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"Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book:
for the time is at hand." - Rev 22:10 

Updated
10/02/07

Quote: ""Our sales in the Middle East have come to a complete stop - in all countries in the region," company spokeswoman Astrid Gade Niels told the BBC. She said the row came as a shock to the company. "We have found ourselves in the middle of a game that we have no part in. "We have taken 40 years to build up a very big business in the Middle East, and we've seen it come to a complete stop in five days."

These events are reminiscent of the affair over the "desecration of the Qur'an", where US prison guards were lambasted by the Islamic world for supposedly violating the Islamic Holy Book. The "desecration" was reported as the shocking truth by the liberal media, but it was later revealed that the story was an elaborate fabrication by Muslims aimed at the US over the invasion of Iraq. A similar case later occurred in an Israeli prison, where a Palestinian prisoner was caught in the act of desecrating his own Qur'an. 

Even though this shows fundamental Islam to be an extremely intolerant religion, you must admire them for their determination to stand up for what they believe in. Had the Christians of the United Kingdom taken a similar stance against the blasphemy called the Jerry Springer Opera, broadcast through the airwaves by the BBC last year, things might have been different.

Genesis 16:12 
And he (the descendants of Ishmael) will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

Source BBC

Quote: ""Russia last year tested missile systems that no one in the world has and won't have for a long time," he was quoted by the ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies as telling a news conference. "These missile systems don't represent a response to a missile defense system, but they are immune to that. They are hypersonic and capable of changing their flight path." Putin said he had shown the working principles of the missile systems to French President Jacques Chirac during a visit to a Russian military facility.

Russia recently sold Iran an anti-aircraft missile system, capable of bringing down jet fighters and cruise missiles. Iran is reportedly using the missile defence system to protect its nuclear facilities.

Source Fox News

Quote: "The London meeting brought together the five permanent members of the Security Council - the UK, US, France, China and Russia - plus Germany. Its aim was to co-ordinate their position ahead of an emergency board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday. The announcement stops short of the formal referral to the Security Council urged by the US, Britain and France.

China and Russia pleaded with Iran today to abide by the ruling of the UN Security Council, but Iran has stated that it regards the decision as representing the end of the diplomacy option. Iran will now most likely press ahead in the development of its nuclear programme, before any military action can be brought against the country. 

Source BBC

Quote: ""As Christians we should see the Hamas victory not as a threat against Israel and Jews but against us as well," said Rebecca Brimmer, the International President of the Jerusalem-based 'Bridges for Peace,' a pro-Israel Christian organization which has worked closely with the caucus in promoting Christian-Jewish relations around the world. Brimmer urged the Christian world not to miss the "handwriting on the wall," which she said was reminiscent of 1930's Nazi Germany. "First they come for the Saturday people, and then they come for the Sunday people," she said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called on other nations to withhold financial aid from the Palestinian Authority, and European leaders have also discussed similar measures if Hamas refuses to recognise Israel. But with state sponsors like Syria and Iran, who will be over the moon that their puppet has gained a foothold in "Palestine", will no doubt be increasing their financial support to the terrorist organization as the wars and rumours of wars continue to grow louder.  

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "The Dublin-based newspaper quoted sources as saying the report would conclude the IRA, responsible for half the 3,600 killings during Northern Ireland's 30-year conflict, was still involved in spying and that this appeared to be sanctioned at leadership level. The IMC confirmed it planned to submit the report on Monday but declined to give details on its contents. The governments are expected to publish the findings on Wednesday. "There is evidence of intelligence-gathering and the feeling is that this could not happen without the knowledge of the IRA leadership," The Irish Times quoted a senior source as saying. The newspaper said the IMC report would also point to continuing IRA criminality but leave open whether this was authorised by IRA leaders.

There seem to be reports of armed robberies happening somewhere in Northern Ireland almost every week. Local news media fobs this criminal activity off as being the work of republican "dissidents" or loyalist "dissidents", so as not to upset the government's blind assessment of the paramilitary cease-fires, but it's hard to believe those stories when the gangs are dressed in balaclavas wielding sawn-off shotguns. 

Source Reuters

Quote: "His criticism appeared to be symbolically underlined in Salzburg when Margot Wallstrom, European communication commissioner, wanted to broadcast street interviews with ordinary people on large video screens – but failed to provide sound due to technical problems. "Don't do that to me, that is a nightmare," she said, before a second attempt to make the people on the street heard also didn't work.

Source EUObserver

Quote: "Copenhagen has expressed regret for the furore over the cartoons, but refused to get involved, citing freedom of expression. "The government can in no way influence the media," Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Sunday. "And the Danish government and the Danish nation as such cannot be held responsible for what is published in independent media," he added. The newspaper that published the cartoons, Jyllands-Posten, has said earlier it published the drawings to test the boundaries of expression about Islam. Its editorial on Sunday said it did not mean to insult Islam.

Source BBC

Quote: ""The one functional device Iran has," Mansoor Ijaz, a U.S. nuclear scientist, said, "is the result of clandestine transfers from Pakistan's rogue black market nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who sold the Iranians antiquated but highly effective Chinese bomb designs and parts, including spherical shell casings, spherical Krytron detonation switches and empirical software testing modules."

How much would it take to trigger global thermonuclear war? Not much according to today's news. France recently stated it believed it has a right to use nuclear weapons in retaliation to any attack on its soil. Iran is heading for confrontation with Israel and Western forces in the region, and it doesn't look like that situation is going to improve any time soon. If Iran is attacked, Hamas - now in government - has promised to strike Israel, and Syria is under intense pressure for supporting terror groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. 

Source Middle East News Line

Quote: "Khaled Meshaal, who lives in exile in Syria, said the force would include its militant wing and would "defend our people against aggression". His comments came after foreign powers called for Hamas to renounce violence.

Hamas officials also rejected calls by world leaders for the group to disarm, now that it was politically involved in the region. Just like Gerry Adams, who famously stated that the Republican movement would use the ballot box in one hand and the armalite in the other in order to achieve their goals, Hamas will continue to use violence when peaceful means aren't seen to be working. Violent clashes between Fatah and Hamas continued outside the parliament building today, in a new power struggle between the terrorist groups.

Source BBC

Following my comments yesterday about becoming a social outcast when shops stop dealing in cash... David notified me about this video, how UK shops are requiring everyone to be using Chip and Pin by February 14th. Signatures as a proof of identity will no longer be accepted. The video discusses how even "Chip and Pin" is becoming a thing of the past in many stores, who are now adopting biometric identification devices for money transactions. Looks like the supermarkets will be the ones spearheading the Mark of the Beast technology.

Revelation 13:17 
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Source BBC

Quote: ""The world knows Iran has a ballistic missile power with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles)," Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi said on state-run television. Iran's improved version of Shihab-3 missile can strike more than 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from their launch site, putting Israel and US forces in the Middle East in easy range. "We have no intention to invade any country. We will take effective defense measures if attacked," he said. "These missiles are in the possession of the Guards."

Israel recently tested it's Arrow-2 missile defence system, which is capable of intercepting incoming rockets. The test successfully destroyed a rocket of a similar build to Iran's Shahab-3, fired by an F-15 from the Mediterranean sea.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "In his book, which was written four years ago, Sada also claims that Iraq's chemical weapons were taken to Syria aboard civilian Iraqi "Boeing" airplanes just prior to the US invasion. The 65-year-old Sada said that 56 flights of this type took place, but went largely unnoticed because they were flying under the guise of humanitarian aid. Prior to the second Iraq war Israel warned that Iraq was moving chemical weapons from its territory into Syria.

Sada also stated Saddam had ordered him to strike Israel with chemical weapons during the first Gulf War, but convinced Saddam it was a "mission impossible", due to Israel's advanced technological capability. A number of Scud missiles struck Israel during the war, but Israel was told by the US not to retaliate, for fear of upsetting other Islamic nations.

Source Jerusalem Post

Coming to a supermarket near you! The big supermarket chains are considering adopting a biometric identity system to enable shoppers to pay for goods simply by pressing their finger on a fingerprint scanner. This fingerprint will be matched with a copy on the store's database, and the appropriate card will be debited. The scheme is aimed at speeding up the checkout process and cutting fraud. Each human fingerprint is unique and cannot be changed, and even when dissolved by acid, finger prints grow back within a matter of weeks.   

Quote: "Right now, retail giants like Wal-Mart, Costco and Target are looking at using the fingerprint recognition program at the check-out counter. It would work like this. Basically, you'd have your credit or debit card's information stored in the retail store's computer. Then, all you would have to do is put your finger up to the screen. Some retailers say this could reduce identity theft.

Of course this is just another step towards the cashless society of Revelation 13. If the government can control all cash flow, they can effectively control every aspect of people's lives. When big companies realize the time saving of this system, for example, no more counting cash at the end of the day, no more processing of cheques, no more tills, no more robberies... How long will it be before stores will no longer process cash, forcing everyone to adopt this system or literally become an social outcast? 

