There has been a major discovery of natural gas just off the coast of Israel.  At this point it has now been officially confirmed that one gigantic offshore gas field alone contains 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.  That is the largest deepwater natural gas find in a decade, and it is being projected that it could supply Israel's gas needs for 100 years.

Wow!

God provides, eh?

The following is an excerpt from a recent Wall Street Journal article about this amazing discovery....

On Wednesday, the frenzy got fresh fuel: Noble confirmed its earlier estimates that the field contains 16 trillion cubic feet of gas—making it the world's biggest deepwater gas find in a decade, with enough reserves to supply Israel's gas needs for 100 years.

Getting all of that natural gas out of the ground is not going to be easy, but there is already talk that Israel could actually become a net exporter of energy.

Wouldn't that be something?

But the truth is that we all knew that Israel would be abundantly blessed in the last days, didn't we?

The other nations in the region are already expressing envy.  Lebanon has announced that it wants to start looking for gas off its own shores, and the Palestinians are less than pleased that Israel has found all this gas and they are not going to get any of it.

But it isn't just natural gas that has been found by Israel.

As I have written about previously, one Israeli oil prospecting and production firm has formally announced the discovery of a "commercially sized" oil field in central Israel.

A recent article in Haaretz provided some intriguing details on this new discovery....

Givot Olam Oil Ltd notified the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange of the find in its "Megev Five" drill near the town of Rosh Ha’ayin, saying it can produce 470 barrels of oil a day.

Isn't all of this exciting?

God is doing something amazing in the land of Israel.

For years, there have been some Bible teachers that have pointed to scriptures such as Deuteronomy 33:24 as evidence that Israel would someday be blessed with oil....

"And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil."

Well, we have witnessed some incredible oil and natural gas discoveries in Israel this year and many believe that there will be even larger discoveries of oil in Israel over the next several years.

But as Israel keep making these discoveries the Palestinians are going to get jealous and it is going to change the political equation in the Middle East.

Even as you read this, Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria are feverishly preparing for war.  The next war in the Middle East could break out at any time.

So all of this oil and natural gas is not going to provide Israel with any kind of lasting peace and security.  In fact, Israel will not truly experience lasting peace and security until Yahshua the Messiah returns.

The politicians that are working so hard toward a "two state solution" are completely and totally deluded if they actually believe that it will bring lasting peace to the region.  The truth is that according to Islamic law, any lands that have once belonged to Muslims belong to them forever.  Radical Muslims will never recognize the right of the Jews to live on even one inch of the land of Israel.  It simply is not going to happen.  Any "peace agreement" that gives the Palestinians control over more land is only going to be viewed as an "intermediate step" toward the eventual goal of completely eliminating the nation of Israel.  Anyone who doubts this should check out the results of a recent poll by The Israel Project.

The poll asked Palestinians living in Judea, Samaria and Gaza a variety of questions about Israel and about the peace process.  The following are some of the results.....

*60 percent were in favor of direct negotiations with Israel that would result in a "two state" solution.

*Approximately two-thirds of the respondents agreed that "over time, Palestinians must work to get back all the land for a Palestinian state."

*Only 23 percent of the respondents believed that  "Israel has a permanent right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people."

*58 percent of those surveyed preferred "armed struggle" over "engagement with Israel."

*Just 12 percent of the respondents said that official maps, documents and school textbooks should show the name "Israel".

Are you starting to get the message?

In Islam, it is taught that you can negotiate with an enemy, lie to an enemy and even make peace agreements with an enemy if it will put you in a better position to achieve eventual victory.

That is what the Palestinians are doing.  They have no intention of living peacefully alongside Israel forever.  Instead, they are just going to grab land however they can grab it.

If Israel will give them some of the land now peacefully, then so be it.  Later on they will take the rest by force if necessary.

Any attempt at a "two state solution" is absolutely foolish and just puts Israel in even more danger.

Radical Islam does not compromise.  Radical Islam does not forget what the eventual goal is.  Radical Islam will not honor any peace treaty for long.

For years, the top Palestinian leaders have said "peace, peace" to the rest of the world and then have turned right around and have told their constituents that of course they would never give up the eternal struggle to take back "the land of Palestine" for the Palestinians.

But world politicians have been totally fooled.  They keep wanting to believe that if the Palestinians are given more land and more control that they will eventually be satisfied.

But they will never, ever be satisfied.  Not until the entire state of Israel has been wiped off the map.

There will never be lasting peace in the Middle East until Yeshua the Messiah (the Lord Jesus Christ) returns to this earth.  Unfortunately, our politicians are never going to understand that.

Israel is making it very clear that the next war with Hezbollah will also be a war against Syria.  For years it has been an open secret that Syria was funneling arms and sophistical weapons systems to Hezbollah in Lebanon, but now Israel is on the record as saying that they consider Hezbollah to be a division of the Syrian army.  So what does this mean?  It means that war between Israel and Syria is now closer than it has been in decades.  Just recently, Israel delivered a secret warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that it will respond to missile attacks from Hezbollah by launching immediate retaliation against Syria itself.

No longer will Syria be able to use Hezbollah to fight proxy wars against Israel.  If a repeat of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah happens, this time Israel says that it will directly strike Damascus. 

In fact, a major U.K. newspaper recently published the following "off-the-record" comment from an Israeli minister....

"We’ll return Syria to the Stone Age by crippling its power stations, ports, fuel storage and every bit of strategic infrastructure if Hezbollah dare to launch ballistic missiles against us."

What is raising tensions even further in the region are reports that Syria has been arming Hezbollah to the teeth in preparation for the coming war.

Just consider the following description by Debka of the kinds of advanced weaponry that Syria has been supplying to the terrorist organization....

"Surface-to-surface missiles able to reach as far as the Dimona reactor in southern Israel: They include Fajr-5, which has a range of 33 km, and the M-600, developed by Syria from the Fateh-110, whose range is 250 km. Both are precise, propelled by solid fuel and carry 500-kilo warheads of conventional explosives, as well as being able to deliver chemical, biological and radioactive materials.  This dangerous new arsenal which tops up the 40,000 rockets Hizballah was allowed to pile up since the 2006 Lebanon war."

The reality is that Syria and Hezbollah between them now have the capability of striking every single inch of Israeli territory with missiles.

No target is out of range anymore.

With all sides on edge in the region, even King Abdullah of Jordan is warning that the next war in the Middle East could break out as soon as this summer.

Meanwhile, there are increasing calls from world leaders for Israel to join the NPT and quit producing nuclear weapons.  In fact, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem is calling on all NPT member countries to sever their diplomatic relations with Israel unless it joins the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Of course Syria would love not to have to worry about Israel's nukes during the coming war, but that is not going to happen.

But even Barack Obama is pushing Israel on this issue.  Last week Barack Obama publicly declared that he is calling upon all the nations of the world to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including Israel.

But what Barack Obama should be really concerned about is trying to figure out what to do about Iran.

It is being reported that Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, warned President Barack Obama in a secret "wake-up call" memo that the White House has no effective policy for dealing with a nuclear Iran.

But at the same time, the Pentagon itself does not seem to have a sense of urgency when it comes to Iran's nuclear program.  Top U.S. military officials told Congress last week that it would take Iran at least a year to produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb.  Not only that, but Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said that that a U.S. strike against Iran would go "a long way" to delaying its nuclear program but that he considered doing so his "last option" right now.

Meanwhile, top Iranian officials are running around making declarations about how advanced Iran's nuclear program is.

Needless to say, Israel is not going to let Iran go down this path indefinitely.

But even before things with Iran come to a crisis point, war could break out between Israel and Syria.

Is the time soon coming when "Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins" (Isaiah 17:1)?

We will just have to wait and see.  Certainly all sides are preparing for a devastating regional war.  So let us pray for the peace of Israel and let us trust that God knows what He is doing.

