Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

What Does It Mean to Use God’s Name in Vain? Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain — Exodus 20:7   It is a most precious sound and defiling it brings great punishment. We are talking about God’s Name - YHWH / יְהֹוָה - Yeshua / ישׁוּעַ . This wonderful name is the key to life, salvation, and eternity itself. Yet to misuse and abuse it will, in time, bring great punishment. In light of all this, we can now focus on the third commandment and how to avoid sinning against the most important Name in the universe. When it says ‘ do not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, ’ the word ‘vain’ comes from the Hebrew word shav’ שָׁוְא , meaning: vain, false, empty, lying, worthless, useless (in conduct). [1] Let’s look at three ways a person can be guilty in using God’s Name in vain. Frivolity: This means to carelessly and superficially use God’s Name. One person described it

It is a familiar and eerie sight. People walking around in public with white gas masks, like they did during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919 or the SARS outbreak in 2003. Traffic jams are non-existent because the streets are deserted. Many places of business are closed. The scene looks apocalyptic! Why the altered behaviour? Because out of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, perhaps from a poultry or livestock vendor ‘wet market,’ came a fast-spreading virus called Coronavirus, officially known as Covid-19. Several cities in China went into ‘lock-down’ to prevent spreading. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the virus in China spread rapidly around the world. Travel restrictions were slapped on stricken nations, ‘stay-at-home’ orders and ‘lock-downs’ have been placed around the world. The pandemic epicentre moved from China to Europe with Italy and Spain most affected. New York (city and state) has the most cases of any country - as of this writing, 188,694, with 9,385 deaths

But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. — Micah 5:2 Introduction Isaiah from Jerusalem was a ‘city and court prophet’ and had access to kings and authority. Forty kilometres to the west in Moresheth Gath, part of the Shephelah or lowlands (Samson’s territory), came his contemporary, Micah, the ‘country prophet.’ He understood the needs of the peasant and rural people. The prophet courageously decried immorality, injustice, and idolatry. He foretold the defeat of both the Northern Kingdom and Judah. His prophetic book gives us some powerful points about the coming King Messiah and the kingdom He will inherit. Hebrew Name of Micah The prophet’s name comes from Michayahu, meaning ‘ Who is like God? ’ Short answer: No one! The LORD God is the One and Only God; no one even comes close. Auth

We are speaking about issues that people are talking about and need to be addressed by the Church. Here we continue our comments on abortion, a blog written in response to a question asked by this author’s millennial niece: What do you think about abortion, and you can say whatever you want?! Today’s Scene : Apparently, many millennials are more pro-life than their baby-boomer parents. The annual rate of abortion in the United States has been declining in recent years (see table below). Why are abortions declining? The theories include increased availability of the morning-after pill, better education and understanding of contraceptives, and a declining birth rate. It can also be because of the pro-life movement, who provide education and support of expectant mothers. An interesting fact is that abortion clinics are closing across the United States. In 2017, there were 780 abortion clinics nationally. As of 2019, that number reduced to 755. Why the reduction? Finances is