WorthyNews:First bill of new US Congress, on Middle East policy, stalls in Senate

[WorthyNewsBot]

(Worthy News) - Legislation reaffirming U.S. support for allies in the Middle East, including a measure to punish Americans who boycott Israel, fell victim on Tuesday to a domestic political dispute that has resulted in a partial federal government shutdown.

The U.S. Senate voted 56 to 44, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance the "Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act."

Most Senate Democrats have vowed to block all legislation in the Senate until it votes on a measure to end the shutdown, criticizing President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans for backing his demand for US$5.7 billion (4.5 billion pounds) to build a barrier on the border with Mexico before reopening the government. [ Source (Read More...) ]

The post First bill of new US Congress, on Middle East policy, stalls in Senate appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

View the full article

[George]

Just now, PepperS said:

What does "punish Americans who boycott Israel" mean?

There's a movement BDS -- Boycott Divestment and Sanctions which is targeting Israel and within the legislation was terminology against the BDS movement.

[George]

3 minutes ago, PepperS said:

How would they be punished? How can you punish an organization for being wrong?

 

[George]

35 minutes ago, PepperS said:

The OP used the phrase "punish Americans." 

Well it's a quote from Reuters.  So it's probably something I should have rewritten for sure!    I'll keep it in mind for the future when this issue comes up again.  

[Omegaman 3.0]

Seems a bit of a stretch to me anyway, not sure what boycotting Israel would even mean in the real world of American businesses of individuals. I think in my whole life, my only opportunity to boycott Israel was in 1986, when I went there on vacation.

[FresnoJoe]

1 hour ago, WorthyNewsBot said:

(Worthy News) - Legislation reaffirming U.S. support for allies in the Middle East, including a measure to punish Americans who boycott Israel, fell victim on Tuesday to a domestic political dispute that has resulted in a partial federal government shutdown.

The U.S. Senate voted 56 to 44, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance the "Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act."

Most Senate Democrats have vowed to block all legislation in the Senate until it votes on a measure to end the shutdown, criticizing President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans for backing his demand for US$5.7 billion (4.5 billion pounds) to build a barrier on the border with Mexico before reopening the government. [ Source (Read More...) ]

The post First bill of new US Congress, on Middle East policy, stalls in Senate appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

View the full article

 

1 hour ago, PepperS said:

What does "punish Americans who boycott Israel" mean?

 

1 hour ago, George said:

There's a movement BDS -- Boycott Divestment and Sanctions which is targeting Israel and within the legislation was terminology against the BDS movement.

 

1 hour ago, PepperS said:

How would they be punished....
How can you punish an organization for being wrong....
The government does not have the right or the authority to dictate one's beliefs....

Not unless we have become a theocracy....
while I was sleeping....

These Starve-A-Jew (BDS) Attacks On Israel

This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name:

“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” Jeremiah 31:35-36 (New International Version)

Hamas grew out of the ideology and practice of the Islamic fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood movement that arose in Egypt in the 1920s and it was legally registered in Israel in 1978 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the movement's spiritual leader, as an Islamic Association by the name Al-Mujamma Al Islami. Initially, the organization followed the Muslim Brotherhood's model of acting primarily as a social welfare agency that catered especially to the Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip and, over time, developed a good reputation for improving the lives of Palestinians. Hamas also exerted its influence through the mosques. Today, Hamas is intimately tied to the Islamic regimes in Syria and Iran.

In August 1988, Hamas published the Islamic Covenant, which makes clear the organization is opposed to Israel's existence in any form. It states that "there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad (holy war)." The group warns that any Muslim who leaves "the circle of struggle with Zionism" is guilty of "high treason." Hamas' platform calls for the creation of an Islamic republic in Palestine that would replace Israel. Muslims should "raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine," it says.

Hamas stresses jihad as the sole and immediate means to solve the problem of Palestine. Hamas aims to create an Islamic state in all of Palestine. The immediate means to achieve this goal is the escalation of the armed struggle, and ultimately jihad, with the participation not only of Palestinian Muslims but of the entire Islamic world. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-hamas

Are Unwise And Anti-Christ

For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. Zephaniah 3:15 (New Living Translation)

Many promises that most of the church assumes were fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming are in fact promises that remain to be fulfilled in the future by the glorious return of Jesus.

If we remove the artificial divide between the Old and New Testaments, we can be faithful and loyal to the gospel and the great transition the New Testament brings, while also being faithful to Paul’s exhortation that the gospel mission in the nations would ultimately end in the salvation of the Jewish people. When we view the Old Testament and New Testament together, we can both recognize and celebrate the unique election of the Jewish people and the offer to the Gentiles to be full members of the people of God, because Jesus is both the King of Israel and the King of the Nations. https://www.ihopkc.org/resources/blog/jesus-king-of-israel-and-king-of-the-nations/

As I See It

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 (English Standard Version)

But then Paul urges us to look past their angry opposition and view them from God’s perspective. He says, “that from the standpoint of God’s choice” they are still beloved. In other words, don’t think God has rejected them and put them in the same category as every other unbeliever in the world. No, they are still His people – even in their unbelief! The promises to the fathers had not been nullified.  

