Category: gray whale Israel coast

Posted in end of days. prophecy, gog magog, gray whale Israel coast, turkey

Turkey-Israel relationship deteriorating

Posted on by elizabethprata

Anyone who reads the bible knows the end from the beginning. In many cases we don’t know how the LORD will perform a certain thing that is prophesied to come to pass, but we know it will, because He said it will. In other cases, we do know how, we know who, and we even have a general time frame when.

For example, we know that Israel and Turkey will wind up enemies. In Ezekiel 38-39 it is prophesied that Turkey will be an aggressor against Israel, along with Russia, Armenia, Iran, Libya, Sudan and others. (Ez 38:3-6). They attack Israel. It is a surprise attack, at a moment when Israel thinks she can let down her guard. (Ez 38:11). Therefore it is especially devastating, and Israel almost loses the battle. But the LORD intervenes personally and Israel is saved. The world knows it is the LORD’s power that defeated Israel’s enemies, and not anything else. (Ez 38:22-23; Ez 39:6)

So over the last decade as Turkey had moved to a more democratic and less Muslim form of government and civic outlook, and seemed to be gravitating to the West in their persistent requests to become part of the EU, people who study prophecy knew that it would not last. We just did not know when the relationship would dissipate into a downward spiral of mistrust and hatred. It seems that that time is now.

Just before the Labor Day weekend, Turkey recalled its Ambassador from Turkey and began to engage in a diplomatic cold war. Arutz Sheva reports:

“Turkey Declares Diplomatic Cold War on Israel“
“Turkey has unofficially declared a diplomatic cold war, recalling its ambassador and threatening to charge Israel in the International Court. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu announced on Friday that Ankara was not only recalling its ambassador but also “will reduce its level of diplomatic representation in Israel to that of second secretary, a lower rank than consul. … Turkey is suspending all military agreements with Israel…”

The split has begun. Even more dramatic, was two days later when Turkey shockingly harassed incoming Israelis at the airport. Yedioth News reports,

“Israelis held in Istanbul airport“
About 40 Israeli passengers on board a Turkish Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul were held for several hours by local police on Monday after their passports had been taken away from them. The passengers said that the Turkish police officers were disrespectful, claiming that such an incident was unprecedented. “I think that the police officers didn’t even know what they were looking for,” one of the passengers told Ynet. “They apparently got an order to detain us, one by one. Everyone was in shock; we didn’t know what they were going to do to us. Obviously this was done intentionally in order to create an unpleasant feeling.”

In addition to personally harassing Israelis, the Turkish government decided to harass Israel militarily, also.

Turkey navy to escort aid ships to Palestinians in Gaza
Turkish officials tell Hurriyet Daily News that Turkish navy will strengthen presence in eastern Mediterranean Sea to stop Israeli ‘bullying’.

In an even more provoking mood, Turkey is planning to visit Egypt, but to also visit the Gaza Strip. This is one step too far, as Israel is concerned.

‘Erdogan visit to Gaza would hurt Turkey-US ties’
“A senior Israeli official on Sunday warned that it would be a diplomatic mistake for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit the Gaza Strip as reports in the Turkish and Arab media suggested he was considering doing. The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported on Sunday that Erdogan will pay a two-day visit to Egypt beginning September 12 and may subsequently cross the border into the Gaza Strip. … Turkish Deputy Premier Bulent Arinc stated that the visit was expected to produce important decisions reflecting the strength of relations between Turkey and Egypt.”

And today, the Washington Post wonders, “Turkey and Israel: Can they repair the relationship?“

They sum up, “With Erdogan in charge, a return to the good old days is highly unlikely. But Turkey, for now at least, needs to perform a balancing act — remaining on good terms with the United States, feeding its domestic audience a steady diet of anti-Zionist rhetoric and not entirely jettisoning the relationship with the Jewish state. With Syria’s Bashar al-Assad under siege and the rest of the Middle East convulsed in turmoil, Turkey may find it unwise to sulk for too long. Who knows which of Ankara’s allies will survive? Perhaps cooler heads and a desire to keep at least one foot firmly planted in the West will temper the Turks’ response.”

