text:
It's the thirteenth chapter then of the gospel
of Mark. As we come to this section before us, we are
with our Lord Jesus and the disciples sitting on the Mount of Olives. It is the end of the day on Wednesday of Passion
Week. On Friday He will die on the cross. On Sunday He will rise. On Thursday He will prepare for the Passover
and celebrate the Passover meal Thursday evening with His disciples. And that's where the betrayal will occur,
that night, and it will all come to fruition on Friday, He will be tried, He will be executed
on the cross, as I said, to rise on Sunday. So in a very real sense, this is a very, very
important moment for our Lord. His final day of public teaching has been
concluded, spent the whole day in the temple. He arrived in Jerusalem on Monday. On Tuesday He went in to attack and assault
the temple and threw out the buyers and sellers that were there and prepared that temple for
His entrance on Wednesday. Went in and used that full day to teach the
truth in that place, first time in hundreds of years the truth had dominated the temple. But for a day He taught His final lessons,
His final messages. Then He pronounced judgment on the temple,
judgment on Israel as well. He left the temple and His disciples followed
Him. They went out the Eastern Gate, down the little
bank, across the Kidron Valley, a little stream that runs there, up the slope to the Mount
of Olives and He sat with His disciples on the Mount of Olives in the dusk of Wednesday. And they looked and they saw the temple fading
in the glow of evening. This prompted a question on the part of the
disciples, as you remember. They asked Him privately in verse 4 of chapter
13, "When will these things be?" That is, the destruction of the temple, "And
what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?" They wanted to know about the end of the age. Matthew's account of this, he says, they asked
about the end of the age and His coming. Jesus had told them, "I'm going to die and
rise again." Maybe they had come to some understanding
of that, although they resisted it. But more importantly to them, whatever that
meant, they wanted to see the establishment of the Kingdom and Jesus has just said to
them, "This thing is coming down, not one stone will be left on another. This system will be destroyed, this temple
will be destroyed and with it the city and the nation. When is this all going to happen? When is the Kingdom coming? When are You going to establish Your rule
and Your glory. That prompts a question for which our Lord
gives the longest answer to any question asked Him in the gospels. He answers the question about what's going
to happen before He comes back to establish His Kingdom? It's all is precipitated on the fact that
there's a future Kingdom, a future return of Christ to establish His Kingdom on the
earth to fulfill all messianic prophecy. And the Old Testament promised the Messiah
would come, the Messiah would bring salvation. He would fulfill all the promises given to
Abraham, all the promises given to David, all the extended promises related to the New
Covenant, spoken to Ezekiel and to Jeremiah. In other words, everything that the Old Testament
promised in the Millennial Kingdom to come. The prophet Isaiah, even in chapter 11 of
Isaiah and following, speaks of the glories of the Kingdom. So they want to know when are You going to
establish the Kingdom? You are the King, You are the Messiah, we
know that. You are David's Son, but You are David's Lord. You are the Son of the living God. You are the Christ, the Messiah. When is the Kingdom coming? That was on their minds. In answer to that, our Lord gives them a picture
of the history between that evening and His Kingdom. What that means is our Lord tells them what
the future is going to be. They didn't know how long that would be because
He even says to them, "No one knows the day nor the hour, not even the Son of Man, but
only the Father who is in heaven." He didn't tell them when, but He told them
what to expect. And He told us what to expect and future generations
what to expect. Jesus gives a view of history here. This is very, very important because if He
is who He says He is, God, and if He possesses what He says He possesses, all knowledge and
all wisdom, and if He knows the future as only God knows the future, then what He predicts
will be exactly accurate. It will be exactly and precisely accurate. And you will have to give testimony, along
with every other human being on the planet who has any knowledge of what is going on
that what He said is exactly what happens. This is the future. As a point of entry into our discussion today,
which will be of verses 14 to 23, we've already looked at the opening thirteen verses last
time, but in looking at verses 14 to 23, just some general comments to kind of get us where
we need to be. It ought to be obvious to all of you now,
I think it will be when I say this, that there is no hope for a better world. Are you pretty well settled in on that? Yeah, the world is not getting better, is
it? More scary, more threatening, more dangerous,
more deadly, more hopeless. Humanity is not headed toward a humanly engineered
utopia. Folks, there is no age of Aquarius. There is no coming time of world peace. This is a cursed planet and it exists under
the effects of sin and divine cursing. Not only does all creation groan because it
is cursed, but sinners live in this creation are also cursed and so it is a compounded
curse that makes life so difficult. The environment feels the effects of sin. The population feels the effects of sin. And collectively, mankind with all of his
ingenious abilities and all of his mental powers, and all of his determination cannot
restrain the deadly influences that are in the very DNA of this creation. The earth and its environment and its inhabitants
makes survival difficult. We live on a dangerous planet and it is becoming
more dangerous as it nears its final end. The second law of entropy, the law that tells
us all things are breaking down tending toward disorder is at work at every level. Human history itself has been a long ordeal
of survival against the deadly and dominating effects of sin and corruption. And even as society advances scientifically,
as it advances educationally, as it advances technologically, it does not advance morally. It does not advance spiritually. And it does not advance socially. Man is simply a more comfortable beast. Advancement materially from the discovery
and the application of the powers and rich resources that are in this planet has in some
way only made it more dangerous and increased the threats of death and killing force. Educators, religious leaders, politicians,
social scientists, philosophers have relentlessly pursued the solution. Hitler thought he had the final solution,
the problem is the Jews will exterminate him. That was not the final solution, or even any
solution, but only a manifestation of how desperately we can't find a solution. There's no advance. There's no advance in mankind socially. There's no advance spiritually. And there's no advance morally. Man is a beast, he is corrupt. His environment is corrupt and corrupting. He corrupts everything around him. And he doesn't get any better. Is this what life is supposed to be? Is this what it should be? Didn't Jesus come to change that? Didn't He come as the Son of God to fix that? Isn't something wrong here? No. This is exactly life as Jesus predicted it
would be because, as I said last Sunday night, the Bible always corresponds to reality. Whatever the Bible says is so is the way it
really is because the author is God. Let's go back and hear what Jesus said. They asked Him in verse 4 of Mark 13, to tell
them when these things would be fulfilled. This is also, this message, recorded in Matthew
24, Matthew 25, Luke 21. You have to compare all those if you want
the full picture. But they asked Him, "When will be the fulfillment
of these things? The things of the end. What will be the sign of Your coming? they
asked Him, Your presence, Your arrival, what do we look for? How do we know when the Kingdom will be established?" Jesus began to say to them in verse 5, "See
to it that no one misleads you." First of all, realize that there are going
to be a lot of folks out there trying to deceive you about spiritual reality and about these
things that have to do with eschatology, or the end. "Many…for example…will come in My name…verse
6 says…and mislead many." There will be many false Christs, false Messiah,
false prophets, false teachers, they will abound all over the place to lead people astray
about reality. "You will also hear of wars and rumors of
wars. Don't be frightened. Those things must take place, that's not yet
the end. So there are going to be wars and rumors of
wars and that doesn't even signal the end. Nation will rise up against nation, Kingdom
against Kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth
pangs. Be on your guard, they will deliver you to
the courts, you'll be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings
for My sake as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the
nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do
not worry beforehand about what you are to say but say whatever is given you in that
hour for it is not you who speak but it is the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death and the
father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name
but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." In those verses, our Lord tells us what life
will be like from that moment until His return, until the end of time. It will be characterized by deception, religious
deception. It will be characterized by disaster, the
disaster of war and cataclysmic natural disasters, like earthquakes and famines, and our Lord
also said there would be pestilence, which means plagues. There will be signs in the sky which will
have to do with hurricanes and rain floods and tornados and whatever other disasters
come along. All of these things happening all the time
in various places. These things are to be expected. And there will be the persecution of believers. They will be killed by the Jews who will take
them in to the synagogues, hold a trial against them, find them guilty and flog them in the
synagogues. They will then be taken before the Gentiles
and believers experience that. The Gentiles, governors and kings, he refers
there in verse 9, will hold court for them and persecute them and martyr them. They will actually be persecuted and even
killed by family members. And so through all of history, you're going
to have religious deception, you're going to have disasters of military proportions
and natural proportions. And you're going to have persecution of believers. That is just the beginning. That is just the beginning. That's why at the end of verse 7 He says,
"That's not yet the end." At the end of verse 8 He says, "This is merely
the beginning of birth pangs." And He uses the analogy of labor pains, how
when a woman is going to deliver a baby, she has pain, mild at first and somewhat separated
by time…intervals are separated. As you get closer to the birth event, the
intervals get closer and closer together, the pain gets more and more and more intense. That's the way to understand human history. It's going to be painful. At first the pain will be separated and moderated. But eventually as you get closer to the event
of the Second Coming of Christ, the cataclysms will come rapid fire and the pain will be
severe. So our Lord is simply giving us the beginning
in verses 5 through 13. Then you come to verse 14 and in verse 14
through 23 we find a specific event being referred to, very important specific event. In fact, this event is identified in verse
19, it is called there a time of Tribulation. It is a time of Tribulation, please notice,
such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now
and never will. That means it is worse than anything that
has ever happened, and that would even have to encompass the Noahic Flood. This is a series of cataclysmic events that
have no parallel. So if you're waiting for Utopia, it's not
coming. It's painful to live in the world. The pain will increase and the intervals between
the pain will shorten. This dangerous period in which we live continues
until the Second Coming of Christ. But just before the Second Coming will be
this time of Tribulation that will be more painful than any time before…like increasing
labor pains faster and more severe and extreme will come the time of Tribulation. Never anything like it since creation. This will be an escalation of terrifying destructive
judgments of massive proportions never experienced before. Jesus said, in this present time expect false
teachers, false prophets, deceivers, false religion, false Christs, wars, rumors of wars…that
would be hot wars, cold wars…earthquakes, terrors in the earth, terrors in the sky,
famine, plagues, pestilence, persecution of believers, martyring believers, but in the
future, all of that is going to escalate to a level never ever heard of and never ever
imagined. All of that will be in a period identified
in verse 19 as a time of Tribulation…a time of Tribulation. That is a seven-year period, according to
the prophet Daniel in Daniel chapter 9. It's called the seventieth week of Daniel. It's a seven-year period called the Tribulation. It is a time of deadly destruction. Satan is let loose, demons are let loose. Satan and demons do terrible damage to people,
terrible destructive damage and death is brought upon people. The Antichrist shows up, the false prophet
shows up, the Antichrist takes over and dominates the world with his power. He is aided and abetted by demons and by men
who form his armies. All of this, however, though it is the activity
of Satan and those associated with him, is the judgment of God. Behind it is God's judgment. That period of seven years is clearly defined
in Scripture…clearly. There are 69 weeks of Daniel's history from
the Decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem, to the coming of Messiah. You can track those 69 times seven years and
you'll end up with Jesus came in to Jerusalem on this week. They're actual seven-year periods. That seventieth week, therefore, must be also
a seven-year period. In fact, half way through that period comes
the Great Tribulation and the last three and a half is the worst of all. The Bible refers to it as the three-and-a-half
period, Daniel called it time, times and half a time…time is one, times is two, and half
is one half, so it's three and a half, if you add it up. He said it's a period of twelve hundred and
ninety days, or twelve hundred and sixty days in Revelation. That again speaks to that three-and-a-half
period. So it's clearly the second half of that seven
years when it is most severe. To put you in touch with what these things
are going to be like, because we don't have that description from our Lord here, turn
to Revelation chapter 6 because in Revelation 6 through 19, that period is described. Revelation 6 through 19 describes that period
and the events of that period. We put in the Grace Today a little image of
the two commentaries on Revelation, the condensed look of Revelation, Because the Time is Near,
and the book on The Second Coming so you can dig a little more deeply than we'll be able
to this morning. But I want you to get that character of that
time which is to come, that time of Tribulation like the world has never, ever seen, Jesus
said. Here's characteristics of it. The best way to understand the characteristics
of that period is to follow three sequences in the book of Revelation. Stay with me, now. There are seven seals, not animals, seals
of a scroll, scrolls being sealed; there are seven trumpets and there are seven bowls. Those constitute judgments. And they unfold sequentially, almost telescopically. You have the seven seals and out of the seventh
seal come the seven trumpets, out of the seventh trumpet come the seven bowls. The seven seals stretch over the whole period. The seven trumpets cover the middle point
and beyond. And the seven bowls are all the rapid fire
at the end. So these are the disastrous judgments that
come, condensed in these images. If you start in chapter 6, you see that the
seven-sealed scroll is opened by the Lamb because it's a Title Deed to the earth, it's
the Title Deed to the Kingdom. And the Lamb has the right to take the scroll
and to open the scroll because He has the right to rule and reign. And so He unrolls the scroll, which is like
the will and testament of God. In ancient times they would take a will and
testament and they would roll it and seal it and roll it and seal it, and roll it and
seal it so it couldn't be broken until the person was dead…and then it would be unsealed
and his will would be revealed. So the Lamb who is the heir to the throne
of the world takes the seals and breaks them. And as they break, you get a sequence of what's
going to happen in that seven years. First comes a rider on a white horse, he has
a bow and a crown and this is the Antichrist. At the beginning of the seven years, the Antichrist
establishes his power. You notice he has a bow and no arrows. He comes with peace. He comes with power, but with peace. And he establishes a peaceful covenant with
Israel. He reaches the ascendency and ruling in the
world because he supposedly offers himself as the solution to the chaos. Doesn't take long for him to reveal who he
really is, however, because following that first horse in the image and vision of John
is a red horse in verse 4 and peace is taken from the earth and men begin to slaughter
each other and a great sword is in the hand of this rider. Then a third seal is broken and famine follows. The conditions of verse 6 are famine conditions. And then the fourth seal is broken and death
and Hades come forth and a fourth of the earth are killed with the sword and famine and pestilence
and the animal kingdom is turned loose on the world. A fourth of humanity will die in the early
time of that seven years. The fifth seal is broken and we hear from
the martyrs who are beginning to be martyred, slaughtered for the Kingdom. The persecution that our Lord talked about
will take place in great force. The sixth seal is broken in verse 12 and there
is an earthquake. An earthquake, a great earthquake and the
sun becomes as black as sackcloth made of hair. The whole moon becomes like blood. The stars of the sky fell to the earth as
a fig tree casts its unripped figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when
it is rolled up. And every mountain and island were moved out
of their places. The kings of the earth, the great men, the
commanders, the rich, strong, every slave and freeman hid themselves in the caves and
among the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us
and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
for the great day of the wrath is come and who is able to stand?" You can see the escalating horror by the time
you get to that collapse of the sky and the earth in the sixth seal. There is a seventh seal as well. And the seventh seal is in chapter 8 verse
1 and it is silence. While out of that seventh seal, seven trumpets
come. And now the disasters come even more rapidly. Trumpet number 1 in verse 7 brings hail and
fire, mixed with blood, thrown to the earth. A third of the earth is burned up. A third of the trees burned up. All the green grass burned up. The second angel sounds and a great mountain
burning with fire, some kind of an asteroid or meteor or whatever it is, thrown into the
sea. A third of the sea became blood. A third of the creatures in the sea had life,
died. A third of the ships are destroyed. A third angel sounds and another flaming torch
comes out of heaven and falls on the fresh water and the springs of water called wormwood,
a third of the waters become bitter. A fourth angel sounds, a third of the sun
, a third of the moon changes everything, day, night, tides, seasons. A third of the stars are struck. A third of them darkened and the day wouldn't
shine for a third of it and the night in the same way. Chapter 9, the fifth angel sounds and hell
opens up and belches out demons who are in the picture of locusts here and they come
out with demon power. They have been bound but they're fully released
in the time of the Tribulation. It's going to be so bad, demon infestation
that verse 6 says, men will seek death and not find it, a long to die and death will
flee from them. Verse 13, the sixth angel sounds and verse
15 says a third of mankind will be killed. And there will be an army coming from the
east numbering two hundred million and their path will be made ready. Go over to chapter 11 verse 15, the seventh
angel sounds and the message is given, the Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom
of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever. When the seventh angel sounds, that's right
at the very end and that seventh trumpet blast ushers in the six rapid-fire bowl judgments
that are listed in chapter 16. Verse 2, the first one is poured out on the
earth and unloads some malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who
worshiped his image…the Antichrist. The second angel poured into the sea, not
just a third but every living thing in the sea died. A third angel pours out his bowl and all the
rivers and springs of water, all the fresh water becomes like blood. The fourth angel in verse 8 causes the sun
to scorch men with fire and they blaspheme the name of God. The fifth angel pours out his bowl on the
throne of the beast, the king, and becomes dark. They nod their tongues because of pain and
they blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores and didn't repent
of their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the
great river Euphrates, water was dried up and the way would be prepared for the kings
coming from the east, probably the army of two hundred million to come to Armageddon
because Armageddon starts in the next verse. Down in verse 17, the seventh angel's bowl
is poured out. And then in verse 18, flashes of lightning
and sounds and peals of thunder and a great earthquake such as there hadn't been since
man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it and so mighty. Now you can go back to Mark 13. That is a glimpse of the time of Tribulation
and its escalating terrors and horrors. You say, "Will we be there?" I have good news for you. I think the New Testament teaches the church
will be raptured before that time. That we'll be kept from that wrath, that we'll
be taken out. But once we're out and that breaks loose,
at the same time the gospel will be preached. It will be preached by 144 thousand Jews,
twelve thousand from every tribe, according to Revelation 7. It will be preached by two powerful witnesses
according to Revelation 11. It will be preached by an angel flying in
the sky with the everlasting gospel. So powerful will the gospel be that there
will be people saved out of every tongue, tribe, people and nation who will come out
of that period. Israel will be saved. Two thirds of the Jews will be judged for
unbelief, one third will be saved. There will be the greatest revival in any
short period of time in human history. But that is what is coming on the world. Now, in thinking about that, let's look back
at the text. Now we'll finally look at the text here. Three things to see…the event, the event
that marks this time of Tribulation. How do we know when it comes? If all of history is going to be full of deception,
false prophets, false teachers and deceivers, all of history full of disasters, wars, famines,