Source Channel 19 News

Quote: "At a victory news conference late Thursday, however, Haniyeh said Hamas will "complete the liberation of other parts of Palestine." He did not say which territories he was referring to or how he would go about it. Hamas ideology does not recognize the presence of a Jewish state in an Islamic Middle East. In recent years, some Hamas leaders have grudgingly accepted the idea of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, as long as it is understood to be only a stage toward freeing all of Palestine — including Israel. Abbas said he remained committed to peace talks and suggested they be conducted through the Palestine Liberation Organization, an umbrella group of Palestinian organizations that he also heads, instead of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. "I am committed to implementing the program on which you elected me a year ago," he said in a televised speech. "It is a program based on negotiations and peaceful settlement with Israel."

Possibly the prime reason for Hamas' unexpected victory (in reality only the politicians seemed surprised by it) is because Israel's disengagement from Gaza was seen by the Palestinian population as being directly linked with the terror group's war on Israel. That was a risk Sharon took, and it hasn't paid off. Further disengagements from Samaria in the wake of attacks against Israelis in the next few months will be further proof to Palestinians that terrorism pays.

Source Fox News

Quote: "At least 13 people were injured in the clashes outside the Ramallah parliament, and light damage was done to the building, security sources in Ramallah said. "The Hamas members were dancing with their flags, and they announced Sharia law will soon rule in the Palestinian territories," said a source. Today's clashes were the latest in a series of reports indicating Hamas is seeking to impose Taliban-like Islamic rule on the Palestinians. 

It seems Israel has been rewarded for their efforts in the Gaza disengagement. They have painted themselves into a corner by giving a terrorist group that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel a firm footing and a place in government in their own land. Is it only a matter of time before Iran and Gaza unite to declare war on the "occupying force"?

Source WorldNetDaily

Quote: "Hamas's win could lead to further unilateral moves by Israel, following a Gaza pullout last year, to shape its final border on occupied land Palestinians want for a state. Peace talks have been stalled for five years. "Hamas has won more than 70 seats in Gaza and the West Bank, which gives it more than 50 percent of the vote," said Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the group. Within hours of the statement, which Haniyeh based on results supplied by Hamas representatives at polling stations, Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie of Fatah and his cabinet quit. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev declined comment on what one Fatah official described as a tsunami.

World leaders including President George Bush and various EU Foreign Ministers are demoralized with the Palestinian vote, and called on Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist, and renounce terror. But it's unlikely that Hamas, with their new found political prowess, will respond to those calls, and world leaders will be under pressure to negotiate with Hamas, for to do nothing will create a political vacuum and lead to an escalation in violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

Quote: "Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who has positioned his conservative government as one of Israel's strongest allies in Europe, called Hamas' apparent victory "very, very, very bad result," news reports said. "If this news was confirmed, everything we had hoped for, that chance for peace between Israel and Palestine, is postponed to who knows when," Berlusconi said, according to the ANSA and Apcom news agencies. The comments were made during a TV show on a station Berlusconi owns. The European Union, responding to the possibility of a Hamas-controlled PA, announced that it would work with any peaceful government. "We'll be happy to cooperate with any government on the condition that it is peaceful," EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.

Hamas recently announced its intentions to attack Israel, should the nation proceed in an attempted strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities. Now that Hamas will have control of the PA, that makes that prospect all the more frightening. With no governmental opposition to Hamas atrocities, Hamas will be free to attack Israel with almost total impunity. And with Hamas renouncing their "ceasefire" earlier this month, expect more killings in the West Bank and further disengagements from Northern Samaria.

Source Reuters, Jerusalem Post

Quote: ""Zionists should know that if they do anything evil against Iran, the response of Iran's armed forces will be so firm that it will send them into eternal coma, like Sharon," Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said. Najjar said the United States and Israel have been trying to frighten Iran, but neither country would dare attack to Iran.

The attacks continued against Western nations, including the United Kingdom, which is one of the three countries of the E3 that are seeking to bring Iran before the UN Security Council. Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki has blamed Britain as being responsible for bombings that were carried out recently in the Iranian city of Ahwaz. Iran believes the UK, whose forces are stationed across the border in Iraq, are behind the unrest that has been rearing its head in the region.

Quote: "Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Mr Mottaki claimed Britain supported such groups. "It is clear for our officials and intelligence centres that the United Kingdom co-operated and had a hand in these bombings either in London or Basra," Mr Mottaki told a news conference in Tehran. "We hope that British officials would have a clear response in that regard." Mr Mottaki said the attackers had been helped by British army commanders in southern Iraq. "We hope British officials take this seriously, put it on their agenda and act accountably," he added.

Source Jerusalem Post, BBC

Quote: "Emphasizing a part of the road map plan that has been largely ignored, Olmert said the Palestinians could have a state in the West Bank and Gaza "even before the toughest issues are resolved," a reference to the second phase of the three-stage program, calling for creation of a state with interim borders. Palestinians have been cool to the idea up to now, and Sharon did not mention it.

It seems that there will be more land conceded by the Israelis under a peace deal overseen by the head of the European Union - Antichrist, with possibly East Jerusalem being ceded later in final status talks. But it seems the final status talks will fail. Daniel states the Antichrist will have intelligence with those who oppose the agreement, and as a result East Jerusalem will be taken by force, preceding the attempted destruction of Israel by the nations of the world.

Revelation 11:1 
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months.

Zechariah14:2 
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Source Lebanese Daily Star

Three schools in the Freehold Borough School District in the USA have been granted permission to experiment with an retina scanning security system. Parents and teachers will now be required to look into a camera in order to gain entrance to the school. The project's aim is to create safer schools for children, utilizing the latest biometric identification techniques. 

Quote: ""The idea is to improve school safety for the children," said Phil Meara, superintendent, Freehold Borough School District, on Monday. "We had a swipe-card system that operated the doors, but the technology was obsolete." Installation of the iris technology began in October. The system is now operational after two months of testing. The Teacher-Parent Authorization Security System (T-PASS), a software application developed by Eyemetric Identity Systems, was installed on the front office computers at each of the three schools.

Biometric identification systems seem to be gaining a foothold in society, with possible applications ranging from automatic teller machines, to the new passport/identity card security system that the British government plans to introduce. 

Source Information Week

Quote: ""If the negotiating route is open, we prefer to reach a conclusion through talks," Larijani (Iran's chief nuclear negotiator) told the newspaper. "But if this route is closed, we are obliged to follow up our other scenario. Everything depends on the way we are treated." Asked if there was a timescale for uranium enrichment on an industrial scale, he said: "Yes. We have a plan for resumption. "If we are referred to the Security Council, the government is obliged ... to lift all voluntary measures." 

It will be interesting to see what the EU does within the coming months. A number of "scenarios" are possible. My friend James Chai believes this crisis may be used to rush in the EU Constitution, and I believe this may be a possibility. 

1) After weeks of stalling, Iran may eventually announce it possesses a nuclear weapons capability, and just like North Korea, the world will be powerless to do anything about it. Israel then faces a full scale war with a nuclear Iran and her allies within the next few years. This develops into a regional conflict which brings in Iran's allies, including Russia and China. The EU launches its 2010 Headline Goal into the Middle East, and proclaims victory, and the world worships him. "Who can make war with the beast?" 

2) After weeks of stalling, and the US caught up in Afghanistan and Iraq, Israel decides to "go it alone", and take out Iran's nuclear facilities. This incurs the wrath of China and Russia, who launch an invasion of Israel to sort out the Palestinian/Israeli problem once and for all. This draws the ire of the EU and a full scale invasion of the Middle East occurs, as described in Daniel. The Antichrist proclaims victory, and world worships him. "Who can make war with the beast?" 

In any case, the events described in Ezekiel 38-39 and Daniel will soon be fulfilled.

Source People's Daily

Quote: "American envoys who visited Israel about 10 days ago told Israeli officials that recognizing such a government would violate American law, Israel's Haaretz daily reported on Monday, January 23, citing knowledgeable Israeli government sources. Israel has also received similar messages from Javier Solana, the European Union's top foreign policy official, and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who visited Israel last week, the sources added. The US, the EU and the Quartet Committee for Mideast peace have recently joined forces against Hamas’s participation in the parliamentary elections, the first in ten years.

Yes, apparently democracy does mean you can vote a terrorist party into government. The same thing has happened in Northern Ireland several times, with the UK government even postponing elections in the province until such times as public opinion would swing to those with whom the government felt a "deal" could be done. Eventually they had to concede and Sinn Fein and the DUP both gained large majorities at the expense of those parties who were for "peace". But the IRA and Hamas are two very different organizations, and Israel is worried that it may have to eventually deal with a political partner that is dedicated to its destruction. 

I fear the EU and US will eventually have to deal with a Hamas government regardless of what they are now saying. Doing nothing is not an option, and if they don't talk with Hamas they will find their "roadmap to peace" will become a "cull-de-sac to nowhere".

Source Palestine Chronicle

Quote: "Since 1975, the United States has witnessed more than 1 million abortions each year. Unless the nation's laws are changed, the number of abortions post-Roe will pass 50 million in 2008. "It's an unspeakable tragedy," Randall K. O'Bannon, director of education and research at National Right to Life, told Baptist Press. "That [47 million] is higher than the population of some countries. That would be wiping out a number of whole states. The world was appropriately horrified and shocked when we lost about a couple thousand people on Sept. 11.... What we're talking about here is that sort of loss multiplied dramatically."

But America isn't solely to blame. It is estimated there at least 50 million abortions carried out worldwide each year, and around 96% of those are for socio-economic reasons. Only 4% are carried out for reasons of rape, incest or if the mother's life is at risk. These figures come from the Guttmacher Institute which openly supports abortion. 

