world. On the other side of the scale is a very small elite, being a fraction of 1%, who owns most of the assets in the world. But they are of course not responsible for the debt which is being created so they can continue to grow their wealth at the cost of ordinary people, who in real terms are worse off every year.

But the disequilibrium in the world is not just financial, it is also moral, ethical and political. In the final stages of an era, all values disappear and the ugliest side of mankind appears. We see this currently all around us. US politics has become a total farce and better than any television drama. It is hard to believe what is happening is actually real. The problem is that what we are seeing is a stark reality that has serious consequences for the US as well as for the rest of the world. It will not only lead to financial disaster but also serious political and geopolitical disasters. Only afterwards will the historians know if the cyclical peak in the world economy that we are experiencing now is just the end of a 100-year era from the creation of the Fed in 1913, or a 700 year period from the beginning of the Renaissance or from the Roman Empire 2000 years ago.

Whatever cycle we are in, it will lead to a very extended period of misery and economic hardship for the world. Since the $2.5 quadrillion liabilities can never be repaid or run down in an orderly fashion, in the next few years we will experience a debt implosion that will be totally devastating. Not only will debt implode but also all the assets that have been fueled by the debt bubble. Hopefully it will not take 500 years like the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire. But the world is likely to see an extended decline that will affect all of us.

It is primarily the disastrous US monetary policy since 1913 which has created the biggest debt mountain in history. It is not easy to illustrate what $2.5 quadrillion actually means but we can start with the US Federal debt of $20 trillion.

The illustration shows the size of the US debt in $100 bills in relation to the statue of liberty. The statue is standing on a pedestal of gold worth $20 trillion. The cube has 30 meter sides and weighs 500,000 tonnes. There is only one problem – 500,000 tonnes of gold does not exist. All the gold ever produced in the world is estimated at 170,000 tonnes.

So if the US debt would be backed by gold, it would require 3x more gold than what has ever been produced. If we then look at the total gold required to cover all global liabilities of $2.5 quadrillion, it would be 125x greater at 62 million tonnes. That is 365 times more gold than exists. If we were back to the gold standard rather than fiat money with zero intrinsic value, gold would need to be worth 365x $1,270 or $463,000. That price of gold is based on all the gold in the world including jewelry. But if we just take sovereign gold of officially 30,000 tonnes backing global liabilities, the gold price would need to be 5.7 times higher or $2.6 million. No, I am not dreaming. I am not expecting a gold price in today’s money of $2.6 million anytime soon. I am just proving that as the world went from real money to fiat money, the value of real money or gold does not in any way reflect the incessant creation of paper money. Whatever the real, unmanipulated price of gold would be, it is likely to be multiples of the current price, whether that is $10,000 or $50,000.

***

USAWatchdog

Market Crash and Civil War Possible-Gregory Mannarino

By Greg Hunter On June 11, 2017

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (Early Sunday Release)

Analyst/trader Gregory Mannarino says do not be fooled by the stock markets at or near all-time highs. Friday, the tech heavy NASDAQ suffered a massive selloff late in the day after hitting all-time highs. What happened? Mannarino explains, “There is no doubt that we are in financial fantasyland. It is epic. So, have we just witnessed the bursting of this bubble? It is very possible, and the reason why is because it came out of nowhere. It wasn’t driven by a geopolitical event. It wasn’t driven by a downgrade. It wasn’t driven by anything, it just happened. . . . There is going to be a moment of reckoning. If this is real. If this is an actual bursting of a bubble here, the tech bubble, we might get a follow through on Monday or we might get a bounce, and that will lead to a follow through. . . . I am telling people to watch out because the fact this came out of nowhere and driven by nothing is a big tell.”

