Author Archives: Kami Klein

Pope Francis Gives Historic Address to Congress

In an historic two hour speech, Pope Francis, the first-ever pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress, encouraged the United States to use its power to heal the “open wounds” of a planet torn by hatred, greed, poverty and pollution.  Using biblical and historical references, Pope Francis reminded political leaders, “All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity”   

Pope Francis urged the United States not to turn its back on undocumented immigrants or to reject the victimization of religious and ethnic minorities.  He also addressed what is happening with the increasing violence in our world today.  

“All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms.”

The Pope asked lawmakers to wage a constant battle against poverty and to ensure the wealth of the world is equitably shared and used to create jobs.

Francis, who is on a six-day U.S. visit, was watched not only by a packed chamber of lawmakers but also thousands of people who gathered outside the Capitol. After his lunch with the homeless at a Catholic charity in Washington, Francis will head to New York where he will ride his popemobile through Manhattan and lead evening prayers at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Los Angeles Declares Homeless Situation an Emergency

Los Angeles’ elected leaders on Tuesday said they would declare a “state of emergency” and devote up to $100 million to a growing homeless population problem. But they offered few details about where the money would come from or how it would be spent, leaving some to question the effort’s chances of success.

“We all understand the urgency that this situation requires, and what is at stake,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “I applaud the Los Angeles City Council for their action today in earmarking a necessary initial investment that helps launch my comprehensive plan to tackle homelessness.”

According to figures released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, homelessness has increased 12% since the mayor took office two years ago.

“It’s time to get real, because this is literally a matter of life and death,” said Councilman Mike Bonin, whose Westside district is home to many of the makeshift sidewalk encampments that are an increasingly glaring symbol of the problem across the city. He spoke of a “collective failure of every level of government to deal with what has been a homeless crisis for generations and is exploding and exacerbating now.”

Los Angeles has one of the largest unsheltered populations in the country, and more than an estimated 25,000 homeless residents.

Chinese President Arrives in U.S. Denies Hacking

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Seattle on Tuesday. He is in the U.S. on a week-long visit that will include meetings with U.S. business leaders, a black-tie state dinner at the White House and an address at the United Nations.

His arrival was met by questions on subjects such as economic reform to cyber attacks, human rights and commercial theft.

Xi, delivered a keynote address to some 650 business executives and other guests in Seattle and touched on a many of the issues that have caused friction to U.S.-China ties.

“China will not manipulate its currency to boost exports and will never engage in commercial theft,” he said, adding his country will not discriminate against foreign businesses, will speed its market opening and make efforts to improve human rights.

“If China and the U.S. cooperate well, they can become a bedrock of global stability…,” Xi said. “Should they enter into conflict or confrontation, it would lead to disaster for both countries and the world at large.”

In an attempt to reassure high tech businesses Xi offered, “The Chinese government will not in whatever form engage in commercial theft, and hacking against government networks. These are crimes that must be punished in accordance with the law and relevant international treaties.”

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that a Chinese aircraft performed an unsafe maneuver during an air intercept of a U.S. spy plane off China’s northeast coast last week as a reminder of the potential hot points between the two countries.
Among the few agreements expected to result from the Obama-Xi summit has been a military-to-military confidence building step aimed at reducing the risk of aerial collisions between warplanes in areas including the South China Sea through agreeing on common rules of behavior.

Rick Wiles: “God Is Whispering to You”

Recently, we have been listening to the prophets as we enjoyed our Prophetic Conference September 14 – 18. From morning until night we heard from God, we heard truth being spoken from many gifted voices. On Friday night, our prophetic conference concluded with our special guest Rick Wiles.

Rick Wiles, founder of TruNews, was led to speak to us about truly listening to what the Lord is saying to all of us. Rick addressed the question of whether the Holy Spirit has stopped talking.

“Where does it say that the Holy Spirit went mute and stopped talking two thousand years ago? There are some people that believe every single thing someone says that God is saying to them, but there has to be discernement. Satan gets in and confuses people. Discernment is key to knowing what God’s voice is.”

Wiles encouraged people to remember that God is talking to us all the time, wanting us to feel close to him. We expect him to be yelling out to us with signs and hearing His voice loud and clear but sometimes we have to listen harder and it is only because God is whispering.

“The reason God whispers to us is to beckon to us. If I am speaking to you in a very low whisper you have to get to the place where you are cheek to cheek with me to hear me. The reason God lowers his voice is to draw you closer to him. He is not being silent. You have to turn off the distractions. Society is inundated with distractions. Turn it off and listen to God’s voice.”