Quote: "Twenty-one percent of women said inadequate finances were the chief reason for their abortion; 21 percent said they were not ready for the responsibility; 16 percent said life would change too much; 12 percent said either they had problems with their relationship or were unmarried; 11 percent said they were too young; and eight percent said they already had all the children they wanted.

Jeremiah 32:35 
And they built the high places of Baal, which [are] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

Source Worthy News, Physicians for Life

Quote: "Russia's intelligence services accused British embassy officials on Monday of spying in Moscow after state television said diplomats had used a transmitter in a fake rock to secure state secrets. "Yes. I can confirm that everything that was shown was true and based on our information," a spokesman for FSB intelligence told Reuters. "The diplomats were shown to be involved in activities that were incompatible with their diplomatic status," he said, using diplomatic jargon to refer to spying.

Almost all countries in the world spy on each other to gain intelligence, but when spies are uncovered they are usually dealt with in a clandestine manner so as not to alert other agents that are being monitored by the state. But today's developments may be revealing Moscow's increasing frustration at Western nations, and desire to regain the power it once had in old Soviet empire days. 

Source Reuters

Quote: "They will be sent to conflict zones where law and order has deteriorated but not completely broken down or where fighting has subsided and heavily armed troops are no longer needed. The police will come from the paramilitary forces of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, though, in time, other EU countries will be invited to lend support. But there are concerns within Nato that this is yet another step towards a single European defence force and there have been questions over what mechanism would be in place to monitor such paramilitary activities.

It does look like this is yet another step towards a single European Defence Force. Recently Javier Solana announced the formation of a Single European Defence Market in which EU nations could compete for defence contracts, and I said that this effort was just the beginning of the pooling of national forces into one European Army. But where does Europe get its authority to police states outside its jurisdiction? 

Source BBC

Quote: "A PSNI spokeswoman has confirmed that cautions for criminal offences are disclosed as part of the vetting process, but added that it was then up to the Department of Education or school to decide whether to employ the individual. A caution is effectively an admission of guilt, but is not a criminal conviction. UUP education spokesman, David McNarry, has already written to Angela Smith asking for a meeting with her to clarify the position. Mr McNarry said: "According to a report in one national newspaper, DfES officials had ruled that a police caution for child pornography was not an automatic bar to teaching. "And last week, Downing Street suggested that it may not be practical to exclude people with cautions from teaching.

Just a few years ago, the FBI set up a phoney child pornography site under the codename "Operation Ore", in order to break the child porn rings in Europe. The FBI handed the list of names obtained from the site to the UK government to pursue arrests but the government refused to publish the details of what that operation discovered. Around 95% of child pornography sites accessed in Northern Ireland were from individuals working in the Civil Service, judicial system and clergy. Over 50 police men in the PSNI were subsequently investigated for accessing child pornography. That's the damning indictment that prevents the Northern Ireland Education board from telling us who is working in the department.

Source Belfast Telegraph

Quote: "Haniya emphasized that Hamas does not recognize the existence of the State of Israel and maintains its vision of establishing a Palestinian state throughout all of the area west of the Jordan River. He also reiterated that there is no chance that Hamas would voluntarily disarm as long as Israel exists, Israel Radio reported.

The Europeans had hoped that by allowing Hamas to participate in elections, that they would somehow soften their stance by agreeing to Israel's right to exist. Now it seems the plan has backfired, and Hamas will sweep the board at the elections, creating a terrorist government in the Gaza strip akin to that of Bashar Assad's of Syria.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Mofaz addressed the Iranian people saying: "Ahmedinejad, his hallucinatory statements, his criminal actions and his extreme views will bring disaster upon you. Do what you understand needs to be done in order to prevent this." Mofaz, who was speaking in Hebrew, said Ahmedinejad should look at historical examples of others who tried to destroy the Jewish people. "You, who are leading your country in an ideology of hatred, terror and anti-Semitism. You had better take a glance at history and see what became of tyrants like you who tried to annihilate the Jewish people. They only brought destruction upon their own people," he said.

I wonder if Ahmedinejad has read Ezekiel 38-39, and if not he had better get familiar with it pretty quickly, because it reveals what will happen to his own armies after an attempted invasion of Israel. I think there is no doubt, with intents of war being issued by several nations, including the will and means to use nuclear weapons by France, that it is only a matter of time before the talking stops. 

Ezekiel 38:21-23 
And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Source Reuters

Quote: "Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Mofaz as saying that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who is on a two-day visit to Syria, was holding a "terrorism summit" with his host, President Bashar al-Assad. Army Radio reported that Israel had already shared the evidence of Iran's and Syria's involvement with officials in the United States, Europe and Egypt.

It's interesting that the Iranian President is currently on a visit to Syria. Both states are coming under increasing pressure over their sponsor of state terrorism. Syria has been accused intermeddling with Lebanese affairs, after its assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. Syria also refuses to close the offices of Palestinian and Lebanese terror groups, Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad, which receive financial backing from Assad. Syria and Lebanon, it is believed, were also used to hide Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction", in the three months before the second Gulf War began. And Iran is doing its best, with help from China and Russia, to develop a nuclear weapons, and dominate the Middle East. Looks like things are shaping up exactly the way Ezekiel 38-39 predicted. 

Isaiah 17:14 
And behold at eveningtide trouble; [and] before the morning he (Damascus) [is] not. This [is] the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Source Reuters

Astronomers have revealed sunspot activity has doubled in the last 100 years, due to an increased Solar magnetic field. Their observations point to evidence that this activity has increased the Solar luminosity by around 0.1%. Sunspots and solar flares significantly affect earth's weather patterns, and scientists are now starting to think that manmade pollution in the atmosphere may not be solely to blame for the devastating weather we've been experiencing recently, including the worst hurricane season America has ever seen. 

Quote: "M. Lockwood, R. Stamper, and M.M. Wild with the World Data Center at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Chilton, England, have reminded climatologists to take the sun's magnetic field into account. This is the sun's relatively weak general magnetic field, not the stronger fields associated with sunspots. The wind of electrically conducting gas that flows from the sun carries that field with it. It reaches Earth and interacts with our planet's own magnetic field. The British team worked backward from a century's worth of English and Australian records of geomagnetic activity to sort out the solar influence. They conclude that the sun's general magnetic field has increased by a factor of 2.3 since 1901.

This news, David says, may correlate closer with Revelation's description of the tribulation period, where an Angel will pour out his vial of wrath upon the sun...

Revelation 16:8 
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Source Climate Ark

Quote: "The message also opened the door to a "solution." "In response to the substance of the polls in the U.S., which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their land, we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to. "We are a nation that God banned from lying and stabbing others in the back. Hence, both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war.

Of course any sane person who knows their Islamic history understands that a Muslim is permitted by Allah to lie to his enemies if it aids the Islamic cause, so bin Laden's offer of "peace" may fall on deaf ears in the West. For an example of this, look what Mohammed did to Mecca. After making a gesture of peace to the city, he later turned his forces against it and stabbed everyone "in the back". 

But there is reason to be concerned. Some intelligence analysts believe that al-Qaeda may have already smuggled two suitcase bombs into America through the Mexican border, and just as bin Laden says, it may be only a matter of time...

Source CNN

Quote: ""The leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, as well as those who would consider using in one way or another weapons of mass destruction, must understand that they would lay themselves open to a firm and adapted response on our part," Chirac said during a visit to northwestern France, where France's nuclear submarines are based. "This response could be a conventional one. It could also be of a different kind."

This tough stance comes just months after France found itself in the grip of Islamic unrest, and the fact that the President is now openly talking of a terrorist attack on French soil could amount to fears that the Muslim community might trigger an Islamic uprising in the region, should hostilities in the Middle East erupt. 

More worrying is that the Iranian President is actively seeking this type of confrontation with the West, in an effort to bring in worldwide Islamic rule. Could the Iranians be mad enough to start World War III?

Source Reuters

Quote: "Mr Schuessel told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the EU needed to promote long-term investment in energy and "look for a long-term solution". He said the issue would be high on the agenda of the next EU summit in June. "It's a question of reducing our dependence on one supplier and another question of diversification of supplies," he said. However, he stressed that member states would remain entitled to choose their own form of energy and that Austria remained opposed to the use of nuclear power.

This news comes as Britain announced plans to build more nuclear reactors to stem an energy crisis hear. It is believed that unless the UK builds 10 more power plants, the country could be facing brownouts by 2020. Some analysts are estimating that "renewable" energy resources would not generate enough power to meet demand after the oil starts running dry. A friend of mine sent me this fascinating link detailing the reasons why the developed world seems to be facing a continual energy crisis now.

Quote: "Britain's 12 nuclear power stations provide 23 per cent of the nation's electricity. But unless they are replaced with new ones as they reach retirement, then there will only be three nuclear stations left in operation by 2020 producing just 7 per cent of the country's requirements.

Source BBC, Energy Bulletin, Life after the oil crash

Scientist James Lovelock believes that the earth has passed beyond the point of no return regarding climate change. Lovelock previously thought that the world possessed a mechanism for dealing with pollution, but he now thinks the atmosphere has been so badly damaged, that any efforts to start cleaning it up would yield little or no results. 

