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

Quote: "Israel Radio quoted Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos as saying that high-ranking officials in the international community had aided Palestinian factions to establish such a government by holding talks with Arab countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The European Union hopes that the establishment of the unity government will pave the way for the Palestinian Authority's rehabilitation in international affairs, allowing the EU to send aid to the Palestinians and stabilize the region. British politicians have been complaining that the Quartet's (EU, US, UN, Russia) boycott of Hamas has driven it into the arms of Iran...

Quote: "A British parliamentary committee warned that the international boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government could set back the Middle East peace process and lead to further violence, in a report published Wednesday. The Commons International Development Committee report called the policy of trying to isolate the democratically elected government "questionable."

No doubt our friend and former UK Foreign Minister Jack Straw was one of those MPs. During his tenure in the Blair administration, he stated Britain desired "normalized relations" with Hamas, and that it might be possible for Hamas to recognize the "fact" of Israel's existence without recognizing its right to exist. If so, he hoped, aid to the Palestinian Authority could promptly be resumed. Jack Straw did more harm than good to Britain's relations with Israel, seeking to undermine Israeli authority in East Jerusalem, and labelling Israel's nuclear arsenal a threat to Middle East peace. 

Meanwhile, there were concerns in Lebanon this evening that Israel may be about to launch a new wave of attacks on Hizbullah positions, breaking a 5 month ceasefire. Eight people have been hospitalised after being exposed to deadly Israeli balloons that blew across the Israeli-Lebanese border...

Quote: ""The balloons are of Israeli origin with multi colours… and the phrase / Happy Year / was written on one of them… the balloons triggered an atmosphere of fear and tense among the families," Lebanese National News Agency reported.

You have been warned.

Source Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post, Sana, YNet News

Quote: "The contentious issue of the wall between the West Bank and Israel was called 'temporary'. Said Peres: "We were forced to do it. Since we built the wall, attacks came down by 80 per cent. Once there is peace, who needs walls'' He noted that there was no wall along the Jordanian border, nor were there minefields. "Why? They do not penetrate us," he said. There is still hope of peace with the Palestinians provided they are willing to sit and negotiate and peace will be at hand in a relatively short time. "Negotiate with us. We cannot change our neighbours or friends," he said.

This of course falls into line with Biblical prophecy, that Gog and his Islamic allies will in the last days, invade "the land of unwalled villages", Ezekiel 38:11. It's pretty difficult to stage a mass invasion when you have a concrete barrier standing in your way. This news comes as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave the go ahead for the security barrier to be extended to include two additional villages, Nili and Na'aleh.

Quote: "If the cabinet approves Olmert's decision, it will be the first time part of the fence has been moved eastward after receiving cabinet approval. Hitherto, all such changes have moved the fence westward, toward the Green Line, the pre-1967 border that separates Israel and the West Bank. 

In regards to Peres' political ambitions, it seems he is well on his way to becoming the next Israeli President. Peres has received official backing from Prime Minister Olmert, his Kadima party and the Labor party. The Israeli Knesset has amended the law which requires a secret ballot for the election of the president, which it is hoped will boost Peres' chances. Today the Knesset also moved to impeach the disgraced President Katsav. Meanwhile, Arab and Islamic efforts are still underway to try and find a lasting solution to the Middle East conflict. King Abdullah II of Jordan believes that European involvement in the region will increase significantly this year, and that the Middle East nations attach much importance to the EU's role as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. 

Quote: "King Abdullah said 'the importance of the EU and G8 role will increase this year as efforts intensify to relaunch the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides'. 'The region attaches much importance to this role for accomplishing real and tangible progress in the peace process that should lead to the eventual creation of an independent Palestinian state' that lives in peace with Israel, the statement said.

Pakistan is also getting involved in the peace process. Pakistan Prime Minister Pervez Musharraf is hoping to form a group of like-minded Islamic nations that could work together to develop a new initiative for the region.

Quote: "Musharraf, who was due to fly next to Malaysia for a meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said such a grouping of "like-minded" Muslim nations would be listened to. "Since the West is looking and searching for methods and new ideas of bringing peace to the region I think any new idea, any new initiative would be acceptable to them as long as it is workable," he said. He did not elaborate on the group but said King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was being consulted.

I don't think I can remember a time when so many nations around the world were interested in achieving peace in the Middle East. Perhaps they feel that the scourge of Islamic terrorism may be somewhat influenced if there was peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The book of the Revelation mentions four world conditions that would prevail during the seven year period. The rider of the first white horse wears a crown, holds a bow with no arrows, and goes forth conquering and to conquer. It is believed this horse rider represents peace. During the beginning of the 70th week, I believe the world will experience an unprecedented period of peace. It will be this false peace that will help the Antichrist achieve worldwide acclaim. It won't last, and will be followed by the rider on a second red horse who represents war, and whose job it is to take peace from the earth. 

Revelation 6:1-2
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Source The Peninsula Qatar, Haaretz, Monsters and Critics, Reuters

You could call it the next step in Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church. A Church of England bishop has announced plans to adopt secular songs into his services, in an effort to boost numbers. The congregation will sing along to some of Bono's songs, such as "Perfect Day" and "Mysterious Ways", songs which have "spiritual" connotations, but with no mention of God, Christianity, Jesus Christ, the blood, the cross or anything else that might offend people. The meeting will be recorded by the BBC for broadcasting later in the year. The bishop hopes that this new style of "worship" will spread across the United Kingdom...

Quote: "Despite his rock star antics, including swearing on live television, Bono is regarded as a Christian icon by many who point to the spiritual content of his music. His high-profile anti-poverty campaigns with fellow Irish musician Bob Geldof have elevated him to saintly status in some circles. But while Bono is open about his Christian influences, he has also clashed with Church leaders over issues such as Aids. Traditionalists who fear the Church is diluting its message to attract the young will be dismayed at its willingness to embrace Bono. Such doubts are not shared by the Bishop of Grantham, the Rt Rev Timothy Ellis, who is organising the U2-charist in St Swithin's church in Lincoln in May. "Bono and Bob Geldof are very human, but they have demonstrated that they believe there is sanctity to life that has to be protected," he said. "If that makes them saints, then I would go along with that."

From what I recall it was Bob Geldof who told British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Bush to increase their aid to Africa, as it was going to cost them "f***-all". Another friend of mine from Canada also sent me pictures Bono doing the sign of the devil at a concert (pictured left). So much for "saints". And this is the man whom the Church of England credits with creating spiritual music?

Quote: "The service will focus on the Millennium Development Goals to reduce world poverty, a cause close to Bono's heart.

Bob Geldof and Bono champion the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to reduce poverty on the African continent. An organization I used to help out in, Wycliffe Associates, also supported the Make Poverty History campaign in their magazine. Ending world poverty may be a noble ambition, but in my view a Christian organization should not support a secular project such as this, because even though our aims may be the same - ending poverty and suffering in the third world - the end goals are very different. One of the Millennium Development Goals aims is to increase sex-education in Africa, in an effort to halt the spread of aids. Sounds innocent enough, but the sex education supported by the UN will see abortion on demand legalized. The Millennium Development Goals see an expanding population as a cause of poverty in Africa, and any efforts to reduce the growth, including issuing condoms to men in an already sexually permissive culture and abortions for women, are being considered.

Quote: ""The MDGs are going to be difficult or impossible to attain without a levelling out of population growth" Richard Ottaway MP It has spent six months taking evidence from expert witnesses for the report, Population Growth - Its Impact on the MDGs. "No country has ever raised itself out of poverty without stabilising population growth," said the group's vice-chairman, Richard Ottaway MP, at a seminar on population issues this week. "And the MDGs are going to be difficult or impossible to attain without a levelling out of population growth in developing countries."

I sent Wycliffe an email about this, but unfortunately the warning fell on deaf ears. As Christians, we need to be so careful with what we get involved in.

2nd Corinthians 11:13-15 
For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

Source Telegraph, Guardian, BBC

Homosexual activists have announced they are planning to march in Moscow, despite a ban by the Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov, who slammed the event as "satanic". Moscow barred a similar event last year on the threat of violence from extreme right-wing groups, but the march went ahead and violence ensued...

Quote: ""Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the gay parade, which can be described in no other way than as satanic," he said to applause in comments broadcast on a city-controlled TV channel. "We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not going to allow it in the future." He also charged that Western countries were facing a crisis of religious faith and were corrupting children. "Some European nations bless single-sex marriages and introduce sexual guides in schools. Such things are a deadly moral poison for children," RIA-Novosti quoted Luzhkov as saying.

I'm not anti-gay, but Yury's speech is a breath of fresh air compared to our Western notions of liberalism and political correctness.  Last year I commented about some of the things that go on at these homosexual events. Another friend emailed me and said he had witnessed these shameful things firsthand, and he was appalled. He said the TV crews were all there, but they only interviewed the sane homosexuals, refusing to report the debauchery that was going on in the background. Not because they were offended by it, rather, in order to present the gay cause as just and about civil rights. Yury hit the nail on the head. Homosexuality is not about civil rights, it is a spirit that wants to destroy God's order in creation, and to do it openly in defiance of the Creator. Would to God that we had more politicians like Yury.

Isaiah 3:9 
The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide [it] not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Source Fox News

We MUST Tell Our Kids The Truth!
by Dan Delagrave

We Christian parents need to stop telling our kids lines like "when Jesus comes again...dadadadada".  Why?  Because Jesus put the fulfilment of his Second Coming within the timeframe restriction of "this generation" (Matt.24:34, Mk.13:30, Lk.21:32).  That's all the reason we need! 

A Biblical generation was thought of in the same sense as a generation is thought of today - a lifespan period of time.  The word "this" in the English dictionary means "pertaining to the present".  Jesus OBVIOUSLY meant the THEN-PRESENT generation of the Apostles when he said that all things, which included his Second Coming and the end of the age, would be fulfilled before "this generation" passed away.  It isn't even debatable, to be quite frank with you.  In Lk.17:25, Jesus told the Disciples that he must first suffer many things and be "rejected (crucified) of this generation".  We all know what generation crucified Jesus, and it wasn't "the 1948 generation", or any other modern invention!  We MUST remain consistent a few chapters later in Lk.21:32, where Jesus said that "all", not some, would be fulfilled before "this generation" passed away.

There are three different understandings of the word "generation". The one that Dan mentions is the one most people would adhere to, that the "generation" referred to is the average lifespan of a human being, or the number of years between a generation and the birth of the next generation. Seventy years, or forty years respectively. The Bible makes use of this term when referring to the number of years Israel wandered in the wilderness.

Num 32:13 
And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. 

The Greek word for this usage of "generation" is the word "dore", a revolution of time. Another word in the Greek which has been translated as "generation" in English, is the word "ghen-nay-mah", a generation of people. This refers to a specific group, rather than a specific time period. John the Baptist used the word in speaking to the Pharisees...

Mathew 3:7 
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

The generation Jesus referred to, when He said He would be rejected of "this generation", is another word again, "ghen-eh-ah". This refers to a specific people in a certain age. This is the same word that is used in Jesus Christ's prophecy, "this generation shall not pass away". The question then arises, which generation? The beginning of chapter Matthew 24 and Luke 21 in no doubt refer to the destruction of the Temple and the diaspora. Following this vivid description, Jesus Christ states...

Luke 21:24 
And they (the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: (AD 70) and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Friends, the times of the Gentiles lasted 1900 years, from the date Titus conquered Jerusalem, until 1967, when Israel retook the city. The next verse commences after the times of the Gentiles has been fulfilled, and concludes with the Second Coming of Christ.

Luke 21:25-27 
And (after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled) there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

So the question is, which generation is Jesus referring to when He states, the generation that sees all these things come to pass will be the last? The answer is obvious, the generation that witnesses the times of the Gentiles coming to a close.

So we need to start telling our kids THE TRUTH.

Pastors today are in a tough position.  They face LOSING THEIR JOB should they tell the truth.  This is unlike the first century, where pastors weren't plugged into a clergy system that gave them a comfortable salary for preaching the truth.  This is why pastors today commonly AVOID teaching Bible prophecy.  In other words, rather than risk losing their job should they have a change of mind about their denomination's official position on eschatology, they avoid the subject altogether. 

Let's face it, a typical pastor today who suddenly began teaching the Preterist view of eschatology would get OUSTED in short order.  It's the nature of the beast (the conventional church system and denominationalism).  Many pastors are simply unwilling to give up a comfortable salary and good standing before the community in order to openly teach the truth.  So they "leave well enough alone".  Come on, now.  Can we be just a little bit real here?

It has been said that the next reformation will concern eschatology.  That reformation, is, in fact, already underway.  As Thomas Ice, founder of  "the Pre-Trib Research Center" and perhaps the leading defender of Futurism today (particularly of the Premillennial, Dispensational sort), said, "The Preterist view is gaining widespread acceptance on all levels today."  Folks, literally NOTHING that Hal Lindsey, self-proclaimed "father of the modern prophecy movement", has taught or predicted in the last forty years has come true.  All the speculation surrounding the new millennium, such as the Y2K pandemonium, came to nought without so much as a "7-yr peace treaty".  No rebuilt temple, no Russian invasion of Israel, no micro-chip mark of the beast, no one-world religion, no ten horns, and no world-wide dictator has come to fruition like the Premil authors said it would.  It's all been a sad, moneymaking travesty due to wrong eschatology to begin with. 

No comment. Anyone who reads this site will soon see evidence for all this coming to pass in our lifetime. The millennium bug was a hoax by the New World Order, designed to make sure all the banks in the world updated their systems, so we could all be interlinked.

People want answers to all the failed hype and false predictions.  This has caused "a second reformation".  Believers have gone "back to the Bible" for answers, where they have noticed a particular TIMEFRAME for the fulfilment of Bible prophecy, that being "this generation".

We MUST tell our kids the truth if we are to keep this much needed reformation going strong for generations to come. 

The "1948 generation" proved to be a false teaching.  Here we are almost 60 years removed from 1948 and still no Jesus on a big chair in Jerusalem, not to mention none of the aforementioned staples of Dispensational eschatology seeing fulfilment either.  The WRONG GENERATION was in mind all along.

