Monday, March 26, 2018 | Israel Today Staff
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Do Not Listen!
Do not listen to the voices of hate! Why not? Because God will always get the last word!
God created the nations — ALL of mankind. He created every race and nationality. If you hate or even dislike someone because of their race, country of origin, even creed, you have a problem with God!
He hates any actions of His creation that do not align with His instructions in His word. However, He loves every individual and commands us to love them as we love ourselves.
So, again, I encourage all of us, myself included, to ignore the voices of hate that swirl around us and focus on loving and praying for tgem. Pray that their actions, beliefs, and/or hate will change to align with His instructions. Most importantly, pray that, if they do not know Yeshua as their savior, they will repent and turn to Him. And if they claim Him but have strayed from His Word, that they will repent and return to the Truth.
If you are reading this and need to repent of your hateful words or actions, and/or need to accept Him as your savior, I encourage you to do so right now. Simply tell Him that you repent of, are really sorry for your actions, and that you give Him control of your life.
If you make this decision, please let me know by replying to this post.
Until next time…“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
National Day of Prayer is 5.7.2020
National Day of Prayer
This Thursday, 5/7, is the annual National Day of Prayer. Your congregation may be holding an online prayer meeting in lieu of a public gathering. However, in the event that they are not the following are some online prayer/worship events being held this week as well as a couple from Israel. This is a time for us to be praying for our Nation, the Nation of Israel, and other nations around the world, not just regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus, but for the salvation of mankind.
Tonight, 5/5, at 8 pm ET, the National Day of Prayer organization is sponsoring an online worship and prayer event. It will be streamed on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/natlprayer/
Wednesday 5/6, at 9 am ET, ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem) is holding an online prayer event to pray regarding the coronavirus crisis and its impact on Israel and the nations. Prayer will be led by key ministry leaders from Israel and other countries. Prayer will be offered in a number of languages, with translation into several languages. To receive an invitation to the Zoom meeting, you must subscribe to their email list at Join the Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign for Call-in Details. (This link is a pledge to pray, not a request for a donation, but you will start receiving their emails, not just the links to these Zoom meetings.)
Thursday has 3 events:
- 9 am ET, ICEJ will be hosting a Zoom meeting “Calling to God Together” [which] will unite Jews and Christians around the globe in prayer together – with Christian and Jewish community leaders reading through the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew and in various other national languages, and in an attitude of reverence and faith that Adonai (the Lord) will hear our prayers and answer from heaven. To receive an invitation to the Zoom meeting, you must subscribe to their email list Join the Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign for Call-in Details. (You only need to subscribe once and you’ll receive an invitation to both the 5/6 meeting and this one.)
- 12 noon to 2 pm: Intercessors for America and the One Voice Prayer Movement will be hosting a special National Day of Prayer edition webcast on Thursday, May 7th from 12-2:00 pm ET. Prayer leaders from around the nation will be sharing prayer points, insight on national prayer topics, and leading us in prayer as we honor the President’s declaration of a National Day of Prayer. Join the LIVE webcast on Thursday by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbsB3XlfHkE or watch on the One Voice Prayer Movement website.
- 8-10 pm: The annual National Day of Prayer broadcast will be streamed online as well as on GodTV, Daystar TV, and others. I don’t have the streaming link, but it should be available on their website, https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/. I suspect that it will be streamed on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/natlprayer/ You can learn more about these events at their respective websites. If you have any problems connecting, you should be able to find the latest information
Until next time…”May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Israel’s 70th Anniv Prayer Song
The link takes you to a video recently recorded in Isreal as part of her 70th Independence Day celebrations. The president of Israel, an orchestra, and 12,000 people gather to sing this prayer to the God if Israel…
The LORD is Moving
or “Another Sign of the Times”
The following article was published in the March 26, 2018 issue of Israel Today. Regardless of how you may feel about actual sacrifices being performed, please keep them in prayer for safety.
Until next time…“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Third Temple Alert: Police Authorize Passover Sacrifice Next to Temple Mount
Religious Jewish factions say they are moving ever closer to the realization of the Third Temple in Jerusalem.
The latest evidence of this is police authorization, granted on Sunday, for a Passover sacrificial ceremony to be held just tens of meters from where the Second Temple once stood.
Religious groups have been holding public Passover sacrifices, in accordance with the biblical outline, for years. But never before have they been permitted to conduct the ceremony so close to the Temple Mount, which the Muslims claim as their own, even as they deny the holy site holds any religious or historical significance for the Jewish people.
