Pearl Harbor was attacked on this day in 1941

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_advance-

knowledge_debatehttp://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/McCollum/index.html

A repeat of sorts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks_advance-knowledge_debate

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/12/pearl_harbor_69_years_ago_toda.html

On the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor: my Grandfather's recount of that day, and his time in the Navy.

Pearl Harbor Bombings - Radio Broadcasts from Dec. 7, 1941

Texas historians preserving WWII concentration camp - The roundups began in earnest almost immediately after the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II.

Today is the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For the 3,000 or so remaining survivors of the attacks, it might as well have happened yesterday

In 1925, a British Intel Officer wrote a book concerning a likely Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines; 1932 US forces practiced war games for such an attack; 1936 Japanese War College Students were asked how they would attack Pearl Harbor. Who knew an attack would come in 1941?

69 Years Later, Sailor Durrell Conner Recounts Pearl Harbor Attack

http://www.independent.org/blog/index.php?p=8780

Pearl Harbor Photos Found In An Old Brownie Stored In A Foot Locker. And Just Recently Taken To Be Developed. Photos Are From A Sailor Who Was On The USS QUAPAW ATF-11O.

Pearl Harbor - Mother of All Conspiracies

John Finn dies at 100; oldest surviving Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipient. Wounded numerous times by bullets and shrapnel, Finn refused to be evacuated. His leadership and courage gave heart to dazed sailors to begin fighting back against the new enemy.


The Needless US Pacific War with Japan - Courtesy of FDR - "America provoked Japan to such an extent that the Japanese were forced to attack Pearl Harbor. It is a travesty on history, even to say that America was forced into the war."

68 years ago, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The US gov't knew of Japan's fleet and its movements. The US engaged in a policy to *provoke* Japan into attacking. Much of what we were taught of this attack has been *proven* wrong.

Admiral George Stephen Morrison had an interesting career in the Navy: he fought in Pearl Harbor, commanded an Aircraft Carrier during the Vietnam War and helped the evacuation of people from Saigon. He also had a son, Jim, who became quite famous.

Have you ever been curious about why the Wise Men or the Magi came to visit Jesus upon His birth? How did they know exactly when to arrive? And how did they know where to look for the new coming King? How in the world would they find an infant in this far away nation. It would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. When did these wise men know when to precisely leave for this likely year long journey?

In the first place, the Bible doesn't mention precisely mention that there were only three of them (Luke 2:1-12). There may have been more than three. They did bring at least three types of gifts, but these were customary gifts to kings in this age. Also, there most certainly could have been more than three offerings. And the question of why would they bring gifts has been asked? It was certainly customary to have dignitaries from several nations be present for a coronation of a new king (Glory to the newborn King). And no one would approach a king without a gift or without bringing an offering.

How did these wise men from the entire known world at the time, know Who to look for, what to look for, when to find Him, and where to find the soon-to-be-born King and Messiah? They apparently already knew the why of finding Him from Daniel's written messages recorded for posterity in Babylonia. When Daniel and Israel where being held captive by Babylonia, they imported their religion and history, including their knowledge of God with them. These conquests also included gathering up all wise men of the Medes, Persian, and all nations under his rule for the kings private council and the nations under Babylon's domination represented all the know peoples, nations and languages that were known at this time (Dan 6:3, 6:25).

Daniel was apparently in this council and not only that, he was the head over it all (Dan. 5:29, 6:1-3). Since Daniel had previously proven to Nebuchadnezzar, and most recently, King Darius, that God does exist and knows not only the whispers in a king's chamber, but his dreams too, he had placed Daniel as the highest authority (next to the king) in Babylonia. This included the position of Governor, placing Daniel over all authorities in the greatest kingdom of that present world. And subsequently, this included reigning over all wise men (Dan. 2:12, 48).

Ironically, Daniel's title was actually rab mag or "chief of the Magi" (Dan. 5:11). But after thousands of years had passed since Daniels pronouncement of a soon coming king, how did they know exactly when and where to arrive? And how was Daniel able to predict the exact date of the Messiah's arrival (Dan. 2:12-48, 9:24-26)?