Hope springs eternal, doesn’t it? I hope that the people in these nations will find peace, I pray that they do. But any lull or temporary softening of the harsh stances will be short lived, because we know the end from the beginning.

Egypt suffers dreadful losses during the Tribulation, and a final defeat as a nation by Israel. (Isaiah 19:16-17). However, the LORD blesses Egypt at the beginning of the Millennium, along with Israel and Assyria. Egypt turns to the LORD en masse. They still must endure a 40 year desolation, (Ezekiel 29:8-16) they are welcomed back to the LORD after that.

Turkey does not fare as well. At the Gog-Magog battle, “I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.”

The above articles all happened within the last few days. The relationship between Turkey and Israel is devolving fast. Hopefully the rapture is right behind.
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Posted in amos, end time, end time. prophecy, fires, gray whale Israel coast

Does Amos’s prophecy have application for what’s happening in Israel today?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Did you know that some of biblical prophecy could be interpreted to have a partial fulfillment in the distant past and another completion in the future? Some prophesies were filled only once (Zechariah 9:9). Some were given a long time ago and are pending, they still have only one fulfillment in the future. (Isaiah 17:1). But some prophesies actually have a parallel track that can be applied to modern times. Why? God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and what He was concerned about in the past He is concerned about in these times. If He warned and judged for lackluster worship in the past, He will again. If he warned and judged about greed, truce-breaking, false idols, and oppression in the past, He will again. Just because Amos’s day has passed does not mean no one is an oppressor. Just because prophesies given in the past became fulfilled, does not mean the cycle bad behavior and proper repentance, warning and judgment, cease.

Take Amos, for example. What he warned the Israelites about in 750 BC are things that are again occurring today and so we should be concerned about them today.

Amos prophesied in 750BC or so. He spoke God’s Word at a time when the Israelites were enjoying success, which they equated to wealth. As for wealth, they equated it to God’s favor. Just as today we have the prosperity gospel false ideology, so in the past the Jews mistakenly thought that wealth meant they were all set with God and could coast. They relaxed their spiritual duties and God was not pleased.

God was actually looking unfavorably on them. Their worship had become hollow, it was religiosity without heart. God sent Amos to warn them. Amos 1 begins:

“He said, “The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers.” (Amos 1:2)

Amos, being a sheepherder, knew the sound of the lion. It was a prevalent predator in his day and many a sheep were lost to it while shepherds stood helplessly by, able to do nothing. When the lion roars, he means business. His roar, notoriously loud, is meant to startle. The metaphor is meant to startle awake the Israelites to the warning of the lion.

The lion “thundering from Jerusalem” has two metaphors. The first is thunder, which acts the same way as the lion’s roar. Thunder presages a storm. When you hear it, you perk up and you know the storm is on its way. Thundering from Jerusalem means that the LORD  is reminding His people from whence true worship stems.

The “pastures of the shepherds dry up” is simply drought. God is not an absentee landlord. He is active and He sends or withholds rain. Israel today has been experiencing the worst drought in their modern history. For five years rainfall has been a record low levels. All the storage tanks indicate below red marks. Just to give an example, the average rainfall for Jerusalem in November is 60mm. This November, they got 7. ‘The pastures of the shepherds dry up…’ Is it a coincidence that their worst drought in the modern era coincides with a fallen Israel, straying from worship? I do not believe so.

Wildfires broke out this week at Mt. Carmel forest. The Carmel forest is a verdant area of Israel. The area is held up in the bible as the ideal of fertility and beauty. For the “top of Carmel to wither” would be devastating indictment indeed.

Amos prophesied that God was about to raise up the pagan nations around Israel to judge her and them. Lebanon had broken treaties and colluded with Jordan (Edom). The LORD’S anger burned against Gaza because they had deported an entire population. God was angry with Syria for their incessant warlike actions. Greed was the watchword of the day and Israel’s enemies had dragged Israel into a sour economy. The Lord would send fire to the walls of Tyre.

