Why should we care about the Jews?

Much of this web site talks about the Jews. Why should we care about the Jews? Many people either don’t like a Jew they have known, or don’t like Jews in general. Jews are hated around the world.

Why should we care?

There are many, many answers to that question. I could talk about:

1. The Jews recorded and preserved the Word of God. We owe them a tremendous debt just for this alone!
2. Jesus Christ is a descendant of Abraham and King David.
3. Jesus was Himself a Jewish rabbi.
4. Every Apostle was a Jew.
5. Almost every Christian on the day of Pentecost was a Jew.
6. Almost all of the earliest Church were Jews.
7. EVERYTHING about the events leading to Christ’s return, the Tribulation, has to do with the Jews!

These are all true, and are good reasons, but I’ll show you the best reason. It is also the easiest way I know to have God bless you. (Or to call down God’s curse upon yourself!)

That reason is God’s very first promise to Abram, before God renamed him Abraham. Genesis 12:3 says: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This is an unconditional, irrevocable promise, and upon this promise rests the entire history of Israel, the Jews, and the New Testament.

God does not require us to love every Jew, they are just people like anyone else. BUT if you dishonor or curse “the Jews,” even in your own mind, you will have invoked God’s curse upon yourself! A simple “G*d damn Jews” will bring down God’s curse upon your head!

On the other hand, God has promised a blessing to you if you do something to bless Abram (Abraham) and his covenant descendants, the Jews!

Be very, very careful about what you allow yourself to think and believe about the Jews! Your immortal soul and how you will spend eternity depends on it!

Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border

The scene continues to be set for Ezekiel's War (Ezekiel 38 and 39):

RIA Novosti - Russia - Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border: 17:31 | 27/ 03/ 2007

"MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.

"The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.

He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran "that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost."

He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran's military infrastructure in the near future.

A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf.

The USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed-wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships and four nuclear submarines are heading for the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed since December 2006.

The U.S. is also sending Patriot anti-missile systems to the region."

How does this relate to Ezekiel's war?

1. Many analysts believe that Iran may achieve nuclear weapons capability this year, 2007.
   
2. Iran has vowed to destroy Israel.
   
3. Israel can not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. One single nuclear bomb could completely destroy Israel.
   
4. For several years, Russian and Iran (which was known as Persia until early in the 20th century) have had mutual defense treaty. Last year, Syria joined that mutual defense pact.
   
5. If the US, or Israel, attacks Iran in an attempt to destroy Iran's nuclear weapons development, there is a significant likelihood that Russia will be compelled to be drawn into the conflict.
   
6. Ezekiel 38:3-6 says "Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes— many peoples are with you."
   
7. Scholars have identified the leader as Russia, and the other countries mentioned as the Muslim middle east and North Africa, with the notable exception of Iraq.
8. The phrase "put hooks into your jaws" in this passage refers to compelling Gog to do God's will, perhaps even against Gog's own wishes, perhaps as in being forced to honor a treaty.
   

Again, no one knows God's timetable for when this war will occur, but events seem to be accelerating in that direction.

FrontPage magazine.com :: United for Israel by John Hagee

United for Israel

By John Hagee
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 27, 2007[Pastor John Hagee gave this speech at the AIPAC Policy Conference, March 11, 2007. To hear the audio file, click here. - The Editors]

Good evening dear friends of Israel; thank you for the privilege and pleasure of speaking to this distinguished AIPAC gathering. May I begin by thanking Melvin Dow for his friendship and wisdom that have been a guiding light for me personally and in all out endeavors on behalf of Israel over the years. I also want to thank AIPAC and each of you for being Israel's defender in the halls of the US Congress. You are the finest and most efficient advocacy organization in Washington, DC.