More than ever, the word "nuclear" is on the lips of world leaders around the globe.  It seems like everyone is either "going nuclear" or is talking about nuclear weapons.  The truth is that the world has been extremely fortunate that nuclear weapons have not been used to destroy an entire city since the end of World War 2.  But with tensions escalating dangerously in the Middle East and around the world, how much longer will it be before nuclear weapons are used by someone to wipe out large numbers of people? 

In fact, for many terrorist organizations around the globe, the thought of going nuclear is the ultimate dream.  A handful of terrorists really can't do that much damage on their own, but one terrorist with a nuke can take out an entire major city in the blink of an eye.

Many jihadists speak openly of nuclear weapons as being the means by which they will take down the United States and Israel.  There are many jihadists who would set off a nuke in a major city today if they were able to.

And with nuclear weapons technology spreading to places such as North Korea, Iran and Syria, how much longer do you think it will be before a terrorist organization is able to get their hands on a nuclear weapon?

The truth is that nuclear weapons will almost certainly be used in the last days.  Entire cities will probably be destroyed.  Whether it is terrorists or governments who use them, the reality is that when they are used it will change the world forever. 

Leaders around the globe know how dangerous these weapons are.  Many of them understand that once Iran gets their hands on nukes it will be extremely hard to ever put the "nuclear genie" back in the bottle.  If radical Islamic terrorists are able to acquire nuclear weapons through Iran (or by any other source), all of our lives are going to change permanently.   

The threat of rogue nations and terrorist organizations going nuclear has made a lot of headlines just this past week.  Just check out some of them....

*Barack Obama said that the possibility of terrorists getting a nuclear device is the "single biggest threat" to U.S. security as he opened the international nuclear summit that included 46 world leaders from around the globe.

*Hillary Clinton said that she fears al-Qaeda is gathering material for nuclear weapons.

*According to a top Iranian nuclear official, Iran will join the "nuclear club" within a month.

*Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled a new generation of domestically made nucelar centrifuges in a ceremony in Tehran marking national nuclear day.

*It is being reported by international news sources that Iran's bomb-making plutonium facilities are close to completion.

*French President Nicolas Sarkozy is warning global leaders that if the world doesn't act to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear arms, it could be responsible for a war between Israel and the Islamic republic.

*An Iranian who once worked as a spy for the CIA is saying that the only way to avoid a nuclear war with Iran is to attack them now.

*Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is warning Israel against a military strike on Iran, saying that it might lead to a global nuclear war.

*The Turkish Prime Minister is urging other world leaders to start criticizing the Israeli nuclear arsenal.

*Hillary Clinton claims that North Korea now has as many as six nuclear weapons.

We live in very dangerous times.  We all take the peace and safety we are enjoying right now for granted.  But a time is coming when that will fundamentally change.

Nations that absolutely hate the United States and Israel are arming to the teeth and are developing nuclear weapons.  Just one suitcase nuke could decimate an entire city.  We often forget about how blessed and how protected we have been, but someday that could all change in the blink of an eye.

Let us pray for peace and hope that somehow nuclear weapons can be kept out of the hands of radicals and lunatics.

When it comes to geopolitics, it is much more important to watch what the various players do rather than listen to what they say.  This is especially true in the Middle East.  While many leaders in the region are saying all the "right" things, the reality is that there are indications that all sides are preparing for war.  In fact, there are signs that war in the Middle East may be imminent.  The reality is that Israel is simply not going to let Iran continue with their nuclear program forever, and Iran is showing no indications that they plan to discontinue it.  So a showdown is inevitable at this point.  Tensions are rising and preparations are ramping up. 

The following are ten recent signs that war in the Middle East is getting closer than ever.... 

#1) On Tuesday, Israel began distributing millions of protection kits against biochemical warfare.

#2) The Tel Aviv municipality has unveiled a massive new public bomb shelter built directly under the new Habima Theater.

#3) According to a senior PA negotiator and sources in the Israeli government, the U.S. has actually been conducting negotiations with Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.  Since when did the U.S. government become the representative of the Palestinians?  Things have gotten really weird since Barack Obama got in the White House.

#4) In recent weeks the Obama administration has stepped up its monitoring of Jewish construction projects in eastern Jerusalem.  In fact, if anyone picks up a hammer in east Jerusalem these days the Obama administration flies into a tizzy.

#5) The Obama administration is now rejecting all visa requests from all Israeli nuclear scientists who work on Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona and is now imposing severe restrictions on Israel with regard to the purchase of nuclear-related products.  Wait a second - isn't Israel supposed to be our friend?

#6) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a planned trip to Washington next week for Barack Obama's 47 country nuclear security conference.  So why did he cancel his trip?  Perhaps #5 was a big reason.

#7) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is claiming that Israel plans to start a war this upcoming Spring or Summer, and that this will be a chance for the surrounding nations to "finish" Israel.

#8) A senior cleric within Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard has reiterated warnings that Tehran would strike Tel Aviv immediately if Israel and its Western allies attacked Iran.

#9) Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says that "no trace of Israel will remain" if Iran is attacked.

#10) Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is promising that the Palestinian people will celebrate the Holy Fire vigil next year in the "true Palestinian capital" of Jerusalem.

If you listen to the major Islamic leaders in the region, it sounds like they are very much looking forward to war.  That may seem strange to those of us with a western mindset, but you have to realize that these Islamic leaders have had the "glory of jihad" pounded into their heads since they were knee-high to a grasshopper (as they say in the South).

The radical Muslims in the region are thirsting for a war with Israel, and Israel cannot allow Iran to continue developing a nuclear program indefinitely. 

Trouble is on the horizon.

The Obama administration is totally inept and seems to be becoming increasingly anti-Israel.

Now is the time to be praying for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem.

In a recent article, we postulated that Iran actually wants a war with Israel in order to prepare the way for the Mahdi to return.  Well now it looks like Iran is doing more than ever to tempt Israel into starting a war.  In fact, even Haaretz is publishing articles about how Iran is "goading" Israel into striking its nuclear program.  So what is causing so many people to come to the conclusion that Iran wants Israel to start a war?  Well, Iran recently moved almost its entire stockpile of low-enriched nuclear fuel to above-ground plants.  This makes the stockpile much, much easier to strike.

Many analysts have been absolutely puzzled by this move.

They are amazed that Iran would make it far easier for Israel to strike their stockpiles of enriched uranium.

Haaretz described the recent events in Iran this way.... 

According to the New York Times, which quotes the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report, on Feb. 14 nuclear inspectors watched as Iran transferred about 4,300 pounds of low-enriched uranium from deep underground storage to the small plant Iran has declared it will use to re-enrich the fuel to 20 percent purity. It takes 80- to 90-percent enrichment to make a nuclear weapon.

This seems to be a fundamental shift in policy for Iran.  Just last September, Iran was caught constructing a major underground enrichment facility at a military base near the Iranian city of Qom.  At the time Iran explained that the risk of attack by the U.S. or Israel forced them to build underground facilities. 

So why the change?

Well, some analysts claim that Iran is "inviting" an attack because it would unite the Iranian people against a common foe.

But the truth goes much, much deeper than that.

Iran does not just want to unite their own populace.

Iran wants to unite the entire Islamic world for a war that they hope will wipe Israel off the map.

After all, it seems like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks of the ultimate destruction of the nation of Israel at almost every public appearance now.

He is obsessed with it.

But if Iran strikes Israel first, he knows that Iran will be regarded as the enemy.

However, if Israel hits Iran first, world opinion will dramatically swing in Iran's favor, and Iran could potentially unite all of the Islamic nations in the region for a war against Israel.

In fact, as we described in our last article, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes that such a cataclysm is necessary in order to prepare the way for the return of the Mahdi.