earthquakes, all of history is going to be filled with persecution of believers, how
do we know when this is on? How do we know that? "When you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
standing where it should not be, let the reader understand." When you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
standing where it should not be, that's the event, a major event that will let everyone
know you are in the time of Tribulation. When that happens, you will know you are in
the time of Tribulation. Please notice, this is not for the disciples. This was for readers. See it? "Let the reader understand." That is not added by some editor, that is
what Mark wrote. This isn't going to happen until this is written
down in Scripture and read. Therefore this is for a future generation
of readers, not for those who are listening on the Mount of Olives, but for future readers
of the New Testament. And what would they look for? The ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION. You say, "What is that?" Well, if you go to Matthew's text on this,
he says, "Which was spoken of by the prophet Daniel," Spoken of by the prophet Daniel. Daniel spoke about it three times. We're not going to go to Daniel, that would
be a whole tangent, I promise you. Daniel three times refers to the ABOMINATION
OF DESOLATION. But first let's talk about the word. Abomination means something blasphemous, something
detestable, something abhorrent to God, something sacrilegious, something irrelevant. It's used to refer to immorality, idolatry,
pagan religion. It's used in the Old Testament and it's used
even in the book of Revelation at least three times. Anything that abominates God. Anything that blasphemes God. And at the same time, desolates, or destroys,
or devastates. It's frequently used in Scripture to refer
to something that was absolutely devastating. There will come along, an act of blasphemy
that will devastate, or desecrate. What is that? What is the blasphemous act that defiles and
desecrates and is therefore hated by God? Well, he says here it occurs where it shouldn't
be. Something is standing where it shouldn't be. We know what Daniel is talking about because
he mentions it, first of all, in Daniel 9:27. He says, "When the Antichrist comes, the prince
who is to come, he will destroy the city and the sanctuary. He will attack Jerusalem and the restored
temple." There will be a restored temple in the time
of Tribulation. In fact, Daniel says he'll make a covenant
with the Jews for seven years. He will be the guy who supposedly will bring
the final Middle Eastern peace treaty. He will make a covenant but, Daniel says,
in the middle, three and a half years. In the middle, he will break his covenant. He will attack Israel. He will begin to massacre the Jews. And he will set up his throne, the Antichrist,
in the temple…in the time, and declare himself God. By the way, you might want to know that in
Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi, the Islamic Antichrist, who comes, it says, in their eschatological
literature, their authoritative literature, when he comes he will set up his throne and
establish world Islamic rule in Jerusalem on the temple mount. That's their eschatology. And by the way, he will be aided and abetted
by a prophet and the prophet will be Jesus. That's what they say. Jesus, who will come back and say, "You were
all wrong about me all the time, I didn't die, I didn't rise, I didn't pay for sin,
I am a radical Muslim." And he will correct all the misunderstandings
about him and he will report the whole world to the Mahdi. And anybody who doesn't worship the Mahdi
will be massacred. That's Islamic eschatology. Very consistent with Scripture. Their Messiah is the Bible's Antichrist. By the way, they have an Antichrist, too. Their Antichrist is a man who will come and
say He's Jesus, the Son of God. Complete reversal. So when the Antichrist comes, he's going to
establish his rule in Jerusalem, in the temple, and he's going to place himself where he ought
not to stand…in the temple devoted to God. Chapter 12 of Daniel repeats this in detail,
that he will come, two thirds of the Jews will be judged by God for unbelief, one third
will believe. And the midpoint, time, times, and half a
time, the Antichrist will come. He will desecrate the temple for a period
of three and a half years, or as Revelation 11:2 says, 42 months. So those are two times Daniel refers to it. The first two, and one other time, and that's
in chapter 11 verse 31, it's really important because in chapter 11 verse 31, Daniel has
a very interesting mention of the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATIONS. In 11:31 he mentions the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
in reference to what Antiochus Epiphanes did. Antiochus Epiphanes was a Selucid king who
on December 15, 167 came in to Israel and brought an army of a quarter of a million
men, Selucid army. Slaughtered Jews, massacred Jews, 167 B.C.,
sacrificed pigs on the altar, splattered pig broth everywhere. Set up an idol to Zeus, banned sacrifice,
stopped all temple worship, that according to 1 Maccabees. Wanted to establish the worship of Zeus in
the temple. That is also an ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
and the reason Daniel gives that in the middle of the other two, is to give us a historic
model of what this abomination will be. It will be a ruler who goes into the temple
wanting to blaspheme and desecrate that which is associated with the true and living God
and establish the worship of himself there. You have a model of it in Antiochus. That too is an abomination when he put an
idol standing where it shouldn't stand. That's exactly what's going to happen in the
middle of the week. This guy will appear to be a peacemaker. He will break the peace. He will start the slaughter of the Jews. He will establish a throne from which he will
rule. That's Antichrist. You read more about him in the thirteenth
chapter of Revelation and elsewhere. Well that's enough for now. So how do you know when you're in the time
of Tribulation? You know because of that event. Let that generation of readers know. That's the event. All of human history is labor pains. The first three and a half years of the Tribulation
is increased frequency and increased intensity. However, from that event on, the frequency
is rapid fire and the intensity is extreme as things come to a final end. You say, "What's the final end?" The final end, we're going to talk about tonight. Go down to verse 24, "In those days after
that Tribulation…then what?…then the sun goes out, the moon goes out, the stars all
fall and then…verse 26 says…the Son of Man comes." So this goes right up to the coming of Christ. So you look at human history and you say,
"Wow, Jesus right, is it the way He said it would be?" It absolutely is. "Is it getting worse?" Yeah, evil men grow worse and worse and worse." An accumulated power of corruption. Yes. Is it conceivable or possible that there might
be some powerful force, some massive force of people who are armed and dangerous and
who hate the Jews and who hate the God of Israel who might come to Jerusalem and establish
their rule there and their leader there. Does that sound like a foreign concept? It sounds pretty normal from the world that
we live in now. The Antichrist will make war with the saints,
according to Revelation 13:7. He will also kill the Jews, according to Revelation
12:1 and 13, and 17. So there will be a massacre of great proportions. Again this is part of the judgment of God
on unbelieving Israel. But even the believers that die will enter
into the presence of the Lord, won't they? God will allow some of them to die. God won't allow all Israel to die. He saves a third. Why? He protects them. According to Revelation 12, what's going to
happen is when the Antichrist unleashes his fury on the Jews, the immediate act of God
is to take them and He'll fly them, it says, on great wings of an eagle. He'll fly them on the wings of an eagle to
a place of refuge to protect them…to protect them. Why have to protect them? You have to protect them, why? Well if they kill all of them, then there's
nobody to go into the Kingdom. This is an earthly Kingdom, so you have to
protect some people who will inherit the Kingdom. "Come, beloved of My father, inherit the Kingdom
prepared for you." That was our Lord's word in Matthew 25 in
the same message. So God is not going to allow an Antichrist
to kill all the Jews. A third of them are going to be redeemed and
many of them will be protected and they will be put in a place of refuge where the Antichrist
can't get to them, so they can be protected to go into the Kingdom. The Antichrist will slaughter many believers. We see them crying under the altar, don't
we, in chapter 6. "How long, O Lord, how long are You going
to let this go on? But ,many of them will live and survive and
go into the Kingdom." So the Kingdom will be populated by people
living on earth. You say, "What about the raptured church?" We come back with Christ when He comes back
with ten thousand of His saints. He returns, we are here in our glorified form,
they're here in their human form, we interact like angels did with Old Testament people. I hope I'm whetting your appetite to get the
commentaries on Revelation and start reading, a lot to cover. So that's the event. That's the event. What's the reaction to the event? What's the reaction? It's pretty simple. Verse 14 again, "When you see that event,
then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains." Get out. "And the one who is in the housetop must not
go down and get anything in the house, and the one who is in the field must not turn
back to get his coat." In other words, it's just a tremendous urgency. And if you happen to be living in Israel at
the time, and you know what I believe, I believe Israel will become a focal point even for
the gospel and a focal point for Christian missions cause you're going to have 144 thousand
Jews there, twelve thousand from every tribe, preaching the gospel. And the two witnesses in Jerusalem preaching
in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is going to be converted, it says
in chapter 11 of Revelation. That will be a world focal point for Christianity. So there will not only be Jews there who have
come to Christ, there will be Gentiles there who come to Christ. And if you happen to be there and this abomination
takes place, and the temple is overtaken and this is established there, the persecution
begins, you get out. This is a dramatic change in strategy. This is a dramatic change. How else can I say it but maybe like this. This is when the Great Commission is no longer
in place. Normally our Lord would say, "When that hour
comes, don't worry about what's going to happen to you." We just read that, right? Don't worry about what you're going to say,
the Holy Spirit will give you words. Be bold, preach the gospel, proclaim the cross. But He doesn't say that anymore, not now,
not here. Get out. Run for your life because by your fleeing,
I'm going to preserve you for My Kingdom. This is when we no longer have an evangelistic
obligation to the world. The gospel will then be preached by a flying
angel, perhaps. Who knows what other means, plenty of available
literatures, downloads, etc., etc. But as far as you're concerned, get out. No more take your cross, be bold, stand up,
give witness, whatever. Just run. This will be, Luke says in Luke 21, a time
of Great Tribulation. And as we read here, not like anything the
world's ever seen. Get out. And the urgency is also indicated by the statement
in verse 18, "Pray that it's not in the winter, that you're not inhibited in your movement
by the weather. And also, sad..verse 27…for those who are
pregnant and nursing babies, cause they can't move fast." And also, our Lord said, "Pray that it's not
on the Sabbath cause there may be restrictions on Sabbath law." In other words, the reaction is get out because
what's triggered by this is the final seals, the rapid-fire trumpets and bold judgments. And in the middle of all of that, the slaughter
by Antichrist and his forces as they react to the judgment of God and God wants to protect
His own for His Kingdom. And that's the third point…the protection. The event, the reaction, and the protection. Verse 19 says, "Those days will be a time
of Tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created
until now and never will." I don't know how you can say it more clearly
than that. Please, dear friend, this is not a description
of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., as the Preterists say. If you don't know what that is, be thankful,
be grateful, rejoice. And if you do know what it is, and you're
confused, get the book, The Second Coming and read the first part of it. There are people who actually think all of
this came to pass in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. All of it. There are people who actually think that was
the Second Coming. Look, that was a disaster. But what the Romans did there could not be
described as something that occurred that was worse than anything that occurred since
the beginning of the creation. This can't describe some past event in one
country by one army at one moment, and certainly doesn't do anything to explain the book of
Revelation. If you take that view, let me tell you what
happens when you get to Revelation. You are lost. You are hopelessly lost because you can't
explain any of that. This is going to be an unparalleled time. It's so horrible that the Lord shortens it. Verse 20, "Unless the Lord had shortened those
days, no life would have been saved for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened
the days." Why? Because He has to keep them alive. If it was prolonged, Antichrist would find
them and go after them. Look, we live in a world where they can find
anybody, right? You can be found anywhere you are, some GPS
is on your head right now. If the Lord didn't shorten this, there wouldn't
be anybody left for the Kingdom. So God has to do this very, very precise work
of judging the ungodly, destroying all the ungodly, allowing some believers to die, but
at the same time protecting Jews and Gentiles to enter in to His earthly Kingdom, to then
have families and populate the Kingdom, the Kingdom which He rules for a thousand years
as indicated in the twentieth chapter of Revelation. So for the elect's sake, He shortens the days. And during those shortened days, if anyone
says to you, "Behold, here is Christ. Behold He's there." Don't believe them. That's exactly what Muslim eschatology says. They've got two Jesus' bounding around at
the end. Don't believe that. False Christs will be everywhere. False prophets everywhere. Why? Because it's a perfect time for false prophets
to arise because people are going to be so desperate for an understanding of this, for
an explanation. Why is this happening? Where do we do, where do we go? And all the lying, satanic deceivers will
drive them in the directly of Satan's deceptions, away from the truth. And it will be fairly convincing because it
says they will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. Is it possible? Is it possible to lead the elect astray? No. That's the whole point of the sentence. It's really important that it says the elect
in verse 20, and the elect in verse 22 because that puts the burden on God's choice, rather
than on our faith. You know, if it said, "For the sake of the
believers, He shortened it." Or if it said, "In order to lead astray, if
possible, the believers." You might say, "Well somebody could stop believing. But if you look at it from God's standpoint
and you are the chosen, that settles the issue. He's going to protect His own. He's going to protect His own. So you have a word on election and you have
a word on perseverance here. Run, flee, don't believe the wrong thing. That's the perseverance aspect of it. The doctrine of perseverance mans that you
obey and you act and you respond. You flee false teachers. You flee deceivers. You don't believe them. That's our side, that's the perseverance of
the saints, the back side of that or the front side of that is that you're the elect and
He holds you and He keeps you and He protects you. And the false Christ, as I said, will be very,
very powerful. They will have all the forces of Satan behind
them to be able to do signs and wonders. We don't know what the nature of those things
are, but they will apparently be very convincing but not to the elect. Why? John 10 verse 5, listen to this, speaking
of the elect, "They will, by no means, follow a stranger. But will flee from him because they do not
know the voice of strangers," John 10:5. Jesus put it on the positive side, "My sheep
hear My voice and they know Me." You don't have to be fearful of false teachers. You know your Shepherd's voice, you know the
truth. False Messiah is apparently going to actually
infiltrate the ranks of those who flee. They're going to be saying, "Look, here's
Christ," according to Matthew 24:26, "Here's Christ," "There's Christ," "Christ is in the
desert." "Christ is in the inner room." They'll all be lies, don't believe, don't
come out, don't expose yourself to death. So how are we going to know when the truth
Christ comes? Oh, you'll know. You'll know. Because in verse 24 the sun is going to go
black, the moon is going to go black. The stars are going to go black. The whole powers of the heaven are going to
be shaken and then you will see the sign of the Son of Man coming in clouds with great
power and glory. And by the way, Revelation 1:7 says, "Every
eye will see Him." So don't worry. You know, it's just so strange for people
to say, "Well actually Christ came in 70 A.D." Really. The whole world see Him? Who saw Him? They saw Titus, the Roman general. Now you have some guy who is now predicting
Christ is coming, what is it? May something? May 21 st , he's done it before and all these
people who followed him got their pajamas on and sat on the roof and had to go down
and get dressed because he didn't come. And they're actually cults that say He actually
came but it was a private coming. No. Not going to be a private coming. Revelation 1:70, "He comes with clouds and
every eye will see Him." Matthew 24:27, "As the lightning comes from
the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be." It's not going to be any secret, it's going
to be blast across the entire sky. Plus, He's coming with ten thousand of His
saints, Jude 14 says. And, in addition to that, didn't we read that
the whole collapse of the universe us is going to cause people to hide their faces from His
coming? Revelation 6. Well tonight we're going to talk about His
coming at the end of the time of Tribulation. Luke says this, Luke 21:28, "When these things
begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draws near." For that generation alive in the Tribulation,
all we have to do is open the Bible to the Olivet Sermon of Jesus and the book of Revelation,
they'll know exactly where they are. Without knowing the exact moment, the exact
hour, precisely, they can certainly know the time they are in. and we know, dear friends,
that we're not in that time. We're not in that time. There hasn't been an ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION. These things haven't unfolded. And as I said, the good news for us is I believe
the Rapture of the church takes place first and we are protected from that hour when all
these things take place on the earth. Well that's an introductory course, that's
like Eschatology 101. I remember when I…I'll close with this…I
was in Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan is a long way from here and we were having a great week
and I was trying to teach them everything about the church. And there were, there were, I think if I remember,
sixteen hundred pastors from Central Asia who had never had a Pastors' Conference in
their lives. This is right after the breakup of the Soviet
Union. And the leadership came to me and they said,
"Look, we're talking about the church, you're talking about the doctrines of the church,
the life of the church, all things that are important, could you tell us the good part,
please?" And I said, "Yeah, I think it's all good,
what do you mean the good part?" They said, "We want to know the future. We want to know the future for the church. What can we expect in the future." So I said, "Wow, I have no idea what you believe,
but eschatology is a pretty…a pretty diverse subject and…" And so I said, "Okay, I'm going to take Friday
of that week and I'm going to teach you everything the Bible says about the future. I'm going to talk all day." And I think it was like eight hours on the
future, eschatology. And I just had a couple of pages of kind of
springboard notes to go everywhere and I got finished with it, about eight hours of eschatology
to a bunch of people that I never had met before and didn't know anything about what
they believe. And when it was all over, the leaders came
and sat down with me and they said, "You believe exactly the way we do." I said, "Are you kidding? You mean you really…that's the way you believe?" "Yeah, that's the way we believe." And I realized that we've been reading the
Bible, that's the reason we believe the same thing. You know, to believe something else, you've
got to read something else. But if you're reading the same book I'm reading,
there it is. There it is. It was very gratifying, very encouraging. Also it's nice to get out of there with your
hide intact. So…but anyway…God's people through the
ages, and God's people around the world today who look at the Scripture, see what the Scripture
says. And that's all I pointed you to today. He is coming. He is coming. And before all this unleashes itself on the
world, I believe the Lord's going to collect His church. And if it looks like it could happen any time,
these kinds of things, as the world shapes up into what looks like a revelation kind
of staging, that means the Rapture of the church is all that closer. Be ready. And the last verse our Lord says is, "I told
you all these things in advance. You are without excuse. Go preach the message, right?" Father, we thank You for the truth. We thank You for its powerful impact. We live in a world when people are fascinated
with fantasy. How foolish. How foolish to speculate about the future. How foolish to speculate about fantasy, to
live in a world of fantasy rather than a world of reality. Even Christian fiction about the future is
pointless. Help us to live in the reality of Your Word
and to understand what Your Word reveals. And knowing the terror of the Lord to persuade
men while we still have an opportunity before we're gone and before these things are unleashed
on the world, help us to be faithful in the proclamation of the gospel, and calling people
to salvation so they can escape the wrath to come. We thank You, Lord, for Your great, great
goodness in setting our hearts at rest that the way things are going in the world doesn't
surprise You, it's exactly the way You said it would be. And this affirms our trust and our confidence
in Your Word. Lord, we thank You that You love us and that
You sent Your Son to provide salvation for us and rescued us completely from the wrath
to come. And may all of us who hear this message believe
the gospel. May there be no one walking out of this place
who is resisting the glorious salvation that You offer, but may each of us put our trust
in Christ and then go forth to proclaim this truth. We pray in His name. Amen.


