Assad: I can win the war if I destroy Damascus “What happened in the last meeting between international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as reported yesterday by Asharq al-Awsat newspaper is worth noting. The first told the second, “You cannot remain in power. Apart from the opposition’s ability to win, the price would be the destruction of Damascus.” To this Assad replied, “I can win the war if I destroy Damascus.” This, in fact, is Assad’s plan: destroying Damascus, Syria, and the region. He had tried that in Iraq before and in Gaza and is still doing it in Lebanon.
“We are dealing with a real criminal [Assad] who had intentionally killed tens of thousands, not because they were party to the conflict, but rather because he believes that killing and destruction are tools of control.” ~Abdulrahman al-Rashed
Damascus will be destroyed —
“Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer are deserted they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid. 3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 17:1-3)
We do not know how it will be destroyed, or who destroys it, or when. But on the day it is destroyed, and the areas around the city, Israel will be brought low, too–
“And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean. 5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. 6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the Lord God of Israel.” (Isaiah 17:4-6).
Here is some news I feel is of prophetic importance.
Yesterday I posted a piece about how the world is bent on uniting. The unification of world’s religions (ecumenism), and the unification of world economies rampant. The pace at which economies are melding into one is breathtaking. I had posted a quote from an article: “The competition Czar is the arch-enforcer of the EU machine, with powers to launch dawn raids, deploy SWAT teams, and block mergers on his own authority.”
Wow, that is a lot of power. But that wasn’t the point of the article. In addition to the Competition Czar, the call for a European Union Fiscal Overlord shocked many in Europe: “EU “currency commissioner” with sweeping powers to strike down national budgets; a “large step towards fiscal union.”
Well, today they decided to go for it. They are going to make one man be Europe’s Fiscal Overlord. UPI reports, “EU leaders agreed to create a single banking overseer for the eurozone that could aid ailing banks…” Germany and the UK hassled over some details, but it looks like it will be a done deal. The timeline is as follows: “The 27 EU heads of state and government agreed “on a political framework for the end of 2012 and a gradual implementation in 2013” of a new EU single supervisory mechanism
As I had mentioned in the previous blog about this topic, The Tower of Babel is an object lesson on how mans evil is magnified when man congregates. His pride and his rebellion always comes out when man unites. Further, there is a problem when one man wields tremendous power: there are fewer, if any, checks and balances.
Here is some more news:
WEATHER
Dust storm shuts down interstate in northern Okla. “A massive dust storm swirling reddish-brown clouds over northern Oklahoma triggered a multi-vehicle accident along a major interstate Thursday, forcing police to shut down part of the heavily traveled roadway amid near blackout conditions. In a scene reminiscent of the Dust Bowl days, choking dust suspended on strong wind gusts shrouded Interstate 35, which links Dallas and Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Mo. Video from television station helicopters showed the four-lane highway virtually disappearing into billowing dust on the harsh landscape near Blackwell, plus dozens of vehicles scattered in the median and on the shoulders. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Jodi Palmer, a dispatcher with the Kay County Sheriff’s Office.”
Small earthquake rattles western Nebraska ” An earthquake has rattled western Nebraska, but local officials aren’t reporting any injuries or property damage.The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 3.6 earthquake happened at 11:21 p.m. Wednesday. It was centered about 18 miles northwest of Hyannis.
Moderate earthquake rattles Egypt, felt in Israel 5.0-magnitude quake comes two days ahead of Israel’s large-scale preparedness drill “A moderate earthquake rattled Egypt early Friday morning and was felt as far as Israel, two days before a scheduled nationwide earthquake-preparedness drill here.The tremor, measuring a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale, occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time. It did not cause any injuries or damage, according to initial reports.The epicenter of the quake was approximately 95 miles (150 kilometers) north of the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria.”
Tornadoes, severe storms swat Southeast; 7 hurt “At least four tornadoes were part of the storm system that raked northern and central Mississippi on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, injuring at least seven people, the National Weather Service said. … Radar weather maps overnight showed a huge, arcing front that swept across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and parts of states such as Louisiana and Alabama on its march eastward on a jagged slant.”
“Rachel Held Evans, who describes herself as a feminist Christian, says her end goal had everything to do with being a woman, despite what her critics are saying. “Evans says she wanted “To call into question that there is a single blueprint of how to be a woman. There’s no single model in the Bible – as soon as you think you have found it a woman comes along and breaks it. Everyone picks and chooses. There are verses that say ‘submit to your husband’, but also those that say ‘submit to one another’. The more women know about the bible the more they can respond when people try to silence them.”
“During what she calls “The Womanhood Project“, Evans made her own clothes, grew her hair out, lived outside her home in a tent when she was having her period, called her husband “Master”, and sat alone on the roof of her home as penance after deciding she had been gossiping or nagging, which comes from the Bible verse “it is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman”. In doing so, she hoped to gain a greater understanding of the Bible and a woman’s role according to it, which is sometimes presented as contradictory passages.”
For Denny Burk’s take on the book’s premise (he wrote it before the book was published) go here.
Homosexual Agenda
Marriage Law likely headed to Supreme Court A federal appeals court ruling on Thursday has catapulted a New York case to the head of the line, as the Supreme Court considers which of many cases it should use to decide whether the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is constitutional. For more than a year, the lower courts have been issuing decisions striking down DOMA, declaring the law’s provisions to be unconstitutional discrimination. The statute defines marriage as being only between a man and a woman, meaning that the federal government is barred from recognizing same-sex marriages even when they are legal and recognized by state law. So, if a same-sex couple is legally married in any of the six states where gay marriage is authorized, that marriage is not recognized by the federal government.”
“Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh backtracked slightly on his controversial remarks about abortion, saying today that there are “very rare circumstances” in which a pregnant woman may need to undergo an abortion to save her life. The comment stood in contrast to the tea party icon’s declaration following a Thursday night debate that medical advances had rendered it unnecessary to ever perform an abortion to save a mother’s life.”
Google “backlash,” “Walsh” and “abortion” and you will see the ruckus the abortion pushers made. It caused the staunch pro-life politician to “backtrack slightly” which really means he tucked tail and ran like a scalded dog.
MIDDLE EAST
Lebanon spy chief killed as Syria tensions spill over border “A massive bomb ripped through a crowded Beirut street killed Lebanon’s most senior intelligence official and at least seven others as Lebanon divisions over Syria’s civil war spills over into factional conflict.”