Do you see parallels from the time of Amos with Israel today and her spiritual state? Her wealth and success has seduced her into a relaxed or even a non-existent worship. Her worship was flash over substance at best and so it is today. Her enemies are truce-breakers, greedy, deporting entire populations (Gaza) and militaristic. Even after Israel attacked and destroyed Syria’s nuke site three years ago, the Syrians have apparently rebuilt. The Jerusalem Post reported this week that a possible Syrian nuke facility has been identified by satellite. By the way, Syria has never allowed IAEA inspectors in despite pressure and entreaties by the UN to do so.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox party Shas, said this week in his address that God is judging faithless Jews who do not keep the sabbath. Iran’s Press TV reports: “An Israeli rabbi has suggested that wildfires still raging in northern Israel were God’s punishment for religious offenses committed by the area residents.” Ynet news reported “Haredi newspapers say disaster ‘a warning sign’, call for personal and public self-scrutiny” and as a result, “ultra-Orthodox newspapers called for self-scrutiny, saying the disaster was a sign from God.”

We do know that God warns before judging. The Tribulation is judgment on non-believers and on Israel. When anything destructive or cataclysmic, or miraculous, occurs in Israel, believers should sit up and take notice. When superlatives are attached to any event in Israel, such as “worst drought”, “uncontrollable wildfires”, or “worst disaster” then we should really attune to what God might be saying. When combined with indicators in the bible as to God’s standards, His warnings, and His judgment, and the events match up as a possible prophetic fulfillment, then spiritual alarm bells should be ringing in every Christian.

I advise four things:

1. Hal Lindsey’s Report this week is an excellent overview of Ezekiel’s prophesies fulfilled in regard to Israel. His 20-minute segment gives a wonderful context from which every believer should then come to the minor prophets. Part one of Hal’s segment this week, titled “Ezekiel’s Enigma,” is here and part 2 is here. If that link expires then go to Hal’s web page here.

2. Read Amos 1 with an eye toward a possible fulfillment of the prophesies today that Amos was burdened with speaking back then. If you are not of the ilk that believes in prophetic fulfillment twice, then examine the principles exhibited. Is what is happening in Israel with the drought and the fires a warning from God? If it is a warning, what were the people doing that caused God to warn them? Are we as individuals or as a nation doing those same things today? It is always worth checking ourselves to see how our walk with the Lord is going. Are we wandering? Or are we close to Him?

3. Pray for Israel! Not only are we commanded to in Psalm 122, but Jack Kelley also has an explanation of what you are really doing when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, here. Joel C. Rosenberg has specific prayer needs listed at his website, here. I copied the ones listed for 12/5/10 below:

4. Consider. Amos is written to stir the soul to action. Whether you believe that Amos’s prophesies were fulfilled once for all, or have an imminent fulfillment application for today, the bible is God’s word and it stands for all time. If you have fallen into a prosperity gospel mentality, get out. If you have succumbed to allowing your thoughts to accept division of Israel for peace, stop. If your worship has become flash over substance, shake yourself out of it. The Rabbi’s call to private and public self-scrutiny is good advice, no matter where you stand on fulfillment of prophetic theology (eschatology).

And keep looking up, for your Redemption draweth nigh!

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Posted in end time, gray whale Israel coast, prophecy

Jews migrating to Israel in huge numbers, as Ezekiel prophesied for the last days

Posted on by elizabethprata

Israel National News: 17,880 Made Israel Their Home in 5770
“17,880 people made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel in the Jewish year 5770 (in English, year 2009), according to Jewish Agency records – up from the previous year, when 15,180 people came to Israel via the Jewish Agency. Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, “Aliyah is one of Israel’s strategic assets. It is the most substantial way for Diaspora Jews to identify with Israeli society.” The increase in Aliyah over the past year “is particularly moving in light of the campaign to delegitimize Israel that has been running worldwide recently,” he added. “Each new immigrant is a bridge connecting his Diaspora community to his ancient-new homeland, Israel.” (IsraelNationalNews.com)”

According to the Jewish Agency/Aliyah, “The year 2009 was a turning point: for the first time in a decade there was a rise in the number of new immigrants to Israel as compared with the previous year. Globally, aliyah increased also by 17% compared with ’08, excluding Ethiopian immigration. This year so far, in 2010 (from January to June), the rise in aliyah is 13% over 2009 during the same period. Including all populations the total rise in olim (immigrants) from last year was 32%.

