Tuesday, July 5th, in the year of our Lord 2016
By Kevin Swanson
Ronald Reagan’s Independence Day Speech 20 Years Ago
Yesterday was the 240th anniversary of this nation’s founding. President Ronald Reagan spoke of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in his speech he gave exactly 20 years ago.
“‘We must all hang together,’ Benjamin Franklin said, ‘or surely we will all hang separately.’ And John Hancock, it is said, wrote his signature in large script, so King George could see it without his spectacles. They were brave. They stayed brave through all the bloodshed of the coming years. Their courage created a nation built on a universal claim to human dignity. On the proposition that every man, woman, and child had a right to a future of freedom.”
Death Count at 200 from Terror Attack on Saturday
The death toll from that last terrorist attack in Iraq has risen sharply. At least 200 have died from Saturday’s massacre, bringing the 2 Ramadan death count over the last few weeks to 363. For the month of June, Wikipedia has counted 214 separate terror attacks, compared to only 30 incidents in June of 2015. That compares to only 24 separate known terror attacks during the entire decade of the 1960’s.
2 Timothy 3 says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
Christian Universities Under Attack for Biblical Position on Homosexuality
Homosexual activists, who advocate for their perverted lifestyle, have launched a full-scale attack on Christian higher education in the Western World. Trinity Western University in Canada has been fighting to retain accreditation for their law school, despite taking a biblical stance on homosexuality. The university lost its appeal at the Ontario high court in Canada last week. They plan to continue fighting their case at the Canadian Supreme Court.
Also, Christian colleges in California will be subjected to civil law suits for their refusal to accommodate homosexuals. Senate Bill 1146 easily passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. The bill provides for “remedies through civil action” for any individual who is “denied equal rights. . .on the basis of gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.” The bill only applies to colleges benefiting from federal funds through Title IX.
Supreme Court Blocks State Laws Regulating Abortion
After the Supreme Court ruling stopped the Texas abortion restrictions last week, now a federal judge has blocked Florida’s pro-life laws from going into effect. The new legislation would have set health standards for abortion mills and prohibited taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
The pro-abortion lobby has been energized by the Supreme Court’s recent actions. Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood, announced that the organization is planning to challenge restrictions on abortions in eight states. Laguens said, “We will fight back state by state and law by law … No matter how long it takes, these laws will fall.”
Proverbs 37:14 says, “The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy. . . Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.”
Petition to Ban Abortion in Poland
The pro-life movement in Poland has been energized recently. Activists have presented a petition to the parliament with 375,000 signatures, requesting a ban on all abortions, except when the mother’s life is at risk. Previous legislation allowed for abortions in cases of health risks for the mother, or where the child is conceived in rape or incest.
Shouting Islamist in Restaurant Turned Out to Have Only Alcohol
A drunken man shouting “Allah is the only one true god” emptied a restaurant in Iowa in a just few minutes last Friday night. A bartender tackled him and ripped off the man’s backpack at Horsewood’s Restaurant in Caldwell. When police arrived, they searched the backpack and found only alcohol. Americans are less and less amenable to these varied approaches to Islamic evangelistic programs.
Federal Debt Increasing at Incredible Rate
The federal debt increased another $100 billion last Thursday – That’s a big jump for one day. Economists estimate the debt will reach $20 trillion by the end of the year. That puts the American GDP to debt ratio at 108%, about twice what it was when George W. Bush took office in 2000.
Scientists Discover Eight-Inch-Long Amphibious Centipede
It turns out that not all centipedes live on the land. You can imagine their surprise when scientists discovered the world’s first-known amphibious centipede. This creature of God can grow up to eight inches long and it has an excruciatingly painful bite, reports The London Guardian. The Scolopendra Cataracta, from the Latin for “waterfall”, has been found in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Colossians 1:16 declares, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth” — including the Scolopendra Cataracta.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.