Turkey fires on Syria in retaliation following shell launch “Turkey’s army fired on Syria on Friday after two shells launched from Syria landed in Turkish territory, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported, underlining how tension between the two neighbors remains dangerously high.”
Clashes erupt at Greek anti-austerity protests “Greek police clashed with anti-austerity protesters hurling stones and petrol bombs on the day of a general strike that brought much of the near-bankrupt country to a standstill.In the second major walkout in three weeks on Thursday, almost 40,000 protesters marched in Athens in a bid to show EU leaders meeting in Brussels that new wage and pension cuts will only worsen their plight after five years of recession.Tensions mounted when a small group of protesters began throwing pieces of marble, bottles and petrol bombs at police barricading part of the square in front of parliament, prompting riot police to fire several rounds of teargas to disperse them.”
You see fires like that and read that it was caused by someone throwing a Molotov cocktail in Greece and you don’t gasp because people just don’t do that in the US. But when we read of a Molotov cocktail being thrown at a Virginia Mall, now we gasp.
Arson charge after Molotov cocktail “The man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail into the food court at a northern Virginia mail stood silently and refused to answer any questions at an initial court appearance Friday.Leon Alphans Traille Jr., 29, of no fixed address, was charged Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria with arson. … A court affidavit says that a man matching Traille’s description threw a Molotov cocktail — in this case a brown glass bottle holding at least 16 ounces of flammable liquid with matches taped to the bottle — into the mall’s food court shortly after noon Thursday. The device did not explode but produced a flame that was extinguished, according to the affidavit. Traille then went to second floor of the mall and left behind three similar bottles before leaving, according to the affidavit.”
That is just a bit of the news for you. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and pray always. Jesus is our Savior and our Sustainer, Far from being disheartened by these things, we take comfort in knowing the things He told us would happen are happening, so His word is true. We love that He is coming soon. Be listening fo the Trumpet while always loving one another in spirit and in truth.
Michael T Snyder blogged over at The End of the American Dream,
Did Turkey Just Declare War On Syria? “The Turkish Parliament has “authorized military operations” against Syria. So exactly what does that mean? Did Turkey just declare war on Syria? For now, the government of Turkey is making a clear distinction between “military operations” and “declaring war”. If Turkey were to “declare war”, that would likely involve Turkish troops actually entering Syria, and the war would not be considered “won” until certain objectives are achieved. So by just authorizing “military operations” against Syria, Turkey can sit back and fire off artillery rounds (and potentially call in air strikes if necessary) without being committed to entering Syria or attacking Damascus.”
“Turkey is not too keen on invading Syria by itself anyway. Turkey would want the help of NATO in such an event, and right now Barack Obama has made it abundantly clear to the Turkish government that he is not going to participate in an attack on Syria before the election. Obama has been leading in the polls and he has way too much to lose by starting another war. But what all of this does show us is a couple of things. First of all, once again we see that the Middle East is a tinderbox that can erupt at any moment. Second of all, just the rumors of a war between Turkey and Syria sent the price of oil absolutely skyrocketing on Thursday. It is frightening to imagine what a real war in the Middle East might do to the price of oil.”
“So what precipitated this move by Turkey?”
More at link. Very important developments. Snyder said, “That is one reason why it is so important to keep a close eye on this conflict. What is starting out as a conflict between Turkey and Syria could end up drawing in the United States, the rest of NATO, Iran, Hezbollah and potentially even several other countries in the Middle East.”
Isaiah 17 An Oracle Concerning Damascus
Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.
The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. 14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! (Isaiah 17:1, 13-14)
“PARIS: Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said on Thursday a deadly Syrian mortar strike on a Turkish town had to be considered an attack on a member of the NATO alliance. Israel is technically at war with Damascus and occupies the Golan Heights that it seized in the 1967 war and later annexed, but it has generally taken a cautious line on the uprising in its Arab neighbour. “One has to say that according to the NATO treaty, it was an attack on a member of NATO, and that means France,” Meridor told reporters during a visit to Paris, referring to France’s membership of NATO. Syria and Israel have not exchanged fire in three decades, and a parliamentary briefing in July by the Israeli armed forces chief about the risk of “uncontrollable deterioration” in Syria were interpreted by local media as a caution against opening a new fighting front with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”
————— As reaction to the Presidential candidate debate last night, The Washington Times reports,
HURT: Obama the debater: Making Jimmy Carter look awesome “Bewildered and lost without his teleprompter, President Obama flailed all around the debate stage last night. He was stuttering, nervous and petulant. It was like he had been called in front of the principal after goofing around for four years and blowing off all his homework.”
It is so interesting to see what the Lord has in store for us here in America through these next weeks and months (Until January’s inauguration). Which king will he set up for us? Which King will he take down? How will we give an account to Him, individually, for our decisions?
It is also interesting to see the Lord’s work in the Middle East. This past June, Syria downed a Turkish jet. Turkey was angry and with their hair-trigger, almost retaliated militarily. NATO and the UN calmed Turkey down. The Reuters article about the June incident opened this way:
“Syria shot down a Turkish warplane over the Mediterranean on Friday and Ankara warned it would respond decisively to the incident that threatened to open a new international dimension in the 16-month revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria said the Turkish aircraft was flying low, well inside Syrian territorial waters when it was shot down. With the second biggest army in NATO, a force hardened by nearly 30 years of fighting Kurdish rebels, Turkey would be a formidable foe for the Syrian army which is already struggling to put down a 16-month-old revolt.”
Always remember that. Turkey has the 2nd largest military in NATO, after America. They are hardened from fighting Kurds in the desert and they are less and less secular as each year goes on. The country is Muslim.
Then yesterday Syria shot mortars into Turkey. The spill-over of the revolution in Syria has affected Turkish citizens along the border. Turkey had been wary these last two years of the Syrian unrest, and then became inflamed ever since the June jet incident. The Turkish Parliament and the President became incensed after the shelling crossed into Turkey this weekend, and have been consistently retaliating.
The BBC reports, “Turkey’s territory has been hit by fire from Syria on several occasions since the uprising against Mr Assad began, but Wednesday’s incident was the most serious…. The Turkish parliament is discussing authorising troops to cross into Syria. But government sources say Turkey is not planning to declare war on Syria. … Nato has held an urgent meeting to support Turkey, demanding “the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts against an ally”. The US, the UK and the European Union have already condemned Syria’s actions.”