Even if this is not a sign of a meltdown, one is baked in no matter what, according to Mannarino. Mannarino contends, “Nothing is real here . . . . You watch these financial commentators talk about this market like it is real. If it were real, the Federal Reserve would not be taking the largest part of this market for the better part of a decade now. They are artificially suppressing interest rates and creating bubbles like we have never seen. These are the worst distortions that have ever been seen in the history of the financial world. That’s a fact. It’s worse than the Dotcom bubble and way worse than the 2008 meltdown. This one has the potential to make the last two look like walking through Central Park with an ice cream cone. Are they going to use this against President Trump? They are going to twist this, and we need to be ready for anything.”

The so-called Deep State has been trying to take President Trump down, and nothing has worked. If the Deep State cannot take Trump down, what are they going to do? Mannarino says, “They are going to collapse the economy. They are going to wipe out the economy, and they are going to hurt everybody. Housing is in a bubble and it’s cracking. . . . The markets are in bubbles that are truly epic. This is all being supported on the back of a debt bubble. That’s what they are going to do. No doubt about it. If they can’t get Trump any other way, they are going to collapse the economy. . . . We are going to see a wave of wealth go from one group of people to another group of people. This is the setup that has been going on for a long time. . . . There are those on the inside that are determined to bring down this country. If this thing comes apart, we have the potential for civil war right here in the United States.”

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21^st CENTURY WIRE

QATAR: The Unexpected Consequences of Saudi ‘Muscle’ Flexing

JUNE 12, 2017

Niraj Srivastava
21st Century Wire

The quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Qatar which began on 5th June is taking unexpected twists and turns. Events are moving so fast that it is becoming difficult to foresee what will happen next week, let alone next month. Even so, some equations in the Gulf and the wider Middle East appear to have changed and need to be noted.

But first, a brief recapitulation of the events since 5th June. On that day, Saudi Arabia announced that it was breaking diplomatic relations with Qatar because of the latter’s support to terrorist groups and her growing closeness to Iran.

Saudi Arabia also takes a dim view of Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas; the activities of the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera; and Qatar’s position as the largest exporter of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in the world.

The Saudis closed their sea, air, and land borders to Qatar, and gave Qatari nationals in the Kingdom two weeks to leave the country. They also called on Saudi nationals to leave Qatar within two weeks.

The Saudi action was quickly followed by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, and Yemen, which announced similar measures against Qatar, on the same grounds. These developments took place within weeks of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Riyadh during which he, along with the Saudis, tried to mobilise Arab and Islamic countries against Iran, describing it as the “leading state sponsor of terrorism.”

The Saudis felt emboldened by Trump’s visit to Riyadh to come down hard on the Qataris for maintaining cordial relations with Iran, with which Qatar shares the largest gas field in the world. It did not help that the Emir of Qatar phoned Iranian President Rouhani on 27th May to congratulate him on his re-election.

They decided to teach Qatar a lesson, aimed at humiliating it and forcing it to break diplomatic relations with Iran, dismantle Al Jazeera, and end support to the Muslim Brotherhood, among other things. On 6th June, they gave a 24-hour ultimatum to Qatar to submit to their demands and threatened military action if Qatar failed to do so.

This is not the first time that the Saudis have shown their displeasure to Qatar. They did so in 2014 also, though the steps they took at that time were much milder compared to what they have done now. Even so, it took almost eight months for their relations to be normalised.

This time, the Saudis and their allies pulled out all the stops, with the aim of quickly securing Qatar’s complete capitulation. Some analysts see the imprimatur of Deputy Crown Prince Abdullah bin Salman, the impetuous de-facto ruler of the Kingdom, on the Saudis action against Qatar. He is also believed to have been responsible for launching the disastrous Saudi war against Yemen, which has turned into a major military and humanitarian disaster, with no end in sight.

But, six days after the action of Saudi Arabia and its allies, the Qataris show no signs of capitulating. And some interesting re-alignments in the region are beginning to emerge.

The Qatari Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, has said that only 16% of food supplies came to Qatar via the countries that have imposed the blockade. He pointed out that the food supplies were “replaceable and had been replaced in one day.” He categorically stated that Qatar would not give up its independent foreign policy and not surrender to the pressure being applied by its neighbours. Qatar has also placed its military on the highest state of alert.