Reminding us too that God is not all flash and signs but desires a personal relationship with us. Every day He is sending His gifts and signs of His love for us, but we are not paying attention. We are not taking that time to spend and listen to what God wishes for us and what He is willing to show our hearts. Rick went on to say,

“People tend to want to know about the dramatic stuff. It’s always on the extreme. God moves in a quiet way and you have to look and listen and discern what God is doing in our lives. If you are going to walk in this time that we are in, you are going to have to listen to the whisper. We shouldn’t need huge signs all around us! We should be hearing his voice! Hearing, discerning and obeying.”

Learning to hear God was what this Prophetic Conference was all about and the amazing speakers found here at Morningside filled us with truly heartfelt revelations of these times. We do hope you will consider ordering these very valuable teachings. This is an incredible DVD set containing all of the show tapings, afternoon sessions and evening services. We wish you could have been here with us but we made sure you wouldn’t miss a single moment!

Black Holes Set to Collide

Two black holes in Virgo are heading for a “massive collision,” Columbia University astronomer Zoltan Haiman said in a Columbia news release posted on Science Daily. Haiman and his colleagues believe the pair of black holes will collide in about 100,000 years, which is virtually tomorrow in cosmic time. The holes are incredibly large: combined, the size of a billion suns,

The pair of black holes orbiting each other in quasar PG 1302-102, about 3.5 billion light-years away are about a light-week or two apart — less than 200 billion miles. Understanding that a light-year is the distance light travels in a year, what astronomers are seeing in PG 1302-102 actually occurred when life had just emerged on Earth.

Black hole mergers are considered to be the most violent events in the universe. When they finally meet, they converge in a type of “death spiral.” Their merger, the astronomers calculated, could release as much energy as 100 million supernova explosions, mostly in the form of violent ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves that would blow the stars out of that hapless galaxy like leaves off a roof.

Jump in Border Crossings Reported by Border Patrol

The U.S. Border Patrol arrested nearly 10,000 unaccompanied immigrant children and families caught illegally crossing the border with Mexico in August. This is a 52 percent jump from August 2014, according to statistics published by the agency Monday afternoon. Many immigrants were actually looking for border control agents so that they could be arrested once they had crossed. An increase in the number of such crossings in August is unusual because it is the time of year when hot temperatures make it dangerous to try.  

The Border Patrol reported arresting 6,424 unaccompanied immigrant children and families in August 2014.

Since last October, border agents have arrested more than 35,000 children traveling alone and more than 34,500 people traveling as families, mostly mothers and children. The number of arrests for the year is down nearly 50 percent compared with a year ago, but border agents have reported a jump in arrests since July. Studies show that the children are attempting to cross multiple times.

The August increase comes a year after a surge of more than 68,000 unaccompanied children at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many were trying to escape violence in Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala. For much of the year, the number of illegal border crossings by families and children has been far lower than last year, before increasing in July and August

U.S. officials say there’s a notable increase in the number of unaccompanied minors and families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, presenting worries of a possible new refugee influx.

Violence in Nepal Following Constitutional Announcement

On Monday at least three protesters were shot and injured, a day after the Himalayan nation adopted its first democratic constitution, the violence diminished hopes that the historic event would put a stop to weeks of clashes.

The demonstrators are in critical condition after police opened fire at an anti-constitution protest in the city of Biratnagar, said Pramod Kharel, a deputy police superintendent in the Morang district of southern Nepal.

The three biggest forces in parliament — the Nepali Congress, UML and Maoist parties — finally reached agreement in June, spurred by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake two months earlier that killed nearly 8,900 people and destroyed around half a million homes. The new constitution is the final stage in a peace process that began when Maoist fighters laid down their arms in 2006 after a decade-long insurgency aimed at abolishing an autocratic monarchy and creating a more equal society.

President Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday promulgated Nepal’s new constitution, despite fierce opposition by minority groups in the southern plains whose homeland will be split up under the charter. It creates seven states in a secular, federal system, but is opposed by some groups who wanted to re-establish Nepal as a Hindu nation and others who feel it is unfavourable to people in the plains, near India.

More than 40 people, mostly protesters, have been killed in recent weeks in clashes over the plan.

U.S. to Take 100,000 Refugees A Year by 2017

At a Sunday news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin regarding Europe and the increasing pressure from refugees who are fleeing Syria’s civil war and other Middle Eastern wars, John Kerry announced that the Obama administration will increase the number of refugees the United States takes in each year.  