In Isaiah 17 it is prophesied that Damascus is destroyed in one night, Poof, it’s done, razed to the ground and uninhabitable. The rest of Syria becomes desolate. It is interesting that the prophecy doesn’t say how Syria becomes desolate, nor who does it. It could be Israel, making sure that chemical weapons don’t get released into the hands of Hezbollah. It could be the rebels themselves, on purpose or accidentally. It could be Turkey, now that we see this new tension. We just don’t know how it happens. Some have speculated that Damascus’s demise happens via nuclear bomb, because what other weapon can raze a thriving, ancient city of 3 million so quickly and so permanently? On the other hand, maybe it will be a ‘natural’ incident, like an earthquake. With the current tension in the area ongoing, we just don’t know the details or the timing. Only the results. And that is what makes it so unbearable.
In the Gog Magog war prophesied by Ezekiel in chapters 37-38, Turkey is one of the participants which take part in a surprise attack on Israel. Other nations in the military alliance are Russia, Iran, and parts of northern Africa, including Libya, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Syria is not mentioned in that battle, nor are they mentioned in the Psalm 83 war. It is therefore thought that the prophecy about Syria’s destruction prophesied in Isaiah 17 had already come about. It is thought that something has to happen to ally these disparate nations, which are enemies now (Russia is on Syria’s side and has asked that Turkey remain neutral in this latest cross-border military incident.)
But something has to change to make these nations that are culturally and religiously opposed, come together and attack their common enemy, Israel.
In the Middle East, Turkey and Iran are the two powerhouses, each with a different flavor of Islam and each vying for top dog status in the region. Just because they are Muslim, or are neighbors, does not make them friends. They have their cultural differences, internal and external skirmishes, and ego-driven needs, too.
The region was already stressed to the max from the Arab Spring, a shift from the US to China for world’s dominating superpower, and internal unrest they have had to deal with. The tectonic plates of geo-political power have been shifting under their feet (as well as ours) and they are trying to deal with a new world order that is being formed before our eyes. That is why I say it is so interesting to see what the Lord is doing.
In the region, the trigger fingers of each President or Leader already itching. The Turkey-Syria shelling deepens the tension to a degree I feel is worth noting. If things were teetering before, this incident pushed it to crazy teetering.
The Jerusalem Post reports this morning, “Turkey strikes back at Syria, vows to protect its borders.” “Ankara seeks parliamentary approval for foreign military operations after a mortar shell kills five in Turkish border town; NATO ambassadors meet to discuss the threat to a member state.”
Please continue to pray for our Christian friends in the affected regions. Also pray for the lost over there, who are close their eternal destiny of death and separation from Jesus forever every day. The area is going to erupt any moment, and we will see (or not see, if the rapture comes first) Isaiah 17 lived out, and Damascus destroyed. Psalm 83 lived out, and Israel victorious. Perhaps we will even see the beginning of the Gog Magog battle, should the Lord tarry.
Though times are stressful and tense, we do rejoice that the Lord is in control. It is all happening exactly as He said it would, lo those thousands of years ago!
An Op-Ed piece in the Israeli National News (Arutz Sheva) newspaper today just tore me up. I’ve been reading over the years of the incremental chipping away at Israel’s right to her holy and historic sites. Today there was an Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed) lamenting this sad fact.
Has Israel Lost the Temple Mount Race? Op-ed:Olympic races don’t mean a thing, but the race for the control the Temple Mount is one that we must win. By Giulio Meotti “A Palestinian flag is now flying on the Temple Mount, the most holy site on earth, where the First and Second Temples stood and the Holy of Holies was. Piece after piece of Eretz Israel is becoming a symbol of Arab nationalistic achievements. Several months ago, the Palestinian Rehabilitation Committee raised the UNESCO flag next to the Palestinian flag in front of Hevron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs. A Palestinian flag on the Temple Mount not only makes the Jewish people psychologically weaker, it looks as though Islam won the race in climbing to the top of the most sacred mountain. It’s an implicit recognition of Muslim hegemony.”
He’s right.
Then I read this about a young man:
Youth Arrested for Prostrating Self on Temple Mount “A 21-year-old resident of the Judean Jewish community of Kiryat Arba was detained for questioning, Tuesday morning, after he prostrated himself on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The action violates guidelines for non-Muslim visitors to the holy site, who are not allowed to do anything that resembles praying.”
There are rules that no one may stop walking on the Mount, or fold hands or whisper or bow. Once, a woman was arrested for putting her head on a bench. You cannot bring a bible. You cannot bring anything with Hebrew lettering on it, even a newspaper. If you break some of these rules you will be summarily arrested. Others, you will be detained and your item confiscated. Sad!! It will be so great when all believers are in the presence of Holy God and we can pray all we want.
The Lebanon Daily Star is usually pretty interesting. I read Arutz Sheva and the Jerusalem Post, the Jordan Times, and Turkey’s Hurriyet News to get my dose of news from epicenter mainstream sources, and whatever the King of the dictator in power at the moment has allowed into print. The Lebanon Daily Star has an interesting feature: Photos of the Day. They offer a different perspective than the similar feature at the Boston Globe does. For example, here is one of yesterday’s photos:
An Afghan man stands near the window of a tea house in downtown Kabul. AFP PHOTO/ Roberto SCHMIDT
Or this one from today A riotpoliceman reacts after he was hit by a petrol bomb thrown by protesters during a nationwide general strike in Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
The Greek and Spain economic situation is terrible. People are dumpster diving in Spain in increasing numbers just to find some food so they can stay alive.
Spain Recoils, as Its Hungry Forage Trash Bins for a Next Meal “On a recent evening, a hip-looking young woman was sorting through a stack of crates outside a fruit and vegetable store here in the working-class neighborhood of Vallecas as it shut down for the night. Getty Images The European Union (EU) flag, left, flies alongside the Spanish national flag. At first glance, she looked as if she might be a store employee. But no. The young woman was looking through the day’s trash for her next meal. Already, she had found a dozen aging potatoes she deemed edible and loaded them onto a luggage cart parked nearby. “When you don’t have enough money,” she said, declining to give her name, “this is what there is.”