text:
Stirrer drives, magnetic couplings, stirrer shaft sealing
The stirrer shaft sealing is a key component of chemical reactors, it stands for leakage free operation of the rotating stirrer shaft. A stirrer shaft sealing shall be dry – running, avoiding any contamination of the chemistry by a lubricant. The stirrer finally is the important part of equipment in charge of mixing and heat-transfer, so the dimensions and shapes are crucial.
For pressure reactors, stirrer drives with magnetic couplings are used. Due to their static sealing, they can be operated at full vacuum and very high pressures and high temperatures, for mixing of very high viscositiy media.
Buchi magnetic couplings are available in Ex proof version (ATEX).
- Buchi magnetic couplings (bmd type), equipped with stirrer motor, speed transmission and optional frequency converter to adjust the stirrer speed (ATEX version) form a complete stirrer drive for Laboratory- and larger Pilot Plant reactors.
- Magnetic couplings equipped with stirrer motor and electronic speed controller are available as Buchi cyclone stirrer drives for torques up to 300 Ncm and as non Ex version for Laboratory use.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hi there Bloggers, its me Sarah! Sarah who you ask? Me, its me I am back, finally after more than a year away playing mum again, I am once again at the table creating. And it feels good. I am loving getting inky, gluey dirty fingers all over again. Even this little one who seems to have grown up way too fast, is loving watching her mum do what she loves. God forbib if anything is within her reach though. I never seem to get it back in the same state. LOL
Missed you all, and its great to be back..
Love Sarah