On September 10, 1981, we conducted our First Night to Honor Israel in San Antonio and there are two people with me tonight that made that First Night to Honor Israel possible - my wife Diana, the love of my life and Rabbi Aryeh Sheinberg without whose courage there would never have been the First Night to Honor Israel nor the birth of Christians United for Israel. There to my left, would you please stand; I'd like you to be welcomed by this great group of people.

We meet tonight at dangerous and difficult time in world history. To anyone with eyes to see and ears that hear, it is clear that Israel is in the gravest danger she has faced since six Arab armies tried to strangle the Jewish state in the birth canal in 1948. I know that during difficult days such as this when it seems that the whole world is against Israel many in the Jewish community nervously scan the globe searching for friends. You look toward the United Nations which Dore Gold calls The Tower of Babble. You look at Europe where the ghost of Hitler is again walking across the stage of history. You open your newspapers and read about American universities where Israel is being viciously vilified by students taught by professors whose Middle Eastern chairs are sponsored by Saudi Arabia. You look to America's mainline churches and their initiatives to divest from Israel. You go to the bookstore and see slanderous titles by the former President of the United States and you feel very much alone.

I came here tonight to speak about Christians United for Israel and millions of evangelicals in America who have a deep-seated faith-based belief to love Israel, to speak up for Israel, to standup for Israel, to pray for Israel and to financially support Israel until Israel achieves a just and lasting peace.

I came here tonight to deliver a message to you from those millions of evangelicals in America and I want to say this as clearly and plainly as I can possibly say it – Israel you are not alone.

There are millions of evangelical Christians across America who consider the Jewish people the apple of God's eye, who see you as the chosen people, a cherished people and a covenant people with an eternal covenant that will stand forever. Ladies and gentlemen of AIPAC it's a new day in America. The sleeping giant of Christian Zionism has awakened; there are 50 million Christians standing up and applauding the State of Israel.

If a line has to be drawn, draw the line around both Christians and Jews; we are united; we are indivisible; we are bound together by the Torah – the roots of Christianity are Jewish. We are spiritual brothers and what we have in common is far greater than the things we've allowed to separate us over the years.

As you know, Iran poses a threat to the State of Israel that promises nothing less than a nuclear holocaust. I have been saying on national television, in churches and auditoriums across America it is 1938; Iran is Germany and Ahmadinejad is the new Hitler. Ladies and gentlemen we must stop Iran's nuclear threat and stop it now and stand boldly with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. The only way to win a nuclear war is to make certain it never starts. Iran's President has not limited his maniacal threats to Israel. He has also asked his fellow Iranians to imagine a world without America. This is a clear threat to destroy the United States of America. I have something to something to say to Iran's President or Iran; Mr. Ahmadinejad, don't threaten America.

Do not threaten Israel by saying they will pass away in a sudden storm. In the Bible when Pharaoh threatened the Jewish people of Egypt he became fish food in the Red Sea. When Haman threatened the Jews in Persia in modern-day Iran he and his sons hung from the gallows that he built for the Jews. Mr. Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel have a way of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy; you may be well speaking about your own demise when you talk about passing away with a sudden storm, but you are not talking about Israel's future.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is watching you. King David wrote that thou that keepeth Israel neither slumber nor sleeps. The Christians of America are not going to sit by in silence this time and watch you plod and plan a nuclear holocaust. There will never be another Holocaust - not on our watch and never again.

Beyond that threat from Iran, there's another more subtle threat that concerns me. I am concerned that in the coming months yet another attempt will be made to parcel out parts of Israel in a futile effort to appease Israel's enemies in the Middle East. I believe that misguided souls in Europe, I believe that the misguided souls in the political brothel that is now the United Nations and sadly - and sadly even our own State Department will try once again to turn Israel into crocodile food. Winston Churchill said "an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile in the futile hope that it will eat him last." In 1938, Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland land was turned into crocodile food for Nazi Germany. The Nazi beast smelled the weakness in the appeasers, ate the food and marched and devoured most of Europe and systematically slaughtered 6,000,000 Jewish people.