Not exactly. 1948 saw prophecy fulfilled, when a nation was born in one day (Isaiah 66:8), when Hebrew became the official language of the Jews (Zephaniah 3:9) and the Jews returned to their ancient homeland Israel (Ezekiel 37). But we were wrong to mark 40 years from 1948, because Jerusalem, and more significantly the Temple Mount, was still under Gentile control. Daniel's vision states explicitly, that 70 weeks were "determined upon thy people, and thy holy city Jerusalem", Daniel 9:24. Joel 3:1 also states that God was going to bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem. Without Jerusalem under Israeli control, none of the prophesies concerning the end times could come to pass. 

Let's talk about "the 1948 generation".  That view of "this generation" is based on a wrong interpretation of the fig tree parable in Matt.24:32-33.  It is commonly taught that this parable is saying that when Israel, the fig tree, came to life again in 1948 then "the terminal generation" began.  What I want you to see, though, is the fact that, in LUKE'S VERSION of the parable, Jesus exhorted the Disciples to take note of not only the fig tree but "all the trees".  While the fig tree in scripture did indeed denote Israel, we must be consistent here.  If the parable is saying that Israel will come to life again some day, then so must "all the trees".  Were "all the trees", or ALL THE NATIONS, born again as political states in 1948????  NO!!  The fact is, the parable is not speaking of modern Israel at all.  If it were, then we would have to see evidence that ALL the nations became new political states at that time too, that is, if consistency means anything at all. 

Jesus Christ singled out the fig tree in his parable. The fig tree is a picture of Israel in the Bible.

Hosea 9:10 
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

The disciples were simply to compare the fig tree to all the trees, because the fig tree is unique, in that it is the first tree to blossom and bear fruit. It's leaves show that "summer is near". Jesus was saying to His disciples, look at all the trees, but when you see leaves on the fig (Israel), you know that you are in the last days.

Needless to say, "1948 generation" advocates prefer to cite MATTHEW'S VERSION of the fig tree parable, which only mentions the fig tree and not "all the trees".

Those who cite the fig tree parable to support a Dispensational bent on Bible prophecy claim that, in the next verse, the stated timeframe restriction for it's fulfilment - "this generation" - is "the generation that saw Israel come to life in 1948".  Yet, that interpretation of "this generation" is not consistent with how Jesus used that very same term elsewhere.  We've already examined Lk.17:25, where Jesus referred to the generation that crucified him as "this generation".  Another verse that demonstrates the then-present nature of "this generation" is Matt.23:36.  Jesus pronounced seven "woes" upon the hypocritical Pharisees of his time, and called them "the children of them which killed the prophets". (v.31)  He said, "That upon you (the hypocritical Jews of his day) may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth." (v.35).  Then he summed up his scathing pronouncement to the Pharisees by saying, "Verily I say un to you, All these things shall come upon this generation."  OBVIOUSLY, the term "this generation" in Matt.23:36 referred to the very ones Jesus was speaking to at that time!  Again, we MUST remain consistent when, just a few verses later in Matt.24:34, Jesus said virtually the same thing - "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." 

"In my grandfather's day, it took two days to cross the desert during the day". I use the same word in English three times, with three different meanings. The first day refers to a period of time when my grandfather was a boy, the second refers to a 24 hour period of time and the third refers to the period of time in which we have daylight. When Jesus Christ refers to this and that "generation", we need to make sure we are examining the passage for the correct context. Obviously the generation Jesus refers to in regard to the Pharisees and those who would put Him to death, could not be 2000 years after the resurrection. But the events He spoke of in regard to the last days could be! 

The words "all these things" included the Lord's Second Coming and the end of the age, in conjunction with the Temple's destruction.  All three elements were what the Disciples asked Jesus about, and Jesus put the fulfilment of ALL THREE under one and the same time statement of "this generation".  Therefore, we cannot separate by thousands of years the Lord's Second Coming from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, since all three things were prophesied to be fulfilled before the then-present generation had passed away. 

No. The reference to "all these things" is to Israel fleeing, after seeing the abomination of desolation set up in the Temple. This is not a reference to the Temple's destruction in AD 70, for the events described by the Lord that coincide with this occurrence are false prophets, signs in the heavens, and the sign of the Son of Man. These things never occurred in AD 70.

Matthew 24:30 
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Sadly, Futuristic eschatology, at best, puts the fulfilment of "some" things in the first century, while other things are to be fulfilled thousands of years removed from that time.  But what right does anyone have to change what Jesus said twice about in the space of ten verses, that is, the fact that "all" would be fulfilled before that generation had passed away?  The TRUTH is, we have no option but to simply accept what Jesus said and begin adjusting our understanding of all else accordingly.  Unfortunately, modern teachers keep adjusting the clear timeframe Jesus gave to accommodate false notions about the nature of the kingdom.  Church, that ought not to be!

Let's face this too - NO MAN wants to get a crazy look from his kids, especially kids that are old enough to have already had a futuristic interpretation of the Second Coming of Christ ingrained into their minds.  But we have no choice short of not saying anything at all.  The result of not telling them the truth is IGNORANCE and all that curtails from it.  That includes a lot of silliness, unrealistic expectations, and, ultimately, disillusionment.

Telling our kids the Preteristic truth about Bible prophecy also equips them with a tremendous apologetic for the Christian faith.  The Sceptics constantly use "the non-return" against the deity of Jesus and the inspiration of the Bible.  Jesus didn't return WHEN he said he would, therefore he was a false prophet and the Bible is uninspired, so the Sceptics say.  Telling our kids the truth - that all was fulfilled within the first century parameters of "this generation" - gives them the only rock-solid refutation of the "non-return" accusation against Christianity.

We MUST tell our kids the truth.

*****

Just one thought. I would rather be right about Jesus' coming again, and to not be ashamed, than to have taught that Jesus wasn't coming back and have to face Him, knowing that I not only let Him down, but also my children. How sad.

1st John 2:28 
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Quote: "In contrast to Majadle's comments, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum defended the suicide attack as legitimate "resistance" against Israel. Barhoum called the attack, which killed three people in a local bakery, a "natural response" to IDF policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as its ongoing boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government. "So long as there is occupation, resistance is legitimate," he said. He also said attacks on Israel were preferable to the recent bout of Palestinian infighting in Gaza. "The right thing is for Fatah weapons to be directed toward the occupation, not toward Hamas," he said.

Of course its not just Palestinian terrorist organizations that sympathize with the bombers. Last year, Cherie Blair, the British Prime Ministers wife, said that "as long as as young people feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up you are never going to make progress" - just hours after some 19 Israelis were killed in a massive suicide bombing. Mayor or London Ken Livingstone also justified suicide bombings, stating that the Palestinians had no other option, because they were fighting against a state that had fighter planes and tanks - and that was only days after London experienced its first taste of Islamic terror. Today's suicide attack is the first since April last year, and the first the town of Eilat has ever experienced. The IDF believe the bomber could have infiltrated across the Egyptian border, and if so, that would put EU efforts at the Rafah border under question. This is exactly why Israel has been building the "apartheid wall", to keep out Shahid who believe that killing themselves along with dozens of Jews will land themselves in heaven with 72 dark-eyed virgins.

John 16:2-3
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Source Jerusalem Post, BBC

A new report published by the Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism has revealed a worrying spike in anti-Semitics attacks across the world. According to the report published by the Jewish Agency, Austria and Germany have seen at least a 60% rise in incidents in the last year, while France and Russia have seen a 20% increase. Every year, hundreds of anti-Semitic attacks are recorded. During the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict last year, a young girl was beaten unconscious on a London bus in an horrific attack that lasted for five minutes, after her attackers discovered she was Jewish. Not a single news agency covered the story. In another incident in Germany, a group of Muslim women attacked a girl speaking on a mobile phone to her friend in Israel, after they realized she was speaking Hebrew. Last year the Chief Rabbi of Britain warned the world that a "wave of anti-Semitism" was sweeping across the globe, from predominantly Muslim countries to Western nations.

Quote: "Europe was also scene to "pure white Christian anti-Semitism," Hermon said, citing an article last August by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder, who wrote in the Aftenposten newspaper: "The State of Israel in its present form is history. We no longer recognize the State of Israel... Do not worry, Israel will go to exile again." Almost all forms of anti-Semitism, from the anti-Israel boycott attempts by the radical Left, to the propaganda of Islamic extremists, shared the attempt to equate the State of Israel with Nazi Germany, Hermon pointed out.

That is an extremely interesting statement. This is the same crime for which mayor of London Ken Livingstone was condemned for (and got away with it), for comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi prison camp guard. And of course we have the statements by President Ahmadinejad, who believes the holocaust was a myth, but intends to finish the job the Europeans started. And then all the Nazi graffiti which so often adorns the Jewish graveyards of Europe, courtesy of the neo-Nazi and nationalistic groups. 

And this of course is the same lie that the mainstream "Christian" churches are buying into. Last year, the Church of England decided it would get involved in politics in an effort to rediscover its validity in the modern world. But it seems getting involved in politics necessitates bashing Israel. The Church of Scotland also feels the same way. The view is portrayed in the media that the peace wall is really an "apartheid" wall, that Israel's construction in the West Bank is a "land grab", and that there was once a state called Palestine which has been overrun by the Jews. The sad thing is, when another holocaust does come, you won't need to wonder why the churches never did anything to stop it.

Isaiah 54:15 
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

Source YNet News

Quote: "We bring to you our deepening concern for the welfare and future of the Palestinian Christian community. A small but vital part of the Palestinian society, Christians are rapidly emigrating to countries where they can gain the economic and physical security that is denied all Palestinians living under occupation. The future of the Palestinian Christians requires a solution to the conflict that will allow both peoples ­ Israelis and Palestinians - to live side-by- side in two states where all enjoy justice, peace and security...
With the construction by Israel of the separation barrier, many of the faithful ­ both Christians and Muslims ­ are excluded from the Holy City, and Jerusalem is severed from Bethlehem. Our second appeal is for you to work with Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to guarantee access to Jerusalem's Holy Places and religious liberty for all peoples.

Not only do they lay the blame for Christian suffering at the feet of Israel, they completely fail to mention that Hamas and Fatah are the ones to blame for the erection of the "separation barrier", and the fact that its erection has saved possibly hundreds of lives. I also commented on an article a few months ago in which Christian Palestinians described the suffering they were enduring. They didn't mention Israel or the peace wall, but what they did mention was that Hamas terrorists were fire-bombing their premises, and accusing them of proselytising Muslims. And the low population of Christians in Bethlehem, for which the ecumenicals blame Israel, has been falling ever since Israel handed control of the town to the Palestinian Authority. They also fail to mention Christians and Jews do not currently enjoy access to all Jerusalem's holy places, thanks to the Islamic Waqf who administer the Temple Mount, while their letter implies that Israel is to blame for this.

Are these church leaders really concerned for peace in the Middle East? I don't think so. If they read their Bibles, their letter would sound entirely different. They would love the Jew as much as the Palestinian. They would love justice, rather than compromise with terror. They would have a desire not to see God's land divided. They would travel to Israel and the territories, and help the poor and needy, instead of just writing letters about it. In reality, these ecumenical leaders' only concern is to be seen to be in favour of peace, to portray a good image of themselves. But just like Rick Warren's ill-fated trip to Syria, the sheep's clothing will eventually come off.

Matthew 7:15-17
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

Source Independent Catholic News

Quote: "In a joint article published in a number of European newspapers, Spain's Alberto Navarro and Luxembourg's Nicolas Schmit say that in today's globalised world "a united and capable Europe is more necessary than ever". "We cannot resign ourselves to Europe being no more than a huge market or a free trade area," they write. "We want a political Europe that can speak with one voice, and with one minister of foreign affairs and a common foreign service."

Once again I hear that phrase "one voice". Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, has used the phrase several times, in relation to EU energy resources, in relation to Europe's representation on the UN Security Council. And of course EU propaganda proudly proclaims that Europe has many languages, but speaks with one voice. Of course the voice has to belong to an individual, and sooner or later they will get what they want. Only this "one voice" will speak blasphemy against God until his time is accomplished. Note the progression in the following verses...

Daniel 7:8 
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great (boastful) things. 

Daniel 7:20 
And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows. 

Revelation 13:5 
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.

Revelation 13:6 
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Source BBC

Quote: "The Israeli mission is hoping that a majority of at least 104 countries will support the resolution, as in the historical vote of November 1, 2005, designating January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The second International Holocaust Day will be commemorated next Monday.

Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi, a close friend of Israel and the man who called for EU troops to police the Gaza border, is pressing for Holocaust denial to be made a crime in his country. Italy proposed legislation today that would increase jail sentences for anti-Semitic attacks, and would help finance an international Holocaust education programme...

Quote: ""No to anti-Semitism, even when it is disguised as anti-Zionism," said Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in a Memorial Day speech before hundreds of students in Rome on Thursday. "Anti-Semitism means denying the base on which the Jewish country is built, the reason for its establishment, and its need for security even today, it has nothing to do with which government is currently leading Israel ," Napolitano said.

While this is positive news, especially in light of current statements coming out of Iran, actions speak louder than words. Anti-Semitism is on the increase throughout the world, it's not just an Iranian problem. The Bible states that during the tribulation period, specifically after the abomination of desolation is set up in the Jewish Temple, the Jewish nation will face a time of trouble the like of which has never been witnessed (Daniel 12:1), not even in the Holocaust. Two thirds (Zechariah 13:8-9) of Israel will be wiped out, and the remaining third will be preserved by God until the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 12:14). 

Source YNet News, YNet News

It seems I was partly right, and partly wrong. He wasn't about to usurp Solana's role as future EU Foreign Minister, but I was wrong in that he was linked with Switzerland. The Swiss government has revealed the identity of its special EU mediator, that was involved in secret negotiations between Israel and Syria for a couple of years. Haaretz first broke the story that a deal had been negotiated between the two states which would have paved the way for the handover of the Golan Heights to Israel, in return for an end to the support of terrorism by Damascus. But the talks ended soon after the outbreak of the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict. The EU's secret negotiator was a man called Nicholas Lang, a minister in the Swiss Foreign Office.