Considering the fact that Ahmadinejad believes that his life purpose is to usher in the return of the Mahdi, many believe that Ahmadinejad is actually looking forward to the coming war with Israel.

But he doesn't want to start the war.

He wants Israel to start it.

So what does Israel do?

Take the bait and start a cataclysmic war that could unite all of the Islamic nations in the Middle East against them?

Or continue to watch Iran get closer and closer to developing nuclear weapons which they would certainly end up passing along to terrorists and to other enemies of the Jewish state?

Israel is truly between a rock and a hard place - just where Ahmadinejad wants them.

"Today, we should define our economic, cultural and political policies based on the policy of Imam Mahdi's return."
-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Does the government of Iran actually want war with Israel so that the Mahdi can return?  As insane as that sounds, the truth is that the vast majority of people in the United States and Europe simply do not understand how absolutely obsessed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others in the Iranian government are with their form of radical Islam and with the return of the Mahdi.  It surprises many to learn that Iran's official state websites are filled with information about the Mahdi.  In fact, Ahmadinejad actually believes that he was born to be "the great jihadist" that would prepare the way for the twelfth Imam.  But in order for the Mahdi to return, the belief is that there must first be a great cataclysmic event.  So is Iran's nuclear weapons program designed to facilitate this cataclysmic event and hasten the return of the Mahdi?

That seems to be the most rational explanation for Iran's current behavior.  The government of Iran knows that Israel and the United States will never let them develop nuclear weapons and will go to war if necessary to prevent Iran from getting them. 

But they seem bound and determined to get nuclear weapons anyway.

In fact, Iran just announced that it plans to start constructing two new uranium enrichment facilities next month in the heart of the Iranian mountains.

But doesn't the Iranian leadership fear a war with the United States and Israel?

Perhaps the Iranian government should, but they understand that if the United States and/or Israel strike first, they will be viewed as the aggressors by the rest of the globe.  World opinion would swing dramatically in favor of Iran.

But that is only part of the equation.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others among the Iranian leadership also believe that they are setting up the great cataclysm which will bring about the return of the Mahdi.  Many of them seem perfectly willing to die in order to fulfill this purpose.

During a speech in Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly stated that his primary purpose in life is to "pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance."

So just who is this "Mahdi" supposed to be?

According to Wikipedia, Shi'ite Muslims "believe that the Mahdi is the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, the Twelfth and last Imam, who was born in 868 AD and was hidden by God at the age of five."  It is believed that the Mahdi will one day return during a very cataclysmic time in human history and will establish the rule of Islam around the world in the last days.

So now, many of those in the Islamic world who believe in the Mahdi are looking for that cataclysmic event to occur.

For example, AwaitedMahdi.com states that the "Last Hour" will not come "unless the Muslims fight against the Jews".

Ariel Sharon understood these radical Islamic beliefs very well.  Sharon is quoted as saying the following about Iran's obsession with the Mahdi....

"How will they bring him? Through an apocalypse. He (the Mahdi) needs a war. He cannot come into this world without an Armageddon. He wants an Armageddon. The earlier we understand this the better. Ahmadinejad wants nuclear weapons for this!"

So was Sharon just exaggerating when he said this?

Not at all.

In fact, check out the following quote from Ahmadinejad about how he believes that the United States is actively trying to prevent the return of the Mahdi....

"They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule".

Most Americans and Europeans simply cannot conceive of a government that makes all major decisions based on an obsession with religion, but that is exactly what is going on in Iran.  The government of Iran believes that the Mahdi is really going to return and that they are the ones who are going to pave the way for it to happen.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to prepare for war.  Israel's air force has introduced a fleet of huge pilotless planes that can remain in the air for a full day and could fly as far as the Persian Gulf.  In fact, each one of these "super drones" is reportedly as wide as a Boeing 737. 

Israel's government understands what is happening in Iran and they know that a showdown is on the horizon.

Iran continues to recklessly pursue a nuclear program as Israel continues to prepare to neutralize it.  It appears as though it is more likely than ever that war between Israel and Iran is inevitable.  Let us pray that war can be averted if possible, and if not, that God's will be done.

"We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of the Return."
-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at it again.  This time he is publicly claiming that Israel plans to start a war this upcoming Spring or Summer, and that this will be a chance for the surrounding nations to "finish" Israel.  And yet there is very little outrage concerning these remarks outside of Israel and the United States. 

It should be quite obvious to everyone by now that Ahmadinejad is not interested in peace.  In fact, he very much sounds like someone who is almost lusting for war.  He has made these same kind of remarks over and over, and it is very clear that he believes that there will be an inevitable clash between Iran and Israel.

Just consider the following quotes from Ahmadinejad's most recent remarks as they were reported in The Jerusalem Post....

"According to information we have they (Israel) are seeking to start a war next spring or summer, although their decision is not final yet."

"But the resistance and regional states will finish them if this fake regime does anything again."

"If the Zionist regime repeats its mistakes and initiate a military operation, then it must be resisted with full force to put an end to it once and for all."

Are those the words of a sane individual?

Of course not.

These newest remarks come several days after Ahmadinejad reportedly told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Israel "must be resisted" and "finished off once and for all" if it launches a military operation anywhere in the Middle East.

Finished off once and for all?

Those are bone-chilling words.

The rest of the world doesn't seem to be getting the message, but the reality is that Ahmadinejad is very serious about wiping the state of Israel off the map.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration is mulling over "tougher sanctions" and Hillary Clinton is warning that Iran is moving towards a "military dictatorship".

In response, Ahmadinejad issued his own warning to nations that would imposed tougher sanctions on his nation....

"We prefer that they move in the spirit of cooperation. It won't put us in trouble. They themselves will get into trouble."

And this psycho may soon have his hands on nukes?

The truth is that the United States and Israel simply cannot allow Ahmadinejad to threaten the world with nuclear weapons.

But a war with Iran would be incredibly destructive not only to the Middle East, but also to the world economy.

So what should be done?

Hope that Ahmadinejad wakes up someday and changes his mind?

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is insisting that any effort to rid the Middle East of nuclear weapons must include Israel.

That puts Israel in a tough spot.  The reality is that they have had nukes since the 1970s, and the presence of those nukes has caused potential invaders to think twice.

There is no way that Israel should ever give up their nukes, but insisting that everyone else but them in the region be nuke-free is a tough argument for the surrounding nations to swallow.

So what is going to happen?

We'll all just have to wait and find out - that is part of the fun of living in the last days.

But all signs are pointing to a massive conflict between Israel and Iran at some point. 

Let us pray for the peace of Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem.

One of the things that we love about running a website is all of the great comments that we get from our readers.  Even if we don't always respond to each one, please be assured that we do read each and every one of them.  Today there were several comments that we wanted to respond to, so we thought that we would make a post out of our responses.  The readers below have brought up some controversial issues, and that is perfectly okay.  As we follow the Lord God and look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the truth is that we are not going to always agree on everything.  And that is okay.  If we let divisions over debatable issues divide us, then we are not going to be able to stand together when it really counts.  So let the major things be major and the minor things be minor.  There never will be a time when all of us agree 100 percent on every single detail in Scripture.  But we all should be able to agree on the major things such as who God is, what God's Word is and what the plan of salvation is (hopefully). 

In any event, we have posted some reader comments and our responses to them below.  If you find something that you don't agree with us about, that is okay.  In fact, we would love for you to send us your thoughts.  Hopefully we can all learn from each other.

So here we go.... 

A reader named Nuncio recently commented on our article entitled "The Equality Bill: Will A New Law Essentially Outlaw Evangelical Christianity And Roman Catholicism In The U.K.?" 

His comments about this article are posted below....

