I was watching God’s Learning Channel tonight.  It is the last evening of Hanukkah, and all eight candles of the menorah were lit.  Soon thereafter, I lit mine, too, and also recited the Hanukkah Blessings.

     
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It is Christmas Day.  For me, it is just like any other day, since this is not Jesus’ birthday.  He was born in the Fall of the year, during Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles.  That is when He came to tabernacle with us.  Very likely, though, He was conceived during Hanukkah (see Dec. 20)—perhaps on Christmas Day, which is the fifth day of Hanukkah this year.

However, the following is important to think about every day of the year:  The greatest gift you can give anyone is the message of everlasting life.  Whosoever believes in Yeshua/Jesus, shall not perish for eternity but will have everlasting life!  Believing in Jesus is the only way to be saved, since it was Jesus who was sacrificed for our sins and who was raised from the dead.

The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:8-10)

Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights, began tonight at sunset.  Read my Dec. 1, 2010 entry for more information about this Jewish holiday, during which candles are lit and Hanukkah Blessings are read each night for eight nights.  I wish I knew Hebrew so I could pronounce all the words in the blessings correctly.

         
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a cold war-era leader in modern times, has died of an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) at the age of 69.  His third son, Kim Jong Un, is his heir apparent.

After I heard the news of Kim Jong-il’s death, it didn't take long for Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead! and Kim Witch to go through my head.  My humor is a little warped sometimes. 

Here is some “astonishing information” about this amazing man:

I wonder how many of the North Korean “mourners” in the following videos were sincere and how many were told to put on a “convincing” show of grief and sorrow:

I was craving vegetables, so I made chicken and vegetable soup.  I definitely don’t like to cook everyday, and I don’t mind eating the same thing over and over again; so I made a huge batch of it.  I froze about half of it, and it all should last for at least a couple of weeks.

       
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I was up before dawn today snapping photos of the lunar eclipse.  Although it was a total eclipse, the totality was not visible in mainland USA.  I think only Hawaii was able to view it.

     
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Today was the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  It’s hard to believe that this “date which will live in infamy,” as President Roosevelt referred to it, was that long ago.  That single incident, beginning at 7:55 a.m. local time, plunged the USA into World War II.

Veterans who were there on that fateful day have met there again, each year, on this anniversary.  At the end of this year, however, the Pearl Harbors Survivors Association will disband.

The Broncos, led by Tim Tebow (whom I featured on Feb. 7, 2010), won an amazing victory over the Vikings today: 35-32.  This was their fifth straight win.  See more here.

Good for Tim Tebow.  Some people don’t like his “Tebowing” (kneeling and praying in public), even though it has caught on with many people all over the world who are doing it.  The guy who wrote the following article doesn’t like it too much.  (You can read people’s comments about the article here: Comments).

He also explains how “Tebowing” also can involve mocking the act of kneeling and praying.  Many people seem to be offended by it.  Of course, I’m sure that Tim Tebow couldn’t care less what anybody else thinks.  He just continues living his faith, including through the Tim Tebow Foundation, helping to bring physical and spiritual healing to the world’s poorest children.

The U.S. stock market Dow made a giant leap today of 490.05 points.  It was the ninth largest single day increase ever.

The main reason for this huge upward bump was a result of six central banks globally lowering the cost of emergency dollar funding for financial companies.  The move was led by the U.S. Federal Reserve and also included the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, and the Swiss National Bank.  This was in response to Europe’s escalating debt crisis.

For all of those who celebrate Thanksgiving today, be sure that you thank God/Yahweh for His multitude of blessings and gifts.  President Washington acknowledged the Providence of Almighty God in his General Thanksgiving Proclamation.

Of course, giving thanks to God should be done everyday of the year, not just today.  Thanksgiving should be merely an annual reminder that everything we have comes from Him, including our eternal salvation.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.  This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.  The poor will see and be glad—you who seek God, may your hearts live! (Psalm 69:30-32)

The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.  Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.  “Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation:  The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.  My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations.  The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.” (Isaiah 51:3-5)

We also should thank God for His chosen nation, Israel.  Without His covenant with Israel, the whole world would be lost.  But those who believe in the true God, Yahweh, have been “grafted in” to Israel and, as a result, will receive eternal salvation (see God’s Covenant: with Israel or the Church?).