Quote: "Former foreign minister Silvan Shalom, a Likud MK, confirmed last week that he knew of the secret talks while serving at the ministry. Meretz chair Yossi Beilin said after Haaretz first revealed the initiative that the European who mediated between the Israelis and Damascus was the head of the Middle East desk in the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Nicholas Lang. Lang had played a key role in the talks between Israelis and Palestinians that led to Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo's Geneva Initiative. Earlier, Lang had served as Swiss general consul in Jerusalem. Over the weekend, Lang visited Jerusalem, later travelling to Damascus to meet senior government officials, including Vice President Farouk Shara and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

Syrian American Ibrahim Suleiman stated that he believed the revelation of the secret talks between Israel and Syria would end hopes of an agreement, but it seems in spite of this development Switzerland has expressed a desire for the negotiations to resume. But with denials by both Israel and Syria that any talks had taken place, or that any agreement had been reached, it is doubtful the talks could take place on an official level, at least for the present.

Quote: ""As a neutral country, Switzerland is well positioned to facilitate such dialogues. In this context, Switzerland welcomed Syria's repeated calls for a resumption of dialogue and peace talks with Israel." The embassy statement made no mention of Lang, coordinator of Swiss Middle East peace efforts, being in Damascus. 

Source Haaretz, YNet News

Quote: ""As Christians, that cannot be our message," said Professor Rossing. "We need to read the Bible for the future; for the end of the world, said the New Testament scholar. We can learn from early Christians and New Testament communities about how to live in hope for the future "since they too believed that they were living at the end of the world, the end of the ages." "As we frame our thinking for the 21st century," she said, "frame the question of 'God's Unfinished Future' in ecological terms [and ask] how can we as Christians find a biblical vision of hope for the future that address ecological economics; that addresses the future of this earth; our home; and is God's home and will not be left behind."

Dr Rossing is proclaiming that the book of Revelation is a warning message from God, but advocates that Christians teach that God's ultimate aim is to heal this planet, not destroy it. That is true, don't get me wrong. But Rossing errs in her theology, which she claims to be a Doctor of. There is no "unfinished future" mentioned in the Bible, the future of mankind is already written down for all to see. The God I serve is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. The events spoken off in Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc. will unfold exactly as foretold, because God is the author of the book. Dr Rossing said that the disciples believed they were also living in the "end of the age". The truth is they were, Scripturally speaking the "end of the age" (in regards to Israel - Hebrews 1:1-2) has been going on for the last 2000 years. But the events written in the Scriptures concerning the last days (in regards to this world) could not have been fulfilled in their lifetimes, due to political alliances and technological advances described as taking place in the last days, and that is why there is a sense of "an end" in today's culture. To Dr Rossing, this fear of impending judgement is wrong, and the Bible must be reinterpreted in order to portray a more positive message. After all, how could a loving God destroy His own creation? In fact God's love demands that He judge the world. Love for the world to not leave it in its sinful state, and love for the saved to deliver them from it. 

Dr Rossing is a false teacher. She proclaims peace to the world, but does not seek to warn the lost of the judgement to come. Sadly she is like so many other false teachers today, believing that the Church has taken Israel's place, and that they can continue their comfortable lives on this earth indefinitely. Like the false prophets of old, God has not sent them though they claim to speak in His name. Those that have not truly accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour will receive their judgement, along with the souls they have deceived.

2nd Peter 2:1 
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Isaiah 47:13 
Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from [these things] that shall come upon thee.

Source Spero

The White House and Congress of the United States have been flooded with calls from Assyrian groups that the US support the creation of an Assyrian province in Iraq. The Iraqi government has stated that the Assyrian people should be entitled to their own province in the country, and if they request it, they may be given one. The announcement has generated a wave of interest in several countries, and bills petitioning for the creation of the province are to be submitted to the US Congress and the European Parliament.

Quote: "The AIGNA story said, "Based on the public statements of both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister [of Iraq] who said, 'The Assyrians are the original people of Iraq. They are entitled to a province of their own and should request it,' the move towards the Province is spreading from Washington to other countries with a similar resolution being prepared for presentation to the EU [European Union] Parliament. "In addition to calls, teams of volunteers are visiting every member of Congress, the White House, State Department and other Agencies, delivering a copy of 'The Congressional Resolution for the Assyrian Province' and asking them to sponsor the bills introduction into Congress and implementation."

The following comments are from Watchmen Watching...

This article grabbed my attention. In Micah Chapter 5, you will find the prophecy of the first and second coming Christ. It is the verse quoted to Herod by the chief priests and scribes when he asked where the messiah was supposed to come from. It foretells that He would come out of Bethlehem and that He was "from everlasting", an eternal being. Continuing on in this chapter, at verse 5, it foretells of His victorious return and His bringing real peace to Israel. It foretells the victory that will be gained over Israel’s enemies. Israel’s enemies in this chapter are depicted as being led by the "Assyrian", which many expositors have taken to be a symbolic description. Could the leader of Israel’s enemies be a literal Assyrian? Interesting days in which we live, for sure. 

Micah 5:5-6 
And this man (Jesus) shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him 7 shepherds, and 8 principal men. And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: Nimrod (remember Nimrod’s land was of Babylon…located in today’s Iraq) thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

My own (Chris) thoughts are that perhaps the reference to the Assyrian coming into the land and Israel raising up men to withstand him, may be a reference to the war of Ezekiel 38-39. I don't think the "Assyrian" here is a single individual, like the Antichrist or similar, rather it is speaking of the nationality of the Assyrians. It's like me saying, when the Roman invaded Britain we were defeated. Ezekiel states that many people shall come with Gog to invade Israel in the last days.

Source AINA

Quote: ""Everyone, particularly Israel, must realise that if we do not reach a solution to the Palestinian issue this year then we will all pay the price," King Abdullah told London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, calling for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. "Without this, the region will move toward new disasters similar to what happened in Lebanon," he told the daily.

Meanwhile, President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority is planning to visit Spain this Friday, to meet with the Prime Minister Zapatero and Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos. The two men have been instrumental in the creation of the Alliance of Civilizations and the Declaration of Alicante - the EU's new peace plan for the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority accepted the Spanish peace plan shortly after it was revealed by Moratinos.

Quote: "In Ramallah, aides to Abbas confirmed that the president would stop in Spain after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Abbas will meet with Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and dine with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's Foreign Ministry said.

In other news, it appears the $100 million in tax revenues, so generously given by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Palestinian President Abbas will be distributed to the needy. Apparently US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had pressured Olmert into handing over the money as some sort of good will gesture. President Abbas then made a surprise visit to Damascus to visit Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, and the rest is history. And there is no doubt about it, Hamas is needy. They need bullets to kill more Jews, they need RPG launchers to attack the IDF and they need to buy off Palestinians to consolidate their power. 

Quote: "At the time Olmert quietened his critics, assuring them that Abbas would oversee the distribution of these funds, and that Hamas - which has been boycotted internationally until it recognizes Israel - would not be able to touch the money. Now, however, PA Minister of Planning Samir Abu Aisha (Hamas) has stated that his organization will be fully involved in handing out the cash. Doing so makes a mockery of Olmert's assurances and will help bolster Hamas popularity in its ongoing conflict with the Fatah faction of the PLO. Some of the dollars are expected to fund ongoing terrorist activities against Israel.

I think the US and UK need to take note, "Do not feed the animals".

Source Reuters, International Herald Tribune, Jerusalem Newswire

Member of the Israeli Knesset, Shlomo Breznitz of Olmert's Kadima party, has proposed a new peace plan which he believes is revolutionary and will solve the situation of Israel's security problem. Breznitz has proposed that Israel disengage from the West Bank, and hand control of the region over to the European Union. In the plan, EU forces would gradually replace IDF soldiers stationed in Judea and Samaria, who would in turn train and equip Palestinian President Abbas' "security forces". Eventually it is hoped, Abbas' forces will be in a position to take control of the region.

Quote: "The plan is based on an Israeli withdrawal from most of the Palestinian territories and the dismantling of dozens of settlements in the occupied territories. These territories will then be handed over to a European force, which Breznitz described as an "important force [which will] control the situation in preparation for the establishment of a Palestinian state". Breznitz also revealed that he is going to present this plan on Wednesday at the ongoing Herzliya conference, taking place outside Tel Aviv. He believes that this plan is the way out of the current dilemma, and would offer a solution similar to south Lebanon, or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Breznitz' ideas are of course not new. At the end of last year, the European Union voted on sending EU troops to Gaza in order to put an end the bloodshed. That was after the Beit Hanoun "massacre", when Israel was blamed for killing dozens of Palestinians. The Bible also states that the European Union, the Revived Roman Empire, will send troops to the region in order to facilitate the peace agreement. But it seems Breznitz' plan may be more than just words on a piece of paper. European sources in Israel and the Palestinian territories have told WorldNetDaily that their institutions are already taking on new staff, ahead of an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. It is expected a deal will result in the disengagement from much of the West Bank, and the European Union, which is already involved in security on the Rafah border and training the Palestinian police force, will be expected to take on the extra burden of security in the territories. 

Quote: "EU sources in Israel tell WND their offices here are taking on new staffers to deal with matters of security, public relations, diplomacy and regional coordination. They say they expect an increased work load due to behind-the-scenes diplomatic initiatives they state may result in an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.

Friends, it seems events are accelerating rapidly, and ideas that were once solely in the realm of prophecy are now fast becoming a reality. 

Source IMRA, WorldNetDaily

Quote: "Kadima's number two man Peres has shown interest in running for president again, but has yet to make an official announcement. Kadima sources told Ynet that advisor Eyal Arad, who steered Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to victory in 2001, has been recruited to manage Peres' presidential bid. Opinion polls projected Peres as the frontrunner in the race, with most Israelis favoring him for the presidency. However, the Israeli public does not determine the outcome of such a race. Under Israeli law, a presidential candidate is elected by majority in the Knesset.

If he does win, and if Solana's predictions that a deal with the Palestinians is a few weeks to two months away, Shimon Peres may just become the man who "hearkens to the division" of God's land. Is it just me, or does it seem that God is walking contrary to His people? Rabbis have speculated that because of the disengagement from Gaza and the "convergence" plan and their efforts to hand the land of Israel back to their enemies, that God has allowed the leadership of Israel to be judged, and has brought their sin out into the open. I'd be inclined to agree with that. But if things keep going the way they are going, then I believe, the worst is yet to come.

Leviticus 26:23-26 
And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

Source YNet News

Russia has announced it has completed the full shipment of Tor M-1 missiles to Iran. Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov has stated that the missiles are purely for defence purposes, and have a limited range. But the United States criticized the $700 million deal, which comes at a time that the international community is seeking to pressurize Iran into giving up its nuclear programme. 

Quote: "Defense Ministry officials previously said Moscow would supply 29 of the sophisticated missile systems to Iran under a $700 million contract signed in December 2005, according to Russian media reports. Ivanov said last week that at least some of the missiles had been sent, the first high-level confirmation that their delivery took place despite US complaints.

Iran is using the missile systems to defend it's nuclear installations from attack. The Tor M-1 is a mobile guided missile launcher that is capable of taking out fighter aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, guided missiles and precision weapons, such as laser-guided bombs and cruise missiles. The system can operate in intensive radar-jammed environments.

Quote: "Tor M1 can detect and track up to 48 targets (minimum radar cross section of 0.1 square meter) at a maximum range of 25 km, and engage two of them simultaneously, at a speed of up to 700 m/sec, and at a distance of 1 to 12 km. The system's high lethality (aircraft kill probability of 0.92-0.95) is maintained at altitude of 10 – 6,000 m'.

Short range or not, Israel and the US will have their work cut out if they will attempt a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities before April 2007.

Source FARS, Defense Update

An aide to Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common Foreign and Security Policy, has stated on the condition of anonymity that an historic change in the Middle East is coming within the next few weeks or months. Sources say the deal was negotiated by Israel and Egypt in co-ordination with the European Union and the United States....

Quote: "The Egyptian and European sources told WND the negotiations for an Israeli withdrawal were mediated by Egypt and the European Union, with U.S. input. The sources said major changes in Israeli-Palestinian affairs are expected within a few weeks to two months. According to an aid to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, speaking on condition of anonymity, there will be a "historic political evolution and movement in negotiations in the next few weeks and few months, unseen since the Camp David peace talks in 2000."

The "historic change" would involve the transfer of most of the West Bank to the control of President Abbas, rather than the Palestinian Authority run by Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh of Hamas. The United States and Britain have already handed over substantial funds and weapons to Abbas' "security forces". This would result in the unbelievable situation, where Israel's enemies completely surround the Jewish state, and are supported by the international community. All of Israel would then be within firing range of rockets, from Hizbullah in the north, Hamas in the west and Fatah in the east. In regards to the secret negotiations between Israel, Syria and the European Union, Javier Solana has stated that the EU will stand behind any decision Israel makes in regard to the apparent offer of peace from President Bashar Assad. 

Quote: "The European Union would support any decision Israel would make regarding negotiations with Syria, EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in an interview with Channel 10 on Monday evening. Solana, who was asked by one of the presenters whether the EU thought Syrian President Bashar Assad's recent calls for peace talks with Israel were serious, said that judging from Syria's recent behavior towards the international community, the country may be difficult to believe. Therefore, he said, the EU would stand by any decision Israel would make regarding the Syrian president's offer.

Regarding the identity of the European dignitary that has been involved in the secret talks, it is difficult to know who he is, or what he represents. He could be just a well respected politician like Paddy Ashdown, who led a British political party for years, and later moved on to conflict resolution in Kosovo. He could just be undertaking the talks on an unofficial level, on behalf of the European Union or Javier Solana. In any case I don't think he could/should upstage Solana, who is slated for the job of EU Foreign Minister. He could be the man to make the agreement, which the Antichrist will later confirm or strengthen. The talks were probably undertaken in Switzerland, as this is "supposed" to be a politically neutral country, but I doubt if this would have anything to do with the dignitary's identity. On the other hand, Solana may not be the man, and this "super professional" dignitary could be the Antichrist. In any case we'll have to keep our eyes open.

Source WorldNetDaily, Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Switzerland served as a mediator in informal talks between Israeli and Syrian representatives, which were first reported in Haaretz last week, Swiss Foreign Minister and Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Ray said Monday. "Switzerland was the mediator in the talks that were reported in the media," said Calmy-Ray. She added that the individual who mediated between sides in the talks is currently in Syria. It was reported in recent days that the senior European official who was involved in secret talks between Israel and Syria held a long meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's chief of staff, Yoram Turbowicz, during the second Lebanon war... Before the meeting, the European official visited Damascus several times with Syrian-American businessman Ibrahim Suleiman, who was the Syrian representative in the talks with Liel. Their last meeting took place 10 days after the war began.

