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“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man,” Luke 21:34-36.

This chapter substantially parallels Matthew 24 though it includes references to events in Jerusalem in AD 70 when the Roman armies destroyed the city and the nation of Israel was scattered as they remain to a large degree to this day.

I dealt with erroneous conclusions some have drawn from this chapter in the article, Some of the Saviour’s words misunderstood by many! written three months ago when I read this chapter in keeping with Robert Murray M‘Cheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar, which brings one who uses it to this portion twice a year.

Let me set down the two portions from these two chapters containing the Saviour’s words to His disciples when they questioned Him, (Luke 21:7, Matthew 24:3). Many have concluded, because of the similarity of language, that these chapters refer to the same event, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70..

Luke 21:20-27 states:

“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

Matthew 24:15-27 reads:.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

It may be easily seen that believers have understood these passages to refer to the exact same events. But there is at least 2000 years separating these tremendous happenings! (more…)

I comment this article to you all.

Dr Cooke has untiringly sought to sound a warning regarding the discrimination against Protestants at all levels within higher education in Ulster.

To my knowledge, DUP and UUP MLAs take absolutely no heed to his warnings, the results being the continuing demise of the rights of the Protestant and Unionist people in the realm of education.

We are grateful for his labours, though saddened at the heedless attitude of the DUP and UUP members contacted.

The destitution of the Protestant and Unionist cause in Northern Ireland is the direct consequence of the apostasy of the main Protestant denominations and their embracing of every form of anti-Bible falsehood.

In consequence, as a people we are under judgment.

“‭For, behold, the Lord‭, the LORD‭ of hosts‭, doth take away‭‭ from Jerusalem‭ and from Judah‭ the stay‭ and the staff‭, the whole stay‭ of bread‭, and the whole‭ stay‭ of water‭,‭ ‭the mighty man‭, and the man‭ of war‭, the judge‭‭, and the prophet‭, and the prudent‭‭, and the ancient‭,‭ ‭the captain‭ of fifty‭, and the honourable‭‭ man‭, and the counsellor‭‭, and the cunning‭ artificer‭, and the eloquent‭‭ orator‭.‭ ‭And I will give‭‭ children‭ ‭to be‭ their princes‭, and babes‭ shall rule‭‭ over them.‭ ‭And the people‭ shall be oppressed‭‭, every one‭ by another‭, and every one‭ by his neighbour‭: the child‭ shall behave himself proudly‭‭ against the ancient‭, and the base‭‭ against the honourable‭‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Isaiah 3:1-5.

Sincerely in Christ’s name,

Ivan Foster

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The Growth of the nationalist dominated Magee university campus is thanks to the DUP’s NDNA 2020 Deal and the NI Unionist MLAs sitting on the Stormont Assembly Committees.

A article by Dr Edward Cooke, (Professor in Queens University, Belfast)

circulated to Stormont MLAs and local reporters.

NI Unionist voters can thank NI Unionist MLAs sitting in the NI Assembly Committee for the Economy for allowing the continued growth and expansion of the UU campus at Magee, a campus that directly and indirectly discriminates against NI unionist / Protestant students / academics.  Realistically, the growth of the Magee campus on the West Bank of Londonderry must be accompanied by the demise of the UU campus at Coleraine and with it the demise of the NI unionist communities in Port Stewart and Portrush.  Today’s Irish News article provides confirmation of SF’s Ministers for the Economy and Environment to expand the Derry campus, irrespective of the exceptionally low numbers of unionist / Protestant academics and students at Magee. (more…)

Below is an article by Alf McCreary, long-time journalist with the ‘Belfast Telegraph’, though this article by him appeared in the ‘Belfast Newsletter’.

Alf McCreary is an arch-ecumenist who has for many years extolled the modernistic and liberal doctrines which have been gradually introduced to his church, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and the two other ecumenical

denominations, the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland.

Being an advocate of ecumenism, he is an outspoken and bitter critic of all things Biblical and orthodox. That may be seen in the article below.

I give one or two examples of his opposition to the old-time gospel.

First of all.

“The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), for example, has been becoming much more conservative in recent years, and this is seen in its election of moderators. The current Moderator the Very Reverend Dr Sam Mawhinney announced shortly after his election last year that he did not approve of the ordination of female ministers.

This year’s Moderator-elect the Reverend Richard Murray stated in one of his first interviews that it is “the Lord who decides, and if the Lord wants a woman minister to be moderator next year, then that will happen”.

This has to be one of the least persuasive excuses in the long history of the Presbyterian Church which has never elected a woman moderator, and this is particularly depressing because the PCI was the first major church to ordain a woman minister – the Reverend Ruth Patterson in 1976.

Sadly when she stood twice for the moderatorship she failed to get elected. Sadly and significantly on the second occasion she did not get a single vote from any of the 19 Presbyteries.

Such a total rejection by the church which had ordained her as its first female minister was hurtful to many Presbyterians, and extremely regrettable.”

Two things should be noted in this statement by McCreary.

His obvious annoyance at any sign of ‘conservativeness’ re-emerging in the PCI! Of course, what he considers ‘conservative’ is very far short of orthodox Bible teaching! (more…)