Prophecies and the coming Israeli referendum

Prophecies and the coming Israeli referendum

Iran: Armageddon at hand, prepare for war

Iran: Armageddon at hand, prepare for war

Juste un début - Camille Mondon

On Trusting your Avowed Enemy

Alf Cengia - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=7648

Several headlines grabbed my attention these past two weeks. One that stood out described Syria as descending into an ''inferno as the world begins to lose interest.''

"The situation in Syria has descended into a new level of Hell, as the civil war continues, refugees fleeing the country increase, and the fractured rebel groups have begun to turn on each other as much as fight the Assad family regime." ~ John Metzler

The article cites the "carnage" tally now at over 95,000 Syrian civilians. The 2013 exodus from Syria averages out at 6,000 per day and is claimed by the United Nations to be the worst refugee crisis in some twenty years.

Metzler is rightly critical of the Obama Administration's "muddled Mideast policies" and lack of strategic focus. He also notes that the Administration had given assurances of military aid to the rebels: "the good guys, we assume, presume and hope."

Trust these guys with guns?

They would be the same "good guys" who are turning on each other, beheading Christians and posting the videos of these beheadings on the internet. These are the same Free Syrian Army "good guys" who, according to numerous reports, wiped out an entire Christian village.

But U.N. correspondent Metzler doesn't delve into the Christian massacres. That would probably open up a large can of snakes exposing the intolerant Islamist problem; something the United Nations would like to avoid. He does, however, believe that Syria is "hemorrhaging" and has undergone irreparable physical and psychological damage.

Metzler also correctly notes that, regardless of the world at large, the "outcome of Syria's conflict" is a clear cut Russian interest. In fact, one pundit sees Russia as heading for a big win in Syria.

Just in case no one got the memo regarding Russia's desire to re-establish its presence as a potent economic and military power; it has just concluded one of the most massive drills in recent memory. The drill involved: "five Russian armies, the Third Air Force and Air Defense Command, including strategic aviation, and its navy's Pacific Fleet", and included: "nearly 160,000 troops, about 1,000 tanks and armored vehicles, 130 aircraft and 70 warships."

Is Putin serious? You better believe it!

One fly in the ointment, though, is Israel. Not because of its warring policies so much as it's selfish policy to maintain its existence. Israel's possible response to present and future existential threats is bad for business.

The Syrian crisis has spilled over to Israel. The influx of Islamic extremists supporting the Free Syrian Army has compromised border security and these extremists will eventually turn their focus on Israel. That is why the Russians offered to place troops in the Golan recently. That, and Israel's conflict with Iran, is why we can be certain that Russia will maintain an active presence in the region.

Some people are still peddling the absurd notion that most of the Middle East's problems may be resolved if "Israel would just give back the Palestinian's stolen land."

If it were only that simple! Yet, the inconvenient facts are that Israel hasn't stolen Palestinian land and it would be happy to live in peace with a viable Palestinian State, if that State were to reciprocate by accepting a Jewish State.

But not only can Hamas and the Palestinian Authority not agree over the organizational structure a future State (think Libya, Syria and Egypt), but both have consistently demonstrated that they won't abide living alongside a Jewish State.

If nothing else, the "Syrian inferno" and the Egyptian conflict shows that many of these people don't mind ripping each other apart in the pursuit of power or their particular brand of Islamism. That's leaving aside their horrific treatment of non-Muslims.

So why should Israel trust a Hamas?

Well, I guess Hamas showed off their touchy-feely soft side when they expressed sadness at veteran American journalist Helen-Jews-should-go-back-home-Thomas' passing. As per the Al Quassam eulogy: "Rest in peace, Helen Thomas. We respect you for taking a stand."

I suppose that may get her a pass with Allah.

Of course, the recent extreme rioting in the West Bank is a bit of a setback for optimistic peaceniks. I think Khaled Abu Toameh gets it right:

"The thousands of demonstrators didn't forget to condemn the Palestinian Authority for "selling out to Jews" instead of seeking Israel's destruction. Unlike the U.S., Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sees and hears the voices of the extremists at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, in the West Bank, and in the Gaza Strip. This is precisely why Abbas will never agree to sign a peace deal with Israel: it would turn him into the biggest traitor in the Palestinian and Islamic world." (Emphasis mine)

As it stands, the European Union and the Obama Administration are drunkenly fixated on forcing a peace deal between two parties. Yet one of the parties is intent on exterminating the other and has consistently stated so.

Neither the E.U. nor the U.S. have been able to prevent Islamists in Syria and Egypt from killing each other. So what makes them think they can change the two Palestinian leaderships' mindsets about Israel?

Why would Israel simply shake hands and trust someone who is an avowed enemy, just to please the world? That would be insane.

Does anyone else get a sense of déjà vu?

Reflections on the Zimmerman Trial

Jul 22, 2013
Reblogged from www.raptureready.com   


Now that the trial of George Zimmerman, for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin has concluded, I’ve decided to make some observations about the outcome. The way Florida law is written, I think it was a given that the jury would acquit Zimmerman of murder or manslaughter. What concerns me is how the trial has divided this nation along racial lines. 

The reason why the incident became a major news story is because it fits the desired narrative of a white man shooting a black man. When it became known that the white guy was actually─Hispanic, the New York Times made the bizarre move of labeling Zimmerman as a “White-Hispanic” and the media circus marched on like nothing had changed. The liberal-left doesn’t care about justice. They wanted a sacrificial victim to be offered on the altar of racial grievance. 