They're not giving away much, are they? 

1) It's a male.
2) He's senior.
3) He had talks with Yoram Turbowicz during the Lebanese war. 
4) He has been in Damascus several times. 
5) He is currently in Syria. 

I don't know where Solana is right now, but Syria was not on his official schedule for his four day tour of the Middle East. YNet News has also revealed that this European diplomat is a super statesman, just like the Antichrist will be...

Quote: "Speaking to reporters at the Netanya Academic College last week, Dr. Liel admitted that the talks were mediated by a European country, whose identity he refused to divulge. "Our only way of ascertaining that our counterparts were serious was sending someone to Damascus nearly every month to verify this," Liel explained. He described the mediator as "a super-professional, super responsible European dignitary."

Now how many super-professional, super responsible EU dignitaries do you know of? I don't know of many, but if there are any other suggestions other than Solana, please email them to me.

Daniel 8:24-25
And his (Antichrist's) 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. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Source Haaretz, Ynet News

Quote: "Olmert and Abbas reached a series of concessions during the meeting, which marked the first substantial talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 22 months. Regarding the meeting, Peres was quoted by Israel Radio as saying on Sunday that it is an opportunity to revive the " convergence" plan, which seemed to be shelved after the month-long Israel-Hezbollah conflict in summer. Olmert vowed before the March 28 election to set Israel's final borders by 2010 and the new government would be based on his so- called "convergence" plan, under which Israel would withdraw isolated settlements in the West Bank but keep bigger ones.

Peres also made an interesting remark today, stating that there are three main issues, borders, refugees and Jerusalem, and that the two sides are close to an agreement on the disengagement from Judea and Samaria, and around ninety percent of the land will be handed over to the Palestinian Authority.

Quote: "Addressing the conflict with the Palestinians, Peres said that the three main problems were borders, Jerusalem and the refugees. "On the border issue we are close to reaching a solution, as we have agreed to return 90 percent of the West Bank territories. On the refugee issue, Israel has told the Arab world that there is nothing to talk about, and even the Saudi document does not talk about the right of return anymore. Regarding Jerusalem, there are things that everyone agrees about and there are additional issues that have to be discussed."

I've stated this before, but for the benefit of those who are new, Shimon Peres has a very interesting name. Shimon, or Simeon means "to hearken", and "Peres" means "division". In the Bible, names are very important, and often describe the character of the person to whom they are given, for example, Abram (exalted father) and Abraham (father of a multitude), Saul (a haughty one) and Paul (a little one), Simon (a small pebble) and Peter (a stone). I have speculated before that Shimon Peres, due to his unique name, may end up becoming instrumental in the division of God's land, which thing He hates.

Source People's Daily Online, YNet News

Quote: "Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has appointed Yossi Amrani, former Israeli consul in San Francisco, to oversee work on the plan, Maariv reports. Amrani's team must prepare the plan and present it within the coming weeks. It is to include various aspects of the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders to be unilaterally determined by Israel. The way will be left open for border changes in the future, if the PA begins to cooperate. A withdrawal from Judea and Samaria means the destruction of an untold number of Jewish communities and the expulsion of many more thousands of Jews than those expelled from Gush Katif. Most of the latter are still without permanent homes or jobs. The plan in the works is predicated upon the assumption that the PA will not succeed in forming a Fatah-Hamas unity government in the near future, and that therefore the Hamas-led PA will continue to refuse to recognize Israel's existence. It is also assumed that PA Chairman Abu Mazen (Fatah) will never be strong enough to sign agreements with Israel.

This is why despite Olmert's denials, I have not removed his claim that Israel would finalize it's borders by 2010 from this website. Olmert is a very determined man and like British Prime Minister Blair, believes he has a moral obligation to fulfil his personal vision, no matter who disagrees with him. Olmert intends to disengage from land taken in 1967 in an attempt to shift the blame for the lack of peace onto the Palestinians, but his plan will leave Israel virtually indefensible and will result in the near destruction of the Jewish nation.

Zechariah 12:2 
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah (West Bank) [and] against (East) Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:7 
The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Israeli government?) do not magnify [themselves] against Judah.

Source Arutz 7

Quote: ""We think there is an opportunity now, an opportunity we should not let go of," Solana told reporters following talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the capital city Amman. Solana departed for Israel, the last leg in a Mideast tour that included stops in the West Bank and Egypt. Commenting on the stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Solana said, "It's been taking too long a time; the situation has not evolved, the peace process has not evolved, but we think this is the moment to give it a push and to see if we can put it back on track."

During his visit to the Palestinian territories, the High Representative also said he was shocked at the extent of the West Bank barrier, the peace wall that has saved possibly hundreds of innocent lives from Palestinian attacks, and the growth of Israeli settlements in the disputed territory. He urged Israel to stop building the wall and put an end to the housing developments.

Quote: "Solana said he was struck during a tour on Saturday of Arab towns on Jerusalem's eastern slopes that lie within West Bank land by the growth of settlements and a barrier cutting into land that Palestinians want for a state. "I had the opportunity to make a tour along the eastern part of Jerusalem and go to Abu Dis and its surroundings. You get really very shocked every time you go and you see the situation worse, the wall is more extended and settlements are more extended," Solana told reporters in Amman.

The question is, why in Solana's eyes is Israel only to blame for the erection of the peace wall? Why is the situation "worse", now that hundreds of lives have been saved in the prevention of terrorists breaching the border of Israel in order to kill Jews? Solana did urge the Israeli government no so long ago to ease the "oppression" of the Palestinian people by making it easier for them to cross into Israel. He received a scolding response from former Shimon Peres, who said Israel's first and foremost responsibility was to their own people, and Hamas were to blame for the situation. Belfast has had peace walls for years, but nobody ever complains that their freedoms are being restricted or that they are being oppressed. When peace comes, walls should theoretically come down, but to call for walls to come down while war is being waged against innocent civilians is complete lunacy, in any part of the world. I believe the walls will eventually come down though, possibly shortly before Russia and her Arab allies invade.

Ezekiel 38:10-12
Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy (Gog) mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages (Israel); I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 

Source Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, AlertNet

While I'm away, you can enjoy one final song from my friend Michael Jamison, Woe Is Me, from his album "I Love the Lord". This is a very powerful song about a man who dies, having rejected salvation. I like this song because it brings it home how real eternity is, and the mortal danger the unsaved are in if they die in their sins. If this doesn't stir you to pray for the lost and proclaim the gospel, nothing will. If you would like this CD, or some of the new ones that Michael will be recording in April, please feel free to contact him or myself. 

On the other hand, if you are not yet saved, and are concerned about your soul and the things written in this website, feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to help point you to the Saviour.

Quote: "Following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Friday, European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said that positive developments have been occurring recently that could contribute to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. "We are aware that the process will not be easy, but we are here to help remove obstacles, and you can count on us to make efforts to that end," Solana said.

Part of the reason for this renewed optimism may be the transfer of $100 million in tax revenues by Israel to President Abbas. The President later took a trip to see the exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Damascus, who holds ultimate sway over the Palestinian Authority. Last year Javier Solana undertook the personal goal of working towards the release of the Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit, who is being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. It is believed that Egypt at one stage was very close to finalizing a deal with Hamas for the release of Gilad. And of course Egypt was the first stop in Javier Solana's four day tour. I can't help but wonder whether this visit of Abbas to Damascus and the $100 million has anything to do with Solana's negotiations with Mubarak. Yesterday Solana spoke with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and stated he hoped a peace agreement could be on the table by the end of 2007...

Quote: "European Union chief diplomat Javier Solana and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit in Cairo on Thursday called on Israel and the Palestinians to reach a peace agreement by the end of 2007.

Source YNet News, Reuters, Jerusalem Post, Monsters and Critics

Quote: "Suleiman revealed that 3 months ago Israel was offered "certain help on a matter that is most important to the Israeli people", but ultimately refused the gesture. He was unwilling to reveal further information on the issue. "This was a critical thing, a confidence building measure," prepared between himself, and European and Syrian officials. "The Israel people would have loved it. They would have celebrated it. Olmert's deputy said yes, then a week later he sent an email that said, 'No, we've changed our minds.'" Suleiman blames the Americans for Israel’s change of heart: "For some reason beyond my understanding the Americans don’t want peace between Syria and Israel."

Meanwhile, Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy has stated that Europe is ready to face new military operations in 2007. The EU's "Battlegroup" concept entered into force on January 1st. The European Union aims to have 13 of these armored divisions fully operational by 2010. The Battlegroups should be able to respond to a crisis situation, anywhere in the world within 5-10 days. Each Battlegroup is comprised of 1500 soldiers drafted from various member states. 

Quote: "No EU battle group has ever been tested in a real operation, but last year saw two major EU military projects: member states coordinated sending 9,000 European peacekeepers under a UN flag to Lebanon and dispatched 1,400 soldiers under an EU flag to Congo. "Now we really have the beginning of a European army," French general Christian Damay said in Kinshasa in December, with France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland broadly supporting a gradual move toward a permanently standing EU force that could number several thousands of soldiers.

The Bible states that the Antichrist, the head of the European Union, will send forces into the Middle East region in response to a crisis there, and that many countries shall be overthrown. Jordan is spared the wrath of the Antichrist. Libya, Sudan and Egypt will come under his control. Both Libya and Sudan are mentioned as coming against Israel in Ezekiel 38-39. Egypt (king of the south) is also mentioned as pushing against the Antichrist's forces (Daniel 11:4). This makes me think that the Antichrist's invasion of the Middle East may be a direct response to the invasion of Israel by Russia and her Muslim allies.

Daniel 11:41 
He (Antichrist) shall enter also into the glorious land (Israel), and many [countries] shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (Jordan). He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians (Sudan) [shall be] at his steps.

Source YNet News, EUObserver

Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh says he believes a final peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians could be on the table within the time period of two years from the commencement of talks between the two parties. Sneh says he believes the time is right for talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but progress must be made very quickly, as nobody knows how long this opportunity may last.

Quote: "Israel and the Palestinians should be able to reach a final peace deal within two years of restarting negotiations, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday. "I believe, strongly believe, that the time is right for a direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiation about the final-status agreement," Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh told a conference on the role of the United States and other third-parties in the stalled peace process. "Two years are enough to conclude a detailed agreement," he said, proposing a six-month discussion of principles before advancing to final details on establishing a Palestinian state. "In the government of Israel, there is a majority for doing it. We have an opportunity but I don't know how long it will last. So we have to do it very, very quickly," Sneh said.

His comments echo that of Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, who has stated that he believes the Palestinians and Israelis must now agree on the "end game", the final status issues such as Jerusalem, and the Palestinian "right of return". Final status issues constituted the final stage of the "Roadmap to peace" document. But so far the Palestinian leadership has been unable to implement even the first stage, the cessation of terror. Now international leaders hope that if they can get an agreement on the "end game", the rest should fall into place...  

Quote: "EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also said a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East mediators in February would try to find ways to ensure progress toward peace before the summer. "What we would like to do with our friends is to know what is the endgame -- once we have the endgame, to know really how we can get there," Solana told a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. "Endgame" is the diplomatic code for negotiating aspects of a lasting peace agreement between Israel and its neighbours.

...at least, that's what they hope. Of course implementing the agreement is a whole other matter. The Bible states the Antichrist - the head of the European Union, will confirm a covenant between Israel and many nations, that should last for a period of 2520 days, or roughly seven years. It's seems final status issues, such as East Jerusalem and the disengagement from Judea (Zechariah 14:2) will be enforced in the middle of this period. But whatever happens, the covenant fails (Daniel 11:30-31) and the Jews get the blame (no change there then). All the armies of the world gather in Har Megiddo - northern Israel, to settle the issue once and for all (Revelation 16:16). The Jews flee into the wilderness where they will be nourished by God for 3.5 years (Revelation 12:14), until the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Source Reuters, Reuters

It has been revealed that top US officials knew of the secret talks between Israel, Syria and the European Union. A former political advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, stated that former US Vice President Dick Cheney knew of the talks and asked to be kept informed of the proceedings. senior officials in the Pentagon were also kept in the loop.

Quote: "A document that Dr. Nimrod Novik, a former political advisor to Vice Premier Shimon Peres, disseminated last October to members of the Council for Peace and Security also said that Washington knew about the talks. "While the administration is taking care not to broadcast a U-turn in its approach as long as the president has not given it an explicit green light, the signs of a change in direction are multiplying," Novik wrote. "During the fighting in Lebanon, former senior [U.S.] officials were authorized to speak with Damascus, within a narrow mandate, while Pentagon and State Department officials support a change in the policy toward Hamas and quote the president in this context."

As US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wraps up her tour of the Middle East, Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy has commenced his four day trip to the region, beginning with Egypt. Before he left Brussels today, he stated that the time is right for a new push for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Condoleezza Rice has proposed the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia), the group that drafted the "Roadmap to peace" document back in 2003, meet at the end of the month. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed hope that the prospect of the "two-state solution" had come a little closer.

Quote: ""I look forward to that meeting as we re-energize the Quartet and its efforts to support the progress in the Middle East that could lead to a two state solution, and Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side in peace, democracy and freedom," she said. Rice said it may still take a "few weeks" to prepare talks between Israel and Palestinian leaders and that she wanted to get the Quartet together in advance of that meeting. "There are a lot of ideas on how we can get the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track," she said. "It's going to be a very useful thing because we want to have a unified effort."

Source Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post

Quote: "VOM said the persecution is having little effect on the desire to know more about Christ. "In the past year, we received more requests for Bibles and Christian books from Chinese believers because they wanted to share the gospel with others," a VOM source within the restrictive nation said. "The Communist government of China does not see Christ as the most important person in an individual's life. Christians count it a privilege to believe in and suffer for Jesus Christ." The contact said Christians simply adjust to the persecution at hand – including arrests, demolished buildings and confiscated materials.