Quote: "In an extraordinarily pessimistic new assessment published in Monday's Independent, Lovelock suggests efforts to counter global warming cannot succeed, and that, in effect, it is already too late. Lovelock now believes Earth and human society face nearly complete disaster, and sooner than nearly anybody realizes. He writes, "Before this century is over, billions of us will die, and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic, where the climate remains tolerable."

It's incredible that scientists are now confirming what the Bible stated over 2000 years ago, yet they still refuse to acknowledge the God that created them.

Revelation 16:8-9 
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. 

Source Terra Daily

The Baja Beach Clubs in Spain has adopted a frightening new policy of implanting guests with the VeriChip. Conrad Chase, Director of the Baja Beach Clubs, has started using Applied Digital Solutions "VeriPay" system for his clubs, enabling VIP members to pay for food and drinks without using credit cards or cash (and that no man should buy or sell save he had the mark)

Quote: "EFE: What advantages will a Baja Beach Club client that wants to be implanted have? 
CON: You won't have to carry a wallet. By simply passing by our reader, the Baja beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is. From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area which we will formally open the 25th of March. 
EFE: Is it free for your clients? 
CON: On the day of the launch, we are giving it for free to all of our VIPS. After that day, the cost of implantation will be 125 Euros. 
EFE: If I implant myself will it only be valid at the Baja? 
CON: The objective of this technology is to bring an ID system to a global level that will destroy the need to carry ID documents and credit cards. The VeriChip the we implant in the Baja will not only be for the Baja, but is also useful for whatever other enterprise that makes use of this technology.

In what is being seen as an effort to make the implant "fashionable" for young teenagers, guests on the Spanish version of the "Big Brother" television show were offered money if they would take the VeriChip implant live on set. One of the actresses on the show, Silvia Fominaya, refused to be implanted and subsequently paid the price by being replaced with another actress. But unforeseen circumstances meant the VeriChip batch was not ready in time for the show's broadcast, and nobody ended up getting chipped.

Source Info Wars

Quote: "The cards -- with data for fingerprint, iris and face recognition technology -- are among the world's most ambitious experiments in biometric identification, and their roll-out could be used as a model for other countries. The government argues ID cards are essential to combat identity theft, abuse of the state benefits system, illegal immigration, organised crime and terrorism. But opponents say the scheme is unworkable, costly and undermines civil liberties. Britons would initially be expected to buy the cards when they apply for a passport.

The reason why the cards have been so controversial is because in order for the system to work effectively in these areas, the law will have to be changed in order to make it compulsory. But as I said before, the card will not stop terrorism, or crime. A terrorist isn't going to carry an identity card, and how many robberies will really be prevented by having a national ID scheme? Security is the "carrot", and the "stick" is Ł2500 fine for those that refuse to take the card. But look on the bright side, the fine's better than having your head chopped off.

It's easy to see how the Antichrist will get the world to accept the chip in the hand. Some people will sell their souls rather than pay Ł2500, and others would rather live in the present, than die and gain eternity. As someone once said, only a fool wouldn't give away what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Source Reuters, Telegraph

Quote: "In an interview broadcast Monday by the British Broadcasting Corp., Prince Saud al-Faisal said Western nations' failure to stop Israel from becoming a nuclear power "has done the damage we are all suffering from now." In a separate interview with the Times of London, al-Faisal said: "Nobody mentions that Israel has 100 nuclear weapons in stock, even through it is an open secret."

Military analysts believe Israel does possess nuclear weapons, mostly neutron bombs, which are capable of killing people with high doses of radiation without damaging infrastructure. The neutron bombs are more suitable to Israel than the devastating atomic bombs, which might inflict more damage to itself than its enemies, due to Israel's small size. But Israel has stated it will not be the first nation in the Gulf to use the weapons.

Another Saudi Prince, al-Walid bin Talal, came under criticism a few years ago for justifying the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and recently used his economic influence on Fox News, in order to get a subtitle on the channel criticizing Islam dropped. Fox News were labelling the the riots in France, "Muslim riots", which drew the ire of the Saudi Prince.

Source Jerusalem Post

The BBC will be showing a documentary called "Born Again", this Wednesday night (18th of January), at 10:40pm. It follows three Christian families, one Pentecostal, one Brethren and one Baptist, in an attempt to discover what it really means to be born again. My Auntie's family was one of those selected, and the programme will briefly document their work down at Annalong. My Auntie and Uncle run a charity called Adventure Leadership Training, which aims to bring together Christians of various denominations to help in team building, sharing their faith, and training in various outdoor pursuits (if anyone is interested in being involved in this type of work, contact Desi Fisher). Footage may also be shown of a senior citizens meeting in my Assembly in Bangor, Bethesda Gospel Hall, and I might be in it too ;). 

So hopefully it will be worth watching, and a good opportunity to spread the Gospel to this needy nation of ours.

Matthew 24:14 
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Source BBC

Quote: "Mohamed El Baradei, the head of the IAEA, has admitted that after three years of studying Iran's nuclear facilities, he is still "not yet in a position to make a judgment on the peaceful nature of the programme". "If they have the nuclear material and they have a parallel weaponisation programme along the way, they are really not very far - a few months - from a weapon," he told Newsweek magazine in an article published today.

Source Times Online, FAS, Guardian

Quote: "But the SANBS has described the Alliance campaign as "unfortunate". Spokeswoman Lanthe Exall says screening procedures are based on World Health Organisation guidelines. She urged the Alliance to reconsider its actions, which she said posed a risk to the lives of patients needing transfusions. It is not clear what will happen to blood donated on Friday, as the SANBS will be unable to tell which blood came from Alliance members who lied. Ms Exall says though they do have the best testing systems in place, no machine in the world can detect the HI virus during the "window period" that follows the transmission of HIV.

Source BBC

Briefly, new security measures assume putting RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) antenna onto each (!) official USA I-94 immigration form to allow RF transfer of previously recorded data into security server. Additionally the procedure foresees taking all 10 fingerprints and logging each time a foreign citizen is passing the border. Known citizens I assume are already scanned to the maximum extent and all the data is logged in security databanks so they do not have to fall under this procedure. It seems US is already introducing RFID technology into official immigration procedure.

Quote: "For purposes of automatic identification, all nonimmigrant travelers issued a Form I-94 or Form I-94W at a proof of concept United States land border port-of-entry will be issued a Form I-94 or Form I-94W that has an RFID tag embedded in the paper stock. DHS will issue an RFID-embedded Form I-94 to all applicable travelers because such travelers are required under the current US-VISIT program to comply with the biographic data collection requirements of the admission and exit process, regardless of whether the traveler has had his or her biometrics collected and thereby enrolled in the US-VISIT program."

Source Immigration Information

Quote: "At today's Cabinet meeting, Olmert related to yesterday's violence in Hevron, threatening an iron hand against the Jews living there. Hevron's Jews say they refuse to accept the army's plans to evict 11 families from Jewish-owned land outside the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. A Hevron spokesman said that Olmert is causing a provocation, sending the forces to fight against the Jews and throwing them out of their homes, and then condemning and threatening the Jews for resisting.

Source Arutz 7

From CNN...

Quote: "TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran, whose president has denied the Holocaust, said Sunday it would hold a conference to examine the scientific evidence concerning Nazi Germany's extermination of 6 million Jews."

Contrast this with the statement from Jerusalem Post...

Quote: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected to convene a conference in Iran within a few days dedicated to denying the Holocaust. In response, Israel began preparing for a campaign targeted at eliciting international condemnation of the conference.

This is Media Spin in action. Associated Press still tries to make out that the Iranian President is a much misunderstood benevolent dictator, and just wants to explain his views on the Holocaust to the world, even in spite of recent anti-Semitic statements by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which amount to state genocide. In reality the conference will undoubtedly become yet another Israel-bashing seminar, where Muslim terrorists will be literally lining up to let Israel have it.

Source CNN, Jerusalem Post

Quote: "In the letter, written on January 3, and revealed on The New York Sun on Friday, Bolton wrote: "It was entirely inappropriate for this map to be used. It can be misconstrued to suggest that the United Nations tacitly supports the abolition of the state of Israel." "Given that we now have a world leader pursuing nuclear weapons who is calling for the state of Israel to be 'wiped off the map,' the issue has even greater salience," he stressed. The convention, which was attended by Annan, was conducted on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, held on November 29 - the anniversary of the 1947 date when the UN ended the British mandate over Israel, a move which effectively led to the establishment of the Jewish State six months later.

I have said before that many Arab maps of the Middle East do not include Israel, and I guess we must accept that is part of their system of brainwashing their children into believing they are fighting an "occupying force" that has taken control of their ancient homeland "Palestine". But it is especially shocking that the United Nations, which declared Israel to be a new nation on November 29th 1947, could even consider using such blatant anti-Semitic propaganda at an official UN function. The UN represents most nations in the world, and it just shows that when it comes to the crunch not many nations will be willing to stand up for Israel's right to exist during the time of Jacob's trouble. 

The UN came under heavy criticism just last year when it was revealed UN money went towards funding Palestinian propaganda material to celebrate the Gaza disengagement.

