This Week's 66/40 Radio Broadcast

Articles and Commentary

• The Fall Feasts: Yom Kippur - (Read)
• Pakistan Facing Bankruptcy, Security Meltdown - (Read)
• In God We Still Trust - (Read)

Important News Headlines

Memory Verse of the Week

THE FALL FEASTS: YOM KIPPUR - (Print)

"Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God."
- Leviticus 23:27-28

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is perhaps the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur is observed on the 10th of Tishri. This year Yom Kippur will begin at sunset on October 8th and end at nightfall on October 9th. Yom Kippur is considered the holiest and most solemn day of the year. It is a day of repentance and reconciliation. Yom Kippur is a Sabbath day. Therefore most Jews refrain from working and will attend synagogue services. It is also traditionally a day of fasting.

It was on this day - the only day - that the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies, and then only after elaborate ceremonial washings, offerings, and associated rituals. This was also the day that two goats were selected, one for an offering and one as the "scapegoat." As many aspects of the feasts were prophetic, the scapegoat is also Messianic. The ceremonial acts that were to be carried out by the High Priest on Yom Kippur are described in Leviticus 16 (see also Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11). Since the loss of the Temple in 70 A.D., the God-centered observances of the Torah have tragically been replaced with a man-centered, good works system of appeasement through prayer, charity, and penitence.

Yom Kippur traditionally ends with one long note of the Shofar, a musical instrument usually made from a ram's horn. The significance of the ram's horn is traditionally rooted in Genesis 22. Here God commands Abraham "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Abraham is called upon by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as a test of his faith. After God halts the sacrifice at the last minute, Abraham spies a ram trapped by his horns in a nearby thicket and offers the animal instead as a sacrifice.

It is interesting to note that this is the first instance in which the word "love" appears in Scripture. God commands Abraham to sacrifice "thine only son Issac, whom thou lovest."  In this passage Issac is identified as Abraham's only son, but what about Ishmael? If you examine this passage of scripture in detail it becomes clear that Abraham was acting out prophecy. This strange event was a foreshadowing of Christ's death on the cross as a substitutionary offering for our sins. In fact, it may have even taken place at the very same spot where the "only begotten Son" of God was later crucified.

Woven throughout the Old Testament feasts is the foreshadowing of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. Those of us who have placed our trust in Jesus Christ are able to enter behind the veil and stand in the Holy of Holies. We have forgiveness because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Please take a moment during this most holy of days to reflect on all of these things and to repent of any unconfessed sin in your life.

[Editor's Note: This is the second installment of a three part series on the fall feasts of Israel. Next week’s article will cover Succoth, otherwise known as the Feast of Tabernacles.]

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PAKISTAN FACING BANKRUPTCY, SECURITY MELTDOWN - (Print)

In recent weeks the United States has intensified its military operations along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It seems the US is taking advantage of the window of opportunity created by Pervez Musharraf's resignation to target al-Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in Pakistan. Cross-border skirmishes between US troops and Islamic militants have been grabbing headlines, further complicating an already tense situation.

Pakistan's newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari has only been in office for a few weeks and already he is a target - both for political opponents and terrorist groups. He is the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated by al-Qaeda in December of 2007. Zardari has inherited a nation in the midst of an economic and security crisis, and there has been speculation that he may not be able to hold the government together.

Pakistan is on the brink of bankruptcy. Pakistan's cash reserves have dropped to dangerously low levels. The rupee has lost more than 20 percent of its value since the beginning of the year and the rate of inflation is now 25 percent. The cost of food has risen dramatically and Pakistan is having trouble getting loans to pay for imports and to keep its economy afloat.

Meanwhile the security situation in Pakistan is rapidly deteriorating. On Monday at least 20 people were killed and about 40 others were injured in a suicide bombing targeting a government official. The attack comes two weeks after a deadly bombing at the Marriott Hotel in the capital city of Islamabad, in which 50 people were killed and another 250 were injured.

Terrorists Planning Attack

Experts say that al-Qaeda may be attempting to exploit the political chaos in Pakistan in order to acquire nuclear materials. There have also been reports that al-Qaeda may be planning another attack on US targets leading up to the elections.

CIA Director Michael Hayden recently stated that: "There is no greater national security threat facing the United States than al-Qaeda and its associates." Hayden also said that although Iran and North Korea both have the capability to produce nuclear weapons, al-Qaeda is the CIA's top nuclear concern because it is most likely to use them.

It is believed that al-Qaeda may be stepping up its efforts to develop materials for a "dirty bomb" - in which conventional explosives are fitted with radioactive material. The detonation of such a device in a city like London or New York would cause widespread panic and chaos, even though the area of contamination would be relatively small. According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, at least one plot has been uncovered involving Pakistani-based terrorists planning to use nuclear material against a major European target. However the details of their plans remain classified.

To learn more about this subject, click on the links below.

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IN GOD WE STILL TRUST - (Print)

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Russia Uses Harvest as a Foreign Policy Tool - October 07, 2008
Russia's bumper wheat harvest has allowed it to open a new front in the re-emerging Cold War as it uses food to expand its influence in the Middle East and Africa. The largest wheat harvest in 15 years is expected to yield 51 million tons, of which a record-breaking 15 million are earmarked for export. Only the US and Canada are expected to export more. The boom comes as the Kremlin’s influence in the Middle East grows, with trade volumes at record levels and increasing collaboration in the energy sector. Telegraph

Abortion and Infertility on the Rise in Russia - October 07, 2008
Alarmingly high abortion rates in Russia are leaving an increasing number of women infertile. The St. Petersburg Times reported that 64 percent of all pregnancies in Russia end in abortion, as a result 200,000 to 250,000 women each year are stripped of their biological ability to procreate because of permanent effects from the procedure. In Russia abortions are offered free of charge at all state clinics. Lifesite

Foreign Economists Urge 'Global Plan' - October 07, 2008
Leaders and economists from Western Europe to East Asia Tuesday urged the United States to go beyond reviving a failed domestic bailout and start working on a new global financial system. Some say the next U.S. president should immediately call for a second "Bretton Woods" conference to devise a new doctrine of international finance. Washington Times

Fireproof Still a Box Office Hit - October 07, 2008
In its second week at the box office, "Fireproof" topped $12 million in total receipts. Fireproof averaged $4,776 in 852 theaters, placing it at No. 5 in average revenue per theater. The movie pulled in just over $4 million overall, claiming the No. 8 spot in total weekend revenue. On October 10, Fireproof's distributor will add another 200 theaters to the movie's initial 850-theater run. Also enjoying popularity is a book called "The Love Dare," which started as a plot device for the film but has reached No. 8 on Amazon's best-seller list. BP

Israel Accuses North Korea of Mideast Proliferation - October 07, 2008
Israel accused North Korea on Saturday of covertly supplying at least half a dozen Mideast countries with nuclear technology or conventional arms. North Korea began to dismantle its nuclear facilities earlier this year but abruptly stopped in mid-August, citing Washington's refusal to remove it from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. AP

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psalms 22:27-28 KJV

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

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