Psalm 133

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the  beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Mt. Hermon

Christchurch Earthquake

Our continuing thoughts and prayers are with those in Christchurch, New Zealand. You have the love of so many of us around the world.

May God be with you, may He help you to remain strong in your faith and spirit. May He be with you as you carry on with your lives after this devastating event.

Prayers also for Christ's soon return, and the end of all death and destruction.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21v3-4

Latest on Suez warships & Saudi Arabia chides U.S.

• US warships box in Iranian flotilla, delay Suez passage: The repeated delays and contradictory statements about the two Iranian warships' transit of the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean is accounted for by a standoff between the Iranian flotilla and five US warships deployed in recent days at the waterway's southern entrance and along its course Read More>>

• Saudi Arabia chides U.S. for vetoing UN resolution on Israeli settlements: Saudi Arabia voiced regret on Monday over a U.S. veto of a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in a rare criticism of Washington by its close Arab ally. Read More>>

EU & Turkey in Middle East

• EU seeks more presence in the Middle East: this article also includes a particularly interesting wording of 'political earthquakes' in Tunisia and Egypt. Read more>>

• Turkey plays growing political role in Middle East: As Egypt erupted a few weeks ago, one fellow Muslim country insistently urged President Hosni Mubarak to respond to popular demands. That country was Turkey. Read more>>

UN Resolution Veto, Sinai Troops, Tunisia Jews, Middle East

• Netanyahu lets Egypt build up its Sinai army to 4,000 troops: Without serious aforethought, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have waved through another 3,000 Egyptian troops into North Sinai, topping their number up to 4,000 and virtually scrapping the key demilitarization clause of the 1979 peace treaty. Read more>>

• Anti-Jewish Demo Raises Fears for Tunisian Jews: Tunisian Jews have raised concerns for their community's safety following an anti-Jewish rally outside the country's main synagogue. Read more>>

• Strategic Puzzle Shifts in Mideast: For more than two decades, the Middle East fell easily into neat strategic pieces like a puzzle: A rock-solid peace treaty tied Egypt and Jordan to Israel; stable, pro-U.S. monarchies lined the length of the Persian Gulf oil channels; autocratic governments across North Africa seemed unshakable. Read more>>

• If Obama opposes Israeli settlement activity, why did US veto UN vote?: In its first United Nations veto, the Obama administration on Friday voted against a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "illegal." Read more>>

Warships & threats of war

• Iranian warships to cross Mediterranean: Navy to track ships as they cross Suez Canal en route to Syria, "a provocation that proves Iranians' overconfidence," FM says. Read more>>

• Israel says Iranian warships near Suez: The Iranian naval contingent described by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would pose no significant military threat to Israel but could spell the closest-ever encounter by the forces of the two old foes, which are geographically distant. Read more>>

• 'Hezbollah will conquer Galilee if there is war': Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday that he is ready for another war with Israel, AFP reported. Read more>>

• Netanyahu to Nasrallah: Stay in your bunker: "Don't doubt Israel's ability to defend itself," PM says after Hezbollah leader threatens to conquer Galilee; Netanyahu says Israel is interested in a democratic, peaceful Egypt. Read more>>

The water, the blood, and the spirit

Now when a man is "washed in the name of Jesus Christ", there are three witnesses to the fact, by whose testimony everything is established.  These are the spirit, the water, and the blood, and they all agree in one statement. Jesus Christ was made manifest by water at his baptism (John 1:31); and by blood in his death; and by the spirit in his resurrection: therefore, the spirit who is the truth..., and the water, and the blood, or the truth concerning the Messiahship, sacrificial character, and resurrection of Jesus, are constituted the witnesses who bear testimony to a man's being the subject of "the righteousness of God" (Romans 1:17; 3:21,22,25,26) set forth in the gospel of His Kingdom.  The testimony of these witnesses is termed "the witness of God", which every believer of the Kingdom and Name hath as "the witness in himself" (1 John 5:6-10).  

Elpis Israel, John Thomas p.143

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1 John 5v5-8