It is a gripping, sobering, and heartbreaking article. This is so especially because the real hunger hasn’t even started yet. (Revelation 6:6; Matthew 24:7)
Also in the Daily Star is this news article:
Tehran unveils drone capable of reaching Israel “Iranian military leaders gave details Tuesday of a new long-range drone and test-fired four anti-ship missiles in a prelude to upcoming naval war games planned in an apparent response to U.S.-led warship drills in the Persian Gulf. The show of Iranian military readiness and its latest tool – a domestically made drone capable of reaching Israel and most of the Middle East…”
Hmmm. This bodes ill. Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised an appropriate response to Iran Prime Minister Ahmadinejad’s speech a the UN where as usual he promised to wipe Israel from the map.
Netanyahu promises fitting response “Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu left hours after the end of Yom Kippur Wednesday night for New York to address the United Nations where he pledged to give a fitting response to Iran’s desire to “sentence us to death.” In an unusual letter to the Israeli public before leaving for the US, Netanyahu wrote that history showed that those who desired to wipe the Jewish people “off the map” failed, while the Jewish people persevered and overcame all obstacles. Netanyahu – referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to the UN on Wednesday – said that while “we prayed to be inscribed in the Book of Life, a platform was given to a dictatorial regime in Iran that strives, at every opportunity, to sentence us to death.”
Poetic words. History shows that Netanyahu is right. The bible as history book shows time and again that when God wants Israel to be an immovable rock, He makes Israel an immovable rock. (Zechariah 12:3).
Turkey used to be fairly secular. Over the past ten years or so it has turned into a Muslim state. Now, there are complaints that high school children are being forced to attend imam hatip schools. These are schools which focus not only on secular curriculum but teach conservative Islam theology. If you want to be an Imam you graduate from one of these schools. They call them Muslim preacher schools.
Students forced to enroll in religious schools in Istanbul “Students living in Istanbul’s European-side district of Sultangazi who failed to earn good enough marks to enter the advanced Anatolian High School system or a vocational school have been enrolled in the religious imam-hatip schools without their knowledge, daily Hürriyet reported. Nearly 3,000 students were prevented from enrolling the Anatolian and vocational schools following the entrance tests, and most of those were subsequently enrolled in religious imam-hatip schools against their wishes.”
Parents are quoted as saying their child had checked off vocational school but the child wound up in the religious school instead, despite there being plenty of openings and the preference being having been made clear.
Meanwhile in Jordan there is concern that there is not enough Arabic content on the internet.
‘Gov’t to form council on Arabic web content’ “The government said on Wednesday that it will establish a consultative council to increase Arabic content on the Internet. The council will include representatives of the public sector, private content development companies, academia, publishers, lenders and investment funds, a source at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said. “Our objective is to help look into ways to increase Arabic content to serve Internet users not only in Jordan but across the Arab world,” the source told The Jordan Times.”
People are nuts. The smallest thing will set them off. In NYC, two businessmen fight over a taxi. The scuffle began on the street with chest bumping and shoving, then one guy raced to the taxi with the other guy close on his heels, then the two shoved their way into the open passenger door, with one man briefly putting the other in a chokehold. One man entered the cab victorious and the other slammed the door very hard as the taxi prepared to speed away.
The newscaster said that though people argue over cabs all the time in the big city, you don’t often see this:
I can’t imagine how difficult it is living in proximity to many millions of people who are off their rockers in sin and haven’t been saved. With sin rising the way it is a city would be the last place I would want to spend any time at all.
Though tragedy finds us here in the country, too. Sadly a few weeks ago, in a nearby county, a student took his own life at school. It shocked us all that a youth would end his life, (he died a day later in hospital) and in such a public and dramatic way, too. Now I read another story today of a youth killing himself in a public school. This one was in Oklahoma. And he was 13 years old.
Police: Student shoots self at Stillwater school “STILLWATER, Okla. — A 13-year-old student shot and killed himself in a hallway at an Oklahoma junior high school before classes began Wednesday, police said, terrifying teenagers who feared a gunman was on the loose.”
Oh, our precious babies!!
So the end will be soon but not yet. Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Soon- for believers will be taken out of the way before the Tribulation begins. (Isaiah 26:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 3:10). But not yet.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6.)
Have you ever considered that one evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration is the very fact we look forward to the final ‘regeneration’ at the end of the age? (Matt. 19:28). “By His resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ became the ‘firstborn among many brethren.’ In the new birth, we are born again into the family of God, and the new light of the world to come begins to irradiate our lives. We yet live in ‘this present evil world’ (Gal. 1:4), but we live the life of the world to come because it has already come in the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit, the Spirit of God’s new and proper Man, Jesus Christ. The Spirit’s indwelling, renewing presence imparts a new direction, even trajectory, to our lives.” [more here]
Pastor Steve Lawson preached on the signs of the end of the age in a sermon called “Get Ready!” He said toward the end of his portion on the signs themselves,
“There will be forerunners who will announce His coming. And they are one of the signs that are mentioned throughout the entirety of this chapter. And Jesus says, ‘When you see these signs being fulfilled, we are to recognize and know that He is near, right at the door. The picture here is of Christ, arising from His throne in heaven, and approaching a door that would lead from heaven to the earth…He has arisen from His throne and His hand is on the door, ready to open the door and burst upon the stage of human history. Jesus says ‘when you see these signs increasing as leaves on a tree do suddenly appear on a tree in spring and grow and increasing fashion, when you see these signs growing in fullness, know that the judge is standing right at the door….Is it wrong to look at world events and try to estimate where we are in God’s prophetic calendar? The answer is no. Or He would never have told us what are these signs to look for. It would be a total denial of what Jesus said to not have one hand on the bible looking into the scripture and the other eye looking around at the world to see what is going on.”
King Abdullah: Israel disrupting Jordan’s nuclear plans “King Abdullah II on Wednesday accused Israel of disrupting Jordan’s nuclear program which is aimed at meeting its dire energy needs and powering water desalination plants, in an exclusive interview with AFP. “Strong opposition to Jordan’s nuclear energy program is coming from Israel,” the king said.”
Israel denies interfering with Jordan’s nuclear energy ambitions “An Israeli official denied that his country is trying to disrupt Jordan’s nuclear energy program. The official dismissed charges by Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Wednesday that Israel is trying to thwart Jordan’s attempts to develop a nuclear energy program, the French news agency AFP reported. “Every time that we were consulted on this we adopted a positive approach,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We were consulted and we always said that of course if this was done according to NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] regulations and supervision and everything, then fine, we have no objection.”