Source Jerusalem Post

Probably world's smallest GPS receiver has been developed. It is the size of baby's fingernail. Such size already allows it to be integrated in virtually everything starting from small mobile phones ending with hand watches! Company Rakon, chip's developer, already announces works that will increase sensitivity and perhaps reduce size even more. 

Quote: "“Our R&D team has come up with a high sensitivity unit that can enable quite weak signals to be received, which is a real breakthrough in an industry that needs to have products that will function in urban environments with very high interference.” He says the company is now further developing the unit to provide up to three times greater sensitivity in its next generation, even before the first development is out the door.

How does it correspond to the mark of the beast? I believe I do not need to elaborate much on this. GPS receivers will be a mandatory part in "spy devices" of the future. That is, if "the system" wants to have really good and continuous coverage of the movement of people. GPS receivers would allow to seamlessly localize the host and pin-point its location on a map. How it could work: GPS receiver would provide the main chip with the location of the host, then the chip could send data to a monitoring system through a radio frequency wave: shortwave or microwave range. At the beginning it could work in a simpler way (less demanding from the technological point of view). Chip would be storing the data about locations in internal memory and transferring it to the system while host passes the reading gate - similar to those security gates in markets. Such gates could have various forms and be placed everywhere - even in entrance doors of city buses! Assuming further development of technology it could even work online 24/7 everywhere where continuous coverage of "spy system" exists. Scary thing is that the technology is developing at an amazing pace now - last commercial GPS receivers equipped with the new SIRF III chipset are actually able to "hear" satellites without the "line of sight" provided as it was mandatory before. A device lying on a desk in the room with just a window or two can still measure the location - without seeing the sky and satellites. Or similarly the receiver can be covered by clothes or even locked in a plastic box inside car's main cabin and it would still work! This technology exists today and it performs very well. But for me personally it just starts to give us too much. I wonder where it will lead us...

Source Red Ferret

Russia's missile deal could severely hamper any planned American or Israeli strike on the nation, as the Tor-M1's are particularly advanced, and capable of bringing down cruise missiles and aircraft. If any planes are brought down in the strike (and let's face it, Iran's not going to comply), Russia may get the blame. 

Quote: "Moscow cut a 1-billion-U.S.-dollar deal with Tehran in November to supply it with Tor-M1 short-range missiles. Russian officials described these missiles as air defense systems that are used only to bring down aircraft and guided missiles at low altitudes but cannot strike ground targets. "The contract on these systems is not linked and cannot be linked to (Iran's) nuclear dossier," Ivanov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

In related news, Javier Solana, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has pledged his support for Ukrainian President Victor Yuschenko, in his recent dealings with the Russian gas crisis, after the Ukrainian parliament dismissed the entire government over a gas deal that was damaging to the Ukraine economy.

Quote: "The Supreme Rada, Ukraine's parliament, made a decision Tuesday to dismiss the government over the gas agreements signed with Russia on January 4, 2006, which critics said were economically damaging to Ukraine, and ceded too much leverage to Moscow. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has declared the Supreme Rada's move "unconstitutional."

Source Angola Press, RIAN

Quote: "Each woman left a genetic signature that shows up in their descendants today, he and colleagues say in a report published online by the American Journal of Human Genetics. Together, their four signatures appear in about 40 percent of Ashkenazi Jews, while being virtually absent in non-Jews and found only rarely in Jews of non-Ashkenazi origin, the researchers said. They said the total Ashkenazi population is estimated at around 8 million people. The estimated world Jewish population is about 13 million.

A similar study carried out a number of years ago revealed that, contrary to popular opinion, the whole human race can be genetically traced back to just one woman ancestor, who came from the region of Africa. Again, another study into the world's population growth revealed that around 4500 years ago, there was a genetic bottleneck of just a handful of individuals, which corresponds with the Biblical account of Noah's flood. But the fact that Jews can now trace their own lineage by the modern science of genetics answers a problem that has puzzled Christians for hundreds of years. How would the regathered Jewish nation prove their lineage after the Diaspora. Particularly in light of Revelation, which reveals there will be 12,000 Jews from each tribe of Israel, sealed by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses for Christ during the tribulation period.

Revelation 7:4 
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel

Source CNN, Sloppy Noodle

Quote: "Dudley Council, Wolverhampton Council and Staffordshire Councils confirmed that their registry offices were dropping the word marriage from their signs. At Wolverhampton Register Office the names of their two marriage rooms have now been changed to ceremony rooms one and two. At Stourbridge Register Office, in Dudley borough, it's Crown Marriage Suite has simply been re-titled the Crown Suite. Walsall Register Office has removed its sign saying 'marriage ceremony in progress' to read 'ceremony in progress'. And Staffordshire Register Office are due to give names to their seven marriage rooms later this year but have decided not to use the 'marriage' word.

If it's not the Muslims, it's the homosexuals and lesbians. It seems that the British government is prepared to bend over backwards for every minority group at the exclusion of Christianity. They claim it's to make a more tolerant Britain, but it seems there is little toleration for those who hold different beliefs than the above groups. We've legalized homosexual relationships to our shame, and now it is becoming an offence to promote marriage as a legitimate relationship.

Source Birmingham Post

Quote: ""The world's ecological capacity is simply insufficient to satisfy the ambitions of China, India, Japan, Europe and the United States as well as the aspirations of the rest of the world in a sustainable way," the report added. It said that if China and India were to consume as much resources per capita as Japan in 2030 "together they would require a full planet Earth to meet their needs", it said. The institute's report said that in the next few years the choices China and India made could lead to political and economic instability, or they could usher in an age of better stewardship of resources and more efficient technology.

With oil prices high and supplies running low, coupled with a booming Chinese economy, something has to give. And it's not just oil. Many believe the next war in the Middle East will be fought over who controls the fresh water supplies. While they do spell out what could happen if these energy demands are not met, it seems that nobody is prepared to seriously consider a worst case scenario, a scene which the Bible vividly depicts... 

Revelation 6:5-6
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Revelation 8:10-11 
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Source BBC

Javier Solana, the Secretary General for the Council of the European Union, is on a five day tour of the Middle East, just weeks before the Palestinian elections are due to be held. While in Gaza, Javier Solana stated that Palestinians have a right to end Israeli "occupation" peacefully. Whether that means of territories occupied after the Six Day war, or all of Palestine is not clear. True to his form - never making enemies, Javier Solana buttered up the Palestinians for "progress" in Gaza. 

Quote: ""What the Palestinians had done recently is impressive, and this is what I personally feel about the elections," Solana said. "What you have done has many implications and we should be aware of what you [Palestinians] did." He said that the Palestinians have so many challenges in the coming future, but stressed that "the Palestinians must take this opportunity to work with us [Europe] and your Israeli partner."

But Javier Solana's recent comments regarding the upcoming Palestinian elections are in stark contrast from his previous statements on Hamas, a terror organization who's chief aim is the destruction of Israel and is heading towards victory in the Gaza elections. Solana threatened that aid would be cut to the region if the Palestinians elected Hamas into government. Some believe such a situation would destroy the ruling Palestinian Authority completely, and create terrorist state right on Israel's border. Solana also promised more heartache for Israeli settlers, stating that the "roadmap to peace" will involve more handovers of land to Palestinians, which will give Palestinian terror groups a further incentive to keep up the pressure on Israel.

Quote: "He also spoke about the role of the Palestinian security in the future after the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, stressing that the Israeli unilateral plan should be as part of the world's backed roadmap plan for peace in the Middle East. "The implementation of the withdrawal from Gaza should be coordinated with the Palestinian government led by Mahmoud Abbas to make use of this opportunity to see more withdrawals and dismantle of settlements in the future," said Solana.

Source Scoop

Quote: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected to convene a conference in Iran within a few days dedicated to denying the Holocaust. In response, Israel began preparing for a campaign targeted at eliciting international condemnation of the conference.

But while all this is going on, few nations are prepared to link Iran's anti-Semitic statements with it's "peaceful" nuclear ambitions. Europeans are still talking and not acting, while Iranian scientists get ever closer to completing their nuclear knowledge. It is said that history often repeats itself, and in this case we could all learn a lesson from what happened in the Second World war, where a dictator who started off with anti-Semitic statements later embroiled the whole world in global conflict causing the loss of hundreds of millions of lives.

Source Jerusalem Post

A man from Vancouver has had a tiny RFID chip inserted into his hand, which enables him to remotely interact with household appliances. With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra can open a door, turn on a light, or even access his computer. Suspiciously, no company name is mentioned in the entire article, which leads me to believe that this is a marketing ploy designed to promote public acceptance of the implants. But no doubt VeriChip is the maker of this particular device, due to the description given by the author of the article...

Quote: "Mikey Sklar, a 28-year-old Brooklyn resident, said, "It does give you some sort of power of 'Abracadabra,' of making doors open and passwords enter just by a wave of your hand." The RFID chip in Sklar's hand, which is smaller than a grain of rice and can last up to 100 years, was injected by a surgeon in Los Angeles. Tattoo artists and veterinarians also could insert the chips into people, he said. For years, veterinarians have been injecting similar chips into pets so the animals can be returned to their owners if they are lost. Graafstra was drawn to RFID tagging to make life easier in this technological age, but Sklar said he was more intrigued by the technology's potential in a broader sense. In the future, technological advances will allow people to store, transmit and access encrypted personal information in an increasing number of wireless ways, Sklar said.