On 7th June Qatar officially asked Iran and Turkey for food supplies. The next day a Turkish cargo plane with fresh food landed in Doha. On the same day, a senior Russian official said that Russia was ready to increase food deliveries to Qatar but had not yet received an official request.

President Trump, who initially applauded the Saudi action, was persuaded by the Pentagon and the State Department to calm frayed tempers and call for a negotiated solution to the crisis. And for good reason. Qatar hosts the forward headquarters of CENTCOM at the Al Udeid air base— the largest in the region where more than 10,000 US soldiers are deployed. So if the Saudis thought that Trump would dump Qatar, they must have been disappointed.

Trump’s latest statement suggests that the US would not support a Saudi invasion of Qatar. It cannot jeopardise the operations of its largest air base in the region. It cannot permit a war between two close allies. The British and some other Europeans also do not want the Saudis to invade Qatar. The Saudis cannot be allowed to become an oil and gas superpower. Therefore, armed action by them against Qatar is unlikely.

Iran—the target of the US and Saudi ire—has offered Qatar the use of three of its ports to import supplies, in addition to large quantities of food. It has also offered its airspace for Qatari flights. The terrorist attack on the Iranian Parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini on 7th June—for which Iran has blamed Saudi Arabia— has pushed Iran closer to Qatar. In exchange for its support, Iran could ask for Qatar’s cooperation in Syria.

On 7th June, Turkey made clear its support for Doha, fast-tracking plans to deploy hundreds of Turkish troops in Qatar, in addition to the 150 troops already present there under an agreement signed in April 2016. Turkey is close to the Muslim Brotherhood and was unhappy when Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the army in a coup. The Turkish Foreign Minister said on 8th June that “Turkish troops are coming to Qatar for the sake of the security of the entire region.”

Finally, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, phoned Russian President Putin on 6th June and discussed the crisis with him. Qatar has friendly relations with Russia. The Russians agreed to receive the Qatari Foreign Minister in Moscow on 10th June for further talks. For the time being, they have adopted a neutral position and called for resolution of the crisis through negotiations.

These developments suggest that the Saudi action against Qatar could be counterproductive. The facade of a united Gulf against Iran has already been shattered. Outside powers such as Turkey and Russia have seen in the crisis an opportunity to gain a foothold in the region which, so far, has been a preserve of the West. The Saudis have inadvertently handed a diplomatic victory to Iran. Major fault lines in the Arab world have been exposed.

It is too early to figure out how and when this crisis would end. If Qatar digs in its heels—which seems to be happening—it may be a while before things return to normal. The Saudis may have bitten off more than they can chew. Only time will tell.

Niraj Srivastava is a former Ambassador of India who has served in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Libya, and the United States, among other countries

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GATEWAY PUNDIT

The Czech Republic has joined its Central European neighbors in officially announcing a withdrawal from the European Union’s 2015 migrant resettlement program.

Damien Cowley

June 10, 2017

After much criticism of the scheme, which seeks to resettle an initial 160,000 migrants from Italy and Greece across EU member states, the Czechs have finally withdrawn citing concerns over security and the ‘’dysfunctionality’’ of what has been criticized as a shambolic program.

Prague had accepted only 12 of the 1,600 migrants required by Brussels before leaving the program, which imposes quotas on all 28 member states under threat of sanction.

The resettlement scheme was the EU’s initial response to the near Biblical wave of migrants which arrived in autumn 2015 following Angela Merkel’s decision to open Germany’s borders.

In April, Czech Interior Minister, Milan Chovanec, had stated that his government would have to decide whether resistance to the EU’s quotas was worth the massive fines such a refusal would incur. On Monday, Chovanec announced their decision, a definitive withdrawal based on concerns over terrorism and the vetting of migrants, mainly Muslims from the Middle East.

The decision was supported by a majority of parties across the political spectrum, with even left-wing parties, including the Communist Party, welcoming the announcement.

Public opinion in the Czech Republic, and surrounding countries, runs very strongly against immigration, particularly from Islamic countries.