I remember seeing a Chinese Christian being interviewed on television. He said they were once taught that the Lord would come back, and they wouldn't have to suffer persecution. That was before the communists took control of China. He said a lot of Christians came to realize then that that they needn't look to the rapture as an escape from persecution. Sadly we in the West have not learned the same lesson. Some have this idea that the rapture is a fire-escape from suffering, and those who don't believe in the pre-tribulation theory think we must prepare for persecution during the tribulation period. Friends, as I heard last night in our Bible study in 1st Peter, it is given to us not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29). Of the tribulation saints, it is said they "loved not their lives unto the death", Revelation 12:11. Even if we we had to go through the tribulation period, we shouldn't be stockpiling food, or building hideouts for our families. When Ezra was given the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, he says he was ashamed to ask the king for an escort, because he had told the king how God looked after His own (Ezra 8:22). What sort of confidence are we showing in our God by trying to hide from persecution? Did He not command us to not be mindful of what we eat or what we wear, "because your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things?" (Luke 12:30). I was encouraged by the Chinese Christians' resolve to count it a privilege to believe in and to suffer to Jesus Christ. The New Testament Christians thought the same. We have so much to learn.

Acts 5:40-42
And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. 

Source WorldNetDaily

As Germany commences its presidency of the now 27 nation European, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning that if Europe does not implement the EU Constitution fully, it will be seen as an "historic failure". So far 18 nations have ratified the treaty. Two years ago MEPs tried their best to convince us to accept the constitution. EU Trade Secretary Peter Mandelson told us European markets would be hit hard by a failure to adopt the treaty, the constitution's author Giscard d'Estaing told us that the document could not be rewritten if rejected and French President Chirac said France would cease to exist politically. European nations have offered several solutions to the ill-fated constitution, from remarketing the document as a "treaty" to adopting parts of it into law without a referendum. Britain declared the EU Constitution dead in the water, but I think that was done to woo the electorate, who are mostly Euro-sceptic. There is no doubt Blair desperately wants a constitution. Now that the EU has become 27, the pressure will be on. Not from the UK though, as our referendum is not legally binding, and if most other European states adopt it, our Prime Minister will be pressured to not "rock the boat". Angela Merkel has stated she intends to build a common consensus during her presidency. And it seems that regardless of what happens to the Constitution, Solana's job will be safe...

Quote: "This greater coherence in EU foreign policy, she said, demanded that the EU had its own foreign minister. The proposal for a foreign minister was part of the draft EU constitution which was rejected by French and Dutch voters 18 months ago. The constitution was also supposed to simplify working arrangements and decision-making. Supporters of structural reform say it is the only way to keep the EU functioning after its enlargement from 15 to 27 members in the past few years. "The reflection pause is over. By June, we must reach a decision on what to do with the constitution," the German chancellor told MEPs. 

Angela Merkel also stated that the adoption of the constitution is necessary if Europe is to work towards peace in the Middle East. Perhaps that's because prophetically, the only thing that the EU lacks now is an official head who will have the political mandate to make an agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians for the seven year period. Once we have an official leader, the rest will fall into place.

Quote: ""Only a united European Union can achieve peace, stability and development in the Middle East...This applies to the Iranian nuclear program as well," said Merkel as she presented the German EU Presidency's program to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The EU also wants a successful outcome in Afghanistan, she said, adding that only a combination of civilian and military efforts can succeed. "Only together we can succeed. And therefore we need a foreign minister for Europe," said Merkel, whose country holds the six-month rotating EU Presidency from January-June. "And that's reason enough for a constitutional treaty," she stressed. The EU constitution foresees creation of the post of an EU foreign minister, but the treaty is nearly dead after its rejection by France and the Netherlands.

One of the reserves I have in regards to the constitution is, why do so many people have to tell lies in order to get us signed up to it? It's clear all the European politicians want it, only they need our consent because some of us still live in democratic countries. Javier Solana's mandate as High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy expires in 2009. This is of course the year by which Merkel says the EU Constitution must be ratified. If the constitution is passed before then, then Solana may eventually get his official title of EU Foreign Secretary.

Source BBC, IRNA, Friends of Europe

Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, is due to leave for the Middle East tomorrow on a four day tour of the region. The visit is aimed at building a framework for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which Solana hopes can be laid down within six months. 

Quote: "Solana, a frequent visitor to the region, will kick-start his tour on January 18 with talks in Egypt, followed by visits to the West Bank, Jordan and Israel. EU diplomats said Solana's visit was meant to highlight the bloc's determination to step up its presence in the Middle East and to voice support for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The EU's foreign and security policy chief will reiterate backing for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's efforts to set up a national unity government including his moderate Fatah group and the radical governing Hamas movement.

A lot has happened since Solana last visited the region at the beginning of December. We have seen a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas, and the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region. Olmert has also recently met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and undertook a surprise visit to King Abullah II of Jordan. There have been revelations of secret talks between the European Union, with a "mystery" EU mediator, Israel, Hamas and Syria, along with possible secret talks with President Abbas. We have also had both the US and UK donate sizable amounts of money and weaponry to Abbas' terrorist organization in order to prevent Hamas from gaining the upper hand. And all that within the past month.

The next event on the time-table, I would suppose, would be the EU Summit which is planned to "strengthen" Solana's hand in the region. If you remember, the EU has already called on troops to monitor the border in Gaza, so perhaps this troop deployment could be part of that strengthening. This would give Solana a much stronger hand to negotiate between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel would get the security they really need, and the Palestinians wouldn't feel under siege from the IDF. Of course the troop deployment largely depends on the formation of a Palestinian unity government, for I don't think the EU will deploy troops just to keep the peace between Hamas and Fatah. Solana's job description states that the Common, Foreign and Security Policy should be "backed by credible operational capabilities". Whatever happens, we'll soon find out. 

Daniel 11:31 
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

Source Monsters and Critics

Political analysts believe the United States will mount a strike on Iran's nuclear and oil facilities within the next two months. The attack is expected to be carried out from the Gulf by aircraft carriers. Patriot missile batteries will be used to ensure any Iranian retaliatory strikes do not find their targets. As has been reported previously, the date for the intended strike according to these sources is before April of this year, or at the latest, March 07. A top Russian diplomat had already speculated that the 28th of March was the date set by the US for an Iranian strike. He said it was also known how much the war would cost.

Quote: "According to the source, Vice President Dick Cheney highlighted the threat posed by Iran to not only Saudi Arabia but the whole region. "Tehran is not playing politics. Iranian leaders are using their country's religious influence to support the aggressive regime's ambition to expand," the source quoted Dick Cheney as saying. Indicating participants of the meeting agreed to impose restrictions on the ambitions of Iranian regime before April 2007 without exposing other countries in the region to any danger, the source said "they have chosen April as British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said it will be the last month in office for him. The United States has to take action against Iran and Syria before April 2007."

This news comes as the United States has given the go ahead for a second US aircraft carrier to proceed to the Gulf. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the move is intended as a show of force for Iran, a response to the President's "negative" politics. The US has stated the aircraft carriers could also be used to support the efforts in Somalia, Lebanon, Afghanistan or Iraq. But I believe the US wouldn't send the ships unless they thought there was a good chance they would need them.

Quote: "A second US aircraft carrier will arrive in the Middle East in about a month, a US Navy official said Tuesday, the first time since the US-led Iraq invasion in 2003 that the United States will have two carrier battle groups in the region. The increase in US forces is a show of strength by Washington in the face of Iran's growing regional assertiveness and a perception among US adversaries that the United States is vulnerable in Iraq, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday. The USS John C. Stennis is scheduled to sail Tuesday from its homeport of Bremerton, Washington.

Earlier in the month it was reported that Israel also had substantial plans for dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.

Source Global Research, Jerusalem Post

Israel has denied all knowledge of an agreement with Syria, but according to Haaretz, talks between the two nations have been going on for several years. It is reported that Israeli and Syrian officials have agreed on a document detailing the disengagement from the Golan Heights, in return for co-operation from Damascus on certain issues. There is no time-table for the agreement to be implemented by, neither is it legally binding, it is simply a document of understandings between the two countries. The points of the plan are as follows...

Quote: "1) An agreement of principles will be signed between the two countries, and following the fulfilment of all commitments, a peace agreement will be signed.
2) As part of the agreement on principles, Israel will withdraw from the Golan Heights to the lines of 4 June, 1967. The timetable for the withdrawal remained open: Syria demanded the pullout be carried out over a five-year period, while Israel asked for the withdrawal to be spread out over 15 years.
3) At the buffer zone, along Lake Kinneret, a park will be set up for joint use by Israelis and Syrians. The park will cover a significant portion of the Golan Heights. Israelis will be free to access the park and their presence will not be dependent on Syrian approval. 
4) Israel will retain control over the use of the waters of the Jordan River and Lake Kinneret. 
5) The border area will be demilitarised along a 1:4 ratio (in terms of territory) in Israel's favor.
6) According to the terms, Syria will also agree to end its support for Hezbollah and Hamas and will distance itself from Iran.

The Haaretz report states that the plan was formulated by Dr. Liel, a former Foreign Ministry Director General and former Israeli ambassador to Turkey, with the help of a "European mediator" who has not been named. Haaretz was provided the details about the conversations, on condition that the identities of the mediator and two other Israelis who participated in some of the meetings not be published. 

Quote: ""I was convinced that the Syrians want a peace agreement with you," the European mediator reported directly to official Israeli sources even before the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005 and the investigation that began afterward. His impression was that the Syrian motive for the murder went far deeper than fear of revenge from the United States or France, which points to Assad as the one responsible for Harare's death. "Farouk Shara told me radical Islam constitutes a threat to Syria and that peace is the only way to halt it," the mediator said. He said the Syrians told him that in a few years, they would lose their oil sources and need significant amounts of foreign currency to purchase energy from external sources. The Alawite regime realizes, the European mediator said, that in order to survive, it has to bring foreign currency into Syria, and that no sane businessman would invest his fortune in a country that is not at peace with its neighbours.

Around eight meetings took place in a European capital between Israel and the Syrians since September 2004, the last of which occurred during the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict last Autumn. The full text of the document can be read here.

Friends, I find this news very intriguing. The Bible states that it will be a European leader who will broker a seven year covenant between Israel and many nations. Whoever this "mediator" is, he certainly seems to have the political savvy that the book of Daniel describes the Antichrist as having (Daniel 11:21). And why the cloak of secrecy surrounding his identity, and the identities of the two other Israelis? And I wonder if it was the same EU mediator that agreed the deal with Hamas earlier in the month?

Daniel 9:26 
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people (Romans) of the "prince that shall come" (Antichrist) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (AD 70); and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Source YNet News, Haaretz, Haaretz

Around 1 in 4 American's believe the Lord Jesus Christ could return (for the rapture of the Church) in 2007, according to a recent poll by Ipsos. The group carried out the survey by telephone over the Christmas period, which involved 1000 adults...

Quote: "A poll by Ipsos, an international polling firm, found that 11 percent of respondents said it is "very likely" that Jesus will return to Earth this year and 14 percent said it was "somewhat likely." Among white evangelical Christians, 46 percent said it's at least somewhat likely that Jesus will return in 2007 compared to 17 percent of Catholics and 10 percent of those with no religion. Overall, 25 percent said it was "not too likely" that Jesus will make his second coming this year and 42 percent said it was "not at all likely."

I don't know how these figures compare to previous polls, but it's encouraging to see that many Christians believe that the Lord's return for His Church is imminent. While we don't necessarily know if this will come in 2007 or not, the events that are happening around us do point to the soon return of Jesus Christ to the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Lord Jesus upbraided the Pharisees for their failure to recognize His first coming. He said, you can discern the face of the sky, yet how is it you cannot discern the signs of the times? (Matthew 16:3). The Pharisees had asked Him for a sign, yet they completely ignored the miracles that Jesus did, how He made the deaf to hear, the blind see, the lame walk, raised the dead and the preached the gospel (Luke 7:22), all things that the prophesied Messiah would accomplish. Daniel prophesied the very day the Lord Jesus would enter in through the gates of Jerusalem, and only a handful of people recognized who He was. Jesus later wept over Jerusalem, and said if only they had known the day of their visitation (Luke 19:42-44). 

Friends, the time of our visitation is drawing to a close. Christians across the world are discerning the signs of the times, but millions of the unsaved aren't. To them the "red sky in the morning" is just another sign of global warming, and not a sign of impending judgement. God has stated in His Word, My Spirit shall not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3). One day the events prophesied in the Scriptures concerning the end times will take place. Like 9-11, to many it may seem like just another day, but for those who aren't saved it may just be the day that seals their fate. Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Luke 21:29-32 
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

Source Christian Post

Quote: "Similar to microchip technologies currently used as electronic ID tags for pets, Digital Angel® is a dime-sized implant, inserted just under the skin. When implanted within a human body, the device is powered electromechanically through the movement of muscles and can be activated either by the "wearer" or by a monitoring facility. Applied Digital Solutions is also exploring avenues for utilizing Digital Angel® without implanting it.

At one stage the company claimed it was not pursuing implant technology for their device. These articles are from 2000, 2001...

Quote: "Digital Angel® is no longer pursuing implant technology for humans, a spokesman for the company said yesterday. Dr. Lawrence Webber of Digital Angel Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions, told WorldNetDaily the company has "no plan at this time for implant technology." Rather, the company's patented sensor technology is being used in externally worn devices only, such as watches and pagers.

...but it seems that Digital Angel implants were too lucrative to pass up.  The chip implant is currently being used in cattle, but it is thought Digital Angel Corporation may soon move to "people" implants. The president of the Digital Angel Corporation claims to be a Christian, and states that Christians should not be concerned about its connotations with the Mark of the Beast, as described in the book of Revelation. But his comments that Digital Angel will allow humans to become a "hybrid" of electronics and their "own soul" does not inspire me with confidence.

Quote: "Digital Angel®, said Zhou, "will be a connection from yourself to the electronic world. It will be your guardian, protector. It will bring good things to you." He added, "We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul."... Additional concerns have been raised by Christians, who contend Digital Angel® could be the fulfilment of a biblical prediction found in the book of Revelation. Zhou, president of DigitalAngel.net, Inc., disagrees. "I am a Christian, but I don't think [that argument] makes sense," he told WND in March. "The purpose of the device is to save your life and improve the quality of life. There's no connection to the Bible." As the technology becomes more commonplace, the debate, as well as sales, are likely to continue growing.

Considering the souls of those who accept the Mark of the Beast will be damned to hell (Revelation 14:9-11), and considering we are commanded in the Scriptures not to make any cuttings or marks in our flesh, I would rather take the benefit of the doubt and not get any implants of this nature full-stop.