Over and over He assured Israel that “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). So even though a majority rejected Yeshua, their unbelief did not cancel out His eternal commitment to them.  “Though some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be!” (Rom. 3:3,4). God had put them in a state of suspended, militant unbelief until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in [to Israel].”  Then He’ll provide the same mercy and grace to the Jews He gave to us. “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all” (v. 32)

What these undiscerning Christians don’t realize is that a paradigm shift has taken place in God’s dealing with the Jews. Everything changed with the founding of Israel in 1948. We know this because God always deals with Israel in the same way.

Whenever the nation’s disobedience finally exhausts God’s patient warnings He allows them to be conquered and thrown out of the land. It happened when Assyria invaded the northern kingdom in 722 BC, when Babylon conquered Judah in 586 BC, and when Rome exiled them again in 70 AD. But those times of exile had an expiration date. We know Judah’s time of punishment, which culminated with the Holocaust, has ended – because they’re back in the land. Their miraculous return, impossible victories against overwhelming odds and rejuvenation of the land, all confirm God is with them, and again fighting for Israel! http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29213/Default.aspx?article=related_stories

~

Be Blessed Beloved Of The KING

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27 (King James Bible)

Love, Your Brother Joe

~

Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalms 119:160 (King James Bible)

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

From The Inside Of My Gideon New Testament

[FresnoJoe]

2 hours ago, FresnoJoe said:

These Starve-A-Jew (BDS) Attacks On Israel

This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name:

“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” Jeremiah 31:35-36 (New International Version)

Hamas grew out of the ideology and practice of the Islamic fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood movement that arose in Egypt in the 1920s and it was legally registered in Israel in 1978 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the movement's spiritual leader, as an Islamic Association by the name Al-Mujamma Al Islami. Initially, the organization followed the Muslim Brotherhood's model of acting primarily as a social welfare agency that catered especially to the Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip and, over time, developed a good reputation for improving the lives of Palestinians. Hamas also exerted its influence through the mosques. Today, Hamas is intimately tied to the Islamic regimes in Syria and Iran.

In August 1988, Hamas published the Islamic Covenant, which makes clear the organization is opposed to Israel's existence in any form. It states that "there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad (holy war)." The group warns that any Muslim who leaves "the circle of struggle with Zionism" is guilty of "high treason." Hamas' platform calls for the creation of an Islamic republic in Palestine that would replace Israel. Muslims should "raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine," it says.

Hamas stresses jihad as the sole and immediate means to solve the problem of Palestine. Hamas aims to create an Islamic state in all of Palestine. The immediate means to achieve this goal is the escalation of the armed struggle, and ultimately jihad, with the participation not only of Palestinian Muslims but of the entire Islamic world. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-hamas

Are Unwise And Anti-Christ

For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. Zephaniah 3:15 (New Living Translation)

Many promises that most of the church assumes were fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming are in fact promises that remain to be fulfilled in the future by the glorious return of Jesus.

If we remove the artificial divide between the Old and New Testaments, we can be faithful and loyal to the gospel and the great transition the New Testament brings, while also being faithful to Paul’s exhortation that the gospel mission in the nations would ultimately end in the salvation of the Jewish people. When we view the Old Testament and New Testament together, we can both recognize and celebrate the unique election of the Jewish people and the offer to the Gentiles to be full members of the people of God, because Jesus is both the King of Israel and the King of the Nations. https://www.ihopkc.org/resources/blog/jesus-king-of-israel-and-king-of-the-nations/

As I See It

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 (English Standard Version)

But then Paul urges us to look past their angry opposition and view them from God’s perspective. He says, “that from the standpoint of God’s choice” they are still beloved. In other words, don’t think God has rejected them and put them in the same category as every other unbeliever in the world. No, they are still His people – even in their unbelief! The promises to the fathers had not been nullified.  

Over and over He assured Israel that “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). So even though a majority rejected Yeshua, their unbelief did not cancel out His eternal commitment to them.  “Though some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be!” (Rom. 3:3,4). God had put them in a state of suspended, militant unbelief until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in [to Israel].”  Then He’ll provide the same mercy and grace to the Jews He gave to us. “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all” (v. 32)

What these undiscerning Christians don’t realize is that a paradigm shift has taken place in God’s dealing with the Jews. Everything changed with the founding of Israel in 1948. We know this because God always deals with Israel in the same way.

Whenever the nation’s disobedience finally exhausts God’s patient warnings He allows them to be conquered and thrown out of the land. It happened when Assyria invaded the northern kingdom in 722 BC, when Babylon conquered Judah in 586 BC, and when Rome exiled them again in 70 AD. But those times of exile had an expiration date. We know Judah’s time of punishment, which culminated with the Holocaust, has ended – because they’re back in the land. Their miraculous return, impossible victories against overwhelming odds and rejuvenation of the land, all confirm God is with them, and again fighting for Israel! http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29213/Default.aspx?article=related_stories

~

Be Blessed Beloved Of The KING

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27 (King James Bible)

Love, Your Brother Joe

~

Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalms 119:160 (King James Bible)

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

From The Inside Of My Gideon New Testament

 

1 hour ago, PepperS said:

This is all fine and good....
but has absolutely nothing to do with our rights as American citizens....

This Is All Well And Good

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)

But What About MY Rights As A Citizen

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

If we live by the Spirit, let's also walk by the Spirit. Let's not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another. Galatians 5:16:25 (World English Bible)

~

Love, Your Brother Joe

Edited January 9, 2019 by FresnoJoe