Pope Francis uniting the evangelical world in "Together 2016"

"That His Holiness would choose to speak into this historic day is a testament to the urgency and the need for followers of Jesus to unite in prayer for our nation and our world. We are humbled and honored by his involvement and are eager to share his message with the crowd that gathers at Together 2016." - Nick Hall, Founder of PULSE

More Than 40 Well-Known Musicians, Authors, Pastors, Speakers Will Take Stage At National Mall July 16th

Jun 06, 2016, 15:00 ET from PULSE

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT: PULSE, a student-led evangelism movement, has called 1 million Americans to gather on the National Mall on July 16^th and join in prayer for the nation at an event called "Together 2016"

• The free event will feature 40+ well-known speakers, recording artists, authors and leaders from various backgrounds for a day of unified prayer and worship
• Event will feature a personal video message from His Holiness, Pope Francis
• More than 1,000 churches nationwide have pledged attendance, with more pledges anticipated in the coming months.
• More than 8,000 service opportunities will be available within a 100-mile radius of Washington, D.C. during the week before and after Together 2016.

WHEN: July 16, 2016, 9am – 9pm

WHERE: National Mall, Washington, D.C.

WHO: Confirmed speakers and artists include: Hillsong United, Kari Jobe, Francis Chan, Lecrae, Nick Hall, Passion, Crowder, Kirk Franklin, Ravi Zacharias, Jeremy Camp, Andy Mineo, Michael W. Smith, Lauren Daigle, Christine Caine, Mark Batterson, Matthew West, Jo Saxton, Mike Kelsey, Casting Crowns, John K. Jenkins, Sr., Josh McDowell, Laurel Bunker, Luis Palau, Tedashii, Tasha Cobbs, Lacey Sturm, York Moore, Trip Lee, Sammy Rodriguez, Ronnie Floyd, Reid Saunders, Bob Lenz, Jose Zayas, Jennie Allen, Nabeel Qureshi, Ann Voskamp, KB, Christine D'Clario, Matt Maher, Sammy Wanyonyi, Lindsey Nobles, Amena Brown, and Josh Brewer; with a special message from His Holiness, Pope Francis.

WHY: "The times call for this moment," said Nick Hall, founder of PULSE. "It is time to gather on a large scale and draw our attention back to where it really matters. Our hope and our help are found in Jesus, not in political leaders. We are going to come together, seek God, pray for our nation and pray for unity.  Our goal is to gather as a unified front, seeking Jesus and change for our nation through prayer and worship." 

Online media credentialing for Together 2016 can be accessed at Reset2016.com/Media 

• Online credentialing will close Fri., July 1.
• There will be limited credentialing on-site at the event.

Learn more at Reset2016.com

BACKGROUND: About PULSE Founded by Nick Hall in 2006, PULSE is a prayer and evangelism movement on mission to empower the Church and awaken culture to the reality of Jesus. Since PULSE's founding, we have linked arms with hundreds of ministries and churches around the world to fuel evangelistic movements. Whether hosting a big outreach event or providing the evangelistic voice at another organization's event, whether training evangelists on American college campuses or overseas in Africa, the common goal of everything we do is to share the hope of Jesus. Learn more at PulseMovement.com.

About Nick Hall As a voice to the next generation, Nick Hall has shared the Gospel at hundreds of events to millions of students and is regularly featured as a speaker for pastors' gatherings, student conferences, training events, and festivals around the world. Nick is the author of the forthcoming book Reset: Jesus Changes Everything (Multnomah, June 7, 2016). He sits on the leadership teams of US Lausanne Committee, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the student advisory team for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), and is a partner evangelist with the Luis Palau Association. In the spring of 2011, he was welcomed to the National Facilitation Committee for the Mission America Coalition (MAC). Nick, his wife, Tiffany, and their two children live in Minneapolis, MN.          Prnewswire

The Two Kingdoms Emergency Update

EvenAtTheDoors

Published on Jun 23, 2016

The Papacy is penetrating into every citadel on the planet. Very few can see what are her endgame plans are. This study will help those who are unaware of her global machinations and how it will eventually affect those who are faithful to God. 

JFK Speech on Separation of Church & State

Senator John F. Kennedy addressed a special meeting of the Greater Houston Ministerial Association at the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas. He spoke about the separation of church and state, the issue of having a Catholic as president, and the role that his religion had played up to that point in the 1960 presidential election.