This is absolutely ridiculous, I have no problem with homosexuals but when did the minority get to speak for the majority? The same applies for the new smoking regulations, is the british government hell bent on waging war agaist those who do not agree with them. I was never a tory but I am now willing to change my mind.

Can you imagine the reprocussions in Northern Ireland? Unionists are mostly members of ProtestanT churches which condemn the act of homosexuality and the Nationalist/Republicans are mostly Roman Catholic, if the government think any laws which persecute the churches right to preach and follow the laws of JESUS CHRIST, they are in for a rude awakening.

This all stinks of aethiest militancy.

Anglicans as a majority do not agree with homosexual clergy and they are meant to be the state religion in the UK.

It all appears that Labour are trying to save their necks by appealing to the minorities.

God help us all, I will not remain in this country if the state decide they can control the churches.

Any act against God is an act of war against the Lord of All Authority, yes I will willingly join all the sons and daughters of Christ in jail when they speak out against what is unnatural.

In our opinion, Nuncio is absolutely right.  This new "Equality Bill" threatens to systematically destroy traditional Christianity in the United Kingdom.  Political correctness is completely out of control over there right now, and this new law would open the door for a flood of discrimination lawsuits against churches and Christian organizations.  It would force churches and Christian organizations to hire gays, transvestites, porn addicts, swingers and every other kind of deviant that you can possibly imagine.

The dangers of this bill should not be underestimated.  In fact, this bill is so incredibly bad that even the Pope spoke out about it recently.  Now, we don't put much stock in what the Pope has to say, but the fact that even he is speaking out about it shows just how alarming this piece of legislation is.

Moving on, a reader named Michael was thankful for our use of the name "Yahshua" but was concerned about our use of other English names for God....

I couldn’t agree more. Very insightful. I am so glad to see you use The Name of our Savior (Yahsuah). It would be equally respectful to do the same for our Creator (Yahweh) as well. Thank You. In His Name.

The truth is that this is a very controversial area.  When Yahshua (Jesus) was on this earth, His disciples did not call him "Jesus".  In fact, the letter "J" was not even in the Hebrew alphabet.  Neither was it in the English alphabet until the Middle Ages.  So what did His disciples call Him?  Well, they called him "Yahshua" which means "God saves" or "God is our salvation". 

However, there is much disagreement over the exact spelling and exact pronunciation of that name.  Some people believe it should be "Yeshua".  Others believe that it should be "Yahushua". 

Well, we believe that "Yahshua" is the correct rendering, but we certainly respect people who feel differently.  In addition, the reality is that sometimes we use the name of "Jesus" as well. 

You see, the truth is that God does miracles in the name of "Yahshua" and in the name of "Jesus".  People have been raised from the dead in various areas of the world in recent years in the name of "Jesus". 

So we do realize that this is a complicated issue, and we do try to use the proper Hebrew names, but there are times when we also use the English version of the names.  We hope that this will not cause too much confusion, and if you disagree with us on this point we certainly do understand.   

A reader named Terri was excited to see our support for the nation of Israel....

At last!!!! Someone who knows the truth and is happy to declare it for others to also read.

Thanks to folk like you who can see EXACTLY what is going on and how it relates to Biblical prophecies.

At last someone is speaking out to put the real picture of God’s heart and intentions for Israel into focus. God loves the Palestinians but the land of Israel was for Israel and is for Israel and always will be for Israel – for the Jews – His chosen ones. This means it can never be divided up or given away to anyone else for ANY REASON no matter how WE humans may look at it with our extremely limited understanding!! God will seriously judge anyone and any nation who will try to tamper with His plan. God’s ways are not our ways. When will people realise and respect this!!

If Christians read and BELIEVED their bibles they would start to defend the rights of the Jews to their own land – Israel belongs to God’s chosen people – the Jews. Let’s do things GOD’s way instead of getting caught up in the world’s ignorant, unbelieving ways!! There is a BIG difference. The truth sets you free.

Bless ya and keep up the great work!

Thank you Terri - we definitely stand with the state of Israel and we try to highlight the fact that God has a big plan for the land of Israel in the last days. 

Giving away the land of Israel (and especially the city of Jerusalem) is something that is very displeasing to God, and yet politicians all over the world seem determined to do it.

But not all readers agree with our views on the land of Israel.

For example, Gamla recently shared a unique perspective about the Palestinians....

“Israel should not be giving away one square inch of the land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

I agree…but the Jews who are occupying the land currently are descendants of only 2 (mostly) 3 tribes of the old nation of Israel which comprised of 12 tribes. The Jews have been named after the House of Judah (Judah, Benjamin, Levi) who ruled the southern kingdom after the split of the Combined Kingdom (ie 12 tribes) from the northern kingdom which included 10 tribes. The northern kingdom was actually called House of Israel because Jacob(Israel) has given the “birthright” of the kingdom to his son Joseph through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh (2 of the 10 northern tribes). See Genesis for a detailed explanation of the blessings Jacob/Israel gave his sons (the patriachs of 12 tribes of Israel) before his death.

Some of the people of the southern kindom of Judah returned to Palestine after their Babylonian exile but the 10 northern tribes NEVER returned after being taken captive by the Assyrians…we read in the Bible that these tribes were “lost” into the nations of the world.

so, to make a long story short…Biblically speaking, the house of Judah can never claim the whole of Israel as their land, for they would need to be re-united with the House of Israel (the 10 lost tribes of the north) for it to be accepted before God.

Further, through DNA evidence it has been shown that the current day palestinians are direct blood relatives of the northern kingdom…

the only solution in the eyes of God which would be just, would be for the Jews and Palestinians to live in ONE land…diverse in culture and language but united as a nation (see South Africa as reference on how divided “tribes” became one nation)

We agree with Gamla that the Jews living in the land of Israel today are descended primarily from the Southern Kingdom that returned from exile in Babylon, but we fundamentally disagree with the notion that the ten lost tribes are the Palestinians.  The truth is that much of the Northern Kingdom escaped the invading Assyrian armies by fleeing by sea to other points throughout the Mediterranean.  In fact, colonists from the Northern Kingdom (often in conjunction with their northern neighbors the Phoenicians) had been settling in areas around the Mediterranean Sea for centuries even before the Assyrian invasion.  Other groups from the Northern Kingdom were able to travel by land into Europe.  A large group was taken into exile when Assyria did finally conquer the Northern Kingdom, but they never came back. 

So while there may be a few Palestinians that are related by blood to the Northern Kingdom, the truth is that it is probably very, very few.  As far as "DNA tests" go, where did they find a descendant of the ten lost tribes to test to compare with the Palestinians?  We believe that it is a fundamental error to try to connect the Palestinians with the ten lost tribes of Israel.  They are primarily Muslims of Arabic descent and they have no claim on the land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

If you have other comments or questions for us we would love to hear them.  We will try to do a better job of answering them as we move forward.  We thank all of you for being readers of our site, and we hope that you will help us by spreading the word about our site to as many people as you can.

Michael & Meranda

Even as Israel hands even more land over to the Palestinians, there are persistent rumors that Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Lebanon are preparing for war against Israel.  According to one disturbing new report by DEBKA, U.S. intelligence has discovered 5,000 Hezbollah terrorists that have been trained to take over and seize towns in Galilee during a future invasion of Israel.  Apparently the invasion plans that have been drawn up involve sending five Hezbollah brigades sweeping across the Israeli border to seize key towns in the region of Galilee.  Hamas would open a second front in the West Bank and Gaza, and Syria would then step into the conflict at that point.

Think that it can't happen?

The truth is that Hezbollah has been arming to the teeth since the last war.  Hezbollah has acquired chemical and biological warheads since then, and there have been reports that they have stockpiled over 40,000 rockets near the border of Israel.

Just in the past few weeks, Hezbollah has deployed advanced Syrian-made surface-to-surface M-600 missiles which have the range to cover the entire nation of Israel.