text:
We do not guarantee the accuracy of this copy of the CRA website.
Scraped Page Content
We are in the process of moving our services and information to Canada.ca
The Canada Revenue Agency website will remain available until the move to Canada.ca is complete.
I want to…
Online services
Information for…
Checklist for small businesses
List of major tax topics that self-employed individuals and small business owners should become familiar with.
Registering your business
Business number (BN) and program accounts: GST/HST, payroll, import/export, and corporation income tax.
Reporting corporation income tax and filing the T2 corporation income tax return. Paying by instalments.
Sole proprietorships and partnerships
Income and expenses - T2125, Capital cost allowance, partnership.
CPP/EI rulings
The CPP/EI Rulings Program is responsible for providing clients with rulings that indicate whether a worker is an employee or is self-employed.
Keeping records
Record keeping requirements for businesses.
International and non-resident taxes
Information on income tax returns for non-resident corporations, completing schedules, registration of payroll and corporation tax accounts, and more.
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Incentive Program
The SR&ED program gives claimants cash refunds and/or tax credits for their expenditures on eligible R&D work done in Canada.
Excise taxes and other levies
Excise taxes imposed on certain products, Softwood lumber, other levies, Excise tax rates.
All rates
Federal and provincial/territorial tax rates, prescribed interest rates, prescribed interest rates for leasing rules, exchange rates, mileage rates.
General information about GST/HST
Basic information on how GST/HST works, what is HST, place-of-supply rules, what we mean by taxable, zero-rated, and exempt supplies, importing and exporting, buying or selling a business.
Registering (opening) your GST/HST account
Do you need a GST/HST account? When is registration mandatory or voluntary? How to register for a GST/HST account. Special rules for taxi and limousine operators.
GST/HST rates (calculator)
Quick reference chart for calculating the GST or HST payable.
Payroll for businesses
Calculate, file and remit payroll deductions.
Payroll Deductions Online Calculator (PDOC), payroll tables, TD1s, and more
Access the PDOC, consult or download payroll deductions tables, calculation formulas, guides, and the TD1s; access the automobile benefits online calculator.
Completing slips and summaries
Payers issuing income slips, financial information slips, contract payments.
How payroll works
Payroll steps, your responsibilities as an employer, and more.
Benefits and allowances
Taxable and non-taxable benefits and allowances.
Remitting payroll deductions
How, when, and where to remit your deductions, and how to correct remitting errors.
Calculating deductions
Calculate CPP contributions, EI premiums and income tax.
- Date modified:
- 2017-06-29