A bill currently in the California Senate would strictly limit the freedom of religious schools

R. McKinley June 25, 2016 at 11:31am

A bill currently in the California Senate would strictly limit the freedom of religious schools to admit and teach students, hire professors, and engage in religious practices in line with their beliefs.

Senate Bill 1146 was sponsored by Sen. Ricardo Lara, who represents the 33rd district of California. His purpose in drafting the legislation was to prevent religiously affiliated schools from obtaining exemptions from Title IX, a federal law that was originally intended to prevent discrimination against women in educational programs that receive federal funding. The U.S. Department of Education has recently attempted to extend the protections to transgender students.

Schools can currently get exemptions from certain requirements that, if followed, would undermine their religious beliefs. The bill would force schools that have obtained exemptions to inform the California Student Aid Commission, as well as students and staff.

Under current law, schools do not have to disclose this information. The bill would also allow students who claim to have been discriminated against under the exemption to file a lawsuit.

“All students deserve to feel safe in institutions of higher education, regardless of whether they are public or private,” Lara said in a statement. “California has established strong protections for the LGBTQ community and private universities should not be able to use faith as an excuse to discriminate and avoid complying with state laws. No university should have a license to discriminate.”

Organizations supporting the bill include the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Equality California and the Transgender Law Center.

“Students and staff have a right to know when their school requests a license to discriminate against the LGBT community,” said Dave Garcia, director of policy and community building for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “This bill will protect LGBT people who work and study at private universities and will allow all Californians to be more informed.”

Equality California also supports the measure. “Prospective students have a right to know if a university they are considering attending discriminates against LGBT people,” said Rick Zbur, the organization’s executive director. “This bill would let any school seeking to skirt federal anti-discrimination protections know that its policies would be public.”

Not every state senator is in agreement. Sen. John Moorlach of the 37th district wrote in a letter to constituents, “Senate Bill 1146 goes far beyond the appropriate role of government designed to provide protections against discrimination. In fact, Senate Bill 1146 discriminates against private and independent universities that hold themselves and their student body to a certain moral code that is thousands of years old. Punishing private institutions for adhering to long-held codes of conduct consistent with their beliefs is inappropriate and destructive to our education system. This legislation unfairly targets the beliefs of the schools, their students and community.”

Moorlach based his stance on constitutional rights, such as the freedom of religion. “Senate Bill 1146 does not safeguard against discrimination, but rather is a form of discrimination against religious liberty itself,” he wrote. “Restricting private institutions from adhering to its religious beliefs is a violation of their First Amendment rights and an act itself of intolerance.”

It should be noted that the California Constitution expressly protects both freedom of religion and freedom of speech, as well as guaranteeing the right to “assemble freely.”

The consensus among religious schools that would be affected by the bill is that it would severely limit their religious freedom and educational mission.

Jon R. Wallace, president of Azusa Pacific University, said he listened to the testimony on the bill and believes those involved all want the same things for students — “care, love, safety, and security.”

“The California higher education system has always been robust,” Wallace said. “I really think this is a solution looking for a problem.”

Wallace discussed the diversity of the Los Angeles area, which has dozens of cultures and languages, as well as many religious institutions. He described religious schools as filling a need in the area. “The church wants a place to send students,” he said. “The danger [with the bill] is that the important voice of religious schools could be silenced. This bill guts student choice. [These schools] are safe places for students [to explore their beliefs] in Christian environments.”

Concordia University Irvine concurs. “As written, the bill would severely limit our schools’ ability to faithfully live out our religious mission,” Kurt J. Krueger, president of Concordia, said in a letter written to the Assembly’s judiciary committee chairman. “The ability of a Lutheran Christian university like ours to act in a manner consistent with our religious tenets and mission is not a problem to be solved, but a freedom that is constitutionally protected.”

Richard Kriegbaum, president of Fresno Pacific University, pointed out that the issue the bill purports to address seems to not be an issue on religious campuses.

“The bill would be bad public policy in part because the bill seeks to force schools to address an issue that does not exist on our campus or at other similar schools,” he stated in an email. “No data-based or even anecdotal evidence supports the existence of mistreatment or lack of educational success among the LGBT students who choose our school(s).”