Jordanian official: No tension between Israel, Jordan “Asked whether diplomatic relations between Israeli and Jordanian leaders still exist, Amro said: “I believe that there is no tension between the two countries. We have a good relationship.”
Israel’s most unsecured border? “Sinai smugglers face crackdown around Egyptian border but may soon find an alternative route via Jordan, where border area is alarmingly exposed. Residents fear this will be source of next terror attack.”
Here is some news for you. I’m working on that promised essay about how to guard your thoughts, and another promised essay about satan’s symbols.
Meanwhile, the world situation is pretty interesting. Globally, it is just a mess. I’ve never seen the world in this much disarray, and I thought 1968 was pretty bad. That was a picnic compared to the 2012. Spiritually, the world is in a worse mess. Apostasy, hatred, and Fundamentalist Christians as the bad guys. Prophecy nearing fulfillment and the evil thoughts of men’s hearts only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5; Matthew 24:37). The LORD is ever-drawing the Church Age to a close while giving the rebellious time to repent. Here is a map to orient yourself, and then the news
MIDDLE EAST
I don’t think many Americans realize what a threat Iran is, not just to Israel, but to the US, and the world. Their single-mindedness in creating nukes is startling, and woefully underestimated. Just look at the progress they have made–
KAHLILI: Iran’s radical rulers close in on the bomb “Iran continues unabated with its illicit nuclear and missile programs despite a decade of negotiations, being targeted by cyberwarfare and recent harsh sanctions on the Iranian Central Bank and oil industry piled on top of earlier, crippling sanctions. … When President Obama took office, the Iranians had barely enough enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb and were limited to an enrichment level of 3.5 percent. Today, Iran has mastered the enrichment to the 20 percent level, a critical step to weaponization, and has announced that it soon will enrich to more than 50 percent in order to provide nuclear fuel for future nuclear-powered vessels. More than 11,000 centrifuges are currently spinning at the Natanz nuclear facility, an increase of 3,000 from just months ago. Hundreds of centrifuges are enriching uranium to the 20 percent level at the previously secret Fordow facility deep in a mountain. The latest IAEA report as of May verified that Iran has enough enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs, should it advance enrichment to weaponization grade.”
Saudi Arabia is not a nation we hear too much about, the focus in the Middle East is always Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria…but Saudi is having its own troubles too. Saudi is one of the nations mentioned in the Psalm 83 confederacy which attacks Israel in the last days- they’re the Ishamelites. (Psalm 83:5-6)
Is Saudi Kingdom on the edge? “By appointing Prince Bandar bin Sultan as its new intelligence chief, Saudi Arabia has installed what looks like a war cabinet at a time of rising tensions with Iran and growing internal dissent from its Shiite minority. The Saudis have also heightened their alert level in other ways to prepare for possible regional conflict. Some Saudi military and security personnel were mobilized last month — called back from summer leave or told to cancel planned vacations.”
Jordan is the only nation during the Tribulation not to fall under the domination and control of the antichrist. (Dan 11:41). No one for sure knows why. It should be noted that Jordan is where Jesus tells the Jews to run to when they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. (Matthew 24:15-16). He actually says ‘to the mountains’ but the only mountains nearby Jerusalem are in Jordan, not coincidentally, also where Petra is. Jesus plans to use that enclosed city as His sheepfold during the Tribulation to protect the remnant. (Isaiah 63:1). Now, even fairly peaceful Jordan is clashing with a neighbor:
“Syrian and Jordanian troops have clashed in the Tel Shihab-Turra area “Fighting involving armored vehicles broke out Friday night between Jordanian and Syrian troops in a border region. Reuters cited Jordanian sources and an unnamed Syrian opposition activist who witnessed the incident. The Tel Shihab-Turra border area has been used as a passage by Syrian refugees fleeing the violence. The clashes reportedly occurred after a number of refugees attempted to cross into Jordan. There appear to be no Jordanian casualties.”
I think no one in their right mind thinks a clash between Israel and someone, likely Iran, won’t happen in the near future. France announces they have made provisions to get their people out of there if it should come to war:
France Prepares For An Evacuation Of Its Nationals Living In Israel “France has prepared a contingency plan to evacuate its citizens from Israel, La Tribune has learned. According to diplomatic sources, a plan to evacuate the 200,000 French nationals living in Israel has been drafted to prepare for the eventuality of conflict between Iran and Israel. The objective, says the French financial newspaper, is not to be caught off guard should a barrage of missiles equipped with conventional or non-conventional weapons be fired by Iran or Hezbollah on Israeli territory.”
There is violence again in the southern part of the hot zone: Israel’s Sinai border with Egypt
Egypt Sends Armored Units to Sinai After Security Revamp “Egypt’s military deployed additional armored units to Sinai and closed smuggling tunnels into Gaza as it stepped up efforts to rout militants following a bloody border attack that afforded President Mohamed Mursi a chance to revamp the country’s security apparatus. The military sent several dozen more tanks and armored vehicles into north Sinai, the state-run Ahram Gate reported, citing witnesses in the area. The operation, now in its third day, is the largest offensive by Egypt in the Sinai in decades. The military also used Apache attack helicopters during operations, state media reported.”
WEATHER
Drought covers TWO-THIRDS of the United States.
July is hottest month on record; drought expands to 63 percent of United States It may come as little surprise with this summer’s sweaty nights and blistering days across much of the country, but July marked the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States, according to government scientists. Furthermore, drought now covers nearly 63 percent of the Lower 48 states, where average precipitation is 0.19 inch below average.”
This drought is having and will continue to have devastating effects on food and prices. Remember, one of God’s judgments is drought and another is famine. They are intertwined. Both are predicted for the Tribulation.
US drought threatens food prices “The worst drought in the US in at least half a century has destroyed one-sixth of the country’s expected corn crop in a month threatening a surge in global food price inflation. The US government estimated corn farmers had abandoned fields greater in area than Belgium and Luxembourg after the hottest July in US history irreparably damaged their crops. The harvest for soyabeans, largely crushed into animal feed and vegetable oil, would be the lowest in five years.”