CBS data released ahead of Rosh Hashana 2010 shows Israel’s Population 7.6 Million (75.5% Jews). This exceeds Jewish population anywhere else outside of Israel, including the US.

So after a downward trend from the highs of the early 2000s, the last two years has seen a sudden upturn in Jews from outside Israel requesting to make Israel their home. This is predicted to occur in the last days.

Ezekiel 39:28 – Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.

Is this a prophecy from Ezekiel that has been fulfilled? Or is it one to come? It is one to come, and is related to the last days. Matthew Henry comments: “This is the conclusion of the whole matter going before, and has reference not only to the predictions concerning Gog and Magog, but to all the prophecies of this book concerning the captivity of the house of Israel, and then concerning their restoration and return out of their captivity. Ez 39:23-29: When the Lord shall have mercy on the whole house of Israel, by converting them to Christianity, and when they shall have borne the shame of being cast off for their sins, then the nations shall learn to know, worship, and serve him. Then Israel also shall know the Lord, as revealed in and by Christ. Past events do not answer to these predictions. The pouring out of the Spirit is a pledge that God’s favour will continue. He will hide his face no more from those on whom he has poured out his Spirit.”

This article was published last week:

Young Jews Emigrate in Greater Numbers to Israel
“…Compared with most people who make this life change, their decision can be called impulsive. Though both Holz and Lux were born Jews, neither is observant. And they’ve only gone to Israel once. How long? “Ten days,” replies Lux. And that was enough to decide to move there? “I think the first day was enough,” Holz jumps in. “I mean, we fell in love with it immediately. The scenery, the people, the food. Just everything.” Kate, a server, is 28; Rob, a cook, is 23. According to the Jewish Agency of North America, that’s about average for people who choose to emigrate to Israel from North America. “Once they’ve visited and seen the opportunities and seen there are other options for them in Israel for higher education, I see an increase in young people going more than anything else,” says Shirah Ozery, director of the Jewish Agency’s Midwest office in Skokie. Ozery’s seeing the trend in the Midwest, but it’s on par with the rest of the country. Eight years ago, about 2,000 Jews left North America to go to Israel, according to the Jewish Agency of North America. Last year the figure was nearly double that. The Jewish Agency expects the trend to continue.”

Yes, according to the prophecy of Ezekiel, that trend will continue…

What is aliyah, exactly? This article by Sharona Benjamin answers quite well.

 Making Aliyah: A Continuing Trend: Why Do Many Jewish People Decide to Move to Israel?
The term ‘aliyah’ (literally ‘moving up’) is used to describe the repatriation of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

History of Aliyah
“Israel is not just a country; it is a national and religious homeland. The citizens of modern Israel share the same religion, language and culture as the original Twelve Tribes. Following their forced exile, the Jewish people kept Israel deep in their hearts and minds. For two thousand years they faced Jerusalem and prayed, three times a day, that one day they would return to their homeland. “…The people kept faith with it (Israel) throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.” (Israel’s Declaration of Independence). The establishment of the Zionist Movement in the late nineteenth century saw the commencement of political activity to create a Jewish state. Although some Jews had been returning to Israel independently, the birth of Zionism marked the beginning of organized groups of aliyah to settle the land and rebuild a nation.”

Reasons for Aliyah
“There are two reasons people make aliyah; one is the ‘push’ away from their current country; possibly for lack of political, social, economical, religious or cultural freedom. The other is the ‘pull’ towards Israel, likely to be manifested in a positive aspiration in any of these areas. Since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 there have been waves of ‘mass aliyah’. Largely these were motivated by the ‘push’ of oppression.”

Number of People Moving from Diaspora Jewish Communities to Israel 1948-2006
765,591 from Arabic Countries
1,174,617 from the Former Soviet Union
75,547 from Ethiopia
(stats provided by Jewish Agency for Israel)

“Israel welcomed and absorbed these and other communities to the point that, today, there are few Jews who need ‘rescuing’. According to the Jewish Agency those arriving in recent years and in the future (assuming no major catastrophe occurs) will largely be making aliyah out of choice. So what is the relevance of aliyah for today’s more assimilated communities?”