Hezbollah militants regularly receive training in Syria and Iran and the terrorist organization is essentially in control of large areas of Lebanon at this point.  They are a highly organized and increasingly dangerous military threat.

The United States government is even beginning to take notice.  U.S. State Department official Jeff Feltman said in remarks published on Sunday that the U.S. is concerned that the continued flow of arms to Hezbollah could prompt a war between Israel and Lebanon.

For years, Syria and Iran have used Hezbollah to wage a proxy war against the state of Israel, and Israeli officials are starting to get sick and tired of it.

In fact, one top Israeli official recently made it perfectly clear that in the event that a war between Israel and Lebanon does break out, Israel would hold Syria just as responsible.

The truth is that someday a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will involve Syria and it will be an incredibly destructive war.  Let us just hope that it does not happen any time soon.

Meanwhile, Israel just keeps giving away their land to the Palestinians.

Under what is being called "intense" American pressure, Israel has silently agreed to allow the Palestinian Authority to open official institutions in eastern sections of Jerusalem.  This is an intermediate step towards officially giving the Palestinians East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

In addition, Palestinians sources said Sunday morning that Israel has agreed to hand over additional West Bank areas to the Palestinians as a trust-building measure.  Apparently the intent is to coax the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

But don't these politicians understand that they are cursing themselves when they giving away the land of Israel?

Israel should not be giving away one square inch of the land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

But they are going to continue to do it.

In fact, a Palestinian state is almost certainly on the way.

But it won't stop the war that is coming.

Israel will not ever achieve peace at the negotiating table.  It is impossible.

The only time that Israel will experience lasting peace is after Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah returns.

What do you all think about these recent developments?  Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion....

Prior to World War 2, Adolf Hitler made all kinds of inflammatory statements, but most world leaders dismissed them.  They simply refused to believe that the madman was actually serious about what he was saying.  We can look back now and see what a big mistake that was, but the truth is that current world leaders have not learned from the mistakes of the past.  Today Iranian leaders continue to publicly state over and over that they look forward to wiping Israel off the map, but over and over world leaders do not seem to be taking these statements seriously.

For example, the official website of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reporting that he just told Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz that one day the Islamic nations of the world will witness the absolute destruction of the state of Israel.

Considering the fact that Khamenei is the most powerful person in Iran, you would think that someone would be alarmed by that statement.

The following is an English translation of an excerpt from Khamenei's statement....

"Surely, the day will come when the nations of the region will witness the destruction of the Zionist regime... when the destruction happens will depend on how the Islamic nations approach the issue."

It is this kind of talk that is bringing the world ever closer to World War 3, and yet most of the world yawns when they hear statements such as this apparently because they don't believe that we should take people like Khamenei seriously.

But this is a nation that has one of the most powerful militaries on the planet and that is on the verge of getting nuclear weapons.

For religious madmen who openly sponsor and support terror groups to possess nuclear weapons is a combination that will endanger the entire world.

And they are religious madmen. 

For example, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is claiming that the United States is purposely attempting to block the return of the Mahdi.

Most politicians in the West simply cannot identify with this kind of thinking and so they just dismiss it and don't take it seriously.

But things are about to get a whole lot more serious.  Iran recently announced a plan for 10 new industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities and has earmarked approximately 20 million dollars for terrorist groups fighting the West.  Iran has also successfully test long-range missiles and there were recently reports that Tehran was close to reaching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan.

These boys are quite serious about getting nukes.

Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel will retain some parts of the West Bank forever.  That will surely not sit well in Tehran.

A confrontation between Israel and Iran is coming.  Iran is obsessed with getting nukes and with wiping Israel off the map.  Israel is absolutely determined to prevent that from happening.  Anyone who thinks that the current state of affairs can continue indefinitely is in a complete state of denial.

For more on why Israel must do something about Iran's nuclear program, please see the following article....

Why Israel Simply Cannot Allow Iran To Have A Nuclear Weapon

We live at a time when Jerusalem has truly become the "burdensome stone" of the last days prophesied in the Scriptures.  The Palestinians consider East Jerusalem to be their capital and they appear to be unwilling to accept a Palestinian state that does not include it.  The European Union has made it very clear that their position is that East Jerusalem is going to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.  Even the United States has made it the official policy of the U.S. government that East Jerusalem is part of "the West Bank" and the Obama administration has been pressuring Israel very hard to stop all construction in East Jerusalem.  But now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel will never give up control over any part of Jerusalem.   

That is certainly not going to sit well with the Palestinians.

According to Haaretz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that Israel would never give up control of united Jerusalem and it would never fully retreat to the pre-1967 borders.

But those are exactly the things that the Palestinians and the rest of the world are demanding that Israel must do.

In fact, many leaders around the world were expressing a belief that Israel was now willing to negotiate the surrender of East Jerusalem.  Egypt's foreign minister said just last week that Netanyahu was ready to discuss making "Arab Jerusalem" the capital of a Palestinian state.

Thankfully, Netanyahu has cleared that up.

But the pressure will only become more intense.  Israel's greatest ally, the United States, has made it official government policy that East Jerusalem and the West Bank are one and the same.  The U.S. spent all of 2009 demanding that Israel immediately stop construction in East Jerusalem, as the U.S. State Department and the Obama administration consider East Jerusalem to be "occupied" territory.

So Israel says that they will never give up East Jerusalem and the rest of the world says that they must.

It look like Israel is between a rock and a "burdensome stone". 

In Zechariah 12:3, the Scriptures tell us that Jerusalem would become a burdensome stone in the last days....

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

At this point East Jerusalem appears to be the number one stumbling block standing in the way of a Palestinian state. 

So how will all of this be resolved?

We will have to wait and see.

But one thing is for sure - if Jerusalem does end up getting divided, anyone involved in that division will be setting themselves against the God of the universe. 

In an absolutely stunning development, the European Union is considering adopting a resolution which would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.  Sweden, the current holder of the rotating European Union presidency, has created a draft resolution which they will reportedly propose at a monthly meeting of EU ministers next week in Brussels.  Apparently there is quite a bit of support among EU ministers for the draft document that is being circulated.

Fortunately, the Israeli daily Haaretz published a copy of the draft resolution on Tuesday, so now the entire world can see what EU ministers will be considering....

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1131988.html

The most important language in the document is contained in the first point of the draft document.  It calls for "a two-state solution with an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable state of Palestine, comprising the West Bank and Gaza and with East Jerusalem as its capital."

This meeting of EU ministers will be one of the very first acts of the EU under the Lisbon Treaty that took effect for the first time on Tuesday after its ratification by all 27 of the member states.

It is thought that this proposed resolution is an attempt to give the EU a greater role on the world stage.  In essence, this is a way for the "new EU" to flex its foreign policy muscles.

Needless to say, the government of Israel is less than thrilled about this draft resolution.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Tuesday in which it indicated that if the EU adopts such language, it will seriously hurt their chances of being involved in future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians....

"The process being led by Sweden harms the European Union’s ability to take part as a significant mediator in the political process between Israel and the Palestinians."

Some Israeli lawmakers are using even stronger language.  Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin was quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying the following in response to the proposed EU document.... 

"Dividing the capital would create a volcanic eruption that would not be easy to stop. Splitting sovereignty would bring about complete chaos."

For the EU to even consider adopting a resolution that unilaterally declares that Israel must give the Palestinians everything that they could ever hope to negotiate for before negotiations even resume shows just how anti-Israel the EU has become.

In Zechariah 12:3, the Scriptures say this....

"In that day I will make Jerusalem a stumbling block for all people"

That is in fact what has happened.  Israel's government has no intention of giving East Jerusalem to the Palestinians.  The Palestinians and most of the rest of the world are insisting that East Jerusalem be given to the Palestinians as their capital. 