Ask the average Czech for his opinion on the matter, and you will likely hear concerns about Islamic extremism or anecdotes of ungrateful migrants turning their noses up at Czech hospitality to seek asylum in wealthier countries;

Last year, of a small group of Iraqi Christians welcomed to the country in a church-run scheme, 25 cancelled their asylum applications, retrieved their passports and rented a bus to leave for Germany. Complaints about the standard of accommodation from migrants went down badly among Czechs, many of whom struggle to pay their own rents.

The country’s president, Miloš Zeman, one of the few European heads of state to have supported Donald Trump in last year’s US presidential race, has called the current wave of migrants an ‘’organized invasion’’, drawing parallels between the large-scale migration and the opening stages of the Trojan War.

The outspoken president, who recently declared his intention to stand for re-election in 2018, has criticized both the EU and Angela Merkel for their immigration policies, causing outrage in Brussels and Berlin.

In response to the Czech government’s decision, the EU’s Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, announced on Tuesday that the European Commission would next week give details on action to be taken against countries refusing to accept migrants. It is likely such sanctions will include fines of up to €250,000 per migrant refused – a high price but one, it seems, Prague is willing to pay.AP

Vintage typewriters gain fans amid ‘digital burnout’

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS

June 16, 2017

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Typewriter enthusiasts gather at an Albuquerque restaurant to experiment with vintage Smith Coronas. Fans in Boston kneel in a city square and type stories about their lives during a pro-immigration demonstration. A documentary on typewriters featuring Tom Hanks and musician John Mayer is set for release this summer.

In the age of smartphones, social media and hacking fears, vintage typewriters that once gathered dust in attics and basements are attracting a new generation of fans across the U.S.

From public “type-ins” at bars to street poets selling personalized, typewritten poems on the spot, typewriters have emerged as popular items with aficionados hunting for them in thrift stores, online auction sites and antique shops. Some buy antique Underwoods to add to a growing collection. Others search for a midcentury Royal Quiet De Luxe — like a model author Ernest Hemingway used — to work on that simmering novel.

The rescued machines often need servicing, leading fans to seek out the few remaining typewriter repair shops.

“I haven’t seen business like this in years,” said John Lewis, a typewriter repairman who has operated out of his Albuquerque shop for four decades. “There’s definitely a new interest, and it’s keeping me very busy.”

Renewed interest began around 10 years ago when small pockets of typewriter enthusiasts came together online, said Richard Polt, a Xavier University philosophy professor and author of “The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century.” Since then, the fan base has grown dramatically, and various public events have been organized around the typewriter.

“It’s beyond the phase where this is just a fad,” Polt said.

It’s almost impossible to gauge recent typewriter sales. Almost all of the original manufacturers are out of business or have been bought out and become different companies. Moonachie, New Jersey-based Swintec appears to be one of the last typewriter makers, selling translucent electronic machines largely to jails and prisons.

But operators of thrift stores and estate sales say typewriters are some of the quickest items to go.

“That’s part of the fun: the hunt,” said Joe Van Cleave, an Albuquerque resident who owns more than a dozen typewriters and runs a popular YouTube channel on restoring the machines. “Sometimes, like a little luck, you might find something from the 1920s in great condition.”

Doug Nichol, director of the upcoming documentary “California Typewriter,” said the interest stems from “digital burnout” and people wanting a connection to the past. That interest seems to transcend age, he said.

“Kids who grew up knowing only mobile phones and the computer are excited to see a letter typed with your own hand,” Nichol said. “It’s a one-on-one interaction that doesn’t get interrupted by Twitter alerts.”

In his film, set for release in August, Nichol interviews Hanks, who said he uses a typewriter almost every day to send memos and letters.

“I hate getting email thank-yous from folks,” Hanks says in the film. “Now, if they take 70 seconds to type me out something on a piece of paper and send to me, well, I’ll keep that forever. I’ll just delete that email.”

Hanks owns about 270 typewriters but often gives them to people who show an interest.