The next step into the crazy dimension was made when Trayvon Martin was transformed from street thug to angel-faced choirboy. You may remember President Barack Obama saying, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” 

Despite the fact that Trayvon had been kicked out of school for vandalism, had a history of fights, liked to smoke pot, and was caught with burglary tools (and jewelry that appeared stolen); the image the media focused on was a picture taken when he was 12-years-old. You would have to do a Google search to find a picture of Trayvon as a six-foot tall, muscular, 200 pound, 17-year-old. 

It was something straight out of the twilight zone when the people on the left started to portray Zimmerman as a bloodthirsty white racist who murdered a defenseless little black child. Rachel Jeantel, a friend of Martin, even claimed that Zimmerman could have been a “gay rapist.” NAACP leads are now pushing for federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. 

Investigators in the case found no indication of racism on the part of Zimmerman. In fact, there was a mountain of evidence pointing in the oppose direction, which was never mentioned by the mainstream media. Zimmerman had dated a black girl at one time and took her to his High School prom. He once had a business partner that was black. Zimmerman mentored minority school kids in his community. He also led an inquiry into the death of a black homeless man that resulted in the resignation of Sanford’s police chief. 

The stress from the trail has clearly driven many leaders in black community completely mad. What else could explain why attorney Benjamin Crump said, “Trayvon Martin will forever remain in the annals of history next to Medgar Evers and Emmit Till.” Trayvon Martin was no Medgar Evers or Emmit Till. To put his name next to theirs is to demean the entire Civil Rights Movement. Trayvon Martin was a hooligan who died because he viciously attacked another human being. 

A growing number of polls show that whites and blacks see each other as more racist. Earlier this month, there was one by Rasmussen Reports showing 40% of whites see blacks as more racist than themselves. Since it is very politically incorrect to speak disparagingly of blacks, I would guess the true number is much higher. 

With the liberal media doing everything it can to highlight every indication of racism in America, it’s understandable that there would be a feeling of oppression in the black community. Since the Jim Crow days occurred before most people can remember, we’ve lost sight of how trivial the problems of today are by comparison. 

I see a time of profound racial unrest coming to America. Since the welfare state, is funded by our heavily indebted federal government, the coming financial collapse will turn our inner cities into war zones. With nearly half of Americans dependant on the government for some form of support, there will be plenty of pain to go around. With any crisis, there will be ample scapegoats over who is to blame. 

One of the benefits of being a child of the living God is the ability to transcend the racial divisions of this world. In Christ, we are all one. Those who put their faith in Him will someday leave this sin-stained planet. 

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:27-29).
--Todd

“U.S. eases bite of sanctions against Iran,” reports WSJ. This is exactly what could lead Israel to strike in 2013.

Reblogged from flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com 

In Uncategorized on July 26, 2013 at 11:48 am
 

Is the U.S. making Israeli strike on Iran in ’13 more likely?

(Washington, D.C.) — Readers of this column will recall on July 15 I wrote that “over the past several weeks, I have been hearing from current and former senior Israeli officials and advisors at the highest possible levels, that the showdown with Iran is entering the critical ’end game’ phase. I’m hearing from people with direct knowledge of the plans that war could come in 2013.”

Specifically, I noted that Israeli officials ”want the U.S. and other world powers to intensify economic sanctions and all other measures necessary to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear plans, give up its enriched uranium, and shut down its enrichment facilities. But they are deeply concerned that the so-called ‘election’ of Hassan Rouhani – widely but wrongly perceived to be a ‘moderate’ and a ‘reformer’ — will cause officials in Washington and elsewhere  to lower their guard and actually ease up pressure on the Khamenei regime, rather than crack down harder.”

If that happens, I noted, such easing up on Iran is exactly what could lead Israel to feel forced to go it alone and launch a massive preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2013, in a scenario not unlike what I wrote about in my novels, The Tehran Initiative and Damascus Countdown.

Less than two weeks later, we are seeing evidence that the Obama administration is moving in exactly the wrong direction. While Congress wants to ratchet up the Iran sanctions and make them tougher, the White House is actually strongly resisting such efforts. The President wants to ease up on the sanctions in hopes of engaging with Iran’s new regime. In other words, President Obama is taking Iran’s bait. And this could push the Israelis to war sooner rather than later.

“U.S. Eases Bite of Penalties Against Iran — White House, Seeking to Improve Ties With New Leader in Tehran, Lifts Curbs on Medical Supplies, Agricultural Products,” reads a Wall Street Journal headline.
Excerpts from the story:

• The Obama administration, seeking to improve relations with Iranian  President-elect Hasan Rouhani, eased restrictions on medical supplies,  agricultural products and humanitarian aid entering the heavily sanctioned  country.
• The Treasury Department’s announcement Thursday was viewed by many  Iran-watchers as a gesture of good will from Washington as it seeks to restart  talks with Tehran over its nuclear program once Mr. Rouhani enters office next  month.
•   However, the White House is clashing with Congress, where a bilateral group  of lawmakers is seeking to tighten the sanctions, say U.S. officials and Capitol  Hill staffers. Their proposed legislation would significantly toughen financial penalties  on Iran by targeting the country’s oil exports, ships and banks by October, in  an effort to convince Tehran to halt its nuclear program.
•   Secretary of State John Kerry and other U.S. officials have been advising  Congress to give the administration more time to pursue negotiations with Mr.  Rouhani before further tightening the financial noose on Iran. Mr. Rouhani, who succeeds President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is seen as a relative moderate and has  pledged to try to improve relations with the West.
•   “We don’t think new sanctions would be helpful at this stage,” said a  senior administration official involved in the sanctions debate. “We’ve proven  that the sanctions are working.”