WEIRD
Weird weather rains seaweed over Gloucestershire village “They were stunned to find their homes, gardens and cars littered with the smelly marine algae after a stormy weather spout swept up the debris from a beach 20 miles away. Weather experts believe the seaweed was picked up from Clevedon Beach in North Somerset by a twister during freak weather conditions on the coast. It was then carried through the air – before being deposited on the quiet street in Berkeley, near Cheltenham, Glos. Stunned engineer Dr Richard Overton, 55, and his wife Kay, collected an entire bucket full of the green slime from their front garden. He said: “I looked out of the window after a very big storm finished and to my amazement there were lots of flakes of seaweed scattered over the garden.”
Doesn’t anyone have any self-control anymore? Oh, wait… (2 Timothy 3:3)
Drunk tourist falls asleep on airport baggage belt and passes through powerful X-ray machine “Letting go of your all important luggage at airports can often be a stressful experience for many travellers. Stories about holidaymakers losing their bags can lead to anxiety for many passengers. But for one drunk Norwegian tourist recently this wasn’t an issue – he simply decided to join his bag. The 36-year-old man fell asleep on the baggage belt at Rome’s Fiumicino airport and travelled 160 feet before he was identified by an X-ray scanner. … It is believed he travelled for 15 minutes before his body was spotted by shocked officials in an X-ray image on their screens. The Norwegian was curled up in the foetal position. The man, who has not been named, slept through the entire incident.”
Well, this is weird.
Mysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation “A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions. The 400-square-foot gaping hole is in Assumption Parish, La., about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge. The sinkhole sits in the middle of a heavily wooded space where it has consumed all of the soaring cypress trees that had been there. Flyover photos show some of the treetops still visible through the mud.”
I have no idea even how to classify “pumice raft” except weird. Apparently the Royal Australian Navy has no other way to classify it, either.
25,000 sq km sea of pumice floats off New Zealand “A navy ship heading to the Kermadec Islands has sailed into a huge 25,000 square kilometre area of pumice pieces north of Auckland. It is believed to be from New Zealand’s third erupting volcano – the undersea mount Monowai. In the past week both Mt Tongariro and White Island have erupted. The navy said the raft – 463 kilometres by 55 kilometres – was spotted by an RNZAF Orion returning on patrol from Samoa. Lieutenant Tim Oscar, a Royal Australian Navy officer on an exchange with the NZ Navy, saw what he described as “the weirdest thing I’ve seen in 18 years at sea. … Rebecca Priestley said it was “an event” which caused the Canterbury’s Commanding Officer, Commander Sean Stewart to give the order to change course. “Up to 250 nautical miles long by 30 nautical miles wide, it stood out against the blue-grey of the ocean as a great white froth on the surface of the sea,” Priestley wrote.”
There is a lot going on, but remember there is a lot going on, too. Like this:
“And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
and this:
“He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)
Eternal glory with the Savior is worth living through the death knells of a sinful world. Pray for each other and love one another well. He is coming soon for His beloved Bride. I hope if you are reading this you are part of the bride too. If you’re not, all you need to do is repent of your sins. Are you sorry for the wrong things you do? Tell it to Jesus. Believe on HIM. You cannot see Him, but He is there, listening. And waiting….for YOU!
Do you remember just two months ago Israel’s largest-ever coalition government was created, when the party leader for the Kadima party Shaul Mofaz became Vice Prime Minister as part of a deal reached for a government of national unity with Binyamin Netanyahu and the Likud party? Well, all that’s over now.
Mofaz Quits Israeli Government: Why he did it, and what it means. “Some Kadima members, and political analysts, believe Mofaz decision could effectively destroy the party, which is already bleeding public support. With Kadima out of the government, Netanyahu’s government still retains a healthy majority of 12 seats in the Knesset. But this upheaval could lead to new elections by the end of the year, or possibly in early 2013. It could also complicate the PM’s decision to launch a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. I believe Netanyahu is seriously considering a strike against Iran this fall, before the U.S. elections. But if his governing coalition falls apart, or if his approval ratings drop significantly, this could impede his ability to garner domestic Israeli support for such a strike.”
It is a shame that Mofaz led his party away from the unity government this week. Just a few days later Israeli youths were the target of a horrific terrorist act of blowing up a bus full of Israeli citizens at the Bulgarian airport at Bursa. “A suicide bomber with fake US identification carried out the attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria yesterday, according to Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov,” reports Christian Science Monitor.
Reaction from Israel’s highest echelons has been swift and fierce. Between rocket attacks on Israeli soil, some of them occurring just yesterday, instability in neighboring Syria, especially the pivotally important Golan Heights, and now this attack abroad, Israel is well and truly fed up. The strongest language yet has been issues forth in a harsh speech: “Netanyahu Vows ‘Forceful Response to Iranian Terror‘” and is quoted as saying, “Iranian terror continues to strike at innocents. Israel will respond with force to the Iranian terror,” he said.”
Of course today the Israelis are backing down from that promise of a forceful response, that it won’t rush to retaliate. It is surely a time of wars and rumors of wars, as Jesus said the time of the end would be (Matthew 24:6)
If the Unity Government had remained intact it certainly would make it much easier to obtain an affirmative vote for military action. As it is, we will see what will happen next. For now, in looking at the photo array from Washington Post, tears come to my eyes in searching the faces of these victims…
Resolve in the face of this Paramedic
Anguish in this young woman. You notice her shoes were blown off, and her feet are bandaged. Likely she had to walk over broken glass to get to safety.
Despair in this elder’s face.
We have the hope of His coming. We cling to prophecy as a promise through which we can be comforted about our future with Jesus. But that doesn’t diminish the anguish of the now. He said that at the time of the end “there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity…” (Luke 21:25a). The distress of the nations is our distress. These things must be. Prophecy even explains how and why, and in that way, our brains are satisfied. But our hearts ache.
IRAN
Ex-Iran Revolutionary Guard member Reza Kahlili (not this real name) has been warning us for a little while now that the flavor of terrorism will change. He has been saying that the face of terrorism as the US citizens and Israeli citizens have known it will change from brown to white. Muslims have been working hard at setting up terror cells in Mexico, working with the Mexican drug cartels. They have been busy in South America and the US and/or recruiting people from heretofore unassailed racial groups. Terrorists doing Hezbollah business could be brown or white, Hispanic, Caucasian or anything in between.