Leviticus 19:28 
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD. 

Source WorldNetDaily, WorldNetDaily, WorldNetDaily, Business Week

Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy said yesterday that he believes Israel is not capable of taking on Iran in the event that a diplomatic resolution can not be found to Iran's nuclear programme.

Quote: "European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has said Israel is not able to confront Iran, the Tagesspiegel newspaper said on its website on Saturday. "Iran is a complicated country and it doesn't seem that Israel has the power to counter it," the paper quoted the Solana as saying. History has proven that Iran has been gaining more importance day by day in the international arena, the former NATO chief said on the sidelines of the Middle East conference in Madrid. He also called on Iran to help resolve the Middle East crisis.

His comments are a stark contrast to those of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who stated today that she believes that Iran is the one that should be looking out, not Israel...

Quote: "Talk of a military strike against Iran shows how serious it would be for the Iranians to continue down the path of nuclear development, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview with Channel 10 Sunday evening. "I still think there is room for diplomacy, but even talk of such action shows how serious it would be for Iran to continue their actions unabated," Rice said.

So much for Solana trying to pressurize the Iranians into giving up their nuclear ambitions. So far the European Union has talked with Iran, appeased Iran and has kicked the military option from underneath the US and Israel's feet. When Iran finally moves against Israel, where will the European Union be? I think Solana underestimates Israeli resolve to not let the holocaust ever happen again. He also doesn't consider that, as the saying goes, one with God is a majority, and when Iran marches on Israel then the world will know who the true God is.

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 MehrNews, Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Ice and rain pelting the central United States have killed at least six people, forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in Texas and knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers in Missouri and Oklahoma, officials and media reports said on Saturday. "The Plains are just getting hammered," said Michael Eckert, a National Weather Service forecaster. "Areas from Oklahoma, northern Texas, across Missouri, northwest Arkansas into central Illinois, those are getting hit by a lot of freezing rain and sleet." Travel warnings have been issued along the storm's path, and six storm-related deaths have been reported in Oklahoma and Kansas City, Missouri, since Friday, local media reports said.

Where I live we had some terrible storms within the last week, with torrential rain and gale force winds. A weatherman on UK television predicted that December and January would be particularly bad because of heightened activity in the sun. Experts say the amount of solar activity we are seeing is unusual, as we are supposed to be at the low point of the sun cycle. The sun is expected to enter a period of high activity around 2010, and the next cycle is predicted to be around 30-50% stronger than the last one.

Source Reuters, SF Gate

An elderly Christian couple that were intimidated by UK police last year over a so-called homophobic incident have been awarded Ł10,000 in a legal settlement. The couple were upset when their town council used public tax money to promote homosexuality in the district. As far as I can remember, they asked the council if the poster next to their church could be taken down, as it was offending those in their congregation who believe homosexuality is a sinful lifestyle. The town council reported the matter as a homophobic incident, and the police called round to the couple's house. The officers asked if the couple were the ones who complained about the gay literature, and they said they were. The officers then asked to come into the house and speak to them, where they quizzed them for several hours and accused them of being homophobes. The couple asked the police if they could put Christian literature next to the homosexual posters, and they were told under no circumstances, for this would offend people. The Christian Institute advised the couple to take legal action against the police for discrimination, and they won their case. The couple are planning to donate the compensation money to the Christian Institute to help fight other injustices. The police say they will review their policy.

This of course hasn't been the first case where the police have been taken to task over their homosexual activism. Last year the Gay Police Association of Britain was investigated over their advertisement, which insinuated that Christians were behind a majority of homophobic attacks. They had issued a poster entitled "In the name of the Father", with a Bible and a blood next to it. 

It's very sad. You would think the police would be the ones to stand up for what is right, but more and more they have become the tool of politicians to enforce their unjust laws on this nation.

Act 5:29 
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Source BBC

Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, has stated that the EU's goal for setting in place a framework for peace in the Middle East is July 2007. Solana made the comments following the conclusion of the Madrid+15 convention, and believes that if the framework isn't set within six months, it is unlikely a peace agreement could be in place by 2008. This answers my previous question to UK European Minister Geoff Hoon, who skirted the issue rather than giving a definitive answer.

Quote: ""If in the first semester of 2007 we don't get the process at least framed, I don't say finished, but framed, I have my doubts that we will be able to do it before 2008," Mr Solana said. "We have to put the political process in motion," he said at the end of a two-day conference in Madrid that aimed to revive optimism into stalled Middle East peace.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is visiting the region. Rice has stated her goal is to get all the nations involved to come to an agreement over the way forward. She will be examining where past agreements have failed, and will look into the possibility of advancing the "Roadmap to peace" document in such a way that it complies more with the Saudi peace initiative - a withdrawal from all land occupied in 1967 in return for a normalization of relations.

Quote: "According to the plan, if a suitable framework for a Palestinian state is reached, Abbas would then go to his people with a referendum: Do you want it or not? He is convinced that more than 70 percent would vote yes, thus marginalizing the Hamas resisters. Olmert would do the same, and probably get close to the same support. Time reports that the outlines of a two-state framework include a variety of land swaps that would allow Israel to keep some of its major settlements blocs. The issue of Jerusalem and the rights of refugees could be compromised along the lines almost agreed to in 2000, with an international fund providing incentives for Palestinian refugees to return to the new Palestinian state. 

As I've said before, whether there is peace in six months or not is entirely another matter. As Christians we know a peace agreement between Europe, the Arab nations and the Israelis will come eventually, we just don't know when. But one thing is for sure, there is more hinging on this peace agreement than there ever was before. King Abdullah II of Jordan knows that, Solana knows that, Olmert knows that and we know it.

Zechariah 12:2-3
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah (West Bank) and against (East) Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Source Irish Examiner, YNet News

Quote: "EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, who attended only part of the conference, said that "the moment of action has come." "It is imperative to continue with a step-by-step approach. [UN Representative] Terje Roed-Larsen has said that the totality is 'too big,' so let us take the Israeli-Palestinian issue first," Solana continued. Outlining the formula for a successful peace process, Solana, who defined himself as "a friend of Israel and of the Palestinians," said that the process would need to be "comprehensive," and include "outside monitoring."

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos reiterated his idea of an international conference to look at the whole region, which the Declaration of Alicante calls for, with the opinion that things are so bad in Iran, Syria, etc. that these nations cannot possibly be held back by focusing solely on Israel and the Palestinians. He also made the bold suggestion that the Arab nations should be permitted to join the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia), to help formulate a plan. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is preparing to visit the region. Last time she travelled to the Middle East, she was lambasted by the Arab press who depicted her giving birth to chimpanzee waving an Israeli flag - in reference to her statement last year that Israel's conflict with Lebanon was the "birth pangs" of the new Middle East. Still, Abbas is due to speak with Secretary Rice, who I am told is a born again Christian woman, and will present her with a plan for the creation of a temporary Palestinian state...

Quote: "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to propose "new ideas" to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during her trip to the region, according to a statement released by officials from the PA chairman's office on Friday. In addition, Abbas is due to suggest an alternate plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state, namely, a temporary state in accordance with the route of the security fence, the officials said.

There have been reports last week that Hamas was prepared to accept an EU-brokered draft peace deal with Israel, one which possibly would have entailed the creation of a Palestinian state with temporary borders. But Abbas has seemingly rejected the idea.

Quote: "Abbas reiterated that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which he heads, is responsible for negotiations with Israel. Outlining his positions in possible talks with Israel, he said he will not accept the formation of a Palestinian state in provisional borders, as Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni proposed last month in a private initiative. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday the idea is a "non-starter."

Question is, how is a temporary state who's border follows the peace wall any different from a state that has temporary borders? Perhaps Abbas was afraid that if Hamas made an agreement with the European Union, that would spell the end of Fatah.

Source Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post, Edmonton Sun

Quote: ""The priority for me is preserving national unity and preventing and prohibiting internal fighting," Abbas told the crowd. "Palestinian blood is a red line." He began his speech by admonishing the crowd, saying he had heard shots fired in the air in the run-up to the rally. He said no one should shoot in the air. "Shooting at your brother is also forbidden," he said, referring to several weeks of internal fighting between Hamas and Fatah that have killed 35 people.

These were Abbas' actual remarks...

Quote: ""Shooting at your brother is forbidden. Raising rifles against the occupation is our legitimate right, but raising guns against each other is forbidden. We should put our internal fighting aside and raise our rifles only against the Israeli occupation," said Abbas in a speech in Ramallah attended by WND.

This is what President Abbas said, courtesy of the Jerusalem Post...

Quote: ""When Fatah was established, it was accused of treason and we were chased in every place," Abbas told the crowd. "But with the will and determination of its sons, Fatah has and will continue. We will not give up our principles and we have said that rifles should be directed against the occupation." Appealing to Palestinians to avoid civil war, Abbas said: "We are all one people regardless of differences of opinion. My top priority is to preserve national unity, because Palestinian infighting and blood are a red line that must not be crossed." Defending his call to use weapons against Israel, he added: "We have a legitimate right to direct our guns against Israeli occupation. It is forbidden to use these guns against Palestinians. The occupation has perpetrated brutal attacks in Jenin, Beit Hanoun and Ramallah."

But even the Jerusalem Post sanitized some of Mahmoud Abbas' most anti-Semitic comments, when he claimed that Jewish sons were corrupting humanity...

Quote: "In today's speech, Abbas went on to praise late Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in March 2004. He also used Quranic verses to claim Jews are corrupting the world. "The sons of Israel are mentioned as those who are corrupting humanity on earth," Abbas said during a portion of his speech in which he criticized recent Israeli anti-terror raids in the northern West Bank.

As has been said many times, the bias in the mainstream media is not in what is being reported, it's usually found in what is not being reported. It seems the mainstream news agencies have not learned anything since the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict last year, when they were caught red handed trying to pull the wool over our eyes. When it comes to Israel and Christian persecution, if you want to know the truth you will need to look elsewhere.

Jeremiah 9:3 
And they bend their tongues [like] their bow [for] lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

Source IOL, Jerusalem Post, WorldNetDaily

Somark Innovations have revealed a new RFID ink which can be safely injected into biological tissue, and be scanned by an RFID scanner. The company has successfully completed tests on cattle and laboratory mice, and hope to revolutionize the cattle industry by providing a cost-effective means of tracking livestock. They hope the product will eventually be used to track military personnel.

Quote: "Visible or invisible ink "tattoos" can be applied to the skin and tracked by RFID readers positioned a few feet away. The company, Somark, said it had successfully tested its Biocompatible Chipless RFID Ink product on cattle and laboratory rats and proved the "efficacy of injecting and reading a 'tattoo' within the skin of animals". The technology will be used initially in the livestock industry to help identify and track cattle, and help mitigate export trade loss from BSE scares. Secondary target markets include laboratory animals, dogs and cats, prime cuts of meat and military personnel, according to the company. Ramos Mays, Somark chief scientist, said, "This proves the ability to create a synthetic biometric or fake fingerprint with Biocompatible Chipless RFID Ink and read it through hair."

The CEO of the VeriChip Corporation, that market the implantable RFID microchip of the same name, are already in talks with the US government over a scheme to replace the military "dog tags" with RFID implants. This RFID ink "tattoo" is likely to make that a whole lot easier. For a start, it's probably a lot less painful to be injected with ink than it is with a glass capsule the size of a grain of rice. And it's probably much more cost effective too. The result is that the prospect of Revelation 13 coming to pass may be a whole lot closer than we think. 

In other news, another company is expected to unveil a new computerized jacket at the CES show in Las Vegas this month. The jacket has solar powered material woven through it, which powers a GPS chip that allows it to be located anywhere in the world via satellite and the internet...

Quote: "The clothing will be designed to allow the wearer to be located almost anywhere in the world and from any internet connection. The clothing’s self-sustained solar-powered material is waterproof and machine washable and will allow the clothing to run indefinitely without the need to recharge any batteries. The clothing is designed for both consumer and government use, said CATS.eye. The clothing will be able to detect where the wearer is via GPS positioning, and will also be able to sense movement and non-movement, and display flashing or permanent LED lighting for high visibility. Future models will enable mobile communication via an inbuilt microphone and headset. An initial range of clothing will consist of high visibility safety jackets, outdoor and wet weather jackets such as those used when skiing, and school back-packs and satchels. Later developments will see the technology rolled out into security clothing, body armour for the police and military, and life jackets for marine use. The first examples of the clothing will be on display at the CES show in Las Vegas in January.

Friends, I am absolutely astounded by the leaps and bounds being made in technology today. Men are doing things now that were never before thought possible. I got my first mobile phone for Christmas, and I am amazed at even that, never mind GPS and RFID microchips. What we do know is that prophecies described in the book of Revelation that were once ridiculed are now becoming front page news in the secular media.

Source Computer Weekly, Computer Weekly

Quote: "Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted the government is not dead set against the scientists' proposals. "If there's research that's going to help people, then we want to see it go forward," he said yesterday.

Of course we want to help people, but to destroy one life in order to help another as someone has stated, is cannibalism. Scientists have now discovered a number of different sources where they can obtain stem-cells for scientific research. But just a few years ago, they would have pushed for permission to create human embryos just so they could be killed off and used in some experiment. The hybrid research also faces immense moral, scientific and legal challenges. Recently a court in Canada made legal history after it awarded legal custody of a five year old boy to two females and one male.

Quote: "In a ruling released on Tuesday, the Ontario Court of Appeal said the female partner of the child's biological mother could be legally recognized as the boy's third parent. The biological father, named on the boy's birth certificate, is a friend of both women and is taking an active role in the child's life.

Based on this court's reasoning, if a cow or a rabbit provides the egg and a man or woman provides the nucleus for a chimera to be created, this animal will become the chimera's legal parent. It's disgusting, but Satan's plan has always been to bring God's flagship creation, mankind, down to the level of animals. I know that scientific achievement has pushed back the boundaries in recent years, and transplant operations that were once considered immoral have now become routine. But to delve into the realm of mixing human and animal DNA goes much too far, especially when the murder of human embryos is involved. The Bible states explicitly that human life is sacred, and begins at conception (Psalm 139). How then can we so willingly generate human life in order to destroy it? You can bet if the HFEA get their debate, human hybrids will be permitted under UK law.