Holly Scheer, writing in The Federalist, makes the point that no one is forcing students to attend universities whose beliefs and teachings they disagree with. “It seems sensible that if you don’t want an education imbued with the values of a religion—any religion—attending classes at a religious school would be a poor choice for you,” Scheer writes. “This is not a day or age of limited academic choices.”

The bill will go before the state Assembly Judiciary committee on Tuesday.        Western Journalism

Does covering his laptop camera and microphone with tape make Facebook’s boss paranoid, or are they really after him? Probably a bit of both

Wednesday 22 June 2016 04.40 EDT  Alex Hern
Don’t worry, Mark Zuckerberg: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you. And as the richest millennial in the world, you can probably be confident that someone, somewhere, is after you.

Which is why it makes perfect sense that you’ve joined the growing number of people doing a little DIY hardware hacking, and disabling their computer’s webcam and microphone. Even if a sneaky hacker does manage to penetrate your security, they’re not going to be seeing you in your tighty whities.

Yes folks, Zuckerberg tapes over his webcam. The billionaire made the (accidental?) revelation in a Facebook post intended to promote Instagram reaching its latest milestone of half a billion monthly active users.

In the picture Zuckerberg posted, of himself framed by a cardboard Instagram UI (cute), his laptop is visible in the background. And as Christopher Olson pointed out, that laptop has some weird accoutrements:

— Chris Olson (@topherolson) June 21, 2016

3 things about this photo of Zuck:

Camera covered with tape
Mic jack covered with tape
Email client is Thunderbird pic.twitter.com/vdQlF7RjQt

(And yes, that really does seem to be his laptop. Gizmodo’s William Turton notes that it’s the same desk the Face-boss gave a tour of on Facebook Live back in September.)

Thunderbird is an email client, for what it’s worth, which is made by Firefox creators Mozilla. Unlike Firefox, though, it’s never really taken off in the wider world, and development has rather stalled in the past five years. It may not even be Thunderbird that Zuckerberg has installed – others think it’s a Cisco VPN client.

Taping over the sensors and a particularly geeky mail client might seem paranoid. But to be fair to Zuckerberg, he’s not the only one taking a look at his webcam and wondering if it’s worth the risk.

Take the FBI’s director, James Comey: “I put a piece of tape over the camera because I saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera.” The American digital rights group EFF sells webcam stickers, and told the Guardian’s Danny Yadron “people purchase these regularly”.

Even experts who don’t cover their cameras think they should. Why doesn’t Matthew Green, an encryption expert at Johns Hopkins University? “Because I’m an idiot,” he told Yadron.

“I have no excuse for not taking this seriously … but at the end of the day, I figure that seeing me naked would be punishment enough.”

While Zuckerberg probably does have any number of advanced persistent threats trying to break his digital security, normal people shouldn’t be too complacent either. Installing backdoors on compromised computers is a common way for some hackers to occupy their time.

According to a 2013 report in tech news site Ars Technica, sites such as Hack Forums contain threads full of people comparing and trading images of “slaves”, people whose computers they have broken into and taken control of. “One woman targeted by the California ‘sextortionist’ Luis Mijangos wouldn’t leave her dorm room for a week after Mijangos turned her laptop into a sophisticated bugging device,” Ars’ Nate Anderson wrote. “Mijangos began taunting her with information gleaned from offline conversations.”

Mac users, like Zuckerberg, can rest a bit easier: unlike most Windows laptops, the light next to a Mac’s webcam is controlled deeply in the hardware, and so it’s very hard to turn the webcam on without also turning on the warning light. Hard, but not impossible.

So should you copy Zuckerberg? Probably. It doesn’t hurt, most of the experts do it, and it could minimise damage – even if it’s just emotional – in the case of a catastrophic hack. But maybe don’t use Thunderbird. Some things are just too much hassle.        The Guardian

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has a new chairman, and for the first time, the position will be held by a Jesuit

Catholic News Agency June 24, 2016

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has a new chairman, and for the first time, the position will be held by a Catholic priest.

Jesuit priest Father Thomas Reese was first appointed to a two-year term as a member of the commission by President Barack Obama in 2014, and re-appointed in 2016.

Now he will take over as the chair of the organization, an independent, bipartisan commission that monitors and reviews religious freedom violations around the world, and makes policy recommendations to the Secretary of State, Congress and the president.