As a matter of fact the Jewish Press article from yesterday states, “In Norway, for example, an ethnic Norwegian convert to militant Islam who has received terrorist training from al-Qaeda’s offshoot in Yemen, is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies said on June 25. European officials have confirmed that the man is “operational,” meaning he has completed his training and is about to receive a target.”
USA Today has an article noting the connection between Dearborn Michigan, and the fact that this white, lanky, American-ized suspect entered Bulgaria on a fake US driver’s license. “Officials were using DNA samples to try to establish his identity. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov told reporters that a Michigan driver’s license was retrieved, but he said U.S. officials reported that “there was no such person in their database.” Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab communities in the U.S.”
Dearborn is home to THE largest US mosque, too. Dearborn of late has been host to an influx of Middle East immigrants. Wikipedia: “Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs have also immigrated to the area. Since then, Arab immigrants from Yemen, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, most of whom are Muslim, have joined them. Lebanese Americans are still the most numerous group. The Arab Muslim community has built the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in North America.”
Iran is still belligerent. And ready.
Ex-Revolutionary Guard member: Iran ready with terror plans to hit U.S. if Israel attacks “Kahlili says, in the event of an Israeli airstrike, Iran is prepared to up the ante, not by responding militarily, but with a global campaign of terror attacks.” Should it become an all-out war, then they will definitely respond on the world stage by terrorist attacks within the U.S., in Europe, and against America’s interests, against Israel’s interests,” Kahlili says. Intelligence officers believe Iran has already done the pre-operation surveillance for a series of terrorist attacks. There’s plenty of evidence that Tehran has scoped out targets, taken photos and written plans for terrorist strikes in the Mideast, Europe, South America, and even the United States.”
Everybody is eyeing those chemical weapons that could be up for grabs if the regime falls. See this next article-
Israel and the US reportedly discussed attacking Syrian weapon stockpiles in light of the situation in Damascus “Against the backdrop of the Syrian instability, the New York Times is reporting that Israeli and US defense officials have discussed the possibility of destroying the weapon stockpiles of the Syrian army. The move is considered as a means of preventing the weapons from falling into the hands of terror elements, such as Hezbollah.”
WEATHER
Crazy, crazy, crazy. These photos at the Daily Mail are astounding! I’ll post just a few. The Daily Mail’s pics are very large and you will get a real sense of the power of God when He uses weather if you go there to see them all.
That storm might have broken the heat in NY but it is still going strong in the US Midwest, and is killing the corn. The heat is forecast to linger for the rest of the summer. The worst drought in 25 years has brought about the devastation of the corn crop, and likely soybeans too. This in turn has already caused food prices to rise. “Vilsack revealed that 78 percent of U.S. corn and 11 percent of soybean crops had been hit, and compared the situation to a 1988 drought that cut production by 20 percent and cost the economy tens of billions of dollars.”This will result in significant increases in prices for corn. We’ve seen a 38 percent increase since June 1 in the price of a bushel of corn — it’s now $7.88. A bushel of beans has risen 24 percent,” he said.” (Revelation 6:6, Matthew 24:7).
Stunted corn grows next to a cattle feed lot in Springfield, rural Omaha, Neb. on Tuesday. The drought gripping the United States is the widest since 1956. (Nati Harnik/AP)
Remember that drought, the big drought, AKA the Dustbowl?
“For eight years dust blew on the southern plains. It came in a yellowish-brown haze from the South and in rolling walls of black from the North. The simplest acts of life — breathing, eating a meal, taking a walk — were no longer simple. Children wore dust masks to and from school, women hung wet sheets over windows in a futile attempt to stop the dirt, farmers watched helplessly as their crops blew away.” [source]
Here is a drought map from today, July 19, 2012, from National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration. (NOAA). 55 of the contiguous 48 states are suffering drought conditions.
“The 1936 North American heat wave was the most severe heat wave in the modern history of North America. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and caused catastrophic human suffering and an enormous economic toll. The death toll exceeded 5,000, and huge numbers of crops were destroyed by the heat and lack of moisture.”
It would be interesting to compare the 1936 Depression heat wave with the current heat wave. The 1936 heat wave information from Wiki was last updated in 2007. I am sure the comparison would be illuminating, as would a comparison to the drought and crop failures. But you would have to be a better man than I. My heart aches enough as it is.
Some Middle East news I thought was interesting. After June’s ramp-up on the Negev and Gaza Strip with Hamas bombs falling, and the last minute rush of UN’s Kofi Annan to try and get a peace going in Syria, and Turkey’s anger over Syria downing its jet, tensions were at a ridiculous height. Over the last two weeks that tension has ratcheted down a bit, but now are ramping up again. Iran has renewed its belligerence and has made some provocative statements. The US has made some decisions, and things are cycling back to new heights. The news regarding these things is below.
Please view all this through the lens of prophecy concerning the last days wars of Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and 19, and Ezekiel 38-39. I say this because those prophesied battles have not yet been fulfilled in their entirety, and we see movement in these days toward that final fulfillment, for the first time ever in some cases.
Throwing in the towel on Syria:
Annan admits failure of Syrian peace mission “Kofi Annan, the joint UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, has admitted his failure in solving Syrian crisis, according to a French daily. “We have made significant efforts to resolve this situation by peaceful political methods. Obviously, we have not succeeded. And there is no guarantee that we will succeed,” Annan said in an interview with Le Monde.”
So America stepped in to make a few statements:
Clinton warns Syria violence must end to avoid ‘catastrophic assault’ “U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned time was running out to save Syria from a “catastrophic assault” after international envoy Kofi Annan admitted his peace mission was failing. The comments by the top U.S. diplomat came as 15 people, including 12 civilians, were killed across the country, according to a rights watchdog. “It should be abundantly clear to those who support the Assad regime their days are numbered,” Clinton told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo.”
And the US made a decision to send an aging carrier group to the Gulf instead of decommission it, like they had planned.
US beefs up Gulf naval force amid tension with Iran “A U.S. navy ship that had been slated for decommissioning has been sent instead to the Gulf to help mine-clearing operations, the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain said, the latest move in a gradual U.S. build-up as tensions with Iran smoulder. A fleet spokesman in Manama said the USS Ponce, described as a “afloat forward staging base” (AFSB), had arrived on Thursday after undergoing refitting for its new mission.”