Daniel was a man of prayer and Gabriel answered his prayer and told Daniel not only when He would come, but when He would be crucified (Dan. 9). The location must have obviously been common knowledge to these Wise Men, otherwise they could only have guessed at it. And only guessing about the when and where of the Messiah's birth would have been sheer, blind luck for them to ever find Him. If it was too early, they would have missed Him and if they were too late, baby Jesus and His parents would have already fled to Egypt (Matt. 2:13).

The book of Daniel makes it obvious that he foreknew when the coming Savior would be born and He must have known where but this was also reveal to other prophets as well and so was still common knowledge even in the minor prophet's day (Micah 5:2). Since Daniel was the leading Magi of the nation he was being held captive in, it makes sense that this was taught to the nation and was incorporated into their religious prophecies. Eastern religions had long used astrology to try and predict certain events and this star was obvious to them the sign they had almost certainly looked for. Ancient eastern customs and prophecies had long predicted a world ruling king to be born in this same time. This was a residue of Daniels teachings that were recorded for posterity and remained to the day of Christ's birth.

During this time in history (5 AD-0) nations were expecting a great king coming out of the Jews. These nations may have been influenced by Daniel and his writings, since he knew when and where the Christ would be born (Micah 5:2). The ancient Persians and the Hebrews had similar beliefs, more than any other nation at that time. They also believed in one God, did not worship idols and saw light as a symbol of God.

How perfectly fitting that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Savior since the name means "house of bread". He is known as the Bread of Life and that He was in a manger which is a feeding trough that usually had grain. This fits with Jesus saying "I am the Bread of Life". But where exactly would they find Baby Jesus and how? They had been following the star, but this only pointed them in the right direction, toward Judea. But how could they know exactly where to find Him in a fairly large country or city? The Old Testament prophet Micah knew the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. Daniel must have known this and passed this on to others in Babylonia. He had already recorded the number of days until this prophecy was to be fulfilled (to the minute!).

And "...when they saw the star, they rejoiced, with exceeding great joy (Matt. 2:10)" knowing this must be the place. But it was only when the star came directly over [literally, "stood over" like someone or something stood over] the child did they knew for certain where the infant would be. This explains the "exceeding great joy", since they had finally found Him. After perhaps a year or more, and having traveled thousands of miles, with no map, no guide, only a star to guide then, they now beheld the star. This star had shown them precisely where the new King was. Herod the king and all the so-called religious experts; the Chief Priests and Scribes could, could not even find Him, lest Herod would have had him killed (Matt. 2:3). But foreigners, from another continent away, knew exactly when, where, and how to find Him. They followed the star and apparently knew when this epic event would happen.

The Christmas tree often has a star on it. The Star of David, Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, is described as a star...He is the Bright and Shinning Star, and also called the Bright and Morning Star and even a Saving Star (Ish. 60:1-4, Rev. 22:16, Num. 24:17). The Great "I Am" is He! Every child who has ever worried about Santa finding their home is dwarfed by the question of how the Wise Men found Baby Jesus. Daniel, inspired by the Holy Spirit and informed by Gabriel, must have been responsible. If we are wise, then we too will find Jesus. We know where to find Him. And Jesus stays with us every day of the year.

Engaged in the traditional celebration of Christmas, we may minimize the significance of the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem. In fact, the traditional date of Epiphany, January 6, often passes unnoticed in our churches. Yet it has implications for all people, even outside the Hebrew tradition and faith. For centuries the Jews have awaited the coming of their messiah. Yet the visit of the Magi reveals God's intention to make known that this Child had come for all people, for all are created in God's image. Our Creator's continual desire is to be known and acknowledged by each of us.