Here it is in plain black and white. A chip in the hand, that can be used to access personal data.

Revelation 13:16-17
And he (Antichrist) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark (incision) in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The image below is from this article that appeared in Game Shout.

Source CNN, Game Shout

Quote: "The board (IAEA) will consider whether to report Iran to the United Nations Security Council. It has refrained from taking that step, but now a referral looks increasingly likely, our correspondent says. Our correspondent says that although the Iranian enrichment experiments are small scale and just for research purposes, there are fears they could lead to Iranian scientists mastering the art of uranium enrichment.

Iran, which recently made provocative gestures against the EU and US by stating that it had a right to intervene in regional affairs (in Iraq and Afghanistan), is continuing to throw its weight about both on the political and religious scenes. The President of Iran, noted for his recent anti-Semitic statements, told Muslims that Iranians should be preparing for Islam to rule the world, by helping to build the country into a powerful regional force. Muslims believe that the Mahdi, or 12th Imam - an Islamic prophet, will soon return and rule the world for a period of seven years. Many Muslims believe that time is not far away...

Quote: "Ahmadinejad is urging Iranians to prepare for the coming of the Mahdi by turning the country into a mighty and advanced Islamic society and by avoiding the corruption and excesses of the West. "We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of the Return," Ahmadinejad said. "If we work on the basis of the Expectation of the Return [of the Mahdi], all the affairs of our nation will be streamlined and the administration of the country will become easier." Riazaty pointed out that Iran's speaker of parliament, Mehdi Kahrubi, said Saturday that some people working closely with Ahmadinejad believe the Mahdi probably will return in the next two years, which means Iran needs to start building more hotels.

My friend Cliff believes that the Antichrist or False Prophet may well be a Muslim, and with news like that it's easy to see how Islam will play a big part in end times prophecy. The Mahdi's seven year reign ties in closely with the prophecy of the seven year reign of Antichrist. But then we must remember that the Koran is a corruption of Old and New Testament Scriptures, and possibly Mohammed knew of the prophecy of Antichrist before penning the Muslim book. But in any case, the prophecy of the 12th Imam may well appear to be fulfilled for Muslims, only this Imam will be possessed by the "Great Satan" himself, whom Muslims hate so much.

In other news, Iran has been actively seeking military intelligence on Israel, ahead of any planned strike on the Jewish nation, revealing just how dangerous Iran would be to Middle East stability, were it to acquire nuclear weapons. 

Quote: ""Over the last 18 months, Iran has been aggressively recruiting all kinds of people to obtain any sort of military and political information on Israel," an official said. "It's not clear how successful Iran has been." On Monday, a former Israeli Arab municipal leader was indicted on charges of meeting with Iranian agents. The indictment asserted that Jirias Jirias, 57 and a former Fatah operative, was also ordered to join a Jewish-led Israeli political party.

Source BBC, World Net Daily, Middle East News Line

Quote: "Mehdi Mozaffari, a professor of political science and international relations at Aarhus University in Denmark, told RFE/RL that he believes Iran is attempting to gain the upper hand in its dealing with France, Britain, and Germany. "It is true that in recent week there is an apparent change in comments by Iranian officials and it shows that the Islamic Republic -- which was in a state of defense -- is trying to become more aggressive," Mozaffari said. "And it seems that they have come to the conclusion that such a method will not have a heavy price for them and at the same time more time can be gained. And they are also trying to take the initiative in their hands , because before it was in the hands of the Europeans after the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]."

Source Radio Free Europe

Quote: "Egypt threatened to withdraw its support for the Palestinian Authority if the PA did not act to control the rampant anarchy in the Gaza Strip, according to a report in the London Arab newspaper Al Quds. The report claimed that following the incident at the Rafah border crossing in which two Egyptian soldiers were killed, Egyptian authorities delivered the threat to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as part of a specially delivered message. Egypt also threatened to withdraw its support for the peace process if the PA did not take the proper steps to restore order to Gaza.

The situation in Gaza seems to grow worse by the day. Arafat routinely blamed Israeli reprisals for his failures to control the terror attacks against the nation, but now that Israel has disengaged from the Gaza strip and the PA has been given money and forces to help it establish control over the region, that old excuse is wearing a little thin. 

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "BMI spokesman Phil Shepherd said: "In providing air services people want, demand and use, we have an obligation to respect the customs of the destination country." An airline employee who asked not to be named told the Mirror: "It's outrageous that we must respect their beliefs but they're not prepared to respect ours."

Source WorldNetDaily 

Quote: "Clinton, in France for talks with President Jacques Chirac, said Israelis should view Sharon as an example. "Mr. Sharon had not only withdrawn from Gaza, he had started a new party with the purpose of continuing to push for peace," Clinton said. "All of us who believe in peace in the Middle East are in his debt, and so more than anything else, I pray for his health." The Israeli leader's illness "puts yet another obstacle in the path of the peacemakers," Clinton said. "And it's almost as if God were testing them one more time to rise again, to keep on." Palestinians "need to keep working to restrain the terror and violence," Clinton said.

Ex-President Bill Clinton's comments on peace continues to shock me to the core. I'll never forget the night he was in Belfast to turn on the Christmas lights. As one of the Church leaders gave a message on the real meaning of Christmas, the impertinent crowd booed and demanded Clinton take the stage. The then-President made a speech, quoting a verse from the Bible, "Blessed are the Peace Makers, for they shall inherit the earth". But you will find no such verse in the Bible. He should have said, "Blessed are the Peace Makers, for they shall be called the Children of God" (Matthew 5:9). But then Clinton would rather have the world than God, so perhaps that Freudian slip is self explanatory. I find it amazing that Bill should believe God was testing the leaders of the Middle East by putting obstacles in their way. Why would God support a peace process that will result in the division of His own land?

And who will ever forget the day this "Peace Maker" shook Gerry Adams' hand, while the IRA were secretly planning the biggest blow to the peace process Northern Ireland had seen in some time, the bombing of Canary Wharf. With peace makers like Clinton, who needs enemies? He got away with far too much.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said on Sunday: "We have promised ourselves that we will restart the negotiations on the constitution. "We will not be able to resolve the matter entirely, that is clear," he told ZDF television.

Some Euro-sceptics are calling for the Constitution to be redrafted, and possibly made simpler (in other words, more obscure), but it's hard to see how the Constitution can be re-written completely, when the author of the "treaty" and freemason Giscard d'Estaing stated that the draft of the Constitution should never be redrafted or it will "unravel".

Quote: "The draft is a success because it is a finished product, with no loose ends to be tied up, no options left open. It (the draft of the EU Constitution) is in the general interest. With that in mind, the Chairman of the Convention (Giscard d'Estaing), together with the two Vice-Chairmen, called on the Italian Presidency – and the President of the European Council, Silvio Berlusconi, in person – to have the text left as it stands. Reopening it, even in part, would cause it to unravel.

Source BBC, European Convention

Quote: "A statement by the Australian embassy warned travellers of a new threat but did not disclose details. "Reports suggest terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks against Westerners and places frequented by Westerners in Jordan," it said. Map of Jordan "The Australian embassy will be closed until further notice due to the security situation." A recorded message at Canada's foreign affairs ministry in Ottawa gave a similar warning. It also urged Canadians in Jordan "to maintain a high level of personal security".

This development follows on the heals of a statement issued by the UK government warning British nationals against travelling to Gaza, due to the fear of kidnappings of foreigners which have been increasing at an alarming rate amid the political chaos. With Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan becoming "ungovernable" states, and Syria and Iran exporting terrorism and developing nuclear weapons in the Middle East, it is true that Israel looks to be facing an anti-Semitic tsunami within the next few years, if things continue the way they are going. 

Source BBC

Quote: "At the rally, Hania tried to distinguish his party from the other terrorist groups running for office in the PA. He said the Hamas would never make any concessions to Israel. He outlined his group’s order of priorities as Islam, and the defense of "Palestinian interests" which he identified as land, Jerusalem, the return of refugees, release of prisoners held by Israel (including the assassins of Israel’s Tourist Minister Rehavam Ze’evi), and the right to continue the jihad against Israel and to make it the policy of the PA parliament. Regarding Jerusalem, Hania said that the terror group’s policy of making the entire city of Jerusalem the PA capital found expression in the location of the group’s suicide attacks. Those attacks deliberately targeted the Jewish neighborhoods of the city in order to emphasize the PA territorial claim to the entire Jewish capital.

Ismail Hania is not alone in his thinking. The Western world in general does not realize that when Palestinian terrorists call for the liberation of "Palestine", they do not mean the tiny strip of land that forms Gaza and the West Bank, they mean the entire region of Palestine, which includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Israel and parts of Jordan. Many liberal minded people believe that if only we could give the Palestinians their "land", this whole conflict would be resolved. Unfortunately even when Israel occupied the land designated by the United Nations in 1948, six Arab nations immediately launched an attack on Israel to wipe it out. Don't think for a minute that Muslims will stop at pre-1967 borders. As Arafat put it, their chief aim is to drive Israel into the sea.

Source Arutz 7

Quote: "Gazprom supplies Bulgaria with much of its gas at below the market price, in exchange for allowing the company to use its territory to provide a number of other countries with Russian gas. "The Russian side demanded that we renegotiate the scheme of payment for transiting Russian gas through Bulgaria to Turkey, Greece and Macedonia," Mr Ovcharov told Bulgaria's bTV television. 