We are again hearing calls to appease the enemies of Israel. Once again, those who would appease seek to do so at the expense of Israel. They tell us that if we want the Sunnis and the Shiites to stop massacring each other in Iraq then Israel must give up land. They tell us that if we want the Syrians to stop murdering the leaders in Lebanon, then Israel must give up land. They tell us if we want the Saudis to permit women to drive and to vote, Israel must give up land. If we want the sun to rise it the east and set in the west, Israel must give up land.

Let me be clear; Israel is not the problem here.

Scapegoating Israel will not solve the problem; the problem is the Arab rejection of Israel's right to exist. The problem is that Israel has no partner for peace; the problem is radical Islam's bloodthirsty embrace of a theocratic dictatorship that believes they have a mandate from God to kill Christians and Jews. The problem is the failure of the moderates in the Arab and Muslim world to stand up and rein in these Islamic extremists.

If the moderate Arabs believe that murdering Christians and Jews is wrong then standup and say so - this is America. We welcome your participation in free speech but your silence is deadly.

Appeasement is not the answer my friends. To quote the great evangelical abolitionist William Wilberforce, “appeasement is nothing more than surrender on the installment plan.” America should not pressure Israel to give up land and America must never pressure Israel to divide the City of Jerusalem.

Dore Gold in his latest book, The Fight for Jerusalem, said “turning part or all of Jerusalem to the Palestinians would be tantamount to turning it over to the Taliban.” I agree. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people now and forever. Jerusalem is united under Jewish control and must always remain under Jewish control.

Why do Christians support Israel? Truth is not what I say it is. Truth is not what you think it is. Truth is what the Torah says it is; there's the Torah way and the wrong way. Genesis 12 and 3 says I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. We believe those blessings are very real and those judgments are very real.

Where are the nations that have persecuted the Jewish people? Where is Pharaoh and his army? Where are the Babylonians? Where are the Greeks? Where is the Ottoman Empire? Where are the Romans? Where is that goose-stepping lunatic Adolf Hitler and his Nazi hoards? All are historic footnotes in the bone yard of human history. Where is Israel? Where are the Jewish people? They're alive and well; they're thriving; they're prospering; they're growing - even on a day of adversity they're still going forward.

Where is Israel? Where are those who are scattered throughout the Diaspora? The mighty right hand of God has gathered them from the nations of the world and Israel was miraculously born May 15, 1948. Israel lives! Shout it from the housetop - Israel lives! Let every Islamic terrorist group hear it - Israel lives! Let every tinhorn dictator in the Middle East hear it - Israel lives! Let it be heard in the halls of the UN - Israel lives! Let it echo down the marble halls of the Presidential Palace in Iran – Israel lives! Let it ring in the terrorist camps of Osama Bin Laden - Israel lives! Israel lives! Israel lives!

Jews have suffered programs and persecution; they have outlasted Pharaoh's slavery and Hitler's final solution, and I have no doubt that long after Hamas and Hezbollah have been buried in the bone yard of human history, long after the crisis with Iran has been resolved, the Flag of Israel will still be flying over the ancient walls of the sacred city and Jerusalem and Israel will be the praise of all the earth.

Why do Christians support Israel - because Christians deeply believe we owe a debt of gratitude to the Jewish people; you gave us the word of God, you gave us the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; you gave us the Prophets, Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zachariah, Amos, Josiah, Joel – not a Baptist in the bunch. The first family of Christianity – Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, the Apostles, John the fourth chapter says salvation is of the Jews; that's a New Testament verse. You don't hear it many sermons that preached on that but that's a real verse. Salvation is of the Jews; the point is if you take away the Jewish contribution to Christianity there would be no Christianity. Judaism does not need Christianity to explain its existence, but Christianity cannot explain its existence without Judaism.