This is a serious and potentially tragic mistake by the President and his team. But this is exactly what Israeli leaders have feared, and expected.

As I noted on July 15, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is beginning to prepare the public in Israel and around the world for a ‘military option.’ This is why he appeared on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday (see excerpt of transcript). The PM called the Iranian a ‘messianic, apocalyptic’ regime bent on genocide, a reference to the Shia eschatology Khamenei holds that Iran must annihilate Israel and the U.S. to usher in the reign of the Twelfth Imam. Netanyahu also called the incoming Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, a ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ who has bragged in the past about negotiating with the West while secretly advancing nuclear enrichment. What’s more, Netanyahu vowed not to ‘wait too long’ to stop Iran.”

To be clear: I’m not saying war will definitely come in 2013. For my part, I continue to pray for peace, even as I — and my colleagues at The Joshua Fund — prepare for war and other national crises in the epicenter. We should be grateful a major regional war between Israel and Iran hasn’t occurred yet. It could be devastating. Hopefully, the regime in Iran will fall. Perhaps sanctions and/or diplomacy and/or covert operations will make war unnecessary. But I believe it is important to be honest with you about what I’m hearing and keep you informed.

• Please pray for peace in Syria, and in Egypt, and in Israel.
• Please pray for U.S., Israeli and other leaders to have wisdom to know just what to do.
• Please pray for Christian leaders in the region to have courage and wisdom.
• Please pray that all the people of the epicenter develop a deep hunger to read the Bible and discover the power of God’s Word, as we discussed in the recent Epicenter Conference.
• Please pray for The Joshua Fund team and me to be able to keep providing food, medical equipment, and other humanitarian relief supplies for the poor and needy now, while also preparing for the crises that may lie ahead.

Thanks, and God bless you.

Púlpito Cristão » Mendigo que emocionou ao cantar em igreja grava CD e vídeo clipe

Púlpito Cristão » Mendigo que emocionou ao cantar em igreja grava CD e vídeo clipe

Defying US warnings of civil war, Egyptian military to crack down on armed protest and mounting terrorism

Defying US warnings of civil war, Egyptian military to crack down on armed protest and mounting terrorism

Are Obama’s Leaks Provoking an Israel-Syria War? | FrontPage Magazine

Are Obama’s Leaks Provoking an Israel-Syria War? | FrontPage Magazine

The Coming Temple

Reblogged from gracethrufaith.com/popular-posts-from-the-past     A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

According to Prophecies in Daniel 9:27, Matt 24:15 and 2 Thes 2:4, a Temple will exist in Israel at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This is confirmed by Revelation 11:1 which describes John measuring a Temple just before the Great Tribulation begins. Its location is the “Holy City.”  Rev. 11 also introduces the 2 witnesses who preach in the “Great City” and are ultimately killed there, their bodies left lying in the street. The Great City is identified as the place where the Lord was crucified: Jerusalem. But is Jerusalem also the Holy City where the Coming Temple will be?


According to Zechariah 14:6-9 on the day of the Lord’s return an earthquake will split the Mt. of Olives in two along an East-West line that creates a great valley through the center of Jerusalem. Immediately a river will fill the valley creating a waterway from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea. If the Lord returns to the same area of the Mt. of Olives from which He left, as suggested by Acts 1:11, the earthquake creating this East-West valley will destroy the current Temple mount and anything that may be standing upon it.
Ezekiel 47:1-12 describes a great river flowing south from under the south side of the Temple and then eastward to the Dead Sea during a period of time that most scholars believe has not occurred yet. Revelation 22:1-2 confirms this. If as it appears, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation all describe the same river, then an interesting scenario begins to emerge.

Comparing Zechariah 14:8 and Ezekiel 47:1-12 we can see that a Temple has to be present on the day the Lord returns because that’s where the living water emerges from.  But since the current Temple mount will have been destroyed by the earthquake mentioned above, this Temple must be somewhere else. Since the river originates under the Temple and flows southward from its south side before heading East and West, the Temple must be north of the newly created river valley.

Where Are The 12 Tribes?

Plotting the land grants for the 12 tribes given in the 48th chapter of Ezekiel on a map of Israel places the precincts of the Holy City and its Temple somewhat north of the current City of Jerusalem. This new location is the ancient City of Shiloh, where the Tabernacle stood for nearly 400 years after the Israelites first conquered the Land. This is the Holy City and according to the last verse in Ezekiel, its Hebrew name is Jehovah Shammah.  Jehovah Shammah means “the LORD is here.”

This location would meet all the requirements for the Temple mentioned in the above references. The current Temple Mount in Jerusalem would not.

According to Ezekiel 44:6-9, this Temple will have been defiled in a way never seen in history, therefore at a time yet future to us. A foreigner uncircumsized in heart (neither Christian) and flesh (nor Jewish) will have been given charge of the sanctuary while offering sacrifices. If we understand the chronology of Ezekiel, this event will have taken place after both the 1948 re-gathering prophesied in 36-37 and the national wake-up call prophesied in 38-39 but before the Millennial Kingdom begins. The only period of time we know of that fits that chronology and includes a Temple is the Great Tribulation. This is confirmed by Paul’s prophecy of 2 Thes. 2:4 where the anti-Christ sets himself up in the Temple proclaiming himself to be God. This is the abomination of desolation that kicks off the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15-21).