Most of the world longs for peace and for the absence of war.  Fortunately, God has promised that this will happen when the Messiah (Yeshua/Jesus) comes and sits as King in Jerusalem (Zion), with His Law going out from there and throughout the entire world.

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.  Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.  He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”  The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Micah 4:1-3)

Christians are taught that God is the Source of mercy, grace, and judgment.  What do these mean?  The following simple descriptions should convey the implications of these words:

• God’s mercy: not giving us what we do deserve.
• God’s grace: giving us what we do not deserve.
• God’s judgment: giving us what we do deserve.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez was arrested today for shooting two bullets at the White House six days ago.  He also called President Obama “the anti-Christ.”

• White House shooting suspect called Obama "the anti-Christ"
• Bullets’ path to White House

A couple of months ago, Hernandez made an audition video for the Oprah Winfrey show.  In the final minute of this 20-minute segment, he stated, “It’s not just a coincidence that I look like Jesus.  I am the modern-day Jesus Christ that you all have been waiting for.”  His ramblings are so bizarre and obtuse that he may not be found competent to stand trial.

Very early this morning, San Diego police and deputies ordered numerous occupiers of the OWS (Occupy Wall Street) movement to pick up their things and leave.  There were 10 arrests.  The occupiers had returned to the area after being cleared out on Oct. 28, when 51 were arrested.

Protesters say they are speaking out against joblessness, poverty, and political corruption.  They have vowed to stay in the downtown area until their “demands” are met.  Fat chance.  One protestor even announced a moment of silence for solidarity with “the guy who shot at the White House” (that is, alleged shooter Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez):

Back on Oct. 12, I promoted one of my favorite Thai restaurants, Taste of Thai, here in San Diego.  Today, I went to another favorite Thai place, Thai Time II.  I always order the red curry vegetarian lunch special for $4.95, at both places.

       
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The Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, resigned today.  It was only three days after the Prime Minister of Greece, George Papandreou, did the same.  Both nations are in the midst of crippling debt crises.

The 75-year-old Berlusconi has dominated Italian politics for 17 years.  During that time, he has been the target of numerous charges of sexual misconduct and political corruption.

To all the vets out there:  Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your faithfulness.  Many of you have paid an extremely high price for my freedom, and I appreciate that.

   
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If you are an American, remember Veterans Day.  Fly your flag if you have one, and thank a veteran.

A friend and I went to our favorite seafood buffet: the Asia Buffet in Buena Park, CA.  We did not eat anything before we got there, around 1:00 pm, so that we’d have a big appetite.  Although I am not a big guy, nor am I overweight, I really can “pack it in” at buffets.

The lunch price, $8.48, is very reasonable at this place.  That includes unlimited hot jasmine tea, if you want it (we did).  It is pretty big inside, and when we got there it was packed with people.  Yet, we got seated within 5 minutes.

     

     
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Recently, at the G20 Summit in Cannes, France, President Sarkozy and President Obama were speaking privately.  However, the conversation wasn’t so private after all, as a microphone near them had been left on.  This information was made public today.

It is not too often that I place a link to a video on this page.  This morning we were watching church on TV.  The pastor played the following video on tithing, which gave us a few laughs:

The Skinny on Tithing 

My cousin and I attended Beth Hallel Messianic Congregation in Birmingham, AL, this morning.  Several people greeted us and were very friendly.  There even was a long table of breakfast food, along with hot coffee and tea.

   
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Over the past few days, there have been reports that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak of Israel have been asking other officials in their government to consider strongly the possibility of a military strike on Iran.  Apparently, they have received information that Iran is going to move its nuclear production facility to another more secure location.  Therefore, if there is any chance to set back Iran in producing a nuclear weapon with an effective strike, it must be soon.

Today, Israeli President Shimon Peres reminded the nations of the world that a nuclear Iran would be everyone’s problem, not just Israel’s.  In my opinion, it sounds like he is hinting that the USA consider joining Israel in making a strike on Iran.  Imagine the ramifications of that.