The Gospel narrative of the coming of the Magi presents us with at least three considerations. First, having heard about and celebrated the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, we must continually seek him. Then, once having found Christ, we must acknowledge His divinity through our daily living. And finally, as we reflect on the gifts presented by the Magi, we can see their significance for Jesus and for us:

GOLD

This is one metal that is universally considered precious. The gift of gold, representative of royalty, affirms that Jesus, the Son of God, is Lord and ruler of the people of the earth.

FRANKINCENSE

This fragrant resin was used by the priests in their ultimate offerings to the Most High. It was symbolic of the priesthood of Jesus and His life as the supreme offering on behalf of God's people.

MYRRH

This balsam was of multiple uses—as an offering, as a component for consecration oil, or mixed with wine to strengthen and give courage to those condemned to die. The gift of myrrh signaled the consecration of Jesus as the atonement for our sins.

Like the Magi, having celebrated the birth of Jesus, reflected on the purpose of His life and mission, and experienced our personal encounter with Him, we cannot return to our previous lifestyle as the same persons on the same road. We return as changed persons, on a different road, to lead a new life.

Praising God, acknowledging with Paul that in Christ there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men, between men and women, but we are all one in Christ, and considering how this truth is to affect your daily acts.
Praying throughout this new year that this confession of our faith may be confirmed in our daily living at home, in our nation, and in our relationships with other people.

Faithfully working toward the day until God calls us home, and hopefully we'd hear Him say, "well done my good and faithful servant...
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Matthew records that the Wise Men found the child after following the star. The word for child is different than the word for baby. A child was no longer considered an infant. Clearly the language shows that Jesus was not a newborn. There are a number of Christmas plays and programs that depict the Wise Men arriving with the shepherds and giving their treasures to the baby Jesus. There is no way that the Wise Men arrived with the shepherds.
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Nowhere does the Biblical record describe these men as kings. We hear the song We Three Kings and take it for gospel. The Wise Men were Magi, a class of advisers that were part of the Babylonian society. The Magi were well known for various skills such as, diplomacy, the interpretation of dreams, and politics.
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Nowhere does Matthew tell us that there were three Wise Men and there are no names given. In the Middle Ages names were attributed to the Wise Men but there is no scriptural basis for this. The Wise Men created an incredible stir when they entered Jerusalem and
this implies that there was a large group of people traveling with the Wise Men. The Wise Men traveled from the East and likely from the area of Babylon. This would have been a journey of nearly 900 miles and would have months of travel time. These Magi would have not traveled alone and would have likely been accompanied by an armed caravan. The only time that the number three is even implied is with the three treasures, gold, frankincense and myrrh.
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Even with the mystery and intrigue that the visit of the Wise Men created there is something that we can know for sure, they gave more than three gifts. There were only three earthly treasures as I mentioned above but there was the gift of personal worship. However many Wise Men there were, they bowed down and worshipped Jesus. The fourth and often forgotten gift is one that we need to remember because it was more important and far more valuable than any of the treasures. Wise Men give the gift of worship to Jesus...

For Christians, God is not just a powerful, unseen reality, somewhere out there.

God did something highly impossible to make Himself completly relevant to humankind. He doesn't just visit the earth, He becomes human and walks on the earth and interacts with humankind on their own level of existence.

Jesus Christ is God's Son and He is also uniquely Almighty God Himself in the flesh. It is remarkable that God became a real human being and lived among us as the historical Jew, known as Jesus of Nazareth, between 6BC and AD30 in Palestine.

No one could accuse God Almighty of not doing everything possible to make Himself known and revealed in such a way that any human could have known who He is and what He thinks. God bridged the vastness of His creation in such a way as only He could make happen. He took His high and lofty majesty, His Holy and Righteous presence and deposited Himself in an organic carbon based meatbag of flesh. He choose to come down here to be with us on our level of existence.

This is the nexus point of all Christian reality. That God became man.

John 1:14
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

What was truly kewl about all of this is that Almighty God touched some humans and gave them direct revelation into what He was going to do way in the future. We call this prophesy. Reading the prophesys about this event we see that Almighty God will be a Jewish man from the tribe of Judah, in King David's lineage, born in Bethlehem of a virgin, and that this child would be Almighty God Himself.