Here then is a rough outline of events. Following Israel’s return to God after the battle of Ezekiel 38-39, the Jewish people will re-establish their covenant (old not new) with Him. This will require a return to Levitical practices and so a Temple will be built. This is the Temple spoken of in Daniel 9 and Revelation 11. Following instructions given by Ezekiel and needing to avoid the enormous problems a Jerusalem Temple would create in the Moslem world, this Temple will be located north of Jerusalem in Shiloh. It will be defiled in the middle of the last 7 years as outlined in Daniel 9:24-27, Ezekiel 44:6-9, Matt 24:15 and 2 Thes 2:4 kicking off the Great Tribulation, but will be cleansed by living water that begins flowing on the day the Lord returns (Zech 14:8).

This temple will be used during the Millennium to memorialize the Lord’s work at the cross and provide the perspective for children born during the Kingdom Age to choose salvation just as you and I have had the perspective of the Lord’s Supper in making our choice. Remember, He said, “Do this in memory of Me until I come.” Acts 15:14-16 confirms that after the Lord has chosen a people from among the gentiles for Himself (the church) He will return and re-build David’s fallen Tabernacle (the Temple). This is the Millennial Temple so vividly described in Ezekiel 40-48.

The New Jerusalem

The Ezekiel passage also solves the Jerusalem / New Jerusalem problem. For as long as I’ve been studying these things, there has been debate over the issue of the New Jerusalem. Some wonder how the Lord could permit redeemed believers and non- believing natural humans to co-exist in the Millennium. (The rotten apple spoiling the barrel theory) Others wonder how a city with a foot print 1400 miles square and tall could be located in Israel when the whole country won’t be that big and its height would place part of it outside the earth’s atmosphere

Carefully examining Rev 21 and 22, we notice that John never actually says the city arrives on earth. We are only told he sees it coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride. (Not that the city IS the bride, but that as with a bride on her wedding day, no effort has been spared to make it look its absolute best.)
I don’t believe the city ever rests on the Earth’s surface, but rather orbits in the proximity of Earth, like a satellite or perhaps another moon.

Also comparing the descriptions of New Jerusalem with Jehovah Shammah we see some similarities but enough differences to refute the notion that John and Ezekiel described the same place. Compare the following:

New Jerusalem (All verses from Rev.)	Jehovah Shammah (All verses from Ezekiel)
12 gates named after Israel (21:12)	12 gates named after Israel (48:30)
12 foundations named after Apostles (21:14)	Foundation not described
1400 miles square and tall (21:16)	One mile square (48:30)
Coming Down from heaven (21:2)	Located in Israel on Earth (40:2)
No Temple … God and the Lamb are its Temple (21:22)	Temple just north of the city (40:2)
No sin; nothing impure will ever enter (21:27)	Daily sin offerings in the Temple (45:13-15,17)
No more death (21:4)	Still death (44:25 also Isa 65:20)
No natural beings … only the perfected (21:27)	Natural Beings (46:16)

With the differentiation of these two Holy Cities, the apparent conflict between Jewish and Christian eschatology is resolved. Israel was promised that one day GOD would come to Earth to dwell among them forever, while the Church is promised that Jesus will come to take us to heaven to live with Him there. Both promises will come true.

Since Ezekiel specifically quoted the Lord’s promise to dwell among the Israelites forever (43:7) and then described the new Holy City, while Jesus promised to return for the Church to take us to be with Him (John 14:1-3), they must have been talking about two different destinations. They were. Heaven is the New Jerusalem where we will dwell with the Lord forever, while the Holy City on Earth is Jehovah Shammah where God will dwell in the midst of His people Israel forever. 7/2/2003

The Steady Drip: No Matter What Color You Are

The Steady Drip: No Matter What Color You Are

Un Violon sur le sable - Patrice Mondon

J.D.’s Mid-East Prophecy Update

Daily Kos :: DEVELOPING: Top NSA and DOJ Officials Have Fled the U.S. - Obama Admin. Files Espionage Charges

Daily Kos :: DEVELOPING: Top NSA and DOJ Officials Have Fled the U.S. - Obama Admin. Files Espionage Charges

CTRL + Q to Enable/Disable GoPhoto.it

Denying The Lord? Bible Q and As

Reblogged from gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher  
 

Q.  In Matt. 10:32-33 Jesus said,  “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” 

But in Matt. 26:34 Jesus said Peter would deny Him three times, and then Peter did.  What is the implication of Mt 10:32-33 for Peter, or for that matter for any of us who fail to speak up for Christ when we have an opportunity to do so?


A.  The confusion here lies with the English translation because in the Greek language two different words are used.  The word translated deny in Matt. 10:33 means to reject or refuse someone whereas the one in Matt. 26:34 means to deny being acquainted with someone. 

In Matt. 26:69-74 Peter repeatedly claimed he wasn’t acquainted with Jesus.  He wasn’t being truthful, but he wasn’t rejecting or refusing what Jesus was offering, which is the gift of salvation.  Failing to speak up for Christ when we have an opportunity is not the same as rejecting what He has offered us, and will not cause Him to reject us.

Hayley Westenra & Celtic Woman Sing Heavenly Version of

Hayley Westenra & Celtic Woman Sing Heavenly Version of

Was Israel’s Latest ‘Air’ Attack on Syria from a Submarine?

Was Israel’s Latest ‘Air’ Attack on Syria from a Submarine?