If you are a British citizen, sign this petition to request that human hybrid research be banned by the government. Or write to your MP and tell them you oppose research that destroys the sanctity of life.

Source Reuters, Kentucky, One News

Thousands of birds have fallen out of the sky in Esperance, Australia over the past three weeks. No cause has yet been found for the mysterious bird kill. Yesterday, a similar event occurred yesterday in Austin, Texas, where some sixty birds were had died. Initial thoughts were that they had been poisoned, but no dangerous contaminants were found on the fowl. They have been sent to laboratories for further testing. An unexplained gas smell was also reported in New York, which caused several people to be hospitalised from nausea and upset stomachs.

Quote: "District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: "It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland." Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence. "Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species," chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. "You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about."

Whatever the cause of this is, I am sure there is an explanation for it. The Bible of course does mention a massive bird kill in the book of Numbers. After God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, and they refused to enter the promised land, God turned them back and they journeyed the wilderness for forty years. But God was still gracious, and provided them with manna to eat. The children of Israel murmured against Moses after they became sick of the manna God was providing for them. God gave them their desires and sent thousands of quails into the camp. But while they were eating the birds, God judged them for their wickedness and thousands of people died. While we don't eat quails in the West, perhaps we would do well to remember the sin of the Israelites, and turn to God for salvation while we still have the opportunity.

Numbers 11:32-34
And the people stood up all that day, and all [that] night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread [them] all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh [was] yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

Source WorldNetDaily, CantonRep, Time

Quote: "For the past few years, peace moves have concentrated on trying to bring about small confidence-building measures, leaving aside bigger questions such as the borders of a future Palestinian state or the fate of Palestinian refugees. The Egyptian campaign for a rethink, backed to some extent by Jordan, has made little difference to the policies of the United States, which continues to propose short-term measures by Israelis and Palestinians. Aboul Gheit added: "The endgame has its specific concepts... Let's agree on the frameworks of the (peace) settlement. This is the Egyptian position."

Israeli President Ehud Olmert had previously stated his intention of drawing the West Bank border himself, if the Palestinians failed to implement their side of the roadmap document. His goal for final status borders was the year 2010. But the international community made it clear that no border would be recognized without agreement from the Palestinians. President Abbas has stated he is not prepared to give away as much as an inch of land outside the 1967 borders, and Hamas has stated they are not prepared to give away an inch of anything. While our friend Olmert has stated he is prepared to give up many, many lands. 

I can't help but think what has created all this conflict. It's not Israel, for Israel was prepared to abide by the UN plan to partition Palestine. Rather, Palestinians were forced to flee Israel and the territories after their Arab neighbours declared war on Israel. No Arab nation was willing to give the Palestinians a home then. The nation was delivered by God from her enemies, and Israel occupied territories in order to improve its security situation. It seems to me that it should be Israel dictating the terms of peace, not the Arab nations. But then all this is happening according to God's plan, so that Israel will be brought back to their true Messiah, and that God will be glorified in the sight of all men.   

Source Reuters

Representatives of the Arab League, Israel and the European Union are meeting today for the 15th anniversary of the Madrid conference. The list of delegates is quite impressive, including European Foreign Ministers from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, eleven Israeli representatives and eight Palestinian representatives including Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, former head of Israeli intelligence Uri Saguy, the former President of Spain Felipe Gonzalez, and of course Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common Foreign and Security Policy. Other countries such as the US, Russia and other Middle East states will also attend the gathering. Spanish King Carlos I will give an audience, and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who helped devise the Declaration of Alicante, will give the opening address.

Quote: "The current conference will be attended by a team of eight representatives from the Palestinian Authority headed by Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan; 11 Israeli representatives including former foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and former head of Military Intelligence Uri Saguy; a European contingent including the foreign ministers of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine, as well as former Spanish president Felipe Gonzalez and EU high representative for common and security policy, Javier Solana. Russia, the UN, the Arab League, the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf, Syria and Saudi Arabia will also be represented, as will the US, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.

The Madrid Conference began in 1991 after the first Gulf War, and aims at providing a platform for dialogue between parties involved in the Middle East conflict, namely Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Palestinians. As a result of two years of negotiations, Jordan signed a peace agreement with Israel. The Madrid conference also spawned the failed Oslo Peace Accords, which should have resulted in a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The EU Summit later this month will discuss Spain's new peace initiative for the Middle East, which has already been approved by several Arab states.

Source Jerusalem Post

Quote: "Saleh Ra'fat, member of the PLO's executive committee, said that Hamas has agreed to the plan and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had presented it to Arab officials during his last two regional tours. But he expressed his rejection to the plan that was jointly outlined by Ahmed Yousef, an advisor for Haniyeh and European mediators, adding that "President Mahmoud Abbas also opposes the document." According to Ra'fat, Hamas rejected the peace plan initially, saying it was "plain European ideas and visions." But it showed flexibility a few days later as the arguments on the plan mounted.

Hamas had stated before they were prepared to agree to a 10 year truce with Israel, but as has been said many times before, Hamas categorically rejects the right of Israel's existence. Any "hudna" would just comprise a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of the "destruction of the evil Zionist occupation". The fact that the EU is actively involved in peace process in the Middle East is confirmation that the prophesies in Daniel concerning the rise of the Antichrist and the seven year tribulation period may soon come to pass.

Daniel 9:27 
And he (Antichrist, head of the EU) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven years): and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Source Xinhua

Quote: "Within the Middle East, I'd like to insist as strongly as possible that we have to tackle the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians," Mr. Solana said after his meeting with Mr. Ban yesterday, adding that he hoped the new secretary-general would play a "strong role" within the quartet. Europe is "going to call the first meeting of the quartet soon, probably this month" at the sidelines of the January 25 Paris donors meeting on Lebanon, Mr. Solana added. "This must be for us the priority of great, great significance in this period of time."

Meanwhile, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres scorned Defence Minister Amir Peretz' new "roadmap" initiative today, exclaiming that Israel and the Palestinians don't need a new peace plan, they need the existing ones to be implemented.

Quote: "During a visit to the Negev, Peres said: "I don't believe we need to come up with something new everyday. Plans can be drafted everyday, but they also need to be implemented."

Source NY Sun, YNet News

Quote: "The first six-month stage of the plan calls for "stabilizing the military and economy in the PA" through the financial support of Abbas and security forces loyal to him and releasing security prisoners in return for kidnapped soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. It also calls for Israel to evacuate illegal outposts. Since taking office last May, Peretz has repeatedly declared his intention to evacuate outposts, but has failed to act. The second six-month stage of the plan calls for the release of additional prisoners, easing restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank, and the transfer of West Bank territory currently denoted as Area B to Area A, full Palestinian control. Negotiations will be held with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas or another responsible Palestinian leader and a summit with moderate Arab countries will be held. "The idea is to engulf the axis of moderates in the PA based on the Saudi plan and the road map," Sneh said. In the third stage, Israel will finalize the agreement in negotiations with the Palestinians.

But as some have pointed out, while Hamas remains in charge of the PA, there will be no hope of a peace agreement in the Middle East. Israeli politicians criticized Peretz, asking why he is drawing up a plan he knows has no real hope of being implemented. I personally can't see Peretz' plan being implemented either. For a start, it's not been agreed by the Quartet (the EU, US, UN, Russia), the Palestinians or even the Israeli government yet. It seems we've had our share of peace plans in the Middle East, and not one has been successful. And of course not one will, until the Lord Jesus Christ sets up His Millennial Kingdom. Only then can we truly say, "of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end" (Isaiah 9:7), unlike so many Israeli and Palestinian governments we have seen.

Source Jerusalem Post

Martin County School District in Florida has adopted a scheme whereby school children are able to pay for school dinners by placing their finger on a scanner. The new biometric programme replaces the previous identity card scheme, and aims to address the caveat of students losing their credentials. Paying for lunches without having to carry cash is just one of the many benefits. The Martin Country School District is also considering designing a facility to enable parents to keep track of their children from a website linked to the school's biometric computer.

Quote: ""It's cool," said sixth-grader Sarah Eaves, 12, who estimates she has lost her student identification card at least seven times. "It should be better because you always have your fingers with you." To cut down on credit card fraud and identity theft, grocery stores and banks throughout the nation are using similar systems. School officials hope the addition of the biometrics technology not only will save students time and the district money, but lower theft, fraud and bullying. "It practically eliminates bullying," said Rae Hollenbeck, Martin County School District food services director. "They have their fingers so nobody can steal their lunch money. They put their finger down, and they get their lunch."

In other news, the Bank of America is considering issuing customers with RFID-enabled contactless payment devices. The bank is running a consumer trial at present, and if successful, the key fob cards will be issued to customers along with their credit cards. 

Quote: "The Bank of America user acceptance trial programme will distribute the fobs as companion devices to its traditional credit cards. VersaFOB is a contactless payment sub-card that snaps out of a full-size payment card and is inserted in a key-chain casing.

The fobs were certified by MasterCard as an approved PayPass payment device last year.

Quote: "Consumers are already embracing contactless payments with statistics showing that fobs have quickly become one of the top options for shoppers. Merchants also cut their checkout time since cardholders don’t have to pull the card out of their wallets. “Having the payment device on a keychain is the ultimate in speed and convenience for consumers and merchants,” Tartavull said.

Of course the question that must be asked is, "Speed and convenience at what cost?". How much do consumers really benefit from saving a few extra minutes at the checkout? Not that much. But big companies do benefit and can save thousands of pounds in processing hours, staff wages, and of course sell more goods faster. But how long before someone decides that having your bank details stored on a key fob is not secure enough? How many people have to forget their pin number or lose their key fob, before someone decides the only way of securing RFID payments is to have a permanent "pin number" implanted on their bodies?

Source TCPalm, UsingRFID, OberthurCS

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper has revealed that Israel has concrete plans for dealing with Iran's nuclear facilities, and is already training pilots for the 2000 mile mission. Nuclear weapons would be used in the strike, to ensure the complete destruction of the plants which are heavily fortified and buried deep underground. Russia has just completed around half its shipment of anti-aircraft missiles for the purpose of defending Iran's nuclear installations, despite the UN sanctions against their nuclear programme. The Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, believes Iran is around two years away from obtaining enough enriched Uranium to manufacture a nuclear warhead.

Quote: "The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb. Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open "tunnels" into the targets. "Mini-nukes" would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout. "As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished," said one of the sources. 

Some have predicted that such a strike would be carried out in March of this year, for this is the date Ahmadinejad has declared Iran's nuclear facilities will be completed by. Iran has reacted angrily to the news of the Israeli plans, and has stated any actions carried out against the country will cause the Israelis deep regret. Israel has stated the nuclear weapons will only be used to take out Iranian targets if the US does not intervene in the situation. As someone once told me before, now that the Democrats have control of the Senate and Congress, it is doubtful whether America will have the political resolve to come to Israel's aid. Russia and China aren't going to be too pleased when their nuclear plants in Iran come crashing down, and Israel won't be too pleased if they loose any pilots due to Russian-made missile systems and Chinese opposition to hard-line sanctions against Teheran. The result of all this is, it's becoming easier and easier to see how the Gog Magog war as described in Ezekiel 38-39 will eventually unfold.

Ezekiel 38:19-20 
For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

Source Times Online, Persian Journal

Tokyo is planning to turn a city shopping district into a RFID-enabled information complex. Everyday objects such as walls, lamp posts, buildings, etc will contain embedded RFID chips. The RFID numbers will be stored on a computer database, and correlated with location-specific information in four different languages. Special RFID readers equipped with wireless LAN or bluetooth will be able to scan the RFID chips, and bring up whatever information the user requires on a 3.5 inch screen...

Quote: "The Asian region generally leads its North American and European counterparts in ubiquitous computing. Projects like this one demonstrate that in many respects Japan and Korea (which also has a government-supported ubiquitous computing initiative) are world leaders in the realization of the "Internet of Things" in which physical objects are made smart with RFID, sensors, and other networking. Ironically, even though the Internet of Things phrase was coined at the Auto ID Center in the US, a manifestation of the concept like the one in Ginza might well be rejected by the North American and European public, who are generally seen as more sensitive to the protection of personal privacy and anonymity than the Asian public. On the other hand, Americans, at least, are also known to be willing to trade personal data for convenience, so location-based ubiquitous computing like that in Ginza could ultimately gain traction in the US.

It seems RFID is here to stay whether we like it or not. As the article states, RFID enabled mobile phones are just around the corner, and once that market is cracked, then just about everyone on the planet will have their own unique number. Implantable RFIDs are also making big inroads into our everyday lives. In the US there has been around a 300% increase in the adoption of RFID in hospitals, and over 1000 physicians have enrolled in the VeriMed scheme. 

Quote: "As of the end of 2006, 392 hospitals and 1,209 physicians had enrolled in VeriMed, indicating they had been trained how to use the interrogator and database to call up records of patients embedded with the tag. During the six-month period from July to December 2006, the number of participating physicians increased from 275 to 1,209, representing a 340 percent gain. During the same time period, VeriChip recorded a 256 percent increase in the number of medical facilities enrolled in the VeriMed Network. These totals exceed previously stated year-end goals of 200 hospitals and 1,000 physicians.

This is what my friend Adam said about the above article... "A 340 percent gain in the number of physicians now registered with VeriMed in the States. Let's say if we have that kind of gain again we will have could have 5315 physicians registered with this system. I don't think America will be a free country much longer. If say on average each physician were to implant just 1 VeriChip a day, with the current growth in physicians we could have 3277 VeriChips a day on average implanted. Multiply that by 365 and it would come to over one million people being chipped in the States alone by the end of the year. The next year that figure could be four million and the next maybe 16 million by which time it could then quite easily become mandatory. A very interesting scenario, and then we could have physicians chipping ten people a day. It only takes five minutes a person. So imagine then the volume of people. It is mathematically possible to have hundreds of millions of people chipped within the next few years worldwide. Just a matter of mathematics.

Source  RFID update

Quote: ""As France feared and warned, the war in Iraq set off upheavals whose effects have not yet been fully played out," he said, adding that conflict in the wider region could produce a confrontation "on an unimaginable scale." "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict crystallises all these resentments," he said.