text:
- Home
- About Us
- Publications
- Forms
- Employment
- Contact Us
- Public Inquiry
- Online Services
- Compliance Reporting
Below you will find the new billing statements. The new format includes all counties in one searchable Adobe Acrobat file.
To find your monthly statement, click on the month below and the file will open. This file contains all the counties that have a billing for that month in alphabetical order. You can then scroll through the file to locate your county or you may search for it by clicking on the search box, typing in the name of your county and then clicking the Search button. You should now see the first page of your county's billing statement.
To print out your county's billing statement, on the menu bar, select File then Print. Under Print Range, select Current Page to print just the page that the file is opened to, or select Pages From: and enter the page number range that you would like to print.


text:
whether you are looking for a place to entertain family, friends or co-workers, the Strikes & Spares Entertainment Center of Mishawaka is the perfect gathering place for your group!
Strikes & Spares is not only both a bowling center and a community center, but we are also a spectacular party venue. We're a great place for kids to have fun and feel at home. Whether hosting a birthday party, or a corporate event, Strikes & Spares Entertainment Center of Mishawaka is party central. Take advantage of our famous hospitality and premier party deals, bring the kids and let us take care of the details.
- Home
- Back To Search Resultshome
Strikes & Spares provides its St. Joseph County clientele with some of the best social experiences available. Customers from Mishawaka, South Bend, Granger, Osceola, Elkhart and surrounding communities have depended on Strikes & Spares to provide high quality, safe entertainment.
We have:
Two Indoor Go-Kart Tracks
* Regular track for riders at least 56″ tall
* Jr. Track for kids at least 4 years old and at least 40″ tall
* Kids who meet the requirements for the Jr. Track may ride for free as a passenger on our regular go-kart track, as long as the driver is at least 18 years old or a drivers license and at least 56″ tall
* Cosmic bowling with black lights and music!
* Automatic bumpers for the kids!
* The latest in bowling equipment and lanes along with touch-screen automated scoring
Back To Search Resultshome
And More!
* NEW!! Inflatables! Must be 12 years old or younger to play *socks required
* NEW!! Free Toddler Area! 3 years or younger to play *socks required
Check out the Arcades!
- RELOADABLE Game Cards available!
- All our arcade games are playable with our easy swipe & reloadable game cards!
- We also have an ATM for your convenience.
- Check out our redemption area with lots of prizes for all ages!
- Keglers Sports Bar: Our sports bar located inside Strikes & Spares has the coldest draft beer in town!!
- Billiards: are available inside our bar.
- Arcade Games: we have a large arcade area with the newest games, including "Deal or No Deal" and air hockey, and a redemption area with lots of prizes!! Game Kiosk takes cash & credit card. ATM machine for your convenience.
Strikes & Spares
Strikes & Spares Entertainment
Easy access right off of Grape Road in Mishawaka
5419 Grape Rd, Mishawaka, IN 46545, USA
Strikes and Spares
5419 Grape Rd. Mishawaka


text:
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes engages coaches and athletes to grow in their faith and sport.
Your Name:
Your Email/URL (Optional):
Your Comment:
Comment Guidelines: No HTML is allowed. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted. Thanks.
© Copyright 2020, FCA JAX Baseball. All Rights Reserved. Login. Site Map.


text:
Adults only vacations
Experience the Difference an adults only vacation brings! Avoid the family crowds by choosing from the widest selection of Trip Advisor's® top-rated, all inclusive adults only resorts, the widest selection of hotels that provide exclusive perks and privileges as well as unlimited dining at specialty restaurants.
Search for your vacation from a selection of:
Relax Resorts
Adults only vacations with exclusive perks and privileges
Top-rated adult resorts
Resorts designed for adults only or with adult only sections that our customers know and love
The prices shown reflect rates of the day and are subject to change at any time without prior notice. To confirm availability and final pricing you MUST proceed to Step 3. The price shown at Step 3 constitutes the final guaranteed price and prevails over any other price.


text:
Quality components to the lift and keypad industries
+1 888 629-6279
Dupar offers a wide range of products for the Lift, Rail and Keypad industries.
Dupar Controls Inc is a manufacturer and supplier of quality components to the elevator and keypad industries. The company was founded in 1958 and is now a recognized world leader in Elevator push-button technology.
Dupar head office contact list for lift, rail and keypad products. Sales and technical support contact details, can be found here.
US91 Low Profile Keyswitch
US90 Low Profile Keyswitch
US89 Keyswitch
M20 Keyswitch
US91 Keyswitch
US90 Keyswitch
Copyright ©2016 Dupar - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy


text:
Search our database of handpicked sites
Looking for a great physics site? We've tracked down the very best and checked them for accuracy. Just fill out the fields below and we'll do the rest.
You searched for "quantums"
We found 16 results on physics.org and 113 results in our database of sites
(of which 105 are Websites, 7 are Videos, and 1 is a Experiments)
Search results on physics.org
What is superposition?
How weird is quantum?
Does anyone understand quantum mechanics?
All about... Quantum Computing
What is the Higgs Boson?
Quantum criminals
Who is Stephen Hawking?
The physics of Santa
Top 4 Bonkers things about the universe
How do you smell?
All about... cryptography
The Science of His Dark Materials
What is antimatter?
Why is there more matter than antimatter?
What is cosmic inflation?
Is Time Travel Possible?
Quantum Statistics
This is the introduction page to various sections on quantum topics.
Visual Quantum Mechanics
Comprehensive site aimed at high school student learning about quantum phenomena. Excellent!!
Quantum world
News from New Scientist on the topic of quantum.
Teleportation Takes a Quantum Leap
Good clear article from the National Geographic on quantum teleportation, including its use in cryptography.
Quantum Physics
The quantum physics section of Hyperphysics, covers lots of information. This is excellent for linking areas and learning about how they interact.
Quantum Computers Animated
A PhD Comics animation explaining the the principle behind quantum computers that relies on superposition and entanglement.
Quantum Time Development
This applet enables the user to show how a quantum wave packet develops with time.
Quantum Entanglement and Bell's Theorem
A complex mathematical description of the essential non-classical nature of quantum entanglement
The mind-blowing possibilities of quantum computing
The new world of quantum computers promises amazing breakthrough and find out how computers hope to achieve this.
Quantum teleportation
This article looks at how teleportation can be reconciled with quantum mechanics, using the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen effect.


text: Heat tracing systems are complex entities which often require a high level of engineering to provide optimal performance. Power Connection Kits, Splice Kits, Tee Kits, and End Seal Kits are critical components of a properly functioning heat trace system. Our nVent RAYCHEM and Frostex brands of connection kits are designed and approved to be used in conjunction with RAYCHEM, nVent PYROTENAX, nVent TRACER, Frostex and WinterGard electric heat-tracing cables.


text:
Richmond, California (EastBayDaily) — Richmond is turning up the lights and installing Light Emitting Diode (LED) street light upgrades along some of the City's busiest streets. The project is funded by a low-interest loan from the California Energy Commission that will be repaid by the energy cost savings and provides more illumination for City streets. The city-owned lights in the downtown and public safety priority areas are among the first to be upgraded including Macdonald and Barrett Avenues, Cutting Boulevard, 23rd Street, San Pablo Avenue and portions of the Richmond Parkway.
"This is a fantastic project that will help improve the health and environment of the community," said Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. "We're on track to make City street lights more energy efficient and provide better street lighting to encourage walking, bicycling and safer streets in general."
The project is estimated to cost $900,000 to implement and will generate over $1,066,000 of savings on the City's electric bills over the 13-year term of the loan. In addition to the electric bill savings, the LED street lights are expected to reduce maintenance costs because of their longer life expectancy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 250,000 pounds annually. The project was initiated and implemented by the Environmental Initiatives Division of the City Manager's Office in conjunction with the Engineering Services Department.
The City's 5-Year Strategic Business Plan calls for modernizing all street light infrastructure and replacing all street lights with energy-efficient and brighter LED technology. The City is currently replacing the remaining two antiquated series street light systems in May Valley and Park View Neighborhoods financed through a subsidized energy efficiency bond.
"Upgrading street lights is a top priority for the City because of all the community co-benefits", said Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay. "We're aiming to make our neighborhoods and business districts more inviting, reduce operating costs and improve the quality of life for residents."
The City plans to complete the street light project by early December 2012 and continue with additional LED street light upgrades in 2013 with another loan from the California Energy Commission. The City is requesting that motorists observe all traffic and parking signage and drive safely in construction areas.