Modern Aliyah
“Successful integration within their adopted societies has come at a price for many Jewish communities in the west. The younger generations often feel disconnected from their religious and cultural roots. To address this, a variety of community programs have been set up, many of which include trips to Israel. Programmes through Birthright, Bnai Akiva, Aish and others have been successful in instilling in participants an appreciation of their roots and an increased sense of Jewish identity. Another large group of recent ‘olim’ (immigrants) are religiously observant young people and families, who feel increasingly uncomfortable and dissatisfied by their lives in the Diaspora. They are searching for stronger community ties and the comfort and security of being amongst ‘their own’. In 2007 over 3,500 people made aliyah from the United States, UK and Canada. This figure is influenced by the foundation of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation working to encourage and support western aliyah. Their successful promotion of aliyah and package of support has proved to be effective, with an increase of around 300 ‘olim’ from the US arriving in each successive year since their inception. (Figures provided by NbN)”

“The State of Israel was built by ongoing waves of aliyah and the country developed techniques to successfully absorb a diverse range of people and to transform them into a Hebrew-speaking nation with a strong Israeli identify. Aliyah built and now bolsters Israel. It provides valuable people and skills to support her continued social and economic development. They depart from all four corners of the globe as different nationalities but emerge in Israel as one people.” —end article—

God made Himself known through the Jews, and through them the Gentiles became grafted into the family of believers, because Jesus made Himself knowable. Salvation is available to all, through Jesus, who is the only way to heaven. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The Jews are undergoing heightened tensions, attacks, world hate, and soon, persecution. Pray for the people whom God CHOSE! Pray for the Land GOD CHOSE!

Posted in end time, gray whale Israel coast, prophecy

Leviathan: against him, who can stand?

Posted on by elizabethprata

I recently reported on an amazing find in Peru: an animal that matches the biblical description of Leviathan in Job 41. The chapter of Job 41 is quite interesting in itself. God is describing an animal that seems to be familiar to people, Leviathan, with huge and sharp teeth, scales so tight air cannot pass through, (nor a spear), with power so great none dare attempt to catch it. He spends a page and a half describing all the amazing and powerful attributes of this animal, and ends the chapter saying this:

Nothing on earth is his equal—
a creature without fear.
He looks down on all that are haughty
he is king over all that are proud.

God is saying that if man dares not stand against Leviathan, how much less would he stand against a Mighty God? Click here for commentary on the chapter.

Above, the Leviathan well in the Eastern Med. 

I was re-reading Job 41 today and thinking about Israel … and their recent huge natural gas find less than 100 miles off their coast. They named the find “Leviathan.” Lebanon immediately claimed part of the find, and said that Israel was stealing it out from under them. This is typical behavior, but rather than chalk it up to Middle East tensions, here is a wonderful essay that brings the situation to another level, especially in light of prophecy. We know that a series of devastating battles occur at the end time just prior to the 7-year tribulation: Damascus is destroyed (Isaiah 17), a coalition attacks Israel (Psalm 83) and another coalition attacks Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). The result of all these battles and also unnamed others (Matthew 24:6) is that finally, a peace treaty is signed. It will be a false treaty though, confirmed by the then-unknown Antichrist, who will reveal himself 3.5 years later when He desecrates the newly re-built Third Temple.

In the run-up to these battles and wars, we assume the catalytic event will be on land. After all, Lebanon and Syria have thousands of missiles pointing at Israel now. Israel is rumored to be preparing a strike against Ian’s nuclear facilities. Air space for strike fly-overs has been cleared or denied. Iran has sworn to annihilate Israel. Materiel in the form of missiles and tanks has been constantly in the news in terms of swaps, sales, and technological expertise between and among the Gog-Magog players. However, this essay points out something obvious. Obvious that is, the moment after you read it. The catalyst could start by sea.