‘Floating base’ deploys to Gulf: US Navy “An ageing American naval ship converted into a “floating base” has arrived off the coast of Bahrain to support counter-mine operations in the Gulf, the US Navy said Friday.The deployment of the USS Ponce marks the latest in a gradual build-up of American forces in the region since tensions spiked with Iran in December over its nuclear programme, with Tehran threatening to possibly close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.Equipped with a helicopter landing deck and space for troops, the amphibious transport ship, in service since 1971, can support an array of missions as a “forward staging base” involving special forces, countermine operations or repair work for warships, officials said.”
Joel C. Rosenberg calls this area the prophetic “epicenter.” His language mirrors scientific language concerning earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey defines an earthquake epicenter as, “the point on the earth’s surface vertically above the hypocenter (or focus), point in the crust where a seismic rupture begins.”
We view prophecy through Jerusalem as the epicenter because that is the lens through which God acts. Jerusalem is His focus and Israel is His hypocenter. It is the point on earth where the prophetic rupture begins. Many scholars believe the initial rupture kick-starting the final 7 years of this present age will be either the Psalm 83 battle, Isaiah 17 event or the Gog Magog war described in Ezekiel 38-39; or a rapid succession or combination of all three. All three prophecies are located in and around Israel.
This is because despite having been continuously inhabited for almost 6000 years, Damascus (Isaiah 17:1) has never been destroyed. Because despite Israel’s enemies always and endlessly stating they will wipe Israel from the earth, never in documented history has that particular combination of allies attacked her, (Psalm 83) and the same is true for Ezekiel’s Gog-Magog war.
So we watch the epicenter. In earthquakes, scientists still cannot figure out when or where one will occur. But our God is the author and perfecter of time, precise in His word, and orchestrates all events on the earth and above it. He told us ahead of time when the final prophetic rupture will be (when we see the signs begin to happen- Luke 21:31) and what to do when we see the begin (Luke 21:28; 1 Thess 5:4-5).
As Jesus warned His people to watch, as Paul warned his people to watch, so we watch. And wait. Not impatiently, but expectantly, and in joy that the author and finisher of our Faith is coming to complete His word. Thy kingdom come…Thy will be done.
Folks, things are moving fast. It is hard to keep up. Joel C. Rosenberg used the word suddenly when he wrote about the current intensification of speculation about a possible preemptive strike by Israel against Iran. His very good and educational article outlining the current situation is called “Is Netanyahu Signaling a Preemptive Strike Against Iran?”
4 days ago: Rocket fire rocks south “South under fire again in wake of IAF attack in Gaza: Alarm sounds in various southern communities. Man hit by shrapnel in Gan Yavne; rocket hits school courtyard in Ashdod. Second barrage targets residential building, one injured. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility.”
3 days ago: Ashdod mayor: “This Can’t Go On Much Longer“ “Ashdod Mayor Dr. Yehiel Lasri, whose city has been under a constant threat of rocket attacks, said on Sunday that the situation cannot continue and urged the government to take immediate action.”
Israel gets ready to unveil David’s Sling “The Israeli air force is preparing to deploy a new air-defense system with the biblical name of David’s Sling, designed to intercept medium-range missiles, while the Iron Dome system deployed earlier battles Palestinian rockets.”
2 days ago: UN: Syria complex bolsters suspicion of nuke ambitions “U.N. investigators have identified a previously unknown complex in Syria that bolsters suspicions that the Syrian government worked with A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, to acquire technology that could be used to make nuclear arms.”
1 day ago: Will Israel Really Strike Iran? “Benjamin Netanyahu is edging closer to launching a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. A firestorm of violence across the Mediterranean would follow. And Tehran is already threatening to retaliate against the United States, writes Bruce Riedel.”
Today: Benjamin Netanyahu seeks cabinet support for Israeli strike on Iran “Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is seeking cabinet support for a military strike on Iran, Haaretz newspaper has reported after days of speculation on plans for such an attack.”
Today: Salehi: Iran Ready to Push Back Enemy Attacks “Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Thursday responded to reports claiming Israel is planning a military attack against his country, stating Tehran is “ready for war” with Israel.”
Today: Israeli PM orders investigation into Iran attack leak “Kuwaiti paper says Binyamin Netanyahu believes the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet, respectively Israel’s foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, may have leaked plans for attack.”
Tomorrow: (or sometime in probably the near future):
The bible prophecies that wars will occur in the Tribulation. It prophesies these wars in Revelation 6:3-4 as one of the Four Horsemen. Wars and rumors of wars are prophesied in Matthew 24:6. However, war as a general state is not the only prophecy. There are specific wars prophesied to come. The question is not what those wars are. The questions is when. These wars are :
1. Damascus will be destroyed according to Isaiah 17:1. 2. Israel’s abutting neighbors will attack Israel as prophesied in Psalm 83. 3. Israel’s far neighbors will attack Israel. known as the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39.
The only thing we know about timing of when these wars may occur is that by the very end of the Gog Magog war, the church will be gone. This is because the LORD God literally pokes His face through the veil and reveals Himself supernaturally, so that all nations know He is the LORD-
“In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.” (Ez 38:16)
“And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ (Ez 38:23)
But more importantly, not only the nations will know it is the Lord that rescues Israel in this attack (that they are about to lose) but Israel knows.
“‘I will make known my holy name among my people Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:7a).
From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.” (Ezekiel 39:22.)
It is this battle, prophecy students say, that calls Israel back to covenant with God, and the call for a Temple goes up and sacrifices resume after a 2000 year cessation. We know sacrifices begin because the antichrist stops them according to Daniel 9:26-27. So the wars will happen. We don’t know when- before the rapture, or after?
The wars are not long-drawn out affairs. In Isaiah 17, it explicitly says that in the evening Damascus will be there and by morning it will be gone. (Is 17:14).
The Psalm 83 war with near neighbors is thought to be one that occurs quickly and decisively. It seems that Israel regains the lands promised to her by God to Abraham. It is thought that Israel’s victory of all the near neighbors is so decisive that it causes the literal and mental relief and relaxation and thus will be living in a land of unwalled villages as Ezekiel 38:11- when the Iranians and the Russians come calling.
The entire scenario could be played out within months. The three battles, or wars, won’t take as long as the Afghanistan and Iranian wars the Americans have been engaged in. It would be more like Israel’s Six Day War.
Therefore we may indeed be around to see them. Or not. As the Lord wills.
the-end-time.org 
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