Therefore, I have been saying for 26 years over national television it's time for Christians to stop praising the dead Jews of the past - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob while avoiding the Jews who live across the street. That's anti-Semitism and anti-Semitism is sin and as sin it damns the soul. As Christians tonight on this historic occasion, we ask God's forgiveness and yours for every act of anti-Semitism in our past. The crusades, the inquisition, Martin Luther's Concerning the Jews and Their Lies; the final solution of Adolf Hitler carried out by baptized Christians in good-standing with their church; the fact that the Roman Church was silent during these atrocities and did not share - we did not share their theology. They did not share our appreciation for the great contribution the Jewish people have given to humanity and to Christianity. Tonight I humbly ask forgiveness of the Jewish people for every act of anti-Semitism and the deafening silence of Christianity in your greatest hour of need during the Holocaust. We were not there; we cannot change the past but together we can shape the future. Think of our potential future together; 50,000,000 evangelicals joining in common cause with 5,000,000 Jewish people in America on behalf of Israel is a match made in heaven.

Let the word go forth from Washington, DC tonight. There is a new beginning in America between Christians and Jews. We pledge to God and to the Jewish people to fulfill the words of the Prophet Isaiah; for Zion's sake we will not hold our peace and for Jerusalem's sake we will not rest. You who make mention of the Lord do not keep silent and give the Lord no rest until he makes Jerusalem the praise of all the earth. We have organized Christians United for Israel. We have 13 Regional Directors; we have 40 State Directors; we have 80 City Directors and they're growing. We're organizing Congressional District by Congressional District, so that as body we can standup and speak up for Israel every year in Washington, DC and Congress will know that the matter of Israel is no longer just a Jewish issue; it is a Christian Jewish issue from this day forward.

In closing, I believe 2007 is the year of destiny. America and Israel are at war with a common enemy. It is a war of good versus evil. It is a war of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness versus the culture of death. I close with the words of Winston Churchill, who is my favorite statesman of all time. Spoken during the dark days of World War II when Hitler seemed unbeatable and victory seemed impossible, Churchill said, "you ask what is our aim; I can answer in one word - it is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of the terror, victory however long and hard the road may be for without victory there is no survival." Ladies and gentlemen, as Christians and Jews, our aim is victory - victory for Israel and victory in our time. May God bless Israel; God bless America; and God bless each of you.

Solar Storm Warning

Here is an interesting story I just ran across at nasa.science.gov:

Solar Storm Warning

March 10, 2006: It's official: Solar minimum has arrived. Sunspots have all but vanished. Solar flares are nonexistent. The sun is utterly quiet.

Like the quiet before a storm.

This week researchers announced that a storm is coming--the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.

That was a solar maximum. The Space Age was just beginning: Sputnik was launched in Oct. 1957 and Explorer 1 (the first US satellite) in Jan. 1958. In 1958 you couldn't tell that a solar storm was underway by looking at the bars on your cell phone; cell phones didn't exist. Even so, people knew something big was happening when Northern Lights were sighted three times in Mexico. A similar maximum now would be noticed by its effect on cell phones, GPS, weather satellites and many other modern technologies.
....

OK, so a bad solar storm can knock out cell phones, GPS, and weather satellites. Doesn't sound too bad, does it, until you realize that it also can bring down regional and/or national power grids, interfere with radio and television, and make the sky look very strange.

While reading this article, I realized that I actually remember the 1958 solar storm. I was 11 years old. We lived on Long Island in New York. Looking out my bedroom window, the Northern sky glowed red, like all of New York City was on fire. I asked my Mom and Dad, and they told me that it was the Northern Lights.

Now imagine that you are sitting at home. Your power is out. You can't reach anyone on the phone because the cell phones are not working and the regular land line phone circuits are overloaded. You can't get any radio or TV, not even cable (they get their signals from satellites, you know). The sky looks like the whole country is burning. You can't reach anyone to ask. What would you think was happening?

Now imagine that this was happening world-wide.