In this excellent analysis of the naval situation in the Eastern Med, it is reported,

“Speaking last month on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah focused for the first time on the maritime rather than the ground capabilities of his group, boasting that Hezbollah is ready to ‘wipe out Israel’s navy.’ Hezbollah’s growing interest in developing maritime capabilities should not be taken lightly. It would not be surprising if in the coming months Hezbollah would improve its tactical sophistication at sea through acquisition of new weapons and occasional encounters with Israel’s navy. Upcoming flotillas under the Free Gaza banner would enable Hezbollah fighters to closely observe the Israeli Navy at work and identify its weak spots. Later, as the eastern Mediterranean becomes home to drilling rigs, pipelines and other infrastructure related to Israel’s gas operation Hezbollah could find multiple soft targets to attack. Such attacks could easily escalate into a regional war involving neighboring countries like Syria, Turkey and Iran.

How about that. Makes sense, doesn’t it? As a matter of fact, when the BP well exploded then sank, the internet rumor on that day was that a North Korean sub had fired a missile at it. Oil rigs are soft targets…the pull of natural gas an incredible lure, and the analysis above immediately brings a new front into focus.

We know the end because God in His sovereignty showed us in His Word: there will be a series of wars in the Middle East started by Israel’s ancient enemies that cause the final countdown to this epoch on earth. These enemies have never taken God seriously nor have they taken how seriously He takes attacks on Israel. Hearkening back to Job 41:8-10,

Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again!
“Behold, your expectation is false;
Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?
“No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?
“No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?

These enemies’ expectations are false. They will dare lay a hand on Israel, and in doing so, they lay a hand on Leviathan. And before Leviathan, who can stand?

Scientists examine the skull of Leviathan, found in the high Peruvian desert.

Posted in end time, gray whale Israel coast, nuclear, prophecy

Will there be nuclear war?

Posted on by elizabethprata

At the time just before the Tribulation begins, Israel is attacked by an evil coalition of nations that include Russia, Iran, Turkey and others. During the Tribulation, Israel is attacked again.

Zechariah 5:1-4
Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” (30 X 15 feet) Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. “I will make it go forth,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”

A scud missile looks like a rounded cylindrical scroll of about thirty feet in length and fifteen feet in diameter… and the effects of radiation linger in the house…

Zechariah 14:12
“Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.”

Many interpreters take this to mean something in modern warfare, such as a nuclear bomb or a neutron bomb. “A Neutron Bomb, also called ENHANCED RADIATION WARHEAD, specialized type of small thermonuclear weapon that produces minimal blast and heat but which releases large amounts of lethal radiation. The neutron bomb delivers blast and heat effects that are confined to an area of only a few hundred yards in radius. But within a somewhat larger area it throws off a massive wave of neutron and gamma radiation, which can penetrate armor or several feet of earth. This radiation is extremely destructive to living tissue.” source

Alternatively, the plague which comes upon Israel could be the Ebola Virus, which also causes the flesh to rot from the insides.

I bring this up because nuclear issues are in the news and they all surround Israel and the Gog-Magog nations. Suddenly everything is about nukes, who has them and who will use them. After 70 years of nuclear ambiguity, Israel suddenly is being outed in her nuclear capabilities. It is entirely possible that the last battles of the Tribulation may be nuclear in nature. There is an IAEA board of governors meeting in Vienna on June 7 over which I urge Christians to pray and be watchful. I pasted below, in its entirety, a great essay on the subject of Israel and nukes from “Israel Behind the News.” It’s readable and sheds light on this important and dangerous topic.

NUCLEAR AMBUSH FOR ISRAEL?
By Ronen Bergman,Investigative Reporter,Yediot Ahronot
Published in Yediot Ahronot, May 12, 2010 /Sat May 14 2010

In the midst of the Munich Security Conference that was held four years ago, a number of Arab representatives tried to place Israel’s nuclear capabilities on the agenda. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, who was sitting in the crowd, a smile and shot them down. Everyone knows that Israel has to defend itself against existential dangers, said Rumsfeld, and ended that debate before it even began.

But the reality nowadays is completely different.

For the first time in its history, the International Atomic Energy Agency is going to discuss the atomic arsenal that is ascribed to Israel. Section eight of the agenda for the IAEA board of governors meeting in Vienna on June 7 ought to be troubling to Israel for two reasons. The first is that the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and the Israeli intelligence community learned yesterday about the existence of this section from an Associated Press report, and not from their own sources. The second and more important reasons is that this constitutes the further erosion of the wall of nuclear ambiguity that Israel has maintained around the “textile factory” in Dimona.

