"alla"

This is interesting, from "The Jewish New Testament Commentary" on Romans 10:6-8, page 399:

"Perhaps the most cogent reason for rejecting sense (2) for 'de' is that Greek has a different word, "alla," which is a strong adversative, which Sha'ul could have used had he meant to present an alternative way of being considered righteous by God. Had he written "alla," it could only have been translated, "but, on the contrary, in contrast."

Hmmmm, coincidence?

Adversative: 1. expressing contrariety, opposition, or antithesis.

Amazing Picture - Fireworks, Comet and Lightning!

Credit & Copyright: Antti Kemppainen
Explanation: Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. On January 26, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen through clouds, was the most unusual sight of all: Comet McNaught. The photogenic comet was so bright that it even remained visible though the din of Earthly flashes. Comet McNaught continues to move out from the Sun and dim, but should remain visible in southern skies with binoculars through the end of this month. The above image is actually a three photograph panorama digitally processed to reduce red reflections from the exploding firework.

Democratic Defense Strategy

Hat tip Gayle for the cartoon and joke:>D

Dan Rather, Katie Couric, and a tough old U.S. Marine Gunny were all captured by terrorists in Iraq. The leader of the terrorists told them that he would grant each one last request before they were beheaded.

Dan Rather said, "Well, I'm a Texan; so I'd like one last bowlful of hot, spicy chili." The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the chili. Rather ate it all and said, "Now I can die content."

Katie Couric said, "I'm a reporter to the end. I want to take out my tape recorder and describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe someday someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end."

The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and Couric dictated some comments. She then said, "Now I can die happy."

The leader turned and said, "And now, Mr. U.S. Marine, what's your final wish?"

"Kick me in the a$$," said the Marine.

"What?" asked the leader? "Will you mock us in your last hour?"


"No, I'm not kidding. I want you to kick me in the a$$," insisted the Marine.

So the leader shoved him into the open, and kicked him in the a$$.

The Marine went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled a 9 mm pistol from inside his cammies and shot the leader dead. In the resulting confusion, he jumped to his knapsack, pulled out his M4 carbine and sprayed the Iraqis with gunfire. In a flash, all the Iraqis were either dead or fleeing for their lives.

As the Marine was untying Rather and Couric, they asked him "Why didn't you just shoot them in the beginning? Why did you ask them to kick you in the A$$ first?"

"What???" replied the Marine, "And have you two a$$holes report that I was the aggressor?"

Mountains in Moonlight

Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi
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Explanation: On January 25th, light from a first quarter Moon illuminated this dreamlike landscape looking across the rugged, snow-covered peaks of the Alborz Mountain Range in northern Iran. The stunning sky is filled with stars, including the yellow-tinged Betelgeuse at the shoulder of Orion. Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major and the brightest star in planet Earth's night, stands above and left of picture center. The eerie glow along the Haraz valley in the foreground is light from cars traveling a highway leading from Tehran to the Caspian Sea.

"How To Enjoy The Bible" ~ E.W. Bullinger

I’m reading “How To Enjoy The Bible” by Bullinger, written in 1907. It’s interesting because it was written BEFORE 1948, long before anyone would have ever guessed that Israel would be re-born. This is an excellent snipette against both “Replacement Theology” and “Universalism”:

“We hold that what is written to and about the Jew belongs to and must be interpreted of the Jew. We hold that what is written of and about the Gentile belongs to and must be interpreted of the Gentile. We hold that what is written to and about the Church belongs to and must be interpreted of the Church. Is this robbery? Or, is it justice? Is it stealing? Or, is it restitution?

Evidence of the misappropriation (to use a milder term) is furnished by the Bible which lies open before us, to which we have already referred in speaking of the page-headings of Isa. xxix and xxx, in our current editions of the English Bibles, in which the former is declared to be “Judgment upon Jerusalem”; and the latter, “God’s mercies to his church.”

What is this but not only wrongly dividing the Word of truth, but the introduction of error, by robbing Jerusalem of her promised ‘mercies’ and appropriating these stolen mercies to the Church? While the ‘judgments’ are left for Jerusalem, just as burglars take away what is portable, and leave behind what they do not want or cannot carry away.
We believe God when He says that the Visions shown to Isaiah were “CONCERNING Judah and Jerusalem” (Isa. i.1).

True, they were written FOR us; and ‘for our learning’ (Rom. xv.4); but they are not addressed TO us, or written CONCERNING us, but ‘concerning Judah and Jerusalem.’

It would be an act of dishonesty, therefore, for us thus to appropriate, by interpreting of ourselves, that which was spoken of Israel.

In like manner, if we take, as some do, the words of the Epistle to the Ephesians as though they were written to or concerning the Gentiles (or the unconverted world), then we not only rob the Church of its most precious heritage, but we teach the ‘universal Fatherhood of God’ instead of His Fatherhood of only those who are His children."

This is another funny little bit from the page before: “This comes of that inbred selfishness which pertains to human nature; which, doing with this as with all beside, is ever ready to appropriate that which belongs to others.”

Barbara Boxer turns down CAIR award...

There's going to be a good show about the terrorists on FOX Saturday night at 9pm, sponsored by Walid Shoebat (heads up!). Here's an excerpt from an email on Walid and the 3xterrorists:

"Next Tuesday Feb 6, Walid speaks at UC Davis to 1300 people,tickets are still available but not many. On Wednesday Feb 7th Santa Barabara Campus will also be Shoebatized. The Terror sympathizers on the campus of UC Davis have admitted on their web communications that the event in UC Davis is "The Shoebat Crisis," Looks like we have them rattled." click here

Also in the 'communications' is a 'call' to fellow muslims to harrass Senator Boxer for her decision to turn down a CAIR award. I say "3 Cheers for Senator Boxer". Never thought I'd ever hear myself say that:

Senator Boxer email

The Stone of Scone

"Traditionally, it is supposed to be the pillow stone said to have been used by the Biblical Jacob. According to one legend, it was the Coronation Stone of the early Dál Riata Gaels when they lived in Ireland, which they brought with them when settling Caledonia. Another legend holds that the stone was actually the travelling altar used by St Columba in his missionary activities throughout what is now Scotland. Certainly, since the time of Kenneth Mac Alpin, the first King of Scots, at around 847, Scottish monarchs were seated upon the stone during their coronation ceremony. At this time the stone was situated at Scone, a few miles north of Perth."


Stolen in 1296 by Edward I, returned to Scotland 700 years later in 1996.