France is not the only country that has called for an international conference to be held on the issue of peace in the Middle East. President Vladimir Putin of Russia proposed a similar idea two years ago, many believe in an effort to rebuild Russian dominance in the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that proposal in the same year. President Abbas and Prime Minister Haniyeh of the Palestinian Authority accepted a similar venture proposed by Egypt last year. The Spanish peace initiative which the EU are due to discuss this month - the Declaration of Alicante - also calls for such a conference to be held. Israel has so far rejected the idea of holding any type of international conference, due to the fact they usually end up becoming Israel-bashing sessions. 

But clearly the situation in the Middle East could explode at any minute, with Iran implicated in supporting both Shi'ite and Sunni factions in Iraq and Iranian agents arrested in the country, Iran developing nuclear weapons, Syria preparing for war with Israel, Hizbullah readying for a second war, Hamas and Fatah fighting against themselves and Israel, and half a dozen Arab states planning to develop nuclear weapons, something is going to erupt sooner or later. 

Source Haaretz, NY Sun, Reuters

Quote: "Mubarak, on the other hand, said that if Iran attains nuclear weapons, his country cannot sit idly by on the sidelines. "Egypt's stance is clear. We declared this stance in Baghdad in the early 1990’s in the presence of then President Saddam Hussein: The Middle East should be free of weapons of mass destruction - atomic, biological and chemical. "We don't want nuclear arms in the area but we are obligated to defend ourselves. We will have to have the appropriate weapons. It is irrational that we sit and watch from the sidelines when we might be attacked at any moment," Mubarak stated.

Meanwhile, the talk of peace continues. Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an effort to push for peace in the Middle East. Both Solana and Rice are due to travel to the region this month.

Quote: "Rice reviewed her plans at the State Department with Solana, the senior European Union diplomat who will make his own, separate trip to the area this month. They also had lunch at the White House with Stephen Hadley, President George W. Bush's national security adviser. "We will try to see how we can give a push to the peace process," Solana said. He declined to say whether Rice would try to set up a peace conference.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh and President Abbas have also met, and discussed the need to speed up talks on forming the Palestinian unity government. And of course the European Union will meet in January to discuss the implementation of Spain's new peace initiative. I think world leaders are still attempting to get a peace deal on the table before March, when Iran will have completed its nuclear facility at Bushehr. The US sent a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf.

Quote: "Officials decided to send the Stennis strike group on top of a carrier group already in the region on a request late last year from the US Central Command, the military unit in charge of activities there as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior Pentagon official said Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the Defense Department prefers not to publicly announce upcoming ship movements for security reasons. Pentagon officials said last month that the extra ships would serve as a show of force to Iran, at odds with the United States over its nuclear program and alleged support of violence in Iraq.

Source Jerusalem Post, YNet News, Jerusalem Post, YNet News

Quote: ""We have two methods of forecasting the effect of the El Nino. One is a statistical method based on two patterns of sea surface temperatures in the El Nino region, and the other is a complex mathematical model." He said that the forecast was then fine-tuned by looking back over data from the previous 50 years. "We have actually run this forecast three times, updating it every month... and it is completely stable." The 60% probability that 2007 would set a new record meant that it "was more likely than not", he concluded. The Hadley Centre has been issuing the annual forecast for the past seven years and says it has just a 0.06C margin of error.

Where I live we have had an extended summer and an unusually warm winter - around 10-12 degrees in the middle of December. A few weeks ago we experienced bitter cold snaps and torrential rain. The extra warm weather is confusing local wildlife, with Spring flowers blooming in October and November, only to be killed off by harsh winter weather.

Quote: "The weather really is going haywire. Britain's gardeners are reporting the first signs of a "phantom spring" in the midst of one of the warmest Octobers on record. Shoots of spring flowers are pushing out of the soil in England and in the even-warmer climes of the Channel Islands primroses and dog violets are blooming. Botany experts say it is likely that lilac and apple trees will be blossoming next month. Tony Kirkham, head of the arboretum at Kew Gardens, southwest London, said: "This kind of weather is very confusing for plants. Some trees will blossom as a last-minute fling before the winter and some flowers come up because they are getting such mixed messages from the weather. It makes it look like spring has come early."

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 BBC, Times Online

Quote: "Officials also are expressing alarm over India's move towards more attacks on Christians after one lawmaking body in Dharamshala passed legislation banning so-called "forced religious conversions." That would give authorities the go-ahead to "punish" anyone who "forced or induced someone to change his/her religion," opening wide a door to retaliate against Christians after the fact if anyone converts, they said. It was the sixth Indian state in recent months to adopt such laws, which typically are used to target any Christian ministry.

Yet in all this persecution, thousands are being saved in India. Hundreds of assemblies have been planted in the country over the last few years, and they are growing fast. Here, assemblies are dying out and yet there is little or no real persecution. You would think the opposite should happen. Perhaps we should remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering, and take a greater stand for the Lord in this country, which has enjoyed so much freedom.

Acts 5:40-42
And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Source WorldNetDaily

Quote: "Government leaders are fraught with concern about the terrorism menace pouring from Middle East. Many Bible scholars and believers in Biblical prophesy feel that Israelis are on the brink of an all-out war with their Islamic neighbours. These scholars and believers are preparing for the Antichrist, Armageddon and the second coming of the Messiah. They say the end of the world will happen in the next few years. Could all of this be coincidental with an even more destructive force from the heavens? But perhaps it won't be the "end of the world" but rather the "end of the world as we know it." According to the Bible, Jesus is to return in the midst of the most horrifying war and annihilation of the human race that the world has ever seen, put an end to it all by defeating the armies of evil and establish His "Millennial Kingdom." Will this happen on December 21, 2012? God only knows ... but considering that fact, it might not be a bad idea to say your prayers.

I don't know if Rush is a Christian or was possibly brought up in a Christian home, but I can't fault his article. I hope it awakens people to their need of salvation. I'm not sure about the December 21st date though. As they say, the world ends every day for somebody. Why wait until December 21st to find out? The Bible says "now" is God's acceptable time for salvation (2nd Corinthians 6:2).

Source The Times and Democrat

Quote: ""I'm not necessarily saying it's going to be nuclear," he said during his news-and-talk television show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network. "The Lord didn't say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that." Robertson said God told him during a recent prayer retreat that major cities and possibly millions of people will be affected by the attack, which should take place sometime after September.

With Pat's prominent position in the public eye, discretion is needed when making such statements. Pat Robertson has caused controversy in the past when he suggested the US should consider assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. I enjoy watching the 700 Club, and I do agree with Pat's assertion that former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke may be God's judgement for dividing His land. But we need to be careful when it comes to prophecy, and saying "God told me this". 

There have been times when the Lord has told me specific things regarding people's lives, specifically my uncle in relation to his job. I know what that's like, you get a feeling that something is completely beyond certainty. When it comes to this website, it's different. I read the news and get a feeling for what way things are going. I then compare it with what the Bible teaches, and make "predictions" based on that information. I don't prophesy, and I'm not a prophet. Sometimes I have said things before they happen, but its not because I have foreknowledge of an event. To state explicitly "thus saith the Lord", you need to be pretty sure you are hearing from God, for the Bible states that the person that prophesies in God's name and what he or she says doesn't come to pass, that person is a false prophet.

Deuteronomy 18:20 
But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

That brings us to the European Neighbourhood Policy. A few people have asked me if I have heard any news of this being confirmed on January 1st, 2007. I haven't heard anything, and it is very strange that it wasn't mentioned on any news sites, considering how much fuss Javier Solana has been making out of it. I haven't said that the European Neighbourhood Policy definitely is the seven year covenant of Daniel or not, I do not know. There may be another seven year covenant that could come along, or perhaps the European Neighbourhood Policy wasn't ratified as expected. In any case there is a European Summit coming up this month, and European nations are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome in March. All we can do is wait and see what happens.

Source YNet News

Quote: ""There's a conspiracy of silence around Saudi," says Release International's CEO Andy Dipper, "probably because the West wants their oil and their money. But this is a government that hands out the death sentence for its own citizens who want nothing more than the freedom to choose their own faith. And while Saudi bans all Christian literature, it spends billions of dollars each year propagating Islam around the world."

Persecution is also increasing in the West, with the government attempting to pass laws such as the Incitement to Religious Hatred bill and the Sexual Orientation Discrimination laws. Possession of a Bible in Saudi Arabia is against the law, and offenders can face flogging and even jail for repeated offences. It seems rather than pressing Saudi Arabia on its poor human rights record, the British government is prepared to turn a blind eye, as long as the oil keeps flowing. British Airways recently banned an air-stewardess from carrying her personal Bible on flights to Saudi Arabia. The British government has upheld the ruling, effectively imposing the Saudi law on British citizens.

Quote: "Saudi's regime is notorious for bragging about having "an open mind" and saying it "accepts Christianity and Judaism." In fact, not a single church exists in the desert country; foreign diplomats may not even hold Bible studies in their homes and Bibles discovered on tourists have been confiscated, with some allegedly even shredded. Instead of taking the opportunity to expose the Saudi's hypocrisy, the Foreign Office concurred. "The importation [to Saudi Arabia] and use of narcotics, alcohol, pork products and religious books, apart from the Koran, and artefacts are forbidden," it declared.

2nd Timothy 3:12-13
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Source Christian Today, Jerusalem Newswire

Quote: "At the hearing barrister David Scoffield, appearing for the Christian Institute and a number of Churches, asked Justice Deeny to postpone the introduction of the regulations in Northern Ireland given the Government had put back implementation in England and Wales until April 2007. "In view of that it is very difficult for the Government to argue there is a pressing need for this legislation in this jurisdiction at this time." But Justice Deeny refused and set a date for a full hearing to be heard on March 1 and 2.

But the fight is continuing, with Christian lawyers planning to petition the Queen over the issue. Christian groups want Her Majesty to speak to the Prime Minister as "Defender of the Faith" for the Church of England. The Queen has no power herself to change the laws passed by Parliament, but she can bring the matter up at her meetings with the Prime Minister.

Quote: "In mainland UK, the Church of England has pointed out that priests could be fined for refusing to bless same-sex civil partnerships under the rules. Catholic organisations have warned they will close their adoption agencies rather than be forced to allow gay couples to adopt children. Black churches have added their voices to the protest, saying pastors and churchgoers would go to jail rather than accept rules that would mean they had to open their meeting halls to gay lobby groups. The plea to the Queen is being made by the Christian Concern for Our Nation, an offshoot of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, a group which lists more than 2,000 barristers and solicitors among its members.

Sinn Fein's Caitriona Ruane said something very interesting. She said there is no clash of rights, between Christians and homosexuals, rather nobody has a right to discriminate...

Quote: "Speaking at the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission`s annual conference in Belfast, Ms Ruane said: "I am not saying there should not be a debate. It is the way the motion is formed that I am critical of. I think it is framed in a way that is gay bashing. "I also do not accept this is about a clash of rights. Christians, Muslims do not have a right to discriminate. Nobody has a right to discriminate."

...I think she hit the nail on the head. In today's liberalistic society, it has become a sin to discriminate about anything. Gay rights is the tip of the iceberg, for as soon as you say its illegal to discriminate against homosexuals, you will soon find you cannot "discriminate" against pornography, paedophilia, child abuse or bigamy. It's their "lifestyle", who's to say it's wrong? The only answer is that the Bible says it's wrong, and while Jesus does love sinners, His command is to "go and sin no more", John 5:14, 8:11.

Deuteronomy 12:8-9 
Ye shall not do after all [the things] that we do here this day, every man whatsoever [is] right in his own eyes.  For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.

Source Belfast Telegraph, GCN, Pink News

As one year passes and another year begins, the nations reflect on what has been and look forward to the future. 2006 has been a year of "wars and rumours of wars", with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan continuing. The US has suffered its 3000th death as a result of the conflict in Iraq, and Saddam Hussein was executed marking the end of a long chapter in Iraqi history. Iran threatens the world with nuclear weapons. Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas are preparing for a new war in the Middle East, unless peace is forthcoming. And among all this, world leaders are desperately searching for a solution to it all. According to the China Daily, the global hope in 2007 is for peace.

Quote: "At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for peace in the Middle East, asking that people work "courageously" to a lasting end to the Holy Land's conflict. "How can one not turn one's glance yet again to the dramatic situation which characterizes the very land where Jesus was born?" the pontiff said Monday in his homily in St. Peter's Basilica during Mass. He described peace as a "gift."

We know of course there will be no real peace until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to set up his kingdom. But on an individual level it is possible to experience real peace. My mum and dad bought me a mobile phone for Christmas, and I sent a message to a few of the people whose numbers I had, wishing them to know God's peace in 2007. I think this is a good phrase, because I can say this to both unbeliever and Christian. Jesus Christ made peace for us through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20-22), and I pray that the unbeliever would find that peace with God. For the Christian, I pray that God's peace would become real in their lives, and help them through the difficult times. Do you know real peace in your life? Do you want to know real peace in your life? No Jesus, no peace - know Jesus, know peace. Turn to Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Source China Daily

Quote: "In Sofia, a pyramid of light illuminated the sky, with rays emanating from the city's Orthodox cathedral, its Armenian church, a synagogue, a mosque and another church.

Slovenia also adopted the Euro as its official currency today, becoming the first of the ten new countries to join the EU in 2004 to do so. It seems the European Union will indeed grow to engulf the whole world (Daniel 7:23). Even the controversial Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman is advocating that Israel join NATO and the European Union, just as in the old Roman Empire days when Israel was under occupation of the Romans.

Quote: ""The political and security goal of the State of Israel for the next month needs to be clear: joining NATO and entering the European Union," Lieberman told Israel Radio in an interview. "The war we're fighting in the Middle East is not Israel's war, but the entire free world's [war], and we are standing on the frontlines," he said.

The EU is already working hard towards solving the Middle East conflict, but I doubt that Israel will ever come under the yoke of the Revived Roman Empire. The period of Gentile rule over Israel is at an end, as prophesied.

Luke 21:24 
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Seeing that Israel is in control of Jerusalem, and all nations are preying for a piece of Jerusalem, the Lord's return must be near. Joel and Daniel state that the land will be divided by the Antichrist. We are seeing the beginning of that today. When all the armies of the world are gathered against Jerusalem, then the Lord Jesus Christ will return to defend Israel and set up His kingdom which shall never end.

Source BBC, BBC, Jerusalem Post