“I am honored to serve as USCIRF’s Chair and work with my fellow Commissioners in support of freedom of religion or belief,” Reese said in a statement.

“World events underscore the importance of this fundamental right: A key factor in many of the United States’ foreign policy challenges, religious freedom is under serious and sustained attack across much of the globe,” he added.

Created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, the commission issues annual reports on the state of religious freedom around the world, and names countries that are guilty of severe religious freedom violations during the previous year. It also holds public hearings and conducts fact-finding missions to aid in its efforts.

In taking over as chair of the body, Reese replaces Princeton law professor Dr. Robert George.

Reese serves as the senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter. Previously, he served as editor-in-chief at AmericaMagazine - a publication of the Jesuit order - from 1998-2005 after being its associate editor from 1978-1985. Reese also was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 1985-1998, and again from 2008-2013.

In his time at America, the Vatican raised issues with several articles published at the magazine, including some on abortion and homosexuality. Fr. Reese resigned from the publication in May 2015.

This week, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also appointed two vice-chairs: Dr. Daniel Mark, an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University and visiting fellow in the Department of Politics at Princeton University; and Dr. James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute, and Managing Director of Zogby Research Services, which conducts specialized public opinion polling within the Arab world.

Mark had been reappointed as a member of the commission Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in May 2016, and President Barack Obama reappointed Zogby in May 2015        Cruxnow

Largest Ecumenical Christian Event in 2016

Nick Hall, evangelist and founder of the PULSE movement, is calling for one million people to gather in Washington, D.C. on July 16 to lay down their differences and stand for Jesus on the National Mall. The event, called Together 2016, aims to bring people from all backgrounds together for a unified day of prayer and worship, asking Jesus to reset the nation.

“During this political year we see so many people of faith becoming negative, critical and jaded,” Hall said. “Where is our help found? Where is our hope found? Not in political leaders. What better time to do something on a large scale that draws our attention back to where it really matters?”

If successful, Together 2016 will become the largest Christian gathering in American history.

The event will be free to the public and will feature a lineup of more than 40 speakers, pastors, artists, and leaders from various backgrounds — including Pope Francis (who will be delivering a video message), Hillsong United, Kari Jobe, Francis Chan, Lecrae, Passion, and Crowder, to name a few.

Nick Hall

At the heart of the program is the message that Jesus offers a “reset” from the issues that divide the nation — from politics and race to social issues and theological differences. Hall has been sharing this message at events all over the world and hopes to deliver it on a larger scale at Together 2016 in order to spur a national catalytic change centered on the hope and example of Jesus.

“Jesus changes everything,” Hall said. “He changed history and he can change anyone’s life. Jesus doesn’t discriminate; he says, ‘Come one, come all.’ If you’re looking for a second chance, if you think there’s a need for healing, then come.”

So far, nearly 1,000 churches nationwide have pledged attendance, and people are travelling from countries as far flung as Africa, China, and Hungary to attend.

In addition to the main program on July 16, PULSE is also partnering with many local organizations to coordinate service opportunities within a 100-mile radius of Washington, D.C. for individuals, youth groups, and churches to participate in during the week leading up to the event.

Hall hopes the event will inspire widespread impact.

“I believe this is a generation that can change the world,” he said. “I want to see us turn from fear to hope, from hate to love, from division to friendship, and from shame to grace.”       Huffington Post

Obama and Gun Control

HARI SREENIVASAN: Last night on the “NewsHour,” President Obama joined Gwen Ifill for a wide-ranging interview and town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana.

After the broadcast, the president continued to take questions from the audience.

Gun shop owner Doug Rhude challenged the president’s record on gun control.

DOUG RHUDE, Gun Shop Owner: Knowing that we apply common sense to other issues in our society, specifically like holding irresponsible people accountable for their actions when they drink and drive and kill somebody, and we do that without restricting control of cars and cells phones to the rest of us, the good guys, why then do you and Hillary want to control and restrict and limit gun manufacturers, gun owners and responsible use of guns and ammunition to the rest of us, the good guys, instead of holding the bad guys accountable for their actions?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: First of all, the notion that I or Hillary or Democrats or whoever you want to choose are hell-bent on taking away folks’ guns is just not true.

And I don’t care how many times the NRA says it. I’m about to leave office. There have been more guns sold since I have been president than just about any time in U.S. history. There are enough guns for every man, woman and child in this country.