Last year, the Passover sacrifice was conducted in the courtyard of the nearby Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, some 450 yards from the Temple Mount. This year, it will take place at the Davidson Center, an archaeological park situated at the southern foot of the sacred plateau, and just below the Al Aqsa Mosque.
PHOTO: Priests sounding silver trumpets at the 2015 Passover sacrifice, which was held in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood in western Jerusalem, miles away from the Temple Mount. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
HaShem’s Plans Rule Supreme
HaShem, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of all true Believers in Messiah Yeshua is always in control!
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“… it is imperative for us to remember that it is not Trump, or Israeli Prime Minister [PM] Bibi Netanyahu, or religious Jews or Christian Zionists, who make Jerusalem a target; it is our Creator God (12:1). He brings His plans to pass in His time, regardless of man’s plans. (Ps. 33:10-11)…”
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The following is an excellent article regarding President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and related Middle East reactions. Subheadings include “Jerusalem as God Sees It”, “Us President’s Recognition of Reality re: Jerusalem”, “This is Jerusalem! Global Outrage to be Expected”, Palestinians Overreact; What Else is New?”.
Source: Watchmen From Jerusalem – Issue #1, 2018 | Intercessors for Israel
Until next time…“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Is Jerusalem the Capital of Israel?
I answer that question with a resounding YES! YES! YES! Every nation has every right to determine which of its cities is the seat of its capital and Israel should be no different! It’s about time that the US stand up beside its best ally and recognize Israel’s choice. Other world leaders need to get some backbone and do the same instead of cowering to the Palestinians, whose claims are completely without merit. I also believe that this action brings us one more step closer to the soon return of Yeshua our Messiah.
The following articles were posted on Facebook by Daniel Juster, an author and advocate of Messianic Judaism. He is also the Founder and Director of Tikkun International, a network of congregations and ministries in the United States and abroad dedicated to the restoration of Israel and the Church.
In these articles, Mr. Juster presents some of his reasons why the timing of President Trump’s action is right and maximizes the possibility for peace in the region. It also includes some pertinent history. This is a long post, but it is worth taking the time to read. So, without further introduction, let’s see what Mr. Juster has to say regarding President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital — he says it much better than I can.
Posted on Facebook, December 8, 2017
…Why I believe that this was a very good timing to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. My other reasons for support were in the last posts and the article by Dershowitz. Also, a very good article is in the Post by Carolyn Glick, and I would say several other good ones. In Israel, there is very strong majority support [for this action], I would say almost 90% of Jews. Only Gal On of Meretz spoke against it. Lapid of Yesh Atid and Gabbay of Labor spoke in favor, and they are the opposition.
Why is the timing good? Right now the Sunni Arab world in good part is very concerned about Iran and much less about Israel. There is covert cooperation with Israel and signals that some will support a real peace plan. I know it is a stretch to hope this will happen, but they seek U.. S. and Israel support to counter Iran. Due to this, their reaction will be more moderate than if it had come before or perhaps even if it would come later. Therefore, I think the timing is very good.
Posted December 7, 2017
Why President Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem maximizes the potential for peace in spite of the received wisdom of the foreign policy elite in the U. S. and internationally.
Peace can never be made on the basis of negotiating on the basis of delusion. That the Palestinians think that the status of West Jerusalem is part of negotiations is outlandish, yet the nations of the world accept this idea. There are other Arab delusions, but this is [the] biggest one. What President Trump just did was remove this from the negotiation table and send a strong message to the Palestinians to get real.
There are other delusions. One is that the great-grandchildren of Palestinian refugees (at least a million) still count as refugees and can return to Israel proper whatever its borders are. Another is that Israel will withdraw 300-400,000 people form the settlement blocks on the other side of the green armistice line. Or that East Jerusalem will be all Palestinian Arab since that is the location of major Jewish neighborhoods of Gilo, Givat Zeev, Ramat, and Piscat Zev, and more. This would include Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital, Mt. Scopus. These last were Jewish controlled areas before the ’48 war and were recovered in ’67. Peace will not come if there are delusions about these areas being abandoned. They are major Jewish neighborhoods.
Another delusion is that Israel will give up control of the Jordan Valley and its security. No, a U. N. or even Nato force cannot be trusted. We have the test in Lebanon. How is that working out with the so-call “robust force” that was to prevent re-arming. They looked the other way!