Iranian Nukes on the Horizon

Iran is just 60 kilograms – potentially just weeks – short of crossing the nuclear “red line” that Netanyahu set in his speech before the UN last September

President Obama’s Middle East policy has been an ever-worsening train wreck because it lacks credibility and strategy, as Egypt, Libya, and particularly Syria, have shown. And the region is about to get much worse, unless Obama exercises resolute leadership on the most important global security issue of this generation: Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. In a commerce-critical region where “might makes right” and only the strong survive, Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons could have catastrophic consequences for the Middle East and beyond. 

The resulting dangers potentially include: 
(i) nuclear proliferation, as other Mideast countries feel threatened into pursuing their own nuclear programs; 

(ii) the transfer of nuclear materials from Iran – the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism – to terrorist organizations and/or rogue states; 

(iii) bolder attacks by Iranian terror proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, etc.) protected by Iran’s nuclear umbrella; and (iv) an even more belligerent Iran that flexes its nuclear arsenal to: export its radical Islamic ideology, acquire disputed territories and resources from neighboring countries, and/or undertake actions like blocking the Strait of Hormuz to increase the price of oil.

As Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, recently told CBS News’s Face the Nation, the Islamic Republic is now dangerously close to a nuclear capability. Because Iran has stockpiled about 190 pounds of 20% enriched uranium, Iran is just 60 kilograms – potentially just weeks – short of crossing the nuclear “red line” that Netanyahu set in his speech before the UN last September.

Unfortunately, Obama has signaled no urgency over Iranian nukes. Perhaps he hopes for a negotiated settlement to the issue, now that Hassan Rouhani, a so-called “moderate,” was elected to assume Iran’s presidency next month. But hope is not a strategy with the Iranian regime. Rouhani has been linked to the 1994 terrorist bombing of an Argentine Jewish community center that killed 85 people, and has boasted about how he manipulated nuclear talks with the West about a decade ago to expand Iran’s nuclear program. More importantly, Iran’s foreign policy is set by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has banned concessions to the West. Indeed, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, the head of Iran’s atomic energy agency, made it clear last Friday that Rouhani’s election will have no impact on Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities.

Obama must also recognize that the sanctions against Iran have demonstrably failed. The Islamic Republic has skillfully outmaneuvered them, as shown in a leaked U.N. report detailing 11 instances of Iran violating sanctions, including attempts to acquire materials for its atomic program. Reuters published an expose outlining how Iran exploits sanctions loopholes to import ore from Germany and France that could be used for making armor and missiles. More importantly, the Iranian nuclear weapons program has never once stopped because of sanctions. The only time that Iran ever suspended its nuclear program was after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when Iran briefly feared that a U.S. attack was imminent.

Obama’s Iran policy has thus far failed to produce any credible deterrent. It’s time for Obama to build on the lead of Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, who warned last month that Iran only has only a few months to demonstrate to the West that it is serious about a negotiated solution to the standoff.

Israel doesn’t have the luxury of treating its red lines the way Obama has treated the one he set for Syria’s use of chemical weapons; that means that the volatile Middle East of today could become far more engulfed in war and instability. Netanyahu’s latest message may be the canary in the coalmine giving its final warning, so Obama should provide bold leadership on this critical issue before it’s too late. New Jersey-sized Israel survives only by the strength of the military force that it projects. Critical to that deterrent is making good on its threats, as Israel did with its destruction of the Iraqi and Syrian nuclear programs, in 1981 and 2007, respectively, and its ongoing surgical airstrikes to prevent Syria from transferring game-changing weapons to Hezbollah.

Given such exploits, isolationists might wonder why the U.S. should bother; let Israel bear all of the costs and risks of eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat for us, goes the thinking. But the nuclear program in Iran is far more dispersed, hardened, and distant than what Israel neutralized in Iraq and Syria. Iranian nukes are truly vulnerable only to U.S. military capabilities. Expecting Israel to do the job is like a heavyweight-boxing champion asking his featherweight friend to defend him against the approaching middleweight champion. Such cowardly tactics needlessly endanger the featherweight ally, but – more importantly – there is a good chance that the middleweight won’t be fully neutralized and will feel far more emboldened to attack the heavyweight after he concludes (alongside the rest of the world) that the heavyweight is just a paper tiger.

Iran can already attack U.S. interests across the Middle East and Europe. And as early as 2015, Iran could develop and test ballistic missiles that could strike the continental U.S., according to a Pentagon report released last week (“2013 Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat Assessment”). 

Obama can wait for the U.S. to be drawn into war with a nuclear-armed Iran, or he can proactively address the threat before Iran acquires nukes. But he cannot hide from the threat or hope it away. Obama must lead – before Iran’s nuclear recalcitrance forces Israel’s hand, with potentially apocalyptic consequences.

Noah Beck is the author of The Last Israelis, an apocalyptic novel about Iranian nukes and current geopolitical issues in the Middle East.

Mid East Update

Reblogged from gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiac This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley

Recently several events in the Middle East have taken place that should be putting students of prophecy on high alert.


In Syria, the opposition is fragmenting as newly arrived Taliban fighters from Afghanistan have joined with alQaeda in what looks like an attempt to hijack the rebellion against the Assad government. In the short term this means the Syrian opposition is focused more on the infighting among its own factions than on defeating the government forces. The Taliban and alQaeda alliance seems to be gaining the upper hand, which means any hope for a “moderate Muslim” government to replace Assad is quickly evaporating.