And at no point have I ever, ever proposed confiscating guns from responsible gun owners. So it’s just not true.

What I have said is precisely what you suggested, which is, why don’t we treat this like every other thing that we use? I just came from a meeting today in the Situation Room in which I got people who we know have been on ISIL Web sites, living here in the United States, U.S. citizens, and we’re allowed to put them on the no-fly list when it comes to airlines, but because of the National Rifle Association, I cannot prohibit those people from buying a gun.

This is somebody who is a known ISIL sympathizer. And if he wants to walk in to a gun store or a gun show right now and buy as much — as many weapons and ammo as he can, nothing’s prohibiting him from doing that, even though the FBI knows who that person is.

So, sir, I just have to say, respectfully, that there is a way for us to have commonsense gun laws. There is a way for us to make sure that lawful, responsible gun owners like yourself are able to use them for sporting, hunting, protecting yourself, but the only way we’re going to do that is if we don’t have a situation in which anything that is proposed is viewed as some tyrannical destruction of the Second Amendment. And that’s how the issue too often gets framed.      PBS

The Oil Represents Character

Every true follower of Christ has a work to do. God has given to every man his work. A few are now pointing to the roll of fast-fulfilling prophecy and proclaiming, Get ready, show your obedience to God by keeping His commandments. This is no time for the messengers of God to stop to prop up those who know the truth, and who have every advantage. Let them go on to lift the standard and give the warning, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him." Many who hear the message--by far the greatest number--will not credit the solemn warning. Many will be found disloyal to the commandments of God, which are a test of character. The Lord's servants will be called enthusiasts. Ministers will warn the people not to listen to them. Noah received the same treatment while the Spirit of God was urging him to give the message, whether men would hear or whether they would forbear. 
     Come when it may, the advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers who are saying, "Peace and safety;" "all things continue as they were from the beginning." Thus saith the word of Inspiration, "Sudden destruction cometh upon them." The day of God shall come as a snare upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. It comes to them as a prowling thief. "If the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up." Habitual watching is our only safety. We must be ever ready, that that day may not overtake us as a thief. 
     Let everyone who loves God consider that now while it is day is the time to work, not among the sheep already in the fold, but to go out in search of the lost and perishing ones. These need to have special help to bring them back to the fold. Now is the time for the careless to arouse from their slumber. Now is the time to entreat that souls shall not only hear the word of God, but without delay secure oil in their vessels with their lamps. That oil is the righteousness of Christ. It represents character, and character is not transferable. No man can secure it for another. Each must obtain for himself a character purified from every stain of sin.  

     The Lord is coming in power and great glory. It will then be His work to make a complete separation between the righteous and the wicked. But the oil cannot then be transferred to the vessels of those who have it not. Then shall be fulfilled the words of Christ: "Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." The righteous and the wicked are to be associated together in the work of life. But the Lord reads the character; He discerns who are obedient children, who respect and love His commandments.       Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers p. 233-234

Our Responsibility

     There are times when a distinct view is presented to me of the condition of the remnant church, a condition of appalling indifference to the needs of a world perishing for lack of a knowledge of the truth for this time. Then I have hours, and sometimes days, of intense anguish. Many to whom have been committed the saving truths of the third angel's message fail of realizing that the salvation of souls is dependent upon the consecration and activity of God's church. Many are using their blessings in the service of self. Oh, how my heart aches because Christ is put to shame by their un-Christlike behavior! But, after the agony is past, I feel like working harder than ever to arouse them to put forth unselfish effort for the saving of their fellow men. 

     God has made His people stewards of His grace and truth, and how does He regard their neglect to impart these blessings to their fellow men? Let us suppose that a distant colony belonging to Great Britain is in great distress because of famine and threatened war. Multitudes are dying of starvation, and a powerful enemy is gathering on the frontier, threatening to hasten the work of death. The government at home opens its stores; public charity pours forth; relief flows through many channels. A fleet is freighted with the precious means of life and is sent to the scene of suffering, accompanied by the prayers of those whose hearts are stirred to help. And for a time the fleet sails directly for its destination. But, having lost sight of land, the ardor of those entrusted with carrying food to the starving sufferers abates. Though engaged in a work that makes them colaborers with angels, they lose the good impressions with which they started forth. Through evil counselors, temptation enters. 