It's clear Russia is trying to regain some of the control it had in its Soviet-era days. That desire, coupled with a need for economic growth for an economy that has floundered under democracy, will eventually bring Russia against Europe (Daniel 11:14). Some have said the only thing Russia needs to kick-start its economy is a war, and that war is getting closer every day (Ezekiel 38-39).

Source BBC, Europa

Quote: "Currently, Judea and Samaria, inhabited by about 2.4 million Palestinians, is considered landlocked territory not officially recognized as part of any country. Israel calls the land "disputed." The United Nations claims Judea and Samaria is "occupied" by Israel, which maintains overall control of most of the area while the Palestinian Authority has jurisdiction in about 40 percent. Judea and Samaria remained under Jordanian rule from 1948 until Israel captured the territory in 1967 after Jordan's King Hussein ignored Israeli pleas for his country to stay out of the Six Day War. Most countries rejected Jordan's initial claim on the area, which it formally renounced in 1988. Ben Yaacov says his Judea Initiative takes advantage of Judea and Samaria's murky legal status to argue for independent Jewish sovereignty. "Legally it's a no-man's land. The Palestinians used that status to create their own authority, so there is absolutely no reason the Jews can't do the same thing."

The plan, although interesting, will never happen. The prophecies concerning the regathering of the Jews to the Holy Land states that there will no longer be two nations, Judah and Israel, but they will both become one nation.

Ezekiel 37:21-2 
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

The fact that a nation now exists called Israel, and not Judah, and not Samaria, is in direct fulfilment of prophecy. God stated in the Old Testament he would regather the Jews to Israel.

Ezekiel 37:12 
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

Source World Net Daily

Quote: "Sources at Hadassah Hospital said late Thursday night that Sharon suffered extensive damage to the right lobe of his brain during the hemorrhage which he underwent Wednesday night. They noted that such damage may negatively affect his motor capabilities in the left side of his body, as well as possible deterioration in speech.

Just like the verses Isaiah 29:4 mentions, "And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust." Although the Ariel mentioned here is in reference to a Gentile attack on the city of Jerusalem, it is perhaps too much of a coincidence that the Israeli Prime Minister should suffer a stroke that may affect his voice, while engaged in an effort to trade God's land for peace, something God commanded Israel never to do.

Could the following verse be indicative of Ariel Sharon's induced coma? It is extremely interesting in the light of today's events nevertheless.

Isaiah 29:9-10
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

And again...

Isaiah 29:16 
Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

But the rest of the passage in Isaiah brings hope in this dire situation, for God will yet have mercy on Israel and will return to defend Jerusalem...

I said back in November that Shimon Peres, the Israeli politician whose very name means "division", had quit Israeli politics in order to help achieve peace with the Palestinians. But I missed the news that he had actually joined Ariel Sharon's Kadima party. Shimon Peres has expressed his concern over the Prime Minister's condition, but believes that the peace process must continue, and he will remain in Kadima despite the current situation.

Quote: "After the meeting Peres said, "We will continue with Sharon's policies even though it will be difficult, we do not lack optimism. I think Sharon's path was correct and we have to continue with it properly. Olmert and Peres agreed to continue cooperating. Sources close to both men said it was likely that he would stay in Kadima and not return to Labor. Olmert called all of Sharon's advisors and all the staff of the Prime Minister's Office and asked them to stay on.

Source Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post

Quote: ""Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Chatilla has joined his ancestors is final," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency. Ahmadinejad was referring to Sharon, who as defense minister in 1982 directed Israel's ill-fated invasion of Lebanon. An Israeli commission found him indirectly responsible for a massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps by Christian Phalangist soldiers.

But Ahmadinejad's remarks are only one voice in many that are now bombarding us with who Sharon is and what he supposedly stood for. Mainstream news agencies in the UK, namely ITV, echoed a similar view to that of the Iranian President, when they effectively blamed Ariel Sharon's policies in the Middle East for a wave of Islamic attacks from London to Indonesia. Unfortunately in the UK, we have to put up with a press that constantly portrays Israel in a negative light, and at the same time justifies the actions of terrorists. Just a taster of what is to come, when the whole world turns against Israel.

Pat Robertson also made the connection with Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, and to my surprise came under fire from the anti-Defamation league, of all organizations.

Quote: "In discussing what he said was God’s insistence that Israel not be divided, Robertson also referred to the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who had sought to achieve peace by giving land to the Palestinians. “It was a terrible thing that happened, but nevertheless he was dead,” he said. The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement urging Christian leaders to distance themselves from the remarks. Robertson made similar comments as the Gaza withdrawal occurred, it said. “It is outrageous and shocking, but not surprising, that Pat Robertson once again has suggested that God will punish Israel’s leaders for any decision to give up land to the Palestinians,” said Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the group, which fights anti-Semitism. “His remarks are un-Christian and a perversion of religion. Unlike Robertson, we don’t see God as cruel and vengeful.”

I am quite surprised that the anti-Defamation league would adopt such a viewpoint, for most true Christians would see a link with Sharon's current state and his efforts to divide God's land, although at the same time sad at Ariel's suffering. But is God no longer a God of justice? Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay (Romans 12:19). God is love, but also the only one who can execute true justice.

Joel 3:2 
I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Source Jerusalem Post, MSNBC

Quote: ""Solana is following developments closely and we can only wish the prime minister the best," said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for Mr Solana.

Some Palestinian terror groups were promising a celebratory salvo of Kassam rockets for Israeli citizens in the event of Sharon's death. It's ironic, that as an Israeli leader he brought the Palestinians so much hope, yet he could also be treated with so much contempt. And it's a wonder, that ten years after Rabin's assassination, Israel finds itself in the same position, without a Prime Minister after preparing to trade God's land for peace.

Quote: ""I am ready with my candies and my rockets and praying to Allah that Sharon dies. We have prepared a celebratory barrage of rockets ready to fire into Israel on the occasion of the death of our enemy," said Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists responsible for firing hundreds of Qassam rockets and mortars at Jewish towns. Hamas leader Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar told WND Sharon's condition "plunges the Israeli political scene into chaos, which could bring about an equal response from the Palestinians."

Source Jerusalem Post, BBC, WorldNetDaily

Quote: "A few minutes later, Mor-Yosef emerged to say that initial tests showed Sharon had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding inside his brain. Addressing reporters in English, Mor-Yosef said Sharon had "massive bleeding and was being transferred to an operating theater." Channel 2 TV said Sharon was suffering from paralysis in his lower body. Analysts on local TV stations said his life could be in danger.

This secondary stroke and haemorrhaging confirms my own fears that the first stroke was downplayed by the government, so as not to cause damage to the fragile peace process. Bleeding on the brain is very serious indeed, and it is doubtful whether he will pull through. How will the peace process move on in the event that Sharon dies? We'll have to wait and see. Nevertheless, March 2006 will certainly be an eventful time in Middle East politics. 

Even though Ariel Sharon has helped divide God's land, God desires not the death of any, and our thoughts and prayers are with Ariel Sharon and his family at this time.

Isaiah 29:1-4 
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Source Haaretz

Quote: "Palestinian militants, angry at the jailing of their leader by the Palestinian police, stole two bulldozers Wednesday and rammed through a wall near the border with Egypt, hours after they blocked the official border crossing and took over government buildings. In an attempt to restore control of the Philadelphi Corridor, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz requested from the US, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to immediately deal with the chaos.

Originally the Rafah border agreement was hailed as a great success. For the first time in history, Israel allowed a third party to mediate in the Middle East peace process. The border agreement was negotiated by Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the EU, and marked another step towards the fulfilment of Daniel 9:27. But so far the EU BAM, numbering around 70 individuals, have been unable to keep the border secure. A number of months ago, Palestinian terrorists blew a gaping hole in the border wall. A few days ago, EU BAM officials fled as Palestinian police stormed the border. And a dozen known Palestinian terrorists crossed the border into Gaza a number of months ago. Israel says it will have to step in if the situation is not dealt with.

Source Jerusalem Post 

Quote: "General Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of the Russian missile forces, has mobilized a new battalion for the Topol-M missiles, which have a capacity for a one megaton impact — 75 times the power of the 1945 Hiroshima bomb. General Solovtsov, a critic of U.S. anti-missile defense technology, said the Topol-M missile “is capable of piercing any missile defense system” and is immune to electromagnetic blasts used by current U.S. anti-missile systems. While Russia disbanded two missile divisions last year, it has now formed more than 20 new units — in the fastest increase of nuclear spending since the run-up to the Cuban missile crisis.

China is also growing both in economic and military might. New estimates are that China has over 800 missiles trained on Taiwan, ready to launch should any hostilities break out. Taiwan's Vice President warned a German delegation that China plans to annex the islands. 

Quote: "Stressing China's animosity toward Taiwan, Lu said that President Chen Shui-bian (???), in his New Year address, noted that China has deployed 784 ballistic missiles targeted at Taiwan. If cruise missiles are included in that count, Taiwan is now targeted by more than 800 Chinese missiles, Lu said. "We clearly know that China wants to extend its power into the Pacific Ocean by taking Taiwan," Lu said.