Jerusalem has truly become a stumbling block in the last days.

The truth is that all of Jerusalem, along with all of the land of Israel, belongs to the people that God gave it to - and that is not the Palestinians.

Anyone who gives it away or anyone who tries to force Israel to give it away will only find themselves contending with God.

We live at a time when the signs of the last days are literally being fulfilled right in front of our eyes.  One of the most exciting signs that Bible prophecy students love to keep an eye on are preparations for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple.  In a previous article, we discussed how the Temple Institute in Jerusalem took a giant step towards the rebuilding of the Temple by beginning to rebuild the sacrificial altar.  Now it has been revealed that the Temple Institute has already spent approximately 27 million dollars on preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple, and that the Temple Institute intends for this future Temple to be a house of prayer for all "monotheistic religions".

The executive director of the Temple Institute, Yehuda Glick, says that a large portion of the financial support for the Temple Institute actually comes from evangelical Christians..... 

''There are 70 million evangelical Christians around the world, and most of them have become Israel's strongest supporters.''

So what have all these funds gone towards so far?  Well, the truth is that the Temple Instituted has been extremely busy.  The Temple Institute Museum in Jerusalem's Old City contains solid gold service vessels, trumpets made of silver, garments to be worn by future priests made from golden thread, copper urns and many, many other items that have been painstakingly designed to Biblical specifications for use in the future Temple.

So when will this Temple be built?

According to Glick, it will depend on when the Messiah shows up.....

''It could well be tomorrow, but it might be another 100 years, or even 400 years.''

Most Christians understand that Judaism believes that the third temple will be built upon the arrival of the Messiah, but what most Christians do not realize is that the Temple Institute envisions a future Temple that will be "a house of prayer open to all believers in the monotheistic faiths" - Christians, Muslims or Jews.

In fact, Glick says that the Al-Aqsa mosque does not need to be removed for the new Temple to be built. 

''Al-Aqsa can stay,'' Glick is quoted in The Age as saying.  ''It's not even on the Temple Mount proper. But we intend to just build over the Dome of the Rock. We might be able to find a way to include it in the third temple.''

As surprising as this may be to many evangelical Christians, the truth is that Glick is far from alone in this belief.

For example, A stunning article that was published in the leading journal of religious law in Israel envisioned a scenario under which a "holy revelation" is given to an "authentic prophet" who would authorize that the Temple be rebuilt in peaceful proximity to the Al-Aqsa mosque and nearby Christian shrines.  This article echoed Glick's sentiments by discussing the potential for turning the Temple Mount into "God's Holy Mountain" - a "house of prayer" for all people (Isaiah 56:7).

In fact, there is even a Jewish website promoting a vision of "God's Holy Mountain" where all faiths would worship together:

www.godsholymountain.org

This website depicts a harmonious future for the Temple Mount where Muslims, Christians and Jews mingle and pray between the Dome of the Rock and a rebuilt Jewish Temple.

This project is headed up by Jewish members of the Interfaith Encounter Association.  This organization is actively encouraging all three religions to adopt a new theological outlook which would allow all three faiths to worship on the Temple mount.

Of course those of us who study the Scriptures know what God would think about such plans.

But could the Antichrist someday pose as the Jewish Messiah and use such expectations to promote the use of the rebuilt Temple for his one world religion? 

It is something to think about.

In any event, preparations for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple are heating up as never before, and as students of the prophecies of the last days this is something that we need to continually keep an eye on.

What do you think about all of this?  As always, we welcome your comments and your questions.....

Israel cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.  It is really just that simple.  The truth is that Iran funds and sponsors major terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah which are fanatically committed to the complete annihilation of the state of Israel.  Iran has not been shy about arming Hezbollah with extremely advanced weaponry with which to conduct its campaign of terrorism against Israel, and there is little doubt that once Iran develops nuclear bombs that they would give them to Hezbollah or to some other terrorist group dedicated to destroying the nation of Israel.

You see, Iran itself is absolutely committed to wiping the nation of Israel off the map.  No amount of diplomacy or negotiation is going to change that fact. 

If you do not believe this, the following quotes from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about the state of Israel should prove very revealing.....

"Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury."

"Remove Israel before it is too late and save yourself from the fury of regional nations."

"The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of a war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land. As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

"Israel is a tyrannical regime that will one day will be destroyed."

"Israel is a rotten, dried tree that will be annihilated in one storm."

There is no doubt about how the president of Iran feels, and the truth is that his views are representative of the Islamic fanatics that run Iran.

They are obsessed with the destruction of Israel as a nation.

So when they develop nuclear weapons will they immediately launch them at Israel?

No, of course not.

You see, Iran is fighting its war against Israel through proxies.

The primary proxy that Iran uses is Hezbollah.

Iran arms, funds and helps train Hezbollah and then gets Hezbollah to do the dirty work while they sit back in safety.

When Hezbollah launches rockets at Israel, does the world blame Iran?

Of course not.  But they should.

What if those Hezbollah rockets were one day armed with nuclear warheads?

Or, what if Hezbollah agents started smuggling suitcase nukes into Israeli cities?

If a nuke suddenly went off in an Israeli city how could Israel hold Iran directly responsible.

They may not know who is responsible.

It would be a complete and total nightmare.

This is why Israel cannot let the nuclear genie out of the bottle in Iran.

It would inevitably lead to nuclear terrorism inside the state of Israel.

But Iran is now getting very close to developing a nuclear bomb.

Senior officials at the IAEA have concluded in a confidential analysis that that nation of Iran has now acquired "sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable" nuclear weapon.

The U.N. nuclear agency’s report presents evidence that Iran has done extensive research and testing on how to fashion the components of a nuclear weapon.

It is the open secret that nobody has wanted to talk about.

Iran wants the bomb and they are working feverishly to get it.

In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has handed the Kremlin a list of Russian scientists that he believes are helping Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

Israel knows what is going on.

It is almost like Iran and Israel are playing some bizarre game of chicken and trying to see who will blink first.

Iran shows no signs of ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Israel has repeatedly said that it will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.

A military strike by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities appears to be inevitable.

Time is quickly running out, and each day it becomes clearer that the end result of all of this is going to be war.

The arms race in the Middle East is now officially out of control.  As if tensions in that region were not high enough, there are now reports that Hezbollah is stockpiling chemical and biological weapons near Israel's border, that Syria is about to start receiving MiGs from Russia and that Iran has developed systems that can now intercept stealth cruise missiles.

In a region where it seems like war is almost always ready to erupt, this is really, really bad news.

According to DEBKA, European intelligence sources have recently indicated that Hezbollah has received and is stockpiling a supply of chemical shells and short-range missiles with chemical warheads.  These types of shells and warheads can do much, much more damage to a civilian population than the rockets that were fired into Israel during previous conflicts.

When you couple this news with the previous report that Hezbollah has stockpiled over 40,000 rockets near the border of Israel, this all becomes very ominous. 

Not only that, but according to DEBKA's sources,  Hezbollah is about to receive biological weapons as well.  The amount of devastation that a terrorist organization can achieve with just a few of those is mind blowing. 

One of DEBKA's sources describes the new Hezbollah as "bad guys with good strategic vision."

If that wasn't bad enough, a Russian newspaper is reporting that Russia has agreed to sell advanced MiG fighter jets to Syria but has not yet begun delivering the planes.

If this is true, and there is no reason to believe that it is not, then this would totally change the air superiority equation in the Middle East.  Up until now, the Israeli air force has always been vastly superior to the Syrians, but this would equal things up significantly.

One Israeli defense official put it this way in the Jerusalem Post: "If Syria gets new MiG-31s, this will pose a definite threat to our air force."

Not only that, but there are several troubling reports about Iran's military buildup.