Once destroy the illusions and the parameters of a two-state solution are pretty clear. The one I believe that the Trump administration will put forth will be the one most free of illusions to date. Time will tell. Not that I am convinced that a two-state solution will be right. I still see Palestinian areas over the Green Line connected to Jordan and Jewish areas connected to Israel. We don’t need a 23rd Arab Muslim state.
I just read an amazing summary by Alan Dershowitz. I attach it here.
President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a perfect response to President Obama’s benighted decision to change American policy by engineering the United Nations Security Council Resolution declaring Judaism’s holiest places in Jerusalem to be occupied territory and a “flagrant violation under international law.” It was President Obama who changed the status quo and made peace more difficult by handing the Palestinians enormous leverage in future negotiations and disincentivizing them from making a compromised peace.
It had long been American foreign policy to veto any one-sided Security Council resolutions that declared Judaism’s holiest places to be illegally occupied. Obama’s decision to change that policy was not based on American interests or in the interests of peace. It was done out of personal revenge against Prime Minister Netanyahu and an act of pique by the outgoing president.
It was also designed improperly to tie the hands of President-elect Trump. President Trump is doing the right thing by telling the United Nations that the United States now rejects the one-sided U.N. Security Council Resolution.
So if there is any change to the status quo, let the blame lie where it should be: at the hands of President Obama for his cowardly decision to wait until he was a lame-duck president to get even with Prime Minister Netanyahu. President Trump deserves praise for restoring balance in negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians. It was President Obama who made peace more difficult. It was President Trump who made it more feasible again.
The outrageously one-sided Security Council Resolution declared that “any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem,” have “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.” This means, among other things, that Israel’s decision to build a plaza for prayer at the Western Wall — Judaism’s holiest site — constitutes a “flagrant violation of international law.” This resolution was, therefore, not limited to settlements in the West Bank, as the Obama administration later claimed in a bait-and-switch. The resolution applied equally to the very heart of Israel.
Before June 4, 1967, Jews were forbidden from praying at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. They were forbidden to attend classes at the Hebrew University at Mt. Scopus, which had been opened in 1925 and was supported by Albert Einstein. Jews could not seek medical care at the Hadassah Hospital on Mt. Scopus, which had treated Jews and Arabs alike since 1918. Jews could not live in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, where their forbearers had built homes and synagogues for thousands of years. These Judenrein prohibitions were enacted by Jordan, which had captured by military force these Jewish areas during Israel’s War of Independence, in 1948, and had illegally occupied the entire West Bank, which the United Nations had set aside for an Arab state. When the Jordanian government occupied these historic Jewish sites, they destroyed all the remnants of Judaism, including synagogues, schools, and cemeteries, whose headstones they used for urinals. Between 1948 and 1967, the United Nations did not offer a single resolution condemning this Jordanian occupation and cultural devastation.
When Israel retook these areas in a defensive war that Jordan started by shelling civilian homes in West Jerusalem, and opened them up as places where Jews could pray, study, receive medical treatment and live, the United States took the official position that it would not recognize Israel’s legitimate claims to Jewish Jerusalem.
It stated that the status of Jerusalem, including these newly liberated areas, would be left open to final negotiations and that the status quo would remain in place. That is the official rationale for why the United States refused to recognize any part of Jerusalem, including West Jerusalem, as part of Israel. That is why the United States refused to allow an American citizen born in any part of Jerusalem to put the words “Jerusalem, Israel” on his or her passport as their place of birth.
But even that historic status quo was changed with President Obama’s unjustified decision not to veto the Security Council Resolution from last December. The United Nations all of a sudden determined that, subject to any further negotiations and agreements, the Jewish areas of Jerusalem recaptured from Jordan in 1967 are not part of Israel. Instead, they were territories being illegally occupied by Israel, and any building in these areas — including places for prayer at the Western Wall, access roads to Mt. Scopus, and synagogues in the historic Jewish Quarter — “constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.” If that indeed is the new status quo, then what incentives do the Palestinians have to enter negotiations? And if they were to do so, they could use these Jewish areas to extort unreasonable concessions from Israel, for which these now “illegally occupied” areas are sacred and non-negotiable.
President Obama’s refusal to veto this one-sided resolution was a deliberate ploy to tie the hands of his successors, the consequence of which was to make it far more difficult for his successors to encourage the Palestinians to accept Israel’s offer to negotiate with no preconditions. No future president can undo this pernicious agreement since a veto not cast can never be retroactively cast. And a resolution once enacted cannot be rescinded unless there is a majority vote against it, with no veto by any of its permanent members, which include Russia and China, who would be sure to veto any attempt to undo this resolution.
President Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital helps to restore the appropriate balance. It demonstrates that the United States does not accept the Judenrein effects of this bigoted resolution on historic Jewish areas of Jerusalem, which were forbidden to Jews. The prior refusal of the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was based explicitly on the notion that nothing should be done to change the status quo of that city, holy to three religions. But the Security Council Resolution did exactly that: It changed the status quo by declaring Israel’s de facto presence on these Jewish holy sites to be a “flagrant violation under international law” that “the U.N. will not recognize.”
Since virtually everyone in the international community acknowledges that any reasonable peace would recognize Israel’s legitimate claims to these and other areas in Jerusalem, there is no reason for allowing the U.N. Resolution to make criminals out of every Jew or Israeli who sets foot on these historically Jewish areas. (Ironically, President Obama prayed at what he regarded as the illegally occupied Western Wall.)
After the UN, at the urging of President Obama, made it a continuing international crime for there to be any Israeli presence in disputed areas of Jerusalem, including areas whose Jewish provenance is beyond dispute, President Trump was right to untie his own hands and to undo the damage wrought by his predecessor. Some have argued that the United States should not recognize Jerusalem because it will stimulate violence by Arab terrorists. No American decision should ever be influenced by the threat of violence. Terrorists should not have a veto over American policy. If the United States were to give in to threats of violence, it would only incentivize others to threaten violence in response to any peace plan.
So let’s praise President Trump for doing the right thing by undoing the wrong thing President Obama did at the end of his presidency.
Alan M. Dershowitz is Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School and author of, “Trumped Up! How Criminalization of Political Differences Endangers Democracy,” which is now available. Follow Alan Dershowitz on Twitter: @AlanDersh Facebook: @AlanMDershowitz.
Until next time…May you have a Merry Christmas and Blessed 2018, and most importantly,“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
A Rabbi Speaks on the Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel.
A friend posted this on Facebook. Rather than simply sharing with my Facebook friends, I’m reposting it here for those who are not my friends on FB. Besides, it will now be in my archives.
Rabbi Sakes on the Status of Jerusalem
I welcome today’s decision by the United States to recognize as the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, whose name means “city of peace.” This recognition is an essential element in any lasting peace in the region.
Unlike other guardians of the city, from the Romans to the Crusaders to Jordan between 1949 and 1967, Israel has protected the holy sites of all three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam and guaranteed access to them. Today, Jerusalem remains one of the few places in the Middle East, where Jews, Christians, and Muslims are able to pray in freedom, security, and peace.
The sustained denial, in many parts of the world, of the Jewish connection with Jerusalem is dishonest, unacceptable and a key element in the refusal to recognize the Jewish people’s right to exist in the land of their origins. Mentioned over 660 times in the Hebrew Bible, Jerusalem was the beating heart of Jewish faith more than a thousand years before the birth of Christianity, and two-and-a-half millennia before the birth of Islam.
Since then, though dispersed around the world, Jews never ceased to pray about Jerusalem, face Jerusalem, speak the language of Jerusalem, remember it at every wedding they celebrated, in every home they built, and at the high and holiest moments of the Jewish year.
Outside the United Nations building in New York is a wall bearing the famous words of Isaiah: “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Too often the nations of the world forget the words that immediately precede these: “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Those words, spoken twenty-seven centuries ago, remain the greatest of all prayers for peace, and they remain humanity’s best hope for peace in the Middle East and the world.
(Please note that this article is from Rabbi Sakes newsletter at http://mailchi.mp/rabbisacks/rabbi-sacks-statement-on-the-status-on-jerusalem. It is under his copyright. His website is http://rabbisacks.org/ )
Until next time…May you have a Merry Christmas and Blessed 2018, and most importantly,“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Guest Post)
I haven’t posted in awhile, so here is a good post from a friend’s blog (For Zion’s Sake). I’ve added a comment expanding the scope of his first paragraph.
Until next time…“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
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| “Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem”
Posted: 17 Aug 2017 06:27 AM PDT The title verse from Psalm 122:6 is very familiar for all those who love and support Israel. Most commonly it is interpreted that we should pray for God’s hand of protection over Israel and the Jewish people world wide. This certainly is a correct interpretation but I have learned the “Hebrew” interpretation is much broader. The Hebrew definition of peace in this verse encompasses all aspects of a Jewish person’s life to include their moral, spiritual, emotional well-being in addition to their physical safety. [WJBsTurn note to the reader: The full definition of “shalom” (peace) applies to “all aspects of every believer’s life.”]