 

     A group of islands lies in their course, and, though far short of their destination, they decide to call. The temptation that has already entered grows stronger. The selfish spirit of gain takes possession of their minds. Mercantile advantages present themselves. Those in charge of the fleet are prevailed on to remain on the islands. Their original purpose of mercy fades from their sight. They forget the starving people to whom they were sent. The stores entrusted to them are used for their own benefit. The means of beneficence is diverted into channels of selfishness. They barter the means of life for selfish gain, and leave their fellow beings to die. The cries of the perishing ascend to heaven, and the Lord writes in His record the tale of robbery. 

     Think of the horror of human beings dying because those placed in charge of the means of relief proved unfaithful to their trust. It is difficult for us to realize that man could be guilty of so terrible a sin. Yet I am instructed to say to you, my brother, my sister, that Christians are daily repeating this sin. 

     In Eden, man fell from his high estate and through transgression became subject to death. It was seen in heaven that human beings were perishing, and the compassion of God was stirred. At infinite cost He devised a means of relief. He "so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. There was no hope for the transgressor except through Christ. God saw that "there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him." Isaiah 59:16. 

     The Lord chose a people and made them the depositories of His truth. It was His purpose that by the revelation of His character through Israel, men should be drawn to Him. To all the world the gospel invitation was to be given. Through the teaching of the sacrificial service, Christ was to be uplifted before the nations, and all who would look unto Him should live. 

     But Israel did not fulfill God's purpose. They forgot God and lost sight of their high privilege as His representatives. The blessings that they had received brought no blessing to the world. All their advantages were appropriated for their own glorification. They robbed God of the service He required of them, and they robbed their fellow men of religious guidance and a holy example. 

     God finally sent His Son to reveal to men the character of the Unseen. Christ came and lived on this earth a life of obedience to God's law. He gave His precious life to save the world and made His servants His stewards. With the gift of Christ all the treasures of heaven were given to man. The church was freighted with the food of heaven for starving souls. This was the treasure that the people of God were commissioned to carry to the world. They were faithfully to perform their duty, continuing their work until the message of mercy had encircled the world.

     Christ ascended to heaven and sent His Holy Spirit to give power to the work of His disciples. Thousands were converted in a day. In a single generation the gospel was carried to every nation under heaven. But little by little a change came. The church lost her first love. She became selfish and ease-loving. The spirit of worldliness was cherished. The enemy cast his spell upon those to whom God had given light for a world in darkness, light which should have shone forth in good works. The world was robbed of the blessings that God desired men to receive.

     Is not the same thing repeated in this generation? Many in our day are keeping back that which the Lord has entrusted to them for the salvation of a world unwarned, unsaved. In the word of God an angel is represented as flying in the midst of heaven, "having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them

                                                                          

that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Revelation 14:6,7.

     The message of Revelation 14 is the message that we are to bear to the world. It is the bread of life for these last days. Millions of human beings are perishing in ignorance and iniquity. But many of those to whom God has committed the stores of life look upon these souls with indifference. Many forget that to them has been entrusted the bread of life for those starving for salvation. 

     Oh, for consecrated Christians, for Christlike consistency, for the faith that works by love and purifies the soul! May God help us to repent and change our sluggish movements into consecrated activity. May He help us to show in our words and works that we make the burden of perishing souls our own. 

     Let us be thankful every moment for God's forbearance with our tardy, unbelieving movements. Instead of flattering ourselves with the thought of what we have done, after doing so little, we are to labor still more earnestly. We are not to cease our efforts or relax our vigilance. Never is our zeal to grow less. Our spiritual life must be daily revived by the stream that makes glad the city of our God. We must be always on the watch for opportunities to use for God the talents He has given us.

     The world is a theater; the actors, its inhabitants, are preparing to act their part in the last great drama. With the great masses of mankind there is no unity, except as men confederate to accomplish their selfish purposes. God is looking on. His purposes in regard to His rebellious subjects will be fulfilled. The world has not been given into the hands of men, though God is permitting the elements of confusion and disorder to bear sway for a season. A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama--Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect.
     

Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. 

   

 John writes: "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:11, 12. 

    

Are we as a people asleep? Oh, if the young men and young women in our institutions who are now unready for the Lord's appearing, unfitted to become members of the Lord's family, could only discern the signs of the times, what a change would be seen in them! The Lord Jesus is calling for self-denying workers to follow in His footsteps, to walk and work for Him, to lift the cross, and to follow where He leads the way. 