Firstly, Iran is now claiming that it has developed weapons systems that are able to intercept stealth cruise missiles.  If this is true (and they are prone to exaggeration) then this substantially upgrades Iran's defensive capabilities.

Secondly, DEBKA is reporting that Iran is now closer then ever to being able to produce a nuclear bomb.  According to DEBKA, Iran will have stockpiled enough high-grade enriched uranium for two nuclear bombs by February 2010.

Will Israel wait that long to strike?

Only time will tell.

Lastly, there are now rumors that the cargo ship that was hijacked and subsequently disappeared in the Arctic Sea was carrying S-300 missiles bound for Iran.

S-300 missiles are Russia's most advanced anti-aircraft weapon, and if they had gotten to Russia it would have seriously made it much more difficult for Israel to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.  Thus there are rumors that seem to be very persistent that Israel may have been involved in the disappearance of the Russian cargo ship.

In fact, one anonymous source told a U.K. newspaper that in the event of a strike on Iran's nuclear installations, S-300 missiles would likely increase Israeli casualties by up to 50 percent.

So what does all this mean?

It means that both sides are getting ready for something.  A major war in the Middle East is closer now than it has been in ages, and if something is not done this seething cauldron of tension is likely to boil over.

Let's hope that does not happen any time soon.

Has the United States now decided to that they are going to allow Israel to strike Iran's nuclear program?  If new remarks from Vice President Joe Biden are to be taken seriously, then that indeed appears to be the case.

In a stunning new interview with ABC's George Stephanoupolos, vice president Joe Biden stated the following: "Look, Israel can determine for itself — it's a sovereign nation — what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."

In response, Stephanoupolos asked whether Israel can do what they want whether or not the U.S. agrees with that course of action.

Joe Biden's response?

"Whether we agree or not."

Subsequently, Biden also added this: 

"And so there are separate issues. If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice. "

Stephanopoulos sought to clarify this point by asking this question:

"But just to be clear here, if the Israelis decide Iran is an existential threat, they have to take out the nuclear program, militarily the United States will not stand in the way?"

In response, Biden answered this way:

"Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do.

This was the very first time that an Obama administration official has publicly left the door open for an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear sites.

In addition, there are now reports circulating in the mainstream media that Saudi Arabia has agreed to turn a blind eye to Israeli warplanes flying over their territory in a raid on Iran's nuclear sites.

Officially, these reports are being denied, but they are very intriguing.

You see, Saudi Arabia would not be too thrilled with Iran getting their hands on nuclear weapons.  Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim nation, while Iran is the largest Shiite Muslim nation in the world.  There is a long history of violence between Sunnis and Shiites.  While both sects of Islam believe in Islamic world dominance, both are also deeply committed to seeing their own particular "brand" of Islam triumph in the end.

Therefore, Saudi Arabia has a vested interest in making sure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons.

So, it appears that everything is starting to line up for an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear program.

The truth is that Israel never intended to let Iran acquire nuclear weapons.

Nor should they.

Let us just hope that when they do strike that it will not spark a larger war.

There is a new push to make the Temple Mount in Jerusalem a site that is shared by Jews, Muslims and Christians, and where a rebuilt Jewish Temple can stand side by side with the Islamic Dome of the Rock that stands there now.

Does that sound absolutely crazy and unrealistic?

Perhaps.

But there are scholars and organizations that are actually promoting this idea and working on plans to bring it to fruition.

A recent article that was published in the leading journal of religious law in Israel has sparked a great deal of debate in the Jewish community about the possibility of sharing the Temple Mount.  The article in "Tehumin" discussed the potential for making the Temple Mount into "God's Holy Mountain" - a "house of prayer" for all people (Isaiah 56:7).

Of course, to many Jews and Christians such a concept would be a blatant abomination, but there are religious authorities in Israel that are taking this idea very seriously.

The article in Tehumin envisioned a scenario where a "holy revelation" is given to an "authentic prophet" that would authorize that the Temple be rebuilt in peaceful proximity to the Dome of the Rock and nearby Christian shrines.

The article also seems to think that such a scenario would be in keeping with the words of the famous 12th Century Jewish sage Maimonides that Christianity and Islam are part of God's ultimate plan "to direct the entire world to worship God together."

As unlikely a scenario as this may seem right now, the truth is that this sets the stage for the Antichrist to come on the scene as "an authentic prophet" in the future with a peace plan that would propose just such a thing.

Yoav Frankel, the director of the project promoting a vision of "God's Holy Mountain" acknowledges the skepticism that many have regarding the project but at the same time expresses a great deal of long-term optimism:

"We offer this vision for a long and deep discussion, and of course want to continue with a parallel research from other religions."

There is even a website for the project promoting a vision of "God's Holy Mountain":

www.godsholymountain.org

The website depicts a harmonious future for the Temple Mount where Muslims, Christians and Jews mingle between the Dome of the Rock and a rebuilt Jewish Temple.

The project is headed by Jewish members of the Interfaith Encounter Association, and they are actively encouraging all three faiths to consider a new theological outlook which would allow for all three religions to worship there.

However, with tensions increasing seemingly with each new day in the Middle East right now, such a scenario for the Temple Mount is not likely to come to fruition any time soon.

But many Bible prophecy teachers have believed for a long time that just such a scenario some day will come to pass.  After the next great war involving Israel, many on both sides will be crying out for peace.

In such an environment, the Antichrist may just be able to convince both the Muslims and the Jews that a shared Temple Mount would be a great symbol of peace.

But as students of Bible prophecy we know how that would turn out.

For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly endorsed an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu's speech at Bar-Ilan University on June 14th in Ramat Gan, Israel was billed as a major foreign policy event, but most analysts did not anticipate how stunning this speech would turn out to be.

For many Jews, to hear Benjamin Netanyahu publicly call for a Palestinian state is absolutely shocking. This is how Netanyahu described how he sees the peace process playing out: "In my vision, there are two free peoples living side by side each with each other, each with its own flag and national anthem."

Netanyahu did place conditions on a future Palestinian state, however.  He said that any future Palestinian state would have to be unarmed and would have to officially recognize Israel.

Netanyahu's speech was widely seen around the world as his response to the intense pressure that the Obama administration has been putting on him.  His speech struck a defiant tone in that regard, as he refused to heed Obama's call for an immediate freeze of construction on lands Palestinians claim for their future state.

In addition, Netanyahu also clearly said that Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty.

This goes directly against what Barack Obama has been promising to the Palestinians.

U.S. President Barack Obama has been promising the Palestinians a capital inside the city of Jerusalem and has expressed his desire that the holy sites be taken away from Israel and be put directly under international jurisdiction.

WorldNetDaily recently reported that President Obama told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a recent meeting that he foresees the creation of a strong Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Abbas' top political adviser, Nimer Hamad, reportedly told this to WorldNetDaily: "Abu Mazen (Abbas) heard from Obama and his administration in a very categorical way that a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is in the American national and security interest."

It is in America's national interest for the Palestinians to have a capital in the city of Jerusalem?

Are we all suddenly in an episode of the Twilight Zone?

Talk about a really, really, really, really bad idea.

How does anyone come up with an idea that bad?

But giving the Palestinians a capital in Jerusalem is not the end of Obama's plans for the holy land.

There are also reports that Obama desires for the holy sites in Jerusalem to come under international jurisdiction.

And what is Israel supposed to get for all of this?

Peace guarantees that the Islamic terrorists will break within 6 months?

Both Netanyahu and Obama are quite foolish to try to give away the land of Israel.

The truth is that God gets really, really, really angry when people start trying to give away parts of Israel, and He seems to get even angrier when people mess around with the city of Jerusalem.

On a sister blog, we recently put together a comprehensive article that documents many of the natural disasters that have hit the United States when the U.S. has tried to give away pieces of the land of Israel over the past couple of decades.