An intriguing headline in the news last week quoted Governor Eddie Calvo of Guam as his island country has become part of the nuclear threat from North Korea. Governor Calvo said, “Like Israel, we have had a lot of practice here.”
Governor Calvo’s comment was illustrating that Israel lives every day with constant threats from enemies surrounding them and living in Israel. These constant threats have caused Israel to build a wall in Jerusalem to prevent Palestinian terrorists from entering Jerusalem from the West Bank. Also, an underground wall is now under construction along Israel’s border with Gaza to prevent Hamas terrorists from entering Israel through tunnels. The Israeli military and police are always on high alert and plane passengers traveling to Israel are questioned thoroughly about their reason to visit Israel and their itineraries.
Well, how do Israelis respond to living with the constant threat of their enemies? Overall, and this might surprise you, they respond with love and generosity to those who are hurting around them even their enemies. Through “Operation Good Neighbor” the Israeli Defense Forces have extended humanitarian aid to Syrians including medication, clothes, fuel, and food. Since August 2016 more than 110 aid operations of various kinds have been conducted.
Israel even reached out and granted political asylum to an Iranian journalist facing the death penalty. Neda Amin had the boldness to write a column for an Israeli media website. As a result, she was facing the death penalty for co-operating with Israel in Iran. Amin said, “I was in danger and the State of Israel saved me.”
These examples illustrate how important it is for all of us to “Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem” each day for the total well being of all Israelis. Bless His Holy Name!
May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,
Frank
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The Temple Mount History
Wow, three posts in one day! I apologize to those following me via email for so many posts in one day, but I felt this info is important. For those you who are wondering why all the fuss about the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the following post from a friend’s blog (For Zion’s Sake) will give you a little history:
Temple Mount
Last week’s message centered around the fatal shooting of two Israeli policemen at The Temple Mount. We mentioned how difficult this is to hear and accept for the Jewish people since The Temple Mount is Judaism’s Holiest Site. All of this raises the question . . . Why Is This True?
Following is an outline of the history of The Temple Mount. Important – This will only be an outline as a detailed study of The Temple Mount history would be an in depth study in itself:
2000 BC
Abraham takes Isaac up to Mt. Moriah (Temple Mount) obeying God
1000 BC
King David sets up the Tabernacle including the Ark of the Covent on Mt. Moriah
950 BC
Solomon builds first Temple with 184,000 workers over 7 years on Mt. Moriah
910 BC
First Temple destroyed by the Pharaoh of Egypt
833 BC
Joash repairs Temple
640 BC
King Josiah continues repair of Temple
586 BC
Nebuchadnezzar burns Jerusalem destroying the Temple
517 BC
Nehemiah and Zerubbabel complete construction of second Temple
70 AD
Roam General Titus destroys second Temple
All that is left today of The Temples is one retaining wall known as The Western Wall or The Wailing Wall. Jews from all over the world come to The Western Wall to pray believing God’s presence is in the wall. Additionally, on The Temple Mount are two Muslim Mosques because in the past there were times when Muslims controlled Jerusalem and built the Mosques. However and vitally important, the day is coming when a third Temple will be present on The Temple Mount!
2Thessalonians 2:3-4 says, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for That Day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” That Day referred in these verses is that time frame when Jesus physically comes back to earth to rule and reign from Jerusalem. However, just prior to That Day the man of perdition which is the Anti-Christ will temporally reign at the rebuilt Temple on the Temple Mount.
As we have looked at the history, present day and future of The Temple Mount it is obvious how any event that happens on The Temple Mount is sensitive to the Jewish people. As a result, it seems vitally important for all of us to pray each day for Our Lord God’s Hand Of Protection over the exact spot where the new Temple will be built.
May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,
Frank
Urgent Prayer for Israel
Fatah and Hamas have called for another “Day of Rage” today (Fri, 7/28). Although the Israelis have taken the metal detectors off the Temple Mount, the violence continues on and in the vicinity of the Temple Mount with threats of increased violence today (and it is Friday afternoon in Jerusalem as I write this). In essence, this is a “new” declaration of war over Israel and the Temple Mount, though it is nothing new in the Fatah and Hamas rhetoric. With Tisha B’Av coming next Tues, Aug 1, the attempts at increased violence is likely to continue for awhile. I say “continue” because our prayers can help bring it to a close. I don’t think I can say much more than “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!”
For more details see the Capitol Hill Prayer Partners “Daily Brief” for July 27, 2017, at http://chpponline.blogspot.com/
Until next time…“May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
WJB's Turn 