Everything to do with God is not always smooth and uncomplicated. We humans think that everything is going to be smooth and uncomplicated if God is involved. Balony! Nothing could be futhur from the truth.

Put yourself in Jesus's mother Mary's place. Here she is, around fifteen years of age. Betrothed, as was the Jewish custom of that day and age, to a man, destined to become his wife.

Then she suddenly finds herself pregnant. This will make it appear to all around her, that she has been promiscuous. And to make matters worse, a woman found in adultry must be stoned to death according to Jewish law. Frightening and numbing would be her position in life. Her reputation in her village is surely going to be destroyed.

Holy Scripture tells it like this:

Matthew 1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Now her future husband is put in a very awkward position. He knows what the Jewish law requires, but he also is a just man. He knows that there is no proof of Mary's infidelity. Her demeanor suggest to him that what she has told him about an angel telling her that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit just might be the truth, but he is not sure. He agonizes on his bed, not able to sleep, just laying there thinking about this terrible turn of events...I imagine that he eventually drops off to fitful sleep.

Matthew 1:19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

While he is thinking about privately putting her 'away.' An angel appears to him in a dream. The angel fills him in on what is up with Mary.

Matthew 1:20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Revelation sent from God to Joseph, in his consciousness, in a dream. Wow! Can you imagine his relief and awe at what he is being told?

But still, even though now he knows the truth, his neighbors and family may not believe his story. He is still in a terrible bind of sorts.

But to him, the truth is valid, he is to take Mary as his wife inspite of what anyone thinks of the situation. On the natural, there will be those who look at Mary in discust and rejection. There will be a figurative black cloud that will follow them.

Matthew 1:24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

He understood the truth now. All he could do is trust God, inspite of what others might think.

How many times have we been in a situation where others think ill of us. And we are tempted to try in our own efforts to set things straight.

I once had someone accuse me of a lot of things that had no truth behind them. Even so much as to go to the pastors of my church with the lies. I silently watched as my reputation as a man of God had aspersions cast against it. I watched as the recepients of the lies turned against me. But I had learned to trust in God and held my peace. I not once did anything to defend myself. For I knew that my God on His throne was greater then any lies sent against me.

Over a period of months the truth became known and the perpetrator of the attack against my integrity was cast out of the fellowship. All without me saying or doing anything.

So here is Mary and Joseph in a complicated situation. They know the truth, but will others believe the truth. To any average person, it looked like a couple of young people making up a crazy story to cover up their fooling around. Back in their day, such things were not treated lightly. Today, no one thinks much about this situation, happens all the time...right?

God Almighty comes to earth as a vulnerable defenseless baby. The heart of Christianity. The Muslim can't believe this. "Allah Akbar," God is great. They say this great God would never demean himself by becoming human. But that is exactly what happened.

Not only that, Jesus grows up and gives up His life for all of us to set us free from our sins.

John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Zechariah 13:6And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

We celebrate the birth of the Christ child. We say Merry Christmas to one another in refrence to this event in world history. Not 'Happy Holidays.' To those who know of the truth, it is the most incredible knowledge that God became flesh, born as a baby.

Christians should never be found guilty of saying 'Happy Holidays' when they know the truth of this event of a baby's birth. An event that changed the course of the world. An event that sent a message down through the ages to you and I. An event that was written in the stars above.

Matthew 2
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

We are told in this same chapter of Matthew:

10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Why? What was it about this star? It was not the star, but what they had located by the star. Almighty God incarnatio, God being in human flesh, entering the physical realm as a baby.

Jesus Christ, the God~man!

No one could make up such a story. No one could foretell of all events that would surround this birth, hundreds of years in advance and then have Holy men of God prophesy of the events.

This is what sets us Christians apart.

He Is So Safe

Nice burn,
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Freedom Attacked: Mitch McConnell Labels Julian Assange A Terrorist
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Wikileaks and The Extreme Hypocrisy of Sarah Palin Not presidential material...

Whos On First?