A report that Israel is considering going it alone in an effort to put a halt to Iran’s nuclear arms development is also in the news. According to high ranking officials, Israel is concerned that because of North Korean help Iran is about to cross Prime Minister Natanyahu’s famous red line, and could be only months away from having a “nuclear device”. According to them that means a warhead or bomb is less than a year away. These officials are saying that something must be done before the end of 2013 to stop Iran. It has been reported that a majority of Israel’s security cabinet is now prepared to vote for war with or without help from others.

Accordingly, Israeli officials have begun preparing the world to expect some kind of action against Iran later this year. PM Netanyahu pledged on national television that he will not wait until it’s too late to act.

Also, upon learning that Russia had agreed to supply Syria with advanced anti-ship and anti-air missile systems, PM Netanyahu met with Russian Pres. Putin on May 14 in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the transaction. Netanyahu reportedly told Putin that Israel would destroy these systems if they arrived in Syria. Putin responded that if they did Russia would retaliate.

A few days earlier, Israel had secretly destroyed a shipment of Iranian arms meant for Hizbollah in an air strike near Damascus. Upon learning from Washington that Israel was responsible, Syrian, Iranian, and Hizbollah officials said another such attack would bring an immediate reprisal.

Then on July 5 air strikes against an arms depot in Latakia, a port city in Syria, destroyed another big cache of arms, supplied mostly by Russia. Of the three arsenals destroyed, one contained components of the very weapons systems Netanyahu and Putin had discussed in May. Another held advanced weapons the Russians knew were intended for use by Hizbollah.

As with the previous raid, neither Syrian nor Russian radar detected the attacking aircraft so it was not known from whence they came. But once again, the US disclosed to the media that the attack had been carried out by Israel.
The question now is how and when Russia, Iran, Syria, and Hizbullah will make good on their threats to immediately respond to these Israeli attacks.

Why Did You Do That?

You might ask why the US would let the world know it was the Israelis who pulled off these two daring strikes. Well, it looks like this was Pres. Obama’s way of telling Israel not to try going it alone against Iran, and especially not to “cozy up” to any other Middle Eastern countries in the process.

He was making a reference to Saudi Arabia. It turns out that the King of Saudi Arabia and former Egyptian Pres. Mubarak are close friends. When the Obama administration was instrumental in Mubarak’s ouster in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood a year ago, it upset the Saudi King and he determined to get even for the shabby way in which his friend was being treated. His chance came when the Egyptian Army decided to throw the Brotherhood out of office last month. He sent a high ranking subordinate to help the Egyptian Army plan and execute the overthrow.

When Obama officials saw they couldn’t dissuade the Egyptian Army from acting, they threatened to “review” the $1.2 billion in annual aid that was the army’s primary source of income. The Saudi King immediately offered to cover any shortfall, and in a single day transferred $8 billion in cash into the army’s account. When you add gasoline credits and cash contributions from other Arab countries the total assistance came to $12 billion. The Egyptians were thus emboldened to ask the US whether they really wanted to jeopardize losing Egypt as an ally by making such a threat. So much for Obama’s power play.

The Brotherhood, of which Hamas is part, has begun to retaliate against the Egyptian army, using the Sinai desert as it’s battleground. This presents a threat to Israel because whenever Muslim forces are at odds, one side or the other will usually attack Israel. So in a move that’s surprising to say the least, Israel has been helping the Egyptian army with intelligence and drone support and has given permission for the Egyptians to move tanks and soldiers into the Sinai. In return the Egyptian army has cut off the Sinai supply routes and for the first time in recent memory most of the hundreds of smuggling tunnels that connect the Sinai with Gaza have been blocked.

The Obama administration is afraid that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and some other Arab states are setting up an independent block of Sunni Muslims to oppose the Shiites. They are concerned that Israel will turn to this block for help in taking out their common enemy, Shiite Iran. Tipping off the Russians is Obama’s way of telling Israel, “If you want to go your own way, we can go our own way too, and you won’t like outcome.”

War In The Sinai

As you read this, the Egyptian Army has begun a campaign to clear the Sinai of Bedouin and Palestinian fighters who have joined with the Brotherhood in their attempt to regain control of Egypt. Israeli forces along the Egyptian and Gaza borders are on high alert and their drones and sattelites are scouring the area from above to provide Egypt with real time battlefield intelligence.

Having had its bluff on the aid issue successfully called, the US has stationed two amphibious helicopter carriers nearby with 2,600 US Marines aboard to make sure Suez Canal traffic isn’t disrupted, and is also supplying the Egyptian Army with sattelite intelligence on troop movements in the Sinai. Egypt has vowed not to end this campaign until the Sinai has been cleared of the Brotherhood and its allies.

Looking Ahead

Let’s summarize what we could be looking at in the second half of 2013.   Israeli leaders are concerned that there are few if any real alternatives to attacking Iran, who with North Korea’s assistance, is about to cross the red line. They’re are running out of hope that war with Iran later this year can be avoided.

Iran and Syria have made no secret of their willingness to arm Hizbollah with the latest waeponry. Now Russia has been discovered doing the same thing. Israel’s preventive attacks against these efforts has brought promises of swift retaliation from everyone involved. This would most likely be done through Hizbollah with Russia, Iran and Syria coordinating an attack on Israel’s northern border by Hizbollah forces.

It’s hard to believe that Russia will let Israel’s destruction of its weaponry go unanswered, especially after Putin promised to retaliate. Iran could see this as a chance to pre-empt Israel’s clear intention to destroy their nuclear program by attacking first. And it’s obvious that Hizbollah has been looking for the go ahead to open a northern front against Israel. Syria will also benefit from this, because it will distract the rebel forces from their goal of bringing down the government. Islamic “freedom fighters” in Syria will not miss the chance to strike a blow against Israel.