Jesus said in Luke 21:25-26 "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

Of course we know that Jesus said in Mark 13:32-33 "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come."

No, we don't know when, but we are commanded to watch for Him. In my own humble opinion, 2012 is about the time that I expect Him to come for us. Just an opinion, not a prediction.

Maranatha!

The Ezekiel Option

In his excellent book The Ezekiel Option, Joel Rosenberg's plot has Russia raising the belief that Israel has nuclear weapons as a pretext for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution requiring Israel to renounce nuclear weapons. This is something that Israel, of course, can't do. Using this Security Council Resolution as an excuse, Russia attempts to launch a war against Israel.

This is how Joel Rosenberg sets up the war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Russia has already made such noises. Now it appears likely that their client state, Iran, may be about to go to the UN to demand such a resolution for them. Writing in the New York Sun, Benny Avni reports:

Israeli Nuclear Arms May Face U.N. Focus

By BENNY AVNI
Staff Reporter of the Sun
March 22, 2007

UNITED NATIONS — As the Security Council struggled to maintain unity on dealing with Iran yesterday, some of the 15 members tried to change the subject by proposing to inject Israel into the Iran issue.

Iran, meanwhile, ratcheted up its rhetoric yesterday, indicating that it may withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which obligates it to remain free of nuclear weapons.

"Until today, what we have done has been in accordance with international regulations," said Tehran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. "But if they take illegal actions, we too can take illegal actions and will do so."

While Iran considers the council's demand that it suspend all its uranium enrichment activities "illegal," and while its top mullahs scoff at council resolutions, President Ahmadinejad has asked to address the council once it is ready for a vote on a new resolution. In his council address, Mr. Ahmadinejad is expected to raise Israel's reported nuclear arsenal.

Currently, the Security Council is negotiating a response to Iran's defiance of a previous demand to suspend its uranium enrichment activities. But negotiations slowed down yesterday, and Qatari and South African diplomats said they did not expect a vote before next week.

One stumbling block was a newly proposed reference to a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.

A veiled reference to Israel, the proposal came from Indonesia and was supported by Qatar and other members of the council. The only public opposition came from America.

....

There is disagreement among Bible scholars as to whether Ezekiel's war takes place before the Rapture (Tim LaHaye and Joel Rosenberg, among others), or whether it is part of the War of Armageddon (Hal Lindsey). Although it is impossible for us to know God's timetable, this development certainly makes it more likely that this war could take place soon.

BTW, if you haven't read Joel Rosenberg's books, I highly recommend them.

Global Warming Brings Distress and Perplexity

Jack Kinsella writes in his commentary from 3/21/2007 on www.hallindsey.com about the current global warming scare and what Jesus said would be the signs of his coming:

Distress and Perplexity

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," directed by Davis Guggenheim, was released in May and took in more than $46 million, making it one of the top-grossing documentaries. The companion book by Al Gore quickly became a bestseller, reaching No. 1 on the New York Times' list.

Gore depicted a future in which temperatures soar, ice sheets melt, seas rise, hurricanes batter the coasts and people die en masse. "Unless we act boldly," he wrote, "our world will undergo a string of terrible catastrophes."

The film' success, together with the adulation, if not outright worship he received at the hands of the Beautiful People in Hollywood, have some speculating that Al Gore may throw his hat into the 2008 presidential ring.

Al Gore is scheduled to make an appearance before Representative John Dingell's (D-Mi) Energy and Commerce Committee this week.

After that, its over to the Senate where Gore will address Senator Barbara Boxer's (D-Ca) Environment and Public Works Committee.

But Gore won't get the rock star treatment over his film "An Inconvenient Truth" that he got from Hollywood at the Oscars. It seems that the Congress has actually looked at the science, instead of all the pretty charts and graphs.

They've consulted with genuine scientists, climatologists and astronomers, and evidently, now they'd like to know what is really going on.