     Many are readily satisfied with offering the Lord trifling acts of service. Their Christianity is feeble. Christ gave Himself for sinners. With what anxiety for the salvation of souls we should be filled as we see human beings perishing in sin! These souls have been bought at an infinite price. The death of the Son of God on Calvary's cross is the measure of their value. Day by day they are deciding whether they will have eternal life or eternal death. And yet men and women professing to serve the Lord are content to occupy their time and attention with matters of little importance. They are content to be at variance with one another. If they were consecrated to the work of the Master, they would not be striving and contending like a family of unruly children. Every hand would be engaged in service. Everyone would be standing at his post of duty, working with heart and soul as a missionary of the cross of Christ. The spirit of the Redeemer would abide in the hearts of the laborers, and works of righteousness would be wrought. The workers would carry with them into their service the prayers and sympathy of an awakened church. They would receive their directions from Christ and would find no time for strife and contention. 

     Messages would come from lips touched with a live coal from the divine altar. Earnest, purified words would be spoken. Humble, heartbroken intercessions would ascend to heaven. With one hand the workers would take hold of Christ, while with the other they would grasp sinners and draw them to the Saviour.

 

     "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14.

     "If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works?" Proverbs 24:11, 12.       8 Testimonies p. 24-29

Google could have a record of everything you have said around it for years

Google could have a record of everything you have said around it for years, and you can listen to it yourself.

The company quietly records many of the conversations that people have around its products.

The feature works as a way of letting people search with their voice, and storing those recordings presumably lets Google improve its language recognition tools as well as the results that it gives to people.

But it also comes with an easy way of listening to and deleting all of the information that it collects. That’s done through a special page that brings together the information that Google has on you.

It’s found by heading to Google’s history page and looking at the long list of recordings. The company has a specific audio page and another for activity on the web, which will show you everywhere Google has a record of you being on the internet.

The new portal was introduced in June 2015 and so has been active for the last year – meaning that it is now probably full of various things you have said, which you thought might have been in private.

The recordings can function as a kind of diary, reminding you of the various places and situations that you and your phone have been in. But it’s also a reminder of just how much information is collected about you, and how intimate that information can be.

On the page, you can listen through all of the recordings. You can also see information about how the sound was recorded – whether it was through the Google app or elsewhere – as well as any transcription of what was said if Google has turned it into text successfully.

But perhaps the most useful – and least cringe-inducing – reason to visit the page is to delete everything from there, should you so wish. That can be done either by selecting specific recordings or deleting everything in one go.

To delete particular files, you can click the check box on the left and then move back to the top of the page and select “delete”. To get rid of everything, you can press the “More” button, select “Delete options” and then “Advanced” and click through.

The easiest way to stop Google recording everything is to turn off the virtual assistant and never to use voice search. But that solution also gets at the central problem of much privacy and data use today – doing so cuts off one of the most useful things about having an Android phone or using Google search.      Independent

Obama defended his decision to open up bathrooms to students of both sexes based on preference, citing his religious faith as a reason he decided to do it.

by Charlie Spiering2 Jun 20169,813

President Barack Obama defended his decision to open up bathrooms to students of both sexes based on preference, citing his religious faith as a reason he decided to do it.

“My reading of scripture tells me that that [the] Golden Rule is pretty high up there in terms of my Christian belief,” he said during a town hall in Elkhart, Indiana.

Local resident Arvis Dawson questioned Obama during the event, wondering why the president decided to make it such an issue.

“What happened and what continues to happen is you have transgender kids in schools and they get bullied and they get ostracized and it’s tough for them,” Obama said, saying that in the past, students were forced to suffer silently.

Obama insisted repeatedly that he wasn’t trying to make it a big issue, but that schools around the country were struggling with the proper procedure on the issue.

“It’s not like I woke up one day and I said, man, you know what we really need to do is let’s start working on high school bathrooms,” he insisted, saying he was already more focused on ISIS.

He explained that transgender students “might not even feel comfortable going to the bathroom” which was a “tough situation” that he wanted to alleviate.

“I have profound respect for everybody’s religious beliefs on this, but if you’re at a public school, the question is, how do we just make sure that, children are treated with kindness,” he concluded.   Breitbart