This move by the Obama administration will increase the number of refugees each year to 100,000 by 2017, a significant increase over the current annual cap of 70,000, Secretary of State John Kerry said. This still falls short of the global demand for resettlement from people who continue to flee turmoil in Syria Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

“This step that I am announcing today, I believe, is in keeping with the best tradition of America as a land of second chances and a beacon of hope,” Mr. Kerry said, adding that it “will be accompanied by additional financial contributions” for the relief effort.

This plan is not without controversy.   While all refugees would be subject to background checks, a few  Republican lawmakers expressed skepticism about the government’s ability to ensure militants posing as refugees do not infiltrate the U.S.

“ISIS and other terrorist groups have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States,” wrote Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, in a join statement issued Sunday.

“Now, the Obama administration wants to bring in an additional ten thousand Syrians without a concrete and foolproof plan to ensure that terrorists won’t be able to enter the country. The administration has essentially given the American people a ‘trust me.’ That isn’t good enough,” they said.

The American response is unlikely to relieve much of the pressure on European countries, particularly Germany, which continues to be the most desirable destination for most of the migrants. In the absence of a unified policy, the refugees have been left to find their own way across the continent.

U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Taking Samples at Iran Military Site

The U.N. nuclear watchdog, which is investigating whether Iran carried out work related to developing a nuclear bomb, said on Sunday its chief had visited a sensitive military site during a trip to the country.

Environmental samples have been taken at a sensitive military site in Iran, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday, citing “significant progress” in its investigation of Tehran’s past activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yukiya Amano said he and the head of the agency’s Department of Safeguards, which carries out inspections, visited a building at the Parchin site on Sunday that the agency had previously only observed by satellite.

The IAEA is due to provide an assessment of “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear program by the end of the year. That report is a vital confidence-building aspect of Iran’s landmark deal with six major powers reached in July, under which restrictions will be placed on Tehran’s atomic energy activities in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.The IAEA has drawn criticism over a confidential arrangement with Iran governing how inspections are done at Parchin. Critics of the international powers’ deal with Iran have argued that the accord on inspections limits the IAEA’s ability to investigate and gives Iran too much influence in the collection of samples.

Bill Salus Reveals Ancient Prophecy of Elam

Thursday night was another insightful night of biblical prophecy and what it means to the Middle east and to ourselves.  Bill Salus graced the stage for the first time at Morningside sharing his studies from his new book, “Nuclear Showdown in Iran, Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam.  

Mr. Salus began by explaining many of the factors involved today in the Iran Nuclear Deal that is being discussed throughout the world.  He dissected many of the points of this deal that he believes will be incredibly dangerous for the area especially to Israel.

He further went on explaining the rapid conversion to Christianity that is going on in the region despite the persecution.

“ Miracles, healings, prophetic dreams and visions are a normal thing now in Iran.  People are seeing the power of Jesus.  People like Dr. Hormoz Shariot are evangelizing throughout Iran/Elam bringing thousands to God.  Right now Iran is the #1 Evangelical nation in the world!  Those are not the kinds of things you hear about in the news.”   

Bill Salus was brought by circumstance and by God’s prompting to study a little known prophecy in Jeremiah regarding the region of Iran.  This prophecy is found in Jeremiah 49:34-39.

Jeremiah 49: 34-39  The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,  “Thus says the Lord of Hosts:  

‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The foremost of their might.  Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them toward all those winds; there shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before those who seek their life.  I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger,’ says the Lord; ‘And I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.  I will set MY throne in Elam. And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord. ‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days:  I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.  

Point by point Mr. Salus explained each of the 7 “I will’s”  in this prophecy. One being the Anger of the Lord against Elam/Iran.

“I believe there are three reasons why God is so incredibly angry with Iran right now…

  1. They want to wipe Israel off the map.  
  2. There is incredible and cruel social injustice.  One of the most oppressive nations in the world.  
  3. What they are doing to Christians.  The persecution, the suffering and brutality.  

Iran claims to want to destroy Israel completely…But God needs Israel for His plans in the Coming days.  I say this, There will be no more Iran before there is no Israel.”

Bill Salus and his extensive research on the many prophecies in the bible were very welcome here at Morningside and we look forward to having him here again!  If you missed this amazing session on live stream we do hope you will order our DVD of the 2015 Prophetic Conference.  You can’t afford to miss this opportunity to learn about and understand some of the most amazing prophets of this day!