I wonder how many Christians believe that God’s “chosen people” no longer are the Israelites and the Jews but, exclusively, are the Church of Christian believers.  I do not believe this at all.  By no means has God abandoned Israel, and His everlasting promises to Israel will take place.  I have written a lengthy commentary to explain all of this and more:

I also wonder how many Christians know the following things about Jesus (Yeshua or Yahshua in Hebrew):

• He was a Jew who lived strictly by the Law of the Torah.
• He came to fulfill the Torah Law, not to abolish it.
• He observed all of the Hebraic/Jewish feasts, festivals, and holy days in both the Spring and the Fall.
• He died on Passover.
• He lay in a tomb during the first part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
• He rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits (which has been given the inappropriate name of “Easter”).
• His Holy Spirit came to Jews at Pentecost, which also was at the Feast of Weeks (or Shavuot).
• He will appear in the clouds to take believers to be with Him, at the Rapture, on the Feast of Trumpets (or Rosh HaShanah).
• His second advent back to earth will be on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
• He will require representatives from all the nations of the world to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot), each year, throughout the Millennium.
• His birthday most likely is during the Feast of Tabernacles (late September to mid October), not on the Christianized day of “Christmas” (December 25).

When I left San Diego on Oct. 19, hardly any of the leaves had changed color.  Here in Alabama, many of the trees are completely changed, although it does seem like there are more green trees than there usually are at this time of year.

I walked around town and took photos of the changing foliage, along with some Halloween decorations.  People here seem to be more cognizant of Halloween than most places I’ve been.

         
         
         
         
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I am different from most other people in lots of ways.  Like I eat raw oats and fruit virtually every single day, and I never get tired of it.  I also like weird things like broccoli stalks as a snack.  Not only do I like the taste, but I like the crunchy texture.

   
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I’ve been visiting cousins in Alabama for a week.  I always eat too much when I come here because everything is so good.  One night we had spicy shrimp and grits, which were very tasty, although a little rich for me.

   
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In case you hadn’t heard, the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will take place on November 9, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. EST.  All TV and radio transmissions in the USA will be interrupted at that time for the test.

This article makes it sound somewhat more ominous:

I have been reminded by someone that this is the day on which Harold Camping, of Family Radio, has been maintaining that the end of the world would take place.  Obviously, if you are reading this, it has not happened, nor do I believe there is any chance whatsoever that it will happen today.  Here is a very lengthy “special message” that came out yesterday on the Family Radio website:

There actually are a few things in that message with which I agree, such as that we should pray for others and for ourselves.  However, I disagree with the majority of the message.  In fact, I will make the following firm statements about some of the points stated in Camping’s recent message:

• May 21, 2011, was not the beginning of the five months of Judgment Day.
• The Bible does not declare that it was God’s plan to save 200 million people out of all those that would ever live upon the earth.
• Just prior to May 21, 2011, of this year God did not finish the work of applying the redemption Christ had purchased for His people before the foundation of the world.
• Just prior to May 21, 2011, the Lord did not save all of those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life.
• On May 21, 2011, God did not shut the door to heaven, and it was not the last day for a sinner to get right with God.
• The Great Tribulation did not begin on May 21, 1988.

In addition, Harold Camping’s main spokesman, Tom Evans, recorded a lengthy message (49 minutes) on Oct. 16, and I have solid disputes with most of it.  Here are things that Camping and his followers believe will happen today but with which I adamantly disagree:

• This creation will pass away quietly, like a whisper.  (Yet, 2 Peter 3:10 reads, “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”)
• The unsaved will not suffer; they will fall asleep, will not wake up, and will rest forever.  (Yet, Revelation 14:9-11 reads, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.  He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.  There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”)
• There will be no cataclysmic earthquakes.  (Yet, Revelation 6:12,14 reads, “There was a great earthquake ... and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”  And Revelation 16:18-20 reads, “Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake.  No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.  The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. ... Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.”)
• Believers will find themselves in the New Jerusalem.  (The New Jerusalem will not appear until after the Millennium is over, this present heavens and earth have passed away, and a new heaven and earth have come into existence, according to Revelation 20:7,11: “When the thousand years are over.... Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.  Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away....  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God....”)
• Everyone will not see Christ when He appears in the clouds.  (Yet, Revelation 1:7 reads, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him....”)