Even James Hansen, an environmental scientist, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (and a top adviser to Gore), is beginning to question some of Gore's scientific conclusions, admitting the former VP's work may have a few 'technical flaws'.

Gore's global warming argument won over many converts in the scientific community in the wake of the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons, which he predicted was just the beginning of what Gore maintained was a permanent cycle of increasing hurricane activity.

Until last season, when the Atlantic hurricane season produced only half as many storms as forecasters predicted, none of which made landfall in the United States.

This past January, while America was enjoying what seemed to be one of the warmest winters on record, Gore's stock was riding high; everywhere you turned, Somebody Famous was quoting Al Gore and noting darkly,

"The cherry blossoms are blooming in Washington. People are jogging in Central Park in shorts and T-shirts. Surely this is PROOF of global warming."

The House scheduled emergency hearings to discuss global warming. (They had to be subsequently canceled due to an ice storm)

The whole country suddenly plunged into a deep freeze that saw snowstorms in Malibu, California, hard freezes in Florida, and caused an estimated $1 billion in damage to the nation's citrus crops.

Last week, a group of activists, intending to highlight the global warming threat by walking to the North Pole, had to cancel their journey due to the cold.

The explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, on Saturday called off what was intended to be a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of their electronic equipment.

"Ann said losing toes and going forward at all costs was never part of the journey," said Ann Atwood, who helped organize the expedition.

In Northhampton, Mass last Friday, a group of global warming activists planned to walk across the state to draw attention to global warming. They made it eight miles through snow so deep that one demonstrator said she felt like she was 'breaking a trail' before they called a halt to the walk until the weather cleared.

And now, even the New York Times is beginning to question Gore's conclusions, (an event roughly analogous to the Pope publishing a paper questioning the existence of God.)
....

Jack makes some good points in his commentary:

1. There is no evidence that the current warming trend is any different than previous such periods. Remember the Oklahoma Dust Bowl?
2. Pretty much the same kind of evidence was offered 30 years ago to support the contention that Global Cooling was about to bring on catastrophe.
3. The net effect is that much of the world is in distress about what they perceive as a world wide problem.
4. Much of the world is in perplexity about what to do about this perceived problem.

In Luke 21:25-26, Jesus said “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

Jesus is coming soon!

Russian Democracy is Dying

How can Russia lead an alliance against Israel in the War of Gog and Magog? Isn't Russian a democracy? Democracies don't do such things!

Unfortunately, there are clear signs that Russian democracy is dying. The Russian people long for a return to Soviet style rule.

At frontpagemag.com, David Frum writes convincingly of the evidence for this:

Russian Democracy is Dying
By David Frum

The National Post | March 14, 2007...."A message has been communicated to anyone who wants to speak out against the Kremlin: 'If you do, no matter who you are, where you are, we will find you and we will silence you in the most horrible way possible.'"

Those words come from an interview broadcast on NBC's Dateline on Feb. 26. They were spoken by Paul Joyal, a Washington consultant who studies the former Soviet Union. Joyal was talking about the murder of his friend Alexander Litvinenko, the KGB defector who died painfully in London on Nov. 23 from radiation poisoning.

Four nights after his Dateline interview, Joyal met another prominent KGB defector, Oleg Kalugin, for dinner at a restaurant in downtown Washington. Joyal returned to his home in suburban Maryland about 7:30 pm, stepped out of his car--and was shot in the groin. Neither his wallet nor his briefcase were taken. His shooter has not been found.

Happily, the shooting was not fatal. Ivan Safronov, a military affairs writer for the Russian daily Kommersant, was less fortunate. Safronov had been working on a big story about a secret Russian deal to ship highly advanced Iskander missiles to Syria. The day after the Joyal shooting, Safronov fell out of a fifth story window in Moscow. Safronov is the 89th journalist to have died violently in Russia over the past 10 years.

....

Follow the link to read the whole article.