In the south, Israel’s cooperation with the Egyptian Army against the Brotherhood and its allies could easily provide the rationale for an attack on Israel’s southern border by the several Islamist groups in Gaza. Having the Israelis working with the Egyptian Army against the Brotherhood and its allies presents an intolerable situation that will have to be addressed.

The bottom line is this may just be too good an opportunity for Israel’s enemies to pass up. If there’s any such thing as a perfect storm in Middle East warfare, The one that’s brewing now could be it. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 07-20-13

A message to Obama & Americans

English starts at 0.40 seconds.

Black America's real problem isn't white racism

 Reblogged from www.wnd.com   

 Pat Buchanan points out statistics on crime, illegitimacy

Published: 1 day ago
 

Patrick J. Buchanan 

Pat Buchanan was twice a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and the Reform Party's candidate in 2000. He is also a founder and editor of The American Conservative. Buchanan served three presidents in the White House, was a founding panelist of three national TV shows, and is the author of nine books. His latest book is "Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?"

In the aftermath of the acquittal of George Zimmerman, Eric Holder, Al Sharpton and Ben Jealous of the NAACP are calling on the black community to rise up in national protest.
Yet they know – and Barack Obama, whose silence speaks volumes, knows – nothing is going to happen.

“Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and other states are not going to be repealed. George Zimmerman is not going to be prosecuted for a federal “hate crime” in the death of Trayvon Martin. 

The result of all this ginned-up rage that has produced vandalism and violence is simply going to be an ever-deepening racial divide. 

Consider the matter of crime and fear of crime.
From listening to cable channels and hearing Holder, Sharpton, Jealous and others, one would think the great threat to black children today emanates from white vigilantes and white cops. 

Hence, every black father must have a “conversation” with his son, warning him not to resist or run if pulled over or hassled by a cop. 
Make the wrong move, son, and you may be dead is the implication.
But is this the reality in black America? 

When Holder delivered his 2009 “nation-of-cowards” speech blaming racism for racial separation, Manhattan Institute’s Heather Mac Donald suggested that our attorney general study his crime statistics. 

In New York from January to June 2008, 83 percent of all gun assailants were black, according to witnesses and victims, though blacks were only 24 percent of the population. Blacks and Hispanics together accounted for 98 percent of all gun assailants. Forty-nine of every 50 muggings and murders in the Big Apple were the work of black or Hispanic criminals. 

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly confirms Mac Donald’s facts. Blacks and Hispanics commit 96 percent of all crimes in the city, he says, but only 85 percent of the stop-and-frisks are of blacks and Hispanics. 

Order Pat Buchanan’s brilliant and prescient books at WND’s Superstore.

And these may involve the kind of pat-downs all of us have had at the airport.
Is stop-and-frisk the work of racist cops in New York, where the crime rate has been driven down to levels unseen in decades? 

According to Kelly, a majority of his police force, which he has been able to cut from 41,000 officers to 35,000, is now made up of minorities. 

But blacks are also, per capita, the principal victims of crime. Would black fathers prefer their sons to grow up in Chicago, rather than low-crime New York City, with its stop-and-frisk policy? 

Fernando Mateo, head of the New York taxicab union, urges his drivers to profile blacks and Hispanics for their own safety: “The God’s honest truth is that 99 percent of the people that are robbing, stealing, killing these drivers are blacks and Hispanics.”
Mateo is what the New York Times would describe as “a black Hispanic.” Yet he may be closer to the ‘hood than Holder, who says he was stopped by police when running to a movie – in Georgetown. 

Which raises a relevant question. Georgetown is an elitist enclave of a national capital that has been ruled by black mayors for half a century. It’s never had a white mayor.
Is Holder saying we’ve got racist cops in the district where Obama carried 86 percent of the white vote and 97 percent of the black vote? And his son should fear the white cops in Washington, D.C.? 

What about interracial crime, white-on-black attacks and the reverse? 

After researching the FBI numbers for “Suicide of a Superpower,” this writer concluded: “An analysis of ‘single offender victimization figures’ from the FBI for 2007 finds blacks committed 433,934 crimes against whites, eight times the 55,685 whites committed against blacks. Interracial rape is almost exclusively black on white – with 14,000 assaults on white women by African Americans in 2007. Not one case of a white sexual assault on a black female was found in the FBI study.”

Though blacks are outnumbered 5-to-1 in the population by whites, they commit eight times as many crimes against whites as the reverse. By those 2007 numbers, a black male was 40 times as likely to assault a white person as the reverse.
If interracial crime is the ugliest manifestation of racism, what does this tell us about where racism really resides – in America? 

And if the FBI stats for 2007 represent an average year since the Tawana Brawley rape-hoax of 1987, over one-third of a million white women have been sexually assaulted by black males since 1987 – with no visible protest from the civil rights leadership. 

Today, 73 percent of all black kids are born out of wedlock. Growing up, these kids drop out, use drugs, are unemployed, commit crimes and are incarcerated at many times the rate of Asians and whites – or Hispanics, who are taking the jobs that used to go to young black Americans. 

Are white vigilantes or white cops really black America’s problem? 

Obama seems not to think so. The Rev. Sharpton notwithstanding, he is touting Ray Kelly as a possible chief of homeland security.