The spokesman admitted that he “wants to believe” that the things Harold Camping have said are true.  This is a hallmark sign of people who have been deluded and deceived: they want to believe certain things that are unscriptural.  Today, they will find out that what they want to believe is irrelevant.

Muammar Gaddafi (aka Moamer Kadhafi), the autocratic ruler of Libya for 42 years, has been killed, according to Al Jazeera sources.

I hung out with some good friends today.  At one point, I saw a rainbow on the floor.  It was caused by a prism hanging outside the window, and the sun was shining through it.  It kept jiggling around as a breeze outside was moving the prism, so it wasn’t easy to capture a clear photograph of it.

Later, I saw the rainbow on a cabinet door and took a shot of it there.  I call one shot, at the right, “Rainbow Torpedo”; it looks like it is being shot out of the white light at the right of the photo.  As everyone should know, a rainbow of colors originates from white light, which is composed of all colors.

In a little while, I walked into the kitchen and saw the rainbow on a friend.  Then, awhile later, I saw it on another friend.  We began to think that all of this might be something more than just a coincidence.  Of course, I do not believe in mere coincidences anyway, since I believe that God has ordained everything to happen, exactly as it does, from before the foundation of the world.

     
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Today is the first full day of the week-long celebration of Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43).  It actually began yesterday at sunset, and there also is a full moon.  It is God’s seventh and final festival of the year.  Both the first day and the seventh day are Sabbaths of rest.  Most likely, it is sometime during this week-long feast that Yeshua (Jesus) was born, rather than in December at “Christmas.”

Sukkot (the singular is sukkah) means “booths.”  After the ancient Israelites left Egypt, they lived in the wilderness, inside booths or tents, for 40 years.  Since then, during this time each year, they have constructed temporary booths—consisting of four sides and a roof of leaves or palm branches—in which to dwell for a week, reminding them of how their ancestors lived in the desert.

During a future festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), a few days after Yeshua’s second advent back to earth on Yom Kippur (to destroy Israel’s enemies and then to rule and reign over the world), this is what will take place:

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.  If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.  If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain.  The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.  This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.  On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar.  Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them.  And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 14:16-21)

On the way to the airport before dawn today, I took some photos of the setting full moon and then of the rising sun (in the opposite direction).  None of them turned out too clearly, since I was in a rush and these were quick “snapshots.”

   
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I flew back into San Diego this morning and did some things I needed to get done during the day.  I had been craving spicy Thai food while I was away, so I went to Taste of Thai restaurant for their red curry veggie lunch special.  They’re one of the few Thai places that will prepare my food “ped mak mak” (as hot as the cooks can make it) when I order it.

       
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It’s a great deal—all for $4.80, including tax, if you pay in cash.  The four porcelain bowls contain red and green hot Thai peppers, jalapeño peppers, hot red sauce, and hot chili powder.  I put all of those all over my food.  At that point, it’s almost hot enough.  I can’t wait to go back.

Sukkot began at sunset, so I went to Seaport Village to relax and get a few shots.

         

         
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Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32), began at sunset last night and continues to sunset today.  It is traditional to fast for 25 hours, which I am doing.

During His first advent to earth, Jesus was the ultimate Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  His second advent to earth, as the Rider on a white horse, will be on a Yom Kippur.  So let’s consider Passover vs. Yom Kippur.

Both Passover and Yom Kippur are important Hebraic holy days.  Both involve blood sacrifices for the atonement of sin.  So, then, why didn’t Jesus die on Yom Kippur, and why won’t He return again on Passover instead?  This is something that I have heard questioned before.  Here is an email I received with a similar question, along with my response:

• How does the blood atonement of Passover differ from the blood atonement of Yom Kippur?

On Sep. 23, in New York, Mahmoud Abbas submitted a formal bid before the U.N. General Assembly for Palestinian statehood.  So far, a vote has not been taken.

Today, there was a Palestinian request for membership in UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.  A vote is expected to be taken sometime from October 25 to November 10.

There is disagreement among those who believe in God about how long it took Him to create the universe, including the earth and everything on it.  Most of the dispute revolves around the meaning of the Hebrew word yôm = “day” in Genesis 1.  Here is an email I received, along with my response:

• If the days of creation were not actual solar days, why didn't God call them "long ages" instead of "days"?