text:
About Us
My Account
Contact Us
Shopping Cart
Use the list to select the photo group that you would like to view.
more help...
Select a product to order for all selected photos
[select a product]
ELITE Package (same image) - $59.95
Web-resolution download - $10.95
4x6 Print Package (2 prints-same image) - $15.95
5x7 Print - $15.95
5x7 Print Package (2 prints-same image) - $19.95
Wallet Print Package - $19.95
8x10 Print - $19.95
11x14 Print - $29.95
13x19 Print - $44.95
16x20 Print - $59.95
20x30 Print - $79.95
24x36 Print - $99.99
Combo Package 1 (same image) - $39.95
Combo Package 2 (same image) - $59.95
5x7 Print Multi-Package (10 prints--same image) - $99.95
8x10 Print Multi-Package 10 prints--same image) - $139.95
Multiple Photo Package
This package has multiple items. You can either use the current photo for all items or select different photos for each item.
Do you want to use the same photo for each item in the package or select different photos?
College Crew 2003
Tell your friends
Select a Photo Group to View
4/17/03 Simmons
Selected Photos
It is recommended that you login prior to selecting photos. Your selections will be preserved if you need to leave your computer and continue ordering later. You can even login on a different computer and see your selections.
Copyright and Disclaimer
PhotoReflect Privacy Policy
Who Should I Contact?
© 1999 -
PhotoReflect LLC.


text:
About us
Family Office
Cyprus Tax
Mobile App
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Log in
Log out
This website uses cookies.
Cookies are files or pieces of information that may be stored on your computer (or other internet enabled devices, such as a smartphone or tablet) when a user's browser loads a particular website. A cookie will usually contain the name of the website from which the cookie has come from, the "lifetime" of the cookie (i.e. how long it will remain on your device), and a value, which is usually a randomly generated unique number. Therefore, when you return to websites or visit websites that use the same cookies – they recognize these cookies and your browsing device. Cookies permit to remember your preferences. We may use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to support the marketing of our services including evaluation of our site's advertising and promotional effectiveness. Cookies on CYAUSE Audit Services Ltd website help us to improve our sites and your user experience. Some cookies expire when the browser closes, while others remain on your computer unless you delete them. You may delete cookies whenever you like but by deleting cookies and disabling future cookies you may not be able to access certain areas or features of our site. Consent to use of cookies Cookies collect information about how visitors use the site, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect information which identifies a visitor and CYAUSE Audit Services Ltd will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you. All information is aggregated and maintained anonymous. By using our website, you give consent that we can place these types of cookies on your device and agree that you understand this Cookies Policy. How to control and delete cookies Most internet browsers are initially set up to automatically accept cookies. You can change the settings to block cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent to your device. There are a number of ways to manage cookies. Please refer to your browser instructions or help screen to learn more about how to adjust or modify your browser settings. If you use different devices to view and access the CYAUSE Audit Services Ltd site (e.g. your computer, smartphone, tablet etc.) you will need to ensure that each browser on each device is adjusted to suit your cookie preferences. You may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers as well as more general information about cookies. Policy changes We may modify or amend this Cookie Policy from time to time at our discretion. When we make changes to this notice, we will amend the revision date at the top of this page, and such modified or amended Cookie Policy shall be effective as to you and your information as of that revision date. We encourage you to periodically review this Cookie Policy to be informed about how we are using cookies. Security We will take reasonable precautions to protect personal information in our possession from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. You should be aware, however, that communications over the Internet (which includes e-mails to CYAUSE Audit Services Ltd and registering as a user on our website) are not secure unless they have been encrypted and we do not accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions which arise from circumstances outside of our reasonable control. Our website may contain links to other websites that are operated by third parties. Other websites may also reference or link to our website. We cannot be responsible for the privacy practices or content of those other websites. For more information about CYAUSE Audit Services Ltd, and how we protect information, please refer to our Privacy policy. More details here:
Cookie Policy


text:
Republican News
Republican News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement on the grounding Monday of Shell's Kulluk mobile drilling unit off Kodiak Island, Alaska.
"The extreme winter weather and high seas in the Gulf of Alaska and subsequent grounding of the Kulluk is a horrible situation for any vessel. The heroism displayed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Shell personnel and other responders can't be overstated. The evacuation of the Kulluk crew, with no lives lost, was a model of the work the brave men and women of the Coast Guard do every day," Murkowski said. "The focus now needs to be on securing the Kulluk and protecting local residents and the environment from potential fuel spills."
The Kulluk grounded on the southeast side of Kodiak Island on Monday at 8:48 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.
For further information, please contact Robert Dillon at 202.224.6977 or email@example.com or Megan Moskowitz at 202.224.7875 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Visit our website at https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/


text:
Lady Bird Johnson
Read a collection of remembrances about Lady Bird Johnson here.
A nickname that lasted a lifetime
Claudia Alta Taylor was born in Karnack, Texas on December 22, 1912. Her father was Thomas Jefferson Taylor, owner of a general store who declared himself "dealer in everything." Her mother, Minnie Pattillo Taylor, died when the little girl was just five-years old. She had two older brothers, Tommy and Tony. After her mother's death, Lady Bird's "Aunt Effie" Pattillo moved to Karnack to look after her. At an early age, a nursemaid said Claudia was "as purty as a lady bird" — thereafter she became known to her family and friends as "Lady Bird." She grew up in the "Brick House" and attended a small rural elementary school in Harrison County, Texas. After graduating from Marshall High School in 1928, she attended Saint Mary's Episcopal School for Girls in Dallas from 1928 to 1930. Lady Bird Taylor entered the University of Texas in 1930 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1933 with a major in history. In 1934 she earned a journalism degree.
After a whirlwind courtship, Claudia Alta Taylor and Lyndon Baines Johnson were married on November 17, 1934 at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas. Two daughters were born to the Johnsons: Lynda Bird Johnson (1944) (Mrs. Charles S. Robb) resides in Virginia; and Luci Baines Johnson (1947) (married to Ian Turpin) lives in Austin, Texas. Mrs. Johnson had seven grandchildren—one boy and six girls—and eleven great-grandchildren.
Author, advisor, activist
Lady Bird Johnson was the author of A White House Diary, a record of her activities which she kept during the years her husband served as the 36th President of the United States. About writing A White House Diary, Lady Bird said, "I was keenly aware that I had a unique opportunity, a front row seat, on an unfolding story and nobody else was going to see it from quite the vantage point that I saw it." She also co-authored Wildflowers Across America with Carlton Lees.
During her White House years, she served as honorary chairman of the National Head Start Program, a program for underprivileged pre-school children which prepares them to take their places in the classroom on a par with their peers.
In 1977, President Gerald Ford presented Mrs. Johnson with this country's highest civilian award, the Medal of Freedom. Mrs. Johnson received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
In January, 1971, Mrs. Johnson was appointed to a six-year term as a member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents. She was a life member of The University of Texas Ex-Student Association, and was a member of the International Conference Steering Committee (1981-82) and The University of Texas Centennial Commission. For many years, Mrs. Johnson was a trustee of the National Geographic Society, and continued as a trustee emeritus. She also served as a member of the National Committee for the Bicentennial Era and as co-chairman of the Advisory Council of the American Freedom Train Foundation. Mrs. Johnson was appointed to the Advisory Council to the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration by President Ford. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Mrs. Johnson to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.
Many colleges and universities have awarded Mrs. Johnson honorary degrees. Throughout her life, she supported and was very interested in the activities of the LBJ Library and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, both located on The University of Texas campus in Austin.
In 1966, Mrs. Johnson was presented the George Foster Peabody Award for the television program, "A Visit to Washington with Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson on Behalf of a More Beautiful America." She received the Eleanor Roosevelt Golden Candlestick Award from the Women's National Press Club in 1968.
A 'shadow Secretary of the Interior'
First and foremost, Lady Bird Johnson was an environmentalist, and she was an active worker on innumerable projects. In Washington, she enlisted the aid of friends to plant thousands of tulips and daffodils which still delight visitors to our nation's Capital. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 was the result of her national campaign for beautification. In 1999, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt presented her with the Native Plant Conservation Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award. At that time he said, "Mrs. Johnson has been a 'shadow' Secretary of the Interior' for much of her life."
Lady Bird was honorary chairman of the LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac in Washington, D. C. She also chaired the Town Lake Beautification Project, a community effort to create a hike and bike trail and to plant flowering trees along the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. She became a member of the National Park Service's Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings and Monuments in 1969 and served on the council for many years. In 1969 Mrs. Johnson founded the Texas Highway Beautification Awards, and for the next twenty years, she hosted the annual awards ceremonies and presented her personal checks to the winners. She was a trustee of the American Conservation Association.
On her 70th birthday in 1982, Lady Bird founded the National Wildflower Research Center, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the preservation and re-establishment of native plants in natural and planned landscapes. She donated 60 acres of land and a sum of money to establish the Center which serves as a clearing house of information for people all over the country. She realized her long-held dream in 1995 when the Center moved into its new and larger facility. In December, 1997, the Center was renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in honor of Mrs. Johnson's 85th birthday. She was chairman of the Wildflower Center's board of directors until her death.
Her legacy lives on
In honor of her 80th birthday and many contributions to the betterment of our environment, the Lady Bird Johnson Conservation Award was established in 1992 by the LBJ Foundation Board of Directors. In December 1972, President and Mrs. Johnson gave the LBJ Ranch house and surrounding property to the people of the United States as a national historic site, retaining a life estate in the Ranch. Mrs. Johnson continued to live there until her death in Austin, Texas on July 11, 2007 at the age of 94. She is buried beside her husband in the family cemetery at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas.