With a dictator (dictator, supreme leader, whatever) is in charge, it then becomes the whim of a single man to get Russian involved in Ezekiel's alliance against Israel. Does this mean this war will happen tomorrow, or this year? No. The time is known only to God.

But the stage is set.

What's the Difference: Shia vs. Sunni

http://www.neatorama.com/ has a concise, non-political explanation of the differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims, and how these differences arose. Check it out, you'll learn something valuable!

"What’s the Difference: Shia vs. Sunni

The Dilemma: Despite hearing news about the Middle East every day, you still don’t know Shia from shinola.

People You Can Impress: Iranians, Iraqis, Syrians, Jordanians, and TV talking heads.

The Quick Trick: The Shia believe that the early succession of power should have gone like the name of a very famous boxer: 1) Muhammad, 2) Ali.

The Explanation: Like Christianity, Islam is home to a spectrum of sects espousing different beliefs and practices. And just as Christianity can be divided into two large groups - Catholic and Protestant - from which other subsects have emerged, so too with Islam: Shia and Sunni.

Unlike Christianity, whose major split wouldn’t occur for nearly sixteen centuries, Islam split almost immediately after the death of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad (circa 570 - 632 CE). The rift stems from a disagreement among Muslims over who was the rightful successor to Muhammad.

...."

Follow the link to read the rest of the article.

With a dictator (call him what you will, dictator, czar, king, supreme leader, president, whatever) in charge and the Russian military/industrial complex rebounding rapidly, it then takes only the whim of one man to get Russia into this Ezekiel's confederation.

Does that mean it will happen now? No. But it does set the stage for the possible fulfillment of this prophesy in the near future.

Why is Iraq not part of the War of Gog and Magog?

In Ezekiel chapters 38:2-3, God provides a list of the enemies who will attack Israel in the War of God and Magog. Notably absent from the list is Babylon, now Iraq. Why is this?

Current and recent events suggest that the answer may lie in the fact that Iraq presently has the most liberal constitution and government in all of the Islamic Middle East. Unlike its neighbors, the government of Iraq operates (largely) within the rule of law.

The mainstream media (MSM) unanimously paint a picture of Iraq as a lost cause, a war that the US is doomed to lose.

In frontpagemag.com, Alan W. Dowd does a very good job of demonstrating that the MSM is not providing an objective view of the situation.

Here is the beginning of the article:

FrontPage magazine.com :: Blaming the Messenger by Alan W. Dowd: "
By Alan W. Dowd
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 13, 2007

It’s not fair to blame the messenger for delivering bad news. But it is fair to blame the messenger for delivering nothing more than bad news when there is also good news—or at least exculpatory news—to report. Four years after the end of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq is a case in point.

The media are not contriving the news they report, of course. There are, after all, car bombings and kidnappings and killings. And there were, after all, problems with prewar intelligence and the postwar plan. But the media are choosing not to report other news about the US mission in Iraq—news that tells another side of a very complex and complicated chapter in American history. What the American people are left with is a partial picture—a picture that shapes their opinions about the war and will ultimately define its trajectory. Last month’s House resolution condemning the so-called “surge,” which supporters somehow claimed at once to be both meaningless and momentous, tilted that trajectory further downward."

Mr. Dowd then goes on to point out a great deal of the "good news" stories that the MSM have deliberately ignored.

Follow the link above and read his full article. You may, like me, find that the evidence is mounting that Iraq will not be part of the Russian coalition to attack Israel because they have won the struggle to create a free and democratic Iraq. They therefore do not need to blame Israel for all of their problems and participate in this war. That will spare them from the destruction that God promises to the attackers, leaving them well positioned for the revival of Babylon promised in Revelation.

See what you think.

A Guide to the Signs of the Times

While analyzing the current news in light of Bible prophecy, here are some of the topics and Biblical passages to keep in mind. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some of the (mostly) New Testament prophecies that are relevant.