China sees Taiwan as a renegade province, and few nations are prepared to recognize Taiwan's independence. Most recently the Vatican agreed to shun the islands, after pressure from Beijing. All this reminds us of the approaching war described in Ezekiel 38-39, in Revelation and in Daniel, where "tidings out of the east and north" shall trouble Antichrist.

Source Moscow News, Taipei Times

Quote: "The report - based on data obtained by British, French, German and Belgian agencies - also concluded that Syria and Pakistan have been scouring the marketplace for technology and chemicals needed to enrich uranium and develop rocket programs. Russia's role in the escalating arms build up in the Middle East also is outlined, as is the role of Chinese companies supplying North Korea's program. The assessment - dated July 1, 2005 - is seen as a warning to European Union governments, which have been struggling to curtail the spread of nuclear weapons. It also will add fuel to critics who believe Iran wants to develop a nuclear arsenal and are skeptical of Iran's claims that its nuclear programs are aimed only at power generation. 

When my dad went to apply for a job at F G Wilsons in Northern Ireland, he was given a tour of the factory. At that time, F G Wilsons were manufacturing massive steel tubes that were some ten inches thick. Upon asking what the tubes were for, he was told they were going to be used in an engine. But my dad is an engineer, and commented that the tubing was so thick that diesel wouldn't burn through it in a million years, and it was so well polished on the inside it looked more like the barrel of a gun. After that remark he was quickly ushered away by the management, and it later turned out F G Wilson was implicated in helping Saddam Hussein manufacture the famed Iraqi super gun. 

So it looks like the same thing is happening again. In the name of free enterprise, European companies are prepared to provide military equipment to a nation bent on starting the next world war.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Mr Hutton said the idea was being examined as part of reforms of the powers of the Child Support Agency. "I want to get tough with those dads who are not paying for their kids," he told BBC News. A review of the Child Support Agency is under way after Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "not properly suited" to its job.

While I completely agree, those so-called parents that don't pay money towards a child they have helped bring into the world ought to be castrated, if not locked up, I can't help feeling that this is yet another attempt to condition the public in general to the idea of electronic tagging. If the public perception of tagging can be moulded, and they are made to believe tagging can be used for good, then more people will be inclined to accept tagging when it becomes compulsory, "Mark of the Beast" style. Frightening days we are living in.

I accept that there are circumstances that people find themselves in through no fault of their own, and are unable to pay child support. I sympathize with them, and these parents should be given special help by the government, and not treated like common criminals. My above comments were made about those "fathers" or "mothers" (who in my own case shall remain nameless) who haven't the slightest intention of supporting their children from a previous relationship, and leave the other half to fend for themselves. Sadly this situation is a particular characteristic of the last days, "without natural affection", 2nd Timothy 3:3..

Source BBC

Quote: "Sheikh Ra'ad Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement's northern faction, had said at a press conference earlier Tuesday that al-Aksa Mosque was in danger, and declared that if archeological excavations in the vicinity of the Western Wall tunnels were to continue, Israel "would find itself at war with the entire Muslim world." He said that Israel was building a synagogue and a large model of the Second Temple at the excavation site, which is 97 meters away from the Dome of the Rock.

The Islamic Waqf that administer the site forbid any digs in connection to the Temple Mount. They routinely destroy historical artefacts dating from the First and Second Temples in an effort to hide Jerusalem's Jewish past. But as far as I am aware, a half sized model of the Temple does exist in Israel, and it is believed that the Ark of the Covenant may lie beneath the mount in Solomon's stables, hidden away before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Austria, which took over the EU's rotating presidency on Sunday, said that the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine did not urgently require EU mediation. Vice Chancellor Hubert Gorbach said Monday that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine needed to reach an agreement and that the European Union should only get involved if the situation worsened. However, behind the scenes, EU officials were engaged in aggressive diplomacy. People familiar with these talks said that Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy representative, had been in touch with the Kremlin and had forcefully urged Moscow to back down.

Could Javier Solana yet be our "king of fierce countenance"?

Daniel 8:23 
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

Source International Herald Tribune

All this comes on a day when the President of Iran continued to launch anti-Semitic attacks against Israel. This time Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the Europeans created the state of Israel in order to complete the genocide of the Jews and rid them from Europe. He said Jews were now enjoying support from the US and EU by their "slaughter of Muslims". 

Quote: ""Don't you think that continuation of genocide by expelling Jews from Europe was one of their (the Europeans') aims in creating a regime of occupiers of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)?" the official Islamic Republic News agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "Isn't that an important question?"

World leaders condemned the Iranian President's last remarks, when he said the holocaust was a Jewish myth, and called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". But with the media's portrayal of the conflict in the Middle East, aren't we guilty of the same offence, by turning world opinion against Israel?

Source Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post

Quote: "The quake, centered 10 kilometers under the water some 345 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Bristol Island in the South Sandwich Islands, a UK territory east of Argentina, struck at 5:10 a.m. local time (0610 GMT), the survey said on its Web site. The Japanese weather agency reported the same earthquake with magnitude 7.5. No further information was available. The agency said they did not any information about whether the quake had triggered a tsunami.

Perhaps a timely reminder of the deadly tsunami in 2004. Earthquakes are to be a specific characteristic of the last days, and the US Geological Survey has recorded that since 1948 the frequency of earthquakes has risen dramatically. Things are set to get worse, not better, and the Bible predicts a number of deadly earthquakes which are yet to occur. The December 26th earthquake was strong enough to shake the whole world for 10 minutes, and actually caused the earth to move several inches out of its orbit. But this may be only a warning from God about what is yet to come.

Isaiah 2:19 
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Revelation 16:18-19 
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Yet, in 2005 there was a significant increase in Kassam rocket attacks on Israel with 377 recorded, compared with 309 in the previous year. At the same time there was a decrease in mortar shellings with 848 launched in 2005 compared with 1,231 in 2004. There was also a drop in bombing attacks with 199 recorded in 2005 compared with 592 in 2004. A total of 1,133 shooting attacks were carried out by terror groups in 2005 compared with 1,621 in 2004. In 2005 security forces arrested 160 potential suicide bombers in raids in West Bank villages and towns, 59 affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, 29 with Hamas, 47 with Fatah Tanzim, 14 with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and 11 with other terror groups.

All in all, perhaps the only reason fewer Israelis died this year is because of the security fence, which prohibits suicide bombers entering Israel easily, along with the Gaza disengagement which means Israelis are now only within reach in the West Bank or via Kassam rocket. Still saying that, there were seven suicide attacks carried out in Israel during the calm, slaying around fifty four individuals. If it happened in any other country, war would be declared. 

Three main Palestinian terror groups, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, announced that their self-declared "truce" has now officially ended. So expect more of the same in 2006.

Source Jerusalem Post

One of these suggestions includes the resurrection of the famed EU Constitution, only this time, don't be looking for the word "Constitution" to be mentioned by the mainstream media. The old EU Constitution will be having a make-over, to make it more acceptable to the European populace. The new "EU Constitution" will now simply be called a "Treaty". Perhaps people will accept a "Treaty" faster than a "Constitution" which sounds so permanent. But in reality, they will be accepting the same wolf in sheep's clothing.

Quote: "The Friends (of Europe) advocate pursuing economic reform, not through the EU itself, but through the mechanism of the Euro zone, the sub-group of 12 (out of 25) EU nations who use the common currency. They propose that the Commission, the EU's executive arm, reform itself and come up with some new ideas. And they suggest drafting a shorter, simpler and clearer new Treaty (shrinking from the word Constitution) to help define the EU's future progress.

The fact that the European Constitution is being brought up again reveals the true intent of the leaders of the European project, that they are determined to have their New World Order come-what-may, and will do anything to get it - even if that means duping the public. Just like Britain's entry in the European Union, politicians will tell you it's not possible to get out of it once you are in it.

Source World Peace Herald

Quote: "The religious affiliations of the dead were not immediately released. However, the market sold only pig and dog meat, both of which are forbidden under Islam. Few, if any, Muslims would have been in the covered market when the bomb exploded. Despite a peace deal, Islamic terrorists have continued a campaign of bombings, shootings and other attacks on Christians, including market blasts in May that killed 20 people and the beheadings of three schoolgirls in October. 

And yet Western leaders still insist that Islam is a peaceful religion... Possibly many Muslims are, but the Muslim world still supports those that kill in the name of Allah, a mortal statistic revealed clearly last month in a Norwegian poll of Palestinian opinion.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "John Prescott has told tax inspectors to use satellites to snoop on householders' attempts to improve their homes. Images of new conservatories and garages taken from space will be used to hike up council taxes and other property levies, official guidance obtained by The Independent on Sunday reveals. Mr Prescott's department is overseeing the creation of a database containing the details of every house in Britain to help tax inspectors to assess new charges. Even minor improvements, invisible from the road, will be caught by "spy in the sky" technology that uses a mix of aerial and satellite images taken over time to spot changes.

Some people fear Britain is turning into a "nanny state", where government interference affects every minute detail of people's every-day lives. Unfortunately this is just the latest development in an increasing trend towards a "big brother" society. The government recently announced its intentions to monitor car journeys nationwide, via a network of CCTV cameras, in a supposed effort to clamp down on crime. It seems that if you live in Britain, you must now expect that somebody will be watching you somewhere.

Source Independent