text:
We Tried 10 Popular Microwave Popcorns, and This Was the Best
True to its name, the popped kernels in Tiny But Mighty's popcorn are, well, tiny. According to the packaging, this is so it's "easy to digest" and less likely to get stuck in one's teeth, a common issue with popcorn. However, in a blind taste test, this feature threw us off. While one taster thought the mini kernels were "cute," most found them "sad," "pale" and "weird." The lack of an artificial yellow color and flavor was the only highlight of this brand. Generally, Tiny But Mighty was found to be dry and flavorless.
Score: 2.7/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#9 Act II
If you want to have a butter-flavored popcorn but don't like a particularly strong salty or fake butter element, then Act II may just be right for you. One taster described this popcorn best by noting that it had "an OK texture and good kernel size, but it's barely buttery or salty." While most tasters didn't like that, two appreciated the flavor that others called bland. "Not salty at all, but I like that," one noted.
Score: 4.4/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#8 Skinny Pop
While the vast majority of microwave popcorn brands come in bags, Skinny Pop is unique in that it comes in boxes, which can be handy because it eliminates the need for a bowl. That seems to be the best feature or Skinny Pop, which several tasters noted had a "slightly sweet" flavor and an off-putting aftertaste.
Score: 4.4/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#7 Quinn
Quinn's Real Butter & Sea Salt flavor is markedly different than other popcorn brands. Instead of having the butter and salt infused in the bag and kernels, you pop the popcorn, add in oil and then add in the butter and sea salt flavorings, which come in packets. Despite shaking the seasonings and oil in thoroughly while making it, this process left pockets of seasoning that tasted less like butter and sea salt and more like "cheddar" to a vast majority of our tasters. "This is good, but not if you want butter popcorn," one tester wrote. And despite the all-natural ingredients and organic kernels, one taster said this brand was "clearly artificial."Score: 5.1/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#6 Pop Secret
Pop Secret has a massively buttery popcorn without actually being an extra butter popcorn. "Woah! So much butter flavor. Greasy fingers for days," one taster noted. Others thought this brand had elements of the much-beloved (and ridiculously unhealthy) movie theatre popcorn. All of this buttery flavor made Pop Secret a divisive choice. Other notable features of Pop Secret included a light, fluffy texture and big kernels, which make for easy snacking - assuming you have plenty of napkins handy.
Score: 5.4/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#5 Newman's Own
It would make sense that our No. 5 popcorn, Newman's Own, would be reviewed as middle-of-the-road by most of our tasters. "Fine? This has a pretty balanced salt-to-butter ratio, but it's nothing to write home about," one tester remarked. "Nothing special" was the comment du jour for this brand, with cries for more butter being the most common criticism.
Score: 5.7/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#4 Orville Redenbacher
Perhaps the most iconic popcorn brand in our taste test, Orville Redenbacher clocked in at No. 4 overall. Comments such as "nice, big kernels" and "good color" hinted at this brand's reputation as the standard. But perhaps standard here was too typical for our tasters, one of whom described this popcorn as "B A S I C." The other common comment was that this brand tasted like artificial butter, but this is microwave popcorn we're talking about here. That's a good thing for our tasters.
Score: 5.7/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#3 Jolly Time
A good butter popcorn, whether or not it's microwavable, needs balance, and that's something our staff found with Jolly Time. "Feels light, but it's still flavorful," one taster commented. Most tasters found this classic popcorn company had the right amount of butter, a "nice kernel size" and the iconic light yellow color one looks for in popcorn.
Score: 6.2/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#2 Market Pantry
There are a lot of groceries you should buy at Target, and perhaps popcorn is one of them! We popped in to this cult favorite retailer for some of their Market Pantry branded microwave popcorn and were pleasantly surprised. "The buttery flavor of this one is perfect!" one tester noted. Several popcorn aficionados distinctly called this brand out for being artificial tasting and having a slightly off texture, but that isn't always a bad thing for a microwave popcorn. "A classic artificial butter flavor!" one exclaimed.
Score: 7.4/10Kathleen Collins / The Daily Meal
#1 Stop & Shop
Call us #basic all you want, but our top brand surprised even us. Stop & Shop, the Northeastern supermarket chain, had our favorite bag of microwave popcorn. Maybe it's because we're all broke journalists who buy store brands, but this popcorn was "the gold standard" for one tester. Others appreciated the butter-to-salt ratio, big kernel size and how this popcorn just "melts in your mouth." As it turns out, you really can skip the name brand and just go generic with your popcorn. While you're at it, maybe buy these other foods generic too.
Score: 7.5/10
More From The Daily Meal:
We Tried 12 Instant Oatmeals and This Was the Best
Taste Test: 10 Top Potato Chip Brands
The Top Store-Bought Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ranked
Old-School Snacks We Bet You Completely Forgot Existed
15 International Potato Chip Flavors We Long to TryKathleen Collins / The Daily Meal


text:
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have had an interesting history.
Nike hoped its puppet commercials featuring both players two years ago would foretell an NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Cavaliers. Instead, Cleveland fell to Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals and Bryant collected his first ring without Shaq against Dwight Howard.
Many thought James' "decision" to take his talents to South Beach last season would set up a Lakers-Heat NBA Finals. Instead, the Lakers fell in a four-game Western Conference semifinals sweep to the Dallas Mavericks, and James saved his fourth-quarter disappearing act for the Mavericks.
In the West's 152-149 All-Star victory Sunday over the East, Bryant defended James on the last possession and then chastised him for passing up the final shot.
Here's another pseudo connection: Bryant and James filmed a Sprite commercial together. The two players, along with Andrea Bargnani, Al Horford, Omri Casspi and Serge Ibaka, will scout 24 amateur players from around the world to play on one of two teams in the Sprite Uncontainable Game during the 2013 NBA All-Star weekend in Houston.
"We're more of the chess players," Bryant told ESPN.com of his team, Intense. "We're more of the thinkers, kinda analytical approach to the game; X's and O's, you know, that kind of stuff."
"You be aggressive, but you also play as a team," James said of his dream player on his team, Sudden. "That's No. 1."
The stakes aren't as high as the two actually matching up in a game that defines their legacy. But it at least provides another excuse for Nike to make another puppet commercial.
Kobe Bryant appears in Sprite commercial in China
Kobe Bryant's presence remains strong in China
— Mark Medina
Email the Lakers blog at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Having retired for a nice cup of tea and a lie down after all the excitement of Wills and Kate's wedding do, I managed to rally just in time for the nuptials of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock. And what an extravaganza – glamour, bling, fireworks, and wonderfully over-the-top flourishes (clock the crazy wedding cake, and that adorable little gang of bo-peep bridesmaids). Charlene looked statuesque, elegant…and teary. Those tears made me feel for the poor girl, what with all those rumours about. But then, a three-day wedding marathon is probably enough to send even an Olympic athlete bride a bit over the edge. And really, Albert and Charlene have been together a long while now, they know each other inside out, there ain't gonna be any surprises. And as Albert said, "(Marrying you) was the best decision I ever took". And just to reinforce: 'Thank you for allowing me to share my life with you'. So there. They're good….Best wishes to them!
But let's not leave out the frocks – a cornucopia of styles and colours! There were a fair few knee-length block colour shift dresses topped with contrasting fascinator, the floaty bling of the Princess Lallas of Morocco, Karolina Kurkova in a strange navy blue skirt suit, Ines de la F. in sophisticated beach chic complete with thong (that's flip-flop to you) sandals, and, surprisingly, plenty of outfits in white or similar bride-like shades. Now round my way, it's a bit of a faux pas to wear bridal colours if one is not actually the bride, but quite clearly they do things differently over in Monaco. And indeed, one of my favourite outfits was white. Princess Caroline's vaguely 1920's-anyone-for-tennis-cum-bianca-jagger-in the-70's ensemble, , was just divine and just which have worked as well in any other colour. Close second was Naomi Campbell's delicious delicate green number topped with long, straight hair and blush-coloured fascinator.
Meanwhile, I have enjoyed watching Kate's tentative, but irrefutable fashion evolution as she and Wills toured Canada and United States. It is kind of thrilling to see her starting to step out of her v-necked fashion comfort zone, even if it is just trying some different arrangements around the neck area such as the cute grey number here. However, despite her growing fashion confidence, and recent assertions about starting a family, I doubt we'll one day see Kate tripping about on holiday in a pregnancy mini a la Carla Bruni. Who does look fabulous while doing so, mind….
Still on the Canada tour….I was horrified to see Wills and Kate cooking in the kitchen in Canada. Horrified ! Surely there is no greater perk of being royal than never having to set foot in a kitchen. Ever. Under any circumstances. Forget the on-tap clothes, shoes, and accessories; or even the fabulous housing one gets, handing over the whole food preparation thing to someone else forever more tops it all. Wills and Kate, it's just not even vaguely funny. Don't let me ever see you pull a stunt like that again. Geez, what next ? Royal Masterchef ?!!
And now, there's just enough time for a nice cup of tea and a lie down before the next royal nuptials of Zara and Mike on July 30…


text:
Sexy SANDALI tacco 16,5 dal 35 al 42 TRASPARENTE silver plateau sabot GLAMOUR
Bron let his teammates know the King had arrived 💪 (Via HouseofHighlights)
Ajax knocks Ronaldo and Juventus out of the Champions League!
Landry Shamet joins Kyrie Irving as the Warriors killers 💪
David de Karius /09DVnfv7RQ
Pat Bev won't let up 😤
Another milestone for Kyle Lowry
Elite postgame mood
(via L.A. Clippers)
This squad made the biggest playoff comeback ever:
- Gallo: Career was in doubt
- Shamet: Tobias trade piece
- Green: Undrafted, overseas
Happy birthday to a legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
—All-time points leader (38,387)
—Record 6x MVP
—Record 19x All-Star
—6x NBA Champion
—2x F...
Never forget! 😂
Familiar lead for the Warriors 😭
Ben Simmons' triple-double helps the 76ers tie the series 💪
51 points just in the third for the Sixers
Flagrant 1 for Embiid.
This marine ran the Boston Marathon to honor his fellow soldiers and a journalist who didn't make it back from Afghanistan.
He crawled to t...
Happy Jackie Robinson Day
And he's still 24 😮
Cleveland Browns in 2017 vs 2019 /7XbCqbdxEk
Giannis. SHEESH.
This is the Blazers first playoff win since 2016.
1997: First Masters
2019: Fifth Masters
Does this top 28-3?
Tiger Woods wins his 5th Masters title and first since 2005! /FpGGY8DTiC
Tiger wins the 2019 Masters, the 15th major championship of his career!