First the Coup then the Revolution

Reblogged from
www.dailyjot.com

Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com 

It is a sad state of affairs. The United States experienced an Islamic Marxist coup beginning in 2002--progressives, socialists, communists, Muslim Brotherhood, illegal aliens, homosexuals, abortionists--took over the country and have been running things ever since. It is a coalition of the unrighteous ruling over the citizenry like never before seen in American history. These are folks who have a new definition of America. They love America--they're America--the one they are remaking into a third world country while good people are so busy surviving that they cannot bring an opposition to the field. But now that the coup is complete, the revolution follows.

These people are not only wrong-minded and godless, they are the epitome of the failures of collectivism. As Romans 1:22 says, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." As Jeremiah 10:15 reveals: "They are vanity, and the work of errors." But they have become critical mass. It is in this, the revolution is afoot. A third of Americans on the government dole; the government the largest single employer in the nation; the "president" overseeing the destruction of a once great country, attempting to export his Muslim Brotherhood revolution to other parts of the world, especially the epicenter of the end times--the Middle East.

The scandals should have brought this administration to its knees. But the coup is complete--neither Benghazi, nor Fast and Furious, nor IRS targeting or government spying can stop them from their appointed rounds. Now the revolution, pitting Americans against Americans. It starts by creating racial tension and augmenting it with the false flag of social injustice, fanning the flames with words of division disguised as words of peace, then bringing in their coalition to push it over the edge--just like how the Muslim Brotherhood did it in Egypt. The Trayvon Martin angry spark has grown to violent protests enjoined by the more organized "occupy" movement, amnesty, gun control advocates and others.

These protests are aimed at calling out the government for more action--not against the government for its policies. In other words, the revolution is encouraging the occupant of the Oval Office to take stronger action against Americans who oppose abolishing marriage, abortion, amnesty, fiscal irresponsibility, etc. It starts with the racial fuse and then all the members of the unrighteous coalition join in. It is a revolution. And it is a revolution of the godless, often invoking God as if they are his representatives. This is separation time. As Joshua 24:15 says, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Depraved Indifference - Eric Ludy

You may not understand it but you will stand under it

Reblogged from servehiminthewaiting.wordpress.com  

Posted on July 19, 2013 by shekinah419

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Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (Ephesians 6:13)

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 Despair? Strength Through The Valley

       By Rocco T

http://www.raptureready.com/soap/rocco1.html

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Every one of us goes through the hills and valleys of walking with the Lord. There will be times where your on the hills and you feel the spirit of the Lord close to you. There is no other feeling in the world like knowing our Lord Jesus is walking with you hand in hand. When you really feel that his presence is with you. When you have so much zeal to serve him that you just can’t keep it in. It bubbles out of you and you don’t have to do anything. You feel like you could run a hundred miles for Jesus carrying everybody along with you. Those times are to be cherished because those are the hills that God allows you to experience so that you can get through the valleys.

Then there are the valleys. Where you feel like you can’t go another step. When God feels like he is 1000 miles from you, when you really feel despair. When you feel separated from people. When you feel like everything that your doing is somehow wrong. That nobody understands how you feel, and how could they, they don’t know your life and they don’t know your troubles. You feel weak towards sin and you feel like every sin is magnified to the point where you question yourself if your on the right road.


There is a healthy way of taking account of your life and looking at decisions you have made in order to keep yourself focused on God and not on the world. That is beneficial and should be done on a daily basis to make your walk with the Lord even stronger.
But there is that unhealthy second guessing that Satan uses to attack you when you are at your lowest point. Satan uses temptation and your trials together to bring you into despair. This is the time when no matter what you do, it seems like it fails. So what you do in times like these?

1 Corinthians 10:13 says “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

These are the times when you’re in the valley, and God seems so far away. Remember his Words to you through verses like this. His word is true and faithful so when he says that he will provide you a way out. He will. He does not say he will remove the temptations from you and whisk you away to the hills. He says he will provide a way out so that you can Stand Up under it.

If you look at David and the Psalms, there are many filled with Joy and there are many filled with sorrow and questions about “Where are you Lord”. So there will be Hills and Valleys but if you take notice and look a little deeper, David gives us the key to get through these valleys. Take Psalm 42 for example. It is one of my favorite psalms but let’s take just a few verses from it.

Psalms 42:3,4 says “My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.”

He is completely down “day and night” his tears have been his food. He is not eating and I’m sure not sleeping because of despair in his life. But in the very next verse all the while he is feeling this despair he says

Psalms 42:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Now remember, he is saying this while he is still in that valley of despair. Why? How? Even though he is in a valley of despair, He remembers that God is Faithful, He remembers what God has done for him in the past. He Confidently states that “For I will yet praise him” meaning, he will come out of this valley and be on hill praising God. He continues on and talks more about his despair and then at the end of the chapter, he comes back to the same thing “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” 

Psalm 43 goes on to talk about despair and those same words “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” end that chapter as well.

Psalm 88 is another one full of despair and yet Psalm 89:1,2 start out with “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”

David was not a perfect example on how to live because of his monumental mistakes that he made in his life. But I believe the reason God called him “A Man after his own Heart” was because of his faithfulness to God in times of trouble and despair.

In that aspect David gives us a perfect example of how are we are supposed to handle those valleys in life. By remembering who we are serving. Who led us to that valley? God did. God led you there and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” and then (when his time is right) he will lead you out of there and onto a hill. You may go back into valleys but as long as you remember the example of David and Praise God and have Faith in him through the valley, even when you don’t think anybody is listening. You will come out of it and be all the more stronger of a person ready and able to do God’s Will. Praise his name because he is faithful.