How current events are driving us toward one-world religion	Things like the veil controversy in the UK, Islamic riots starting again in France, Islamic jihadists killing in the name of religion , riots over cartoons of Muhammad, beheading of hostages – anything causing “fundamentalism” be identified as bad or creating calls for “tolerance,” pluralism, or “all religions are equal.”
How our times are “as in the days of Noah" Going about their business as usual in spite of warnings Rampant evil, violence, and corruption	Luke 17:26-28 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” Matthew 24:37-39 “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Genesis 6:5 “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:11 “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”
How people are becoming as described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5	1“But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof."
The world stage is being set for the Antichrist to step in and bring peace	Things like Middle East unrest, Iraq insurgency, Iran and Korea posturing for war, N. Korea testing an atomic bomb, genocide in Sudan, etc. Daniel 9:27 “He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.'”
Signs of progress toward eventual building of Temple	Daniel 9:27 “And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation.” (The temple must be built in order for this to happen.)
Explosion of Knowledge, "It's a small world!"	Daniel 12:4: “But thou, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
Increase in apostasy	Matthew 24:10 “many will turn away from the faith” also 2 Timothy 3:5 "holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof."
False Prophets and Messiahs are coming forth	Matthew 24:4-5 "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many.” Mark 13: 22 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Progress toward Gospel being preached throughout world	Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations.”
Technology enabling one world government and economy and/or enabling the mark of the Beast	Revelation 13:17 “so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.”
Increase in wars	Matthew 24:6 and 7: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,” … “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
Increase in famines, pestilences, earthquakes, natural disasters, signs in the heavens	Matthew 24:7 “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” Luke 21:11 “There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
Increase in persecution of believers	Matthew 24:9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” Luke 21: 12 “But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”
An Oracle Concerning Damascus	Isaiah 17:1 “An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.”
The War of Gog and Magog: Who	Ezekiel 38:2"Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him 3and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. 5Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes--many peoples are with you.” 15 “You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army.”
The War of Gog and Magog: When (Israel dwells securely)	Ezekiel 38:8 “After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.”
The War of Gog and Magog: Why (Greed – discovery of oil?)	10"Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme 11and say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,' 12to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. 13Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders[c] will say to you, 'Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?'”
The War of Gog and Magog: Outcome	18 “But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. 19For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. 21I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. 22With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.”
Summary of the Signs of the End: The Olivet Discourse
Jesus' Words: Matthew 24: Birth Pangs	3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
Matthew 24: Persecution of the faithful, false prophets, Great Commission	9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Matthew 24: Abomination of Desolation	15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.”
Matthew 24: Great Tribulation	21 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
Matthew 24: False Christs (Note that the Satanic christs can perform miracles!)	23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Matthew 24: Jesus Returns & Gathers the Elect	29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Matthew 24: Parable of the Fig Tree	32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (In Scripture, the fig tree usually represents Israel. The generation in which the fig tree starts to bud, that is, Israel becomes a nation again, will not pass away before all these things (the Olivet Discourse) take place. )
Matthew 24: No one knows the day and hour	36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

My wife, Laurie, was instrumental in putting together this table.

What I believe

In order to properly evaluate my posts, you may wish to know my core beliefs.

1. I believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the triune living God.
2. I believe that He was born of a virgin.
3. I believe that He lived a perfect, sinless life.
4. I believe that He died a sacrificial death, taking the sins of all mankind upon Himself, thus paying the price of sin for each of us.
5. I believe that He rose from the dead on the third day.
6. I believe that He ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father.
7. I believe that Jesus Christ will return in the flesh.
8. I believe that He will judge the living and the dead, and that he will reign and rule forever.
9. I believe that we are saved by the grace of God, through our faith in Jesus Christ, and not by any worthiness or good deeds on our part.
10. I also believe that we are currently living in the End Times, and that the return of Jesus Christ will likely take place within my lifetime.