text:
Today's the day that states must submit their applications to the U.S. Department of Education to compete for round‐one "Race to the Top" grants. But no worries if your state's a little behind: Not only will there be another application round for the $4.35-billion dash‐for‐cash, but as President Obama announced today, he wants a $1.35-billion sequel to what was supposed to be a one‐time, stimulus‐funded contest.
The important question, of course, is whether sponsoring this race is worthwhile for federal taxpayers. The clear answer is no.
Sure, in response to RttT states have been raising charter‐school caps, allowing teachers to be evaluated using student performance, and instituting other changes, but they've done little of real substance. Just raising caps won't make it much easier to get good, competitive charter schools since most of the charter‐supply problem revolves around over‐regulation and painful authorization processes. And while states have eliminated prohibitions on using student test results to evaluate teachers, they haven't done much to actually base teacher evaluations on student performance or other meaningful metrics.
What has RttT done that is of substance? Unfortunately, push yet more power into federal hands, forcing states and districts to jump through all manner of hoops for a chance to get back some of their citizens' money. Indeed, it is becoming painfully clear that President Obama intends to put Washington firmly above the states in the hierarchy of education power.
For his $1.35 billion RttT expansion, President Obama plans to allow districts to directly compete for federal funding, bypassing states completely. And then there's his crusade for national curricular standards. His administration has been talking up "common" standards since almost day one, and in the "fact sheet" accompanying the RttT expansion announcement the first bullet states that RttT emphasizes "designing and implementing rigorous standards and high‐quality assessments, by encouraging states to work jointly toward a system of common academic standards."
Don't be fooled, by the way, by the "states" working "jointly" thing, or utterly unbelievable administration denials. If the feds are paying states to adopt common standards then those standards will be de facto federal. Either that, or the feds will let states adopt any old joint standards and still get paid. Six of one bad thing, half dozen of the other…
Thankfully, there is resistance to Obama's bribe‐to‐the‐top scheme. Texas, most notably, has refused to participate in RttT, with Gov. Rick Perry declaring that "we would be foolish and irresponsible to place our children's future in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups thousands of miles away in Washington." And Texas is not alone: According to a New York Times article appearing yesterday, states and districts around the country are refusing to put on their track shoes and run for the federal funds.
Still, federal money — taxpayer money — can be a tough thing for any elected offical to turn down. Sooner or later, if we let him, Obama will almost certainly find an amount that no state or district can resist.


text:
In August 1788 Rhode Island was the setting for one of the major land battles of the Revolutionary War. The Marquis de Lafayette, in writing of this encounter, termed it "the best fought action of the war."
The immediate goal of the Continental Army at this time was to drive the British from Newport. George Washington hoped that a victory in Rhode Island might possibly result in an ending of hostilities. This battle was to accomplish neither of these goals, but it did prove that the American army could adapt to adverse conditions and hold its own against highly trained professional soldiers.
This battle on Aquidneck Island was the scene of fierce hand-to-hand combat, bravery and sacrifice as well as international misunderstanding, petty jealousies and violent eruptions of nature.
The "battle" was the long-awaited result of the attempt to free Rhode Island from British occupation. The British had overwhelmed Newport in December 1776. They came into Narragansett Bay with a large fleet of 75 ships, which included seven warships, four frigates and a large number of transports. Within a short time, four to six thousand British troops took control of the island, martial law was declared, and Newport was in the hands of the enemy. The once prosperous candle factories, distilleries and ropewalks were closed. Skilled craftsmen no longer had a market for their wares. Nearly half the population fled from Newport to the safer areas of Providence and Coventry. Rhode Island experienced, firsthand, the terrible consequences of war.
Early in 1777, the General Assembly begged Congress to send an army large enough to drive the British out. British control of Newport, they argued, jeopardized the entire northern seacoast and brought trade to an all-time low. George Washington and the Continental Congress sympathized with Rhode Island's dilemma but felt that all early efforts had to be concentrated on the New York area and no troops could be spared for Rhode Island until later.
The first attempt to free Rhode Island came in October 1777, when an army of about 8,000 men was assembled under General Spencer of Connecticut. When a severe storm arose making it difficult to cross the Seaconnet River, Spencer postponed the attack for three days. When he again postponed the advance because of a change in British defensive positions, many of his troops deserted, feeling that "Granny" Spencer was too timid to attack and lost confidence in the expedition.
When Spencer was finally ready on Oct. 26, l777, he had less than 5,000 men left under his command. When news reached Rhode Island of the great American victory at Saratoga, Spencer completely abandoned the idea of an attack on Newport. The General Assembly was furious. Those historians who defend Spencer claim that his actions were merely part of the overall plan of Greene and Washington. Spencer, they say, was to keep the British in Newport so they couldn't be sent to aid Burgoyne at Saratoga or Howe in New Jersey.
The victory at Saratoga persuaded the French to join the war on the American side. By the summer of 1778, General Washington was able to free enough troops to attempt another invasion of Newport. The army was to be commanded by General John Sullivan of Massachusetts. Two Continental divisions, one under Nathanael Greene and the other under the Marquis de Lafayette, were to accompany him. Lafayette's regulars included the celebrated brigades of John Varnum of Rhode Island and John Glover of Massachusetts.
British raids on Warren and Bristol had so angered New England that Sullivan received excellent cooperation and more troops than he might otherwise have had. Troops from Massachusetts even included the famous Paul Revere and John Hancock, who had served as president of the Continental Congress.
On July 29, 1778 the French fleet under Count D'Estaing, with 12 warships, four frigates and number of transports, sailed into Narragansett Bay. The French marines landed and secured the island of Conanicut (Jamestown).
The overall strategy, as devised by General Greene, was excellent. Sullivan would take his 7,000 troops across the Seaconnet from Tiverton. The French from their warships would open fire on the British from the sea, and then invade Newport with 4,000 French marines that had assembled at Conanicut. The British General Pigot, with about 7,000 men, would be trapped, outnumbered and forced to surrender. Washington felt that this force would provide us with such an outstanding victory that the British would abandon their attempts to use force against the colonies.
Unfortunately, events did not proceed as planned. Misunderstanding and extremely bad weather combined against the Americans. D'Estaing felt that his major responsibility was to his own fleet and was a bit concerned over exactly what authority the Americans had over him. Precious time was lost before he and Sullivan agreed on August 10 as the date set for the attack. This gave General Pigot a chance to shift his troops and to prepare for the invasion.
On Aug. 9 Sullivan, impatient and irritated by the French delay, noted with alarm that Pigot was moving his forces and, without informing D'Estaing, began his attack. Eighty-six flatboats, built under the direction of Major Silas Talbot, ferried the men across. The landing was successful, but on the same day a large British fleet was sighted off Point Judith. D'Estaing, fearing that he would be bottled up in Narragansett Bay and become the laughing stock of both continents, gathered his troops from Conanicut and on Aug. l0 abandoned the plan to attack Newport. Instead he sailed out to meet the British fleet. On Aug. 11 both fleets went out to sea all day and began maneuvering for position.


text:
Cook the Book: Butterscotch Pudding
The week's final Cook the Book recipe, adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, appears today at the insistence of Serious Eats overlord Ed Levine. And though Sweet Melissa Patsisserie is only a few blocks away from my home, I haven't yet tried this Butterscotch Pudding. I just asked Ed why he insisted we highlight this recipe: "Because it's great," he said. "It's not too sweet. It's incredibly creamy. It's smooth. It's the best butterscotch pudding I've ever had in New York City."
And how many have you tasted, Ed?
"A lot! I taste every one I come across!"
Win 'The Sweet Melissa Baking Book'
As is always the case with our Cook the Books, we're giving away a number of them. Enter to win here »
Butterscotch Pudding
- Yield:6 servings
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 300°F. Place six 6-ounce ramekins in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan.
In a large bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the brown sugar, milk, and heavy cream and heat to scalding, or until the milk is steaming and tiny bubbles have formed along the edges. Do not boil. Stir frequently to dissolve the brown sugar. Remove from heat.
While the cream mixture is heating, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stir together the granulated sugar and water. Increase the heat to high and boil the sugar. When the sugar starts to sputter, use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down the sides of the pan. As soon as the sugar turns amber in color (like clover honey), remove from heat; slowly and carefully pour in the hot cream while stirring to stop the cooking. (The caramel will bubble as you add the cream, so use a long wooden spoon or whisk to stir them.)
In a slow steady stream, slowly and gently whisk the hot caramel mixture into the egg yolks. Stir in the salt and vanilla. Strain the mixture into a clean pitcher; skim off any air bubbles with a spoon.
Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Fill roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until just set. Begin checking after 45 minutes. When gently shaken, a pudding should no longer look liquidy; it will move as one mass and register 150° to 155° on an instant-read thermometer. Remove to a wire rack to cool to room temperature in the water bath.
Remove the ramekins from the pan. Refrigerate for several hours until chilled. Serve. For longer storage, once chilled, wrap each individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Notes: Serve chilled with freshly whipped cream. The puddings keep covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.