One way the typewriter craze is growing is through organized “type-ins” — meet-ups in public places where typewriter fans try different vintage machines. Such events have been held in Phoenix, Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles and Cincinnati.

During a recent type-in at Albuquerque soul food restaurant Nexus Brewery, around three dozen fans took turns clicking the keys of an Italian-made 1964 Olivetti Lettera 32 and a 1947 Royal KMM, among others.

Rich Boucher spent most of his time on a 1960s-era Hermes 3000 crafting poetry.

“I haven’t used a typewriter in forever,” he said. “This is a real refreshing way to spend a summer afternoon.”

After finishing his work, Boucher grabbed his phone and sent a Facebook status update about the experience. He then started looking online for a Hermes 3000.

“That’s the typewriter I want,” he said. “I’m going to find one.”

***

Natural News

Victoria, Australia has mandated that children should see a doctor at least once a week to receive drugs and medical treatment without parental consent

Sunday, June 11, 2017 by: Tracey Watson

(Natural News) A $43.8 million (about $33 million U.S. Dollar) state-run initiative called “Doctors in Secondary Schools” has been rolled out in the state of Victoria, Australia. This program promises to “fund general practitioners (GPs) to attend up to 100 Victorian government secondary schools up to one day a week to provide medical advice and health care to those students most in need.” While the concept of providing free medical care for in-need teens sounds great on the surface, it has been met with a storm of controversy, for multiple reasons.

For one thing, many see this as a way for the state to line the pockets of Big Pharma and government officials with ties to drug companies. These connections run all the way to the top, with The Mind Unleashed reporting that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife are connected to some of the biggest of all Big Pharma corporations. For example, while the prime minister has pushed for government-mandated vaccinations, his wife serves as chair of the pharmaceutical corporation Prima Biomed.

Many parents are also gravely concerned about their daughters being issued with contraceptive pills at school without their knowledge or consent. Of course, the mainstream media mocks their fears, with Matt Young of News.com.au saying, “I’m here to slap some reality into that overly-cautious parental mind of yours. We don’t live in a perfect world. And sadly, parents, your teenagers are going to have sex and probably not tell you about it. Just like my generation, and yours, did all those years back. How refreshing though that this generation will have an expert to talk to about it confidentially.”

The wording of the program is also of great concern to many parents, since it mandates that even if a parent “expressly states” that they do not want their child to receive medical treatment from these doctors, the GP can go ahead and do so as long as he or she deems the child to be “mature enough.”

The program also promises to provide “primary health care” to these kids, but never clarifies what this health care will consist of. Will it include vaccinations? Will children whose parents have carefully prevented them from receiving dangerous vaccines be given these shots anyway, without permission? Most likely, these teens will have the HPV vaccine pressed on them, especially if they’ve been handed contraceptives and effectively given the green light to start having sex. Children worldwide have suffered horrific side effects and life-altering disabilities after receiving this vaccine, and it has actually been banned in several countries, but this is not likely to prevent doctors from administering it at these weekly “health care” visits.

And what about psych evaluations? Hormonal swings mean that teenagers are notoriously all over the place when it comes to their moods. Most parents are aware of this and monitor their kids carefully. That doesn’t mean that kids need to be given antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs to cope. Nonetheless, the number of children being handed prescriptions for these drugs has risen dramatically in the past few years, and the doctors in the Australian program are likely to follow the trend. This means that children could be given mind-altering drugs which are known to cause suicidal behavior in teenagers without the knowledge or consent of their parents.

While Victoria, Australia, may seem very far away, similar government policies have been instituted in the U.S. with many states refusing unvaccinated children entrance to schools and day care facilities. A Texas lawmaker recently made the statement that the second a child is removed from their home they become “a child of the state,” and that such children should receive whatever medical treatment the state deems fit as soon as possible. Governments worldwide are exerting more and more control over children, doing their best to sever the ties that bind kids to their parents.

Sources:
TheMindUnleashed.com
News.com.au
Education.Vic.gov.au

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

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:7)