Had the US administration acted differently, none of this would have happened. While the senior American representative at the Munich conference four years ago derailed the debate on Israel’s nuclear arsenal, American representatives at the very same conference that was held this February squirmed and provided vague answers about the need to free the Middle East of nuclear weapons, identical to the official statements that have recently been issued by the White House and the State Department on this issue.

Why are the Americans doing that? Does this not constitute the violation of the secret agreements that were reached between Golda Meir and President Nixon, that Israel would scrupulously maintain its nuclear ambiguity and the US, in exchange, would not demand that it either sign the NPT or open its nuclear installations to IAEA supervision? What truly is prompting President Obama to attack us on this front as well or, at the very least, to sit with folded arms while others do so?

One possible answer is that Obama is motivated by a liberal ideology that truly believes that the powder-keg known as the Middle East truly can be defused before peace reigns here. Another possible answer pertains to the fabric of relations between Israel and the United States. The US is furious with Israel about its behavior on the Palestinian track and that is why it has partially removed the protective vest that it has provided to Israel for so many years on the nuclear issue. There are some members of the Israeli intelligence community who believe that the Americans are so fed up with Netanyahu that they enjoy seeing us bleed.

Either way, the Arab states have correctly read the changes in Washington and are bombarding us in Vienna. On April 23 the Arab representatives sent IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano a letter in which they asked him to report to the board of governors everything the IAEA knows about Israel’s nuclear capabilities and to demand that Israel permit supervisors to enter its nuclear facilities. Amano recently sent a letter to the foreign ministers of the 151 IAEA member countries and sought their recommendations as to how to persuade Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

If Israel were a signatory of the NPT, the IAEA meeting could have led to a UN Security Council debate and a ruling that Israel was in violation of the treaty. Based on that ruling, the UN Security Council then would have the right to impose sanctions against the violating country. Since Israel never signed the NPT, that is a scenario that cannot occur. Yet the very fact that such a meeting is being held by such an important forum that oversees global nuclear proliferation, for the first time since that agency was established 52 years ago, is very problematic from Israel’s perspective.

The position that was drafted by Yehiel Horev, the former director of security in the security establishment, posits that any discussion, debate or demand to supervise the turn of events in Dimona is bad for Israel. If the ambiguity dissipates, warned Horev and his colleagues, Israel will find itself on the list of countries under international boycott, and even the United States, under any administration, would be obliged to change its policies. That would be damaging to science, the economy and Israel’s national security.

Others, such as Professor Uzi Even, one of the founders of the reactor in Dimona, believe that the time for nuclear ambiguity has passed. Israel, believes Even, needs to achieve a status similar to India’s. While it does not publicly brandish the nuclear weapons it possesses, it is a signatory of the NPT and enjoys the international consequences resulting from this.

The problem is that the upcoming IAEA meeting is liable to erode Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity, but also its ability to cope with Iran in the diplomatic arena. The very fact that someone has placed Israel, Iran and Syria on the agenda of the same meeting makes the Israeli Foreign Ministry fight against a nuclear Iran much more difficult.

Ultimately, this sort of meeting is going to damage Israel’s shaky international standing. Everyone eager to lash out at Israel, and not only in the Arab world, is going to exploit this meeting to demand that the very same steps that are being taken against Iran be taken against Israel. As is, Israel has been suffering from mounting isolation and delegitimization as the national home of the Jewish people. In that kind of reality, raising the issue of Israel’s nuclear capabilities is the last thing that we need.

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, gray whale Israel coast, jonah, signs

Gray Whale found swimming off Israel

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus said that there would be signs to indicate His coming at the end of the age. In the Olivet Discourse with His disciples, Jesus lengthily answered the Disciples’ questions as to these warning signs. (Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 17:20-3) He wanted us to look to those signs as proof of His word. (Matthew 24:25 & Matthew 24:42).