But has the government learned anything from these warnings?

Not at all.

The U.S. government seems more determined than ever to carve up the land of Israel and to take the holy sites away from the jurisdiction of Israel.

The truth is that God will not bless the U.S. if it continues these kinds of policies.

It has been said that if the U.S. ends up being successful in dividing the land of Israel that God will divide the United States.

After so many thousands of years of seeing what happens when you mess with Israel, you would think that we all would have learned something.

But the reality is that politicians will continue to mock and ignore God and will try to do what they think is best.  Unfortunately their foolishness will only bring disaster on all of us.

The preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem are heating up! The Temple Institute has announced the creation of two golden censors known as the Bezichin which will be used in the service of the Temple by the priests once the Temple has been rebuilt.

This is very exciting for those of us who are looking forward to the return of Yahshua the Messiah. The fact that the preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple are taking place is yet another sign that we are living in the last days.

The Scriptures tell us that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt and that the anti-Messiah will desecrate it in the last days. The anti-Messiah will do something so evil in this rebuilt Temple that the Scriptures refer to it as "the abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15).

For hundreds of years, scholars mocked and said that the Temple would never be rebuilt in Jerusalem. But the truth is that the Word of God is true and nothing man can do can stop it from being fulfilled.

The following is a little bit of background on the bezichin from the Temple Institute website.....

The two golden bezichin - frankincense vessels, referred to in the above passage from Exodus, as "spoons," are an essential element of the golden show bread table and the service of the showbread. These two bezichin were used to contain the two handfuls of frankincense that the priests were instructed to place upon the showbread table beneath the twelves loaves of lechem hapanim - showbread. The twelve loaves were replaced every Shabbat and the loaves that were removed were eaten by the outgoing shift of priests in the Chamber of the Hearth, located along the Temple Courtyard. New loaves were set in their place simultaneously, and with them the two bezichin of fresh frankincense. Our sages tell us that the showbread never grew stale, that it remained hot and fresh, and that even a morsel of the bread was filling and satisfying the priests that ate it.

The Temple Institute has also produced a short little YouTube video on these vessels that we have embedded below for you.....

The reality is that we are living in the last days and the signs are all around us.

Praise God that we get the privilege of living in such extraordinary times!

Pope Benedict's recent visit to Israel has made a lot of people there really, really angry. Why? Because he walked into a Palestinian refugee camp and openly called for a Palestinian state.

During his visit to the Palestinian refugee camp, Pope Benedict stated, "It is understandable that Palestinians feel frustrated," and that "their legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfilled."

Wow.

I guess there is no guessing where Pope Benedict stands on this issue.

During a speech in "Manger Square" in Bethlehem, right in front of "the Church of the Nativity", Pope Benedict encouraged the Palestinians to keep the "flame of hope" alive for a "sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders."

Does anyone still not understand why many Jews are furious?

Of course the Pope is not nearly the only major political leader who is pushing for a Palestinian state.

U.S. President Barack Obama has also been very open regarding his goal to see an independent Palestinian state created.

In fact, there were reports that Barack Obama held a secret meeting with Palestinian leadership last summer even before he became president during which he expressed his desire to divide up the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

According to WorldNetDaily, Barack Obama told the Palestinian leadership during a trip to that region in July that he supports a Palestinian state and a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem, but he asked them to keep his remarks secret, according to a Lebanese newspaper.

So Barack Obama wants to divide up the land of Israel and give the Palestinians a capital in east Jerusalem?

As if the U.S. didn't have enough problems.....

Don't all of these politicians realize what they are doing?

God does not bless those who try to divide the land of Israel.

In fact, world leaders continue to operate under the delusion that they can find a solution to all of this conflict by dividing up the land of Israel.

In Genesis 12:3, God warns that those who curse Israel will be cursed when he promised this to Abraham:

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

In the book of Joel, God warns specifically against dividing the land of Israel.

Joel 3:1-2 states, "...I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up my land."

Bill Koenig, the author of "Israel: The Blessing or the Curse", has said this:

"We know for a fact that God gave this land, through the Abrahamic covenant, He gave the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, and this land is God's land."

In the Scriptures, we are warned that the city of Jerusalem would one day become a huge stumbling stone for the nations in Zechariah 12:3.....

"On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

Is that not what has happened?

The truth is that God gave that land to Israel long ago, and now that He has started to bring His people back to the land, anyone who tries to give it away is going to be under a curse.

So is there any evidence of a curse on those who try to divide the land of Israel today?

Yes.

Consider these examples.....

#1) On April 30, 2003, America was positioned to be the catalyst for the so-called "solution" to the Middle East crisis. As Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in, the "Road Map" peace plan was set in motion.

The very next day began the worst month of tornadoes in United States history - more than 500 in a single month. Under normal conditions, 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States each year, but in just eight days that May, 375 twisters ripped across the heartland of America.

#2) May 9, 2003, President Bush addressed students at the University of South Carolina. Bush called on the Palestinians to embrace the roadmap to peace, and Bush expressed his desire to see the flag of Palestine raised over a free nation.

Hours later, tornadoes returned and Oklahoma City again became the target for deadly twisters, reducing many businesses and homes to splinters and bricks. The tornadoesof May devastated the Midwest with the third worst property damage in American history.

#3) On October 30, 1991, in a meeting scheduled by George H.W. Bush, Israelis and Palestinians discussed ways to achieve peace in the Middle East. Opening talks focused on trading parts of Israel for a peace agreement.

That same day, thousands of miles away, a powerful storm was brewing off of the coast of Nova Scotia. On October 31st, what would be known as "The Perfect Storm" smashed into New England, pummeling the President's Kennebunkport, Maine home with waves 30 feet high. It was a storm so rare that the weather patterns required to create it only happen about once every 100 years.

#4) On August 23rd, 1992, Middle East peace talks resumed in Washington, D.C. with hope that there would be a great breakthrough.  These talks focused on surrendering the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria in exchange for peace. Hundreds of miles south of there at the same time, Florida was the target for one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Hurricane Andrew ripped through the state with an eye more than 30 miles wide and winds up to 178 miles per hour leaving behind a 32 billion dollar disaster.

#5) Between August 16th and 30th, 2005, Ariel Sharon expelled 9,480 Jewish settlers from 21 settlements in Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank.

On January 4th, 2006, Sharon had a stroke, and he fell into a coma and is now in a persistent vegetative state.

#6) The U.S. had strongly pressured Sharon to evacuate those settlers from Gaza.

On August 29th, 2005 the storm that would become Hurricane Katrina formed, and it devastated New Orleans and the surrounding areas to such an extent that they still have not recovered. That devastating storm caused at least 200 billion dollars in damage.

#7) In June of 2001, George W. Bush sent CIA director George Tenet to Israel in an attempt to implement the Mitchell Plan.  The Mitchell plan called for, among other things, the cessation of new building in the Jewish settlements.

On the same day that Tenet met with Israeli and Palestinian officials, tropical storm Allison formed in the Gulf of Mexico and moved over Texas, the President's home state, and dropped over 28 inches of rain over the Houston area alone, causing over $4 billion dollars in damage. The storm then moved to Florida and up the east coast causing damage as far as Pennsylvania. The meteorologists called Allison the "worst tropical storm in history".

There are many more examples of this phenomenon here:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1055/1055_01.asp?wpc=1055_01.asp&wpp=b

So are you convinced yet?

Do you still think that all of these things are just coincidences?

The truth is that you DO NOT mess with the land of Israel.

God has really big plans for that land in these last days.

Popes and politicians will continue to do their best to divide the land and negotiate it away, but God's purposes will ultimately be fulfilled.

There will be ups and downs, wars and conflicts, treaties and agreements, but no matter what happens, we know that there is no stopping the Word of God.

God's purposes for Israel will stand.