To the Pharisees, however, the hypocritical and unbelieving Pharisees who kept pestering Jesus for a sign that would prove He is the Messiah rather than relying on faith and belief, He gave a completely different answer. In Matthew 12:38-42 He rebuked them sharply, “But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

You know the story. God wanted Jonah to preach to the fallen in the city of Nineveh (which is today’s Mosul, Iraq). Jonah hated Nineveh and ran away. He boarded a boat and a storm came. Soon the men noticed that Jonah was the cause of the storm so Jonah abashedly allowed them to toss him overboard. Jonah was swallowed by a whale (actually a great fish), and was inside its belly for three days and nights. (Jonah 1)

A careful reading of Jonah 2 will elicit the interpretation that as Jonah was sinking to the bottom of the sea and falling unconscious, he prayed for forgiveness, then died. My stance is biblically supported through the verses of Jonah 1:2; 5-7; and through Mt 12:38-40, but more on that in a moment). God sent the fish to scoop up Jonah, who was kept for three days inside the great fish’s belly and then spit up on land, alive.

The Greek renders the word “fish” in this verse dagah. Nineveh at that time was a Dagon-worshiping bunch. Dagon was a Philistine fish-god, referred to in Judges 26:23; I Sam. 5:1-7. Dagon the fish-god is still worshiped today. Imagine the impact of an unbelieving population to have seen a man spit up by a great fish and begin talking about the One True God who trumps this Dagon.

The unbelieving generation to whom Jesus was talking in Matthew 12:38-42 were the Pharisees, who had the advantage of reading the scriptures to verify what they were seeing in front of them, and yet they still refused the Truth. So for the short answer, Jesus compared Jonah’s sign with His upcoming sign. We know that Jesus died and lay in the belly of the earth for three days, and therefore in comparing Him sign with Jonah’s we also conclude Jonah died. Jesus’ warning to look to Jonah should not be dispensed with because He has risen.

So in the news there are things happening that could be called signs. They are certainly perplexing. The planet Jupiter lost a belt. Yes, indeed. One year it was there and next day it wasn’t.

And, off Israel, a gray whale was spotted. So what, you ask? Well, gray whales have been extinct in that part of the world for three hundred years. “The whale population which lives in the northeastern Pacific normally migrates southwards in around October, heading for warmer waters around the Gulf of California in a huge round trip of at least 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers), AFP reported.” It is called the ‘most amazing sighting in history of whales’. It swam for several hours off Herzliya Marina, close to Tel Aviv. They are saying it is a “miracle” and “back from the dead.” Scientists say the North Pacific whale either took an arctic route between ice floes, or Arctic route, swam through the Panama Canal, or continued another 8,000 miles to the south and round Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. Take a look at the map and start tracking a route from Baja CA to Israel either going north to the Bering Sea, south to Cape Horn, or through the Panama Canal across the Atlantic. That is one determined whale.

I have found a useful approach to bible understanding and prophecy interpretation is, after prayer, to just think. Don’t take anything at surface level without asking, “What could it mean?” and asking the Spirit to bring you into deeper understanding. Sure, a gray whale off Israel is an amazing incident. Don’t let it end there, though. Think…Israel…why Israel? The whale could have stopped far, far earlier. There were twenty other countries along a 10,000 mile route he could have stopped at instead of the mere 168 miles along Israel’s land-sea border. Instead, he went through the Straits of Gibraltar or the Suez Canal to specifically get to Israel.

Additionally, when you think of Israel and a whale, what immediately comes to mind? Jonah. And with Jonah, the sign that Jesus Himself gave to a wicked and [spiritually] adulterous generation of their need to repent and believe.

I can’t make a case that the gray whale’s resurrection off the coast of Israel has biblical meaning but even the scientists say it “is bizarre in the extreme“. With bizarre events comes thoughts of Jesus’ promise that the end time will have “fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:11). A sign in the Bible is some event or activity which may or may be supernatural, that would convince OR confirm the Person and claims of Jesus. A sign is usually a miracle with a clear intent; it was a miracle designed to reveal something specific. The Greek word ‘signs’ in that verse means ‘miracle’. “Is the sea off the coast of the Holy Land harboring a miracle? That was the question for biologists after a gray whale appeared off the shores of Israel, Sky News reported on Thursday.”

In my own mind it is not even a question. It is a sign, and with that particular sign we are reminded of the consequences of running from God’s will, His power, and also His redemptive mercy. Will you heed it today?