It seems with each passing week, the European Union bureaucracy gets even more power.  Now, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new tax on financial transactions which will be paid directly to Brussels.  Of course this new tax could still be vetoed by one or more of the national governments in the EU, but this is still a stunning development.

Taxes directly levied by EU headquarters?

The European Union is very quickly becoming "The United States Of Europe".

As we reported previously, the brand new "President of Europe", Herman Van Rompuy, has been pushing the notion of a "Euro tax" that will go directly to the European Union.  Needless to say, he must be delighted by this move by the European Parliament.

As students of Bible prophecy, we understand that all of this centralization of power will one day culminate in a world government.  So we are likely to see even more moves towards shifting power to regional "unions" and world governmental bodies as time moves along. 

But as exciting as it is to see Bible prophecy being fulfilled, we must always realize that one day the Antichrist will use the power of world government to ruthlessly persecute those who do not serve him.

Let us get the gospel out to as many people as we can now, because time is short and it will only get more difficult to spread the good news in the times ahead.

The story of Mosab Hassan Yousef has been making headlines all over the world in recent weeks.  He was literally born into the deadly terrorist group Hamas.  His father is Sheikh Hassan Yousef - a founding member of Hamas and one of its most prominent leaders.  Mosab was raised to hate Israel and everything that it stands for.  He was groomed to become his father's successor from an early age.  He was deeply trusted by the Hamas hierarchy and participated in the Intifada.  He was even held captive deep inside Israel's most feared prison facility.  But something happened.

God got a hold of Mosab Hassan Yousef.

Mosab became one of the most important spies that Israel ever had.  For years he risked his life by spying for the Israelis while pretending to be on the side of the Palestinians.  If he had been caught he would have surely been killed.

But that is only part of his extraordinary story.

You see, Mosab eventually found the true meaning and purpose that he had been searching for all of his life.

He found Jesus Christ.

So how does a son of one of the key leaders of one of the most radical Islamic terror groups of all time become a Christian?

We encourage you to get Mosab's new book and read all the details.  His story is truly amazing: Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices

Meanwhile, check out the recent video interview with Mosab posted below....

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows."
-Matthew 24:7-8

What in the world is going on with the earth?  The number of major earthquakes that we are experiencing is absolutely unprecedented.  In fact, the number of earthquakes has jumped dramatically during the last decade as you can see from the chart above.  So just what in blazes is going on?

Well, the reality is that Yahshua (Jesus) told us that there would be earthquakes in the last days.  He told us that this would be a sign that His return was getting closer.  In fact, the earthquakes and the other signs of His coming are supposed to be like birth pains - getting stronger and more intense as we get closer to the day.

And the truth is that earthquakes certainly are getting stronger and more intense.  Just consider the following examples from just this year....

*On January 12th, Haiti was devastated by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake that claimed the lives of over 200,000 people.

*On February 27th, Chile was rocked by a magnitude-8.8 earthquake that was one of the largest in recorded history.

*A pre-dawn 5.9-magnitude earthquake collapsed homes and killed more than 50 people in a mountainous region of southeastern Turkey on Monday.

*Seven intense aftershocks hit Chile on Friday morning, including one that measured 6.6 on the Richter scale.

*The city of Taiwan experienced a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Thursday.

*Japan is bracing for the worst after dozens of rare giant oarfish - traditionally the harbinger of a powerful earthquake- have been washed ashore or caught in fishermen's nets.

*The Irazú volcano in Costa Rica sent panic through neighboring communities recently, as residents reported at least 9 tremors from the volcano during one 30 minute period.

*The U.S. has not even been exempt from the recent spate of earthquakes either.  A 4.6-magnitude earthquake early Saturday morning off the northern California coast rattled residents in that region.

Things are getting crazy out there.  In fact, I would not want to be living in California right about now.  Scientists tell us that they are way overdue for a major earthquake.

But the truth is that there will be very few places that are totally safe before this is all over.  People who think that they are safe because they live in the middle of the United States might want to check to make sure that they don't live in the New Madrid fault zone.  There are many scientists who believe that an absolutely massive earthquake will completely rip up that region one day.

Plus, anyone who lives on any coast in these days and times is at risk for a tsunami.  The reality is that the earth is packed with major fault lines and volcanos and so the areas that are "completely safe" are very few and far between.

Unfortunately, it is likely that geological activity will continue to only get worse as we get even closer to the return of Yahshua. 

But for those of us who know the Lord, this world is not our home.  We belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and it is in Him that we will find our refuge.

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Photo Credit: http://www.thehorizonproject.com/earthquakes.cfm

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

What in the world is happening to public schools in the United States?  Once upon a time they were safe and peaceful institutions where our young people could get educated and prepared for their future lives as adults.  But in today's "security conscious" America, many public schools are on the verge of becoming literal prison camps, with students regularly being handcuffed, arrested and charged with crimes.  Is this the new "Amerika" where even our schoolchildren have to be ruled with an iron fist?  What does this say about our society as a whole?  Are we witnessing the last days of the open society?

The introduction of "zero tolerance" policies in many areas of the United States has led to some absolutely ridiculous outcomes.  Just consider the following examples....

*A 6-year-old girl was recently handcuffed and sent to a mental facility after throwing temper tantrums at her elementary school.

*One 12-year-old girl in New York was recently arrested and marched out of her school in handcuffs because she doodled on her desk.

*One middle school student was arrested on Thursday for starting a fire in a restroom trash can.

*One teen in Georgia was recently arrested after he got into a fight with another student while waiting for a bus after school.

*One eighth-grade teacher in the U.S. has accused her students of committing a "hate crime" because they left a Bible on her desk and a Christmas card with the word "Christ" underlined.

*A while back, a 6th-grader's teacher told him that Jesus could not be mentioned in a Christmas poem that he was writing for class.

*A bill introduced in the Iowa House would require "age-appropriate" comprehensive sex education beginning in kindergarten.

*In Florida, students have been arrested for bringing a plastic butter knife to school, throwing an eraser, and drawing a picture of a gun.

Just what in the world is going on here?

If this is what our public schools are becoming, who in the world would want to send their kids there?

Of course not every public school is like this yet, but this is clearly the direction that the country is moving in.

If you know of more examples like this, please submit a comment and share them with us.

America is quickly changing, and unless we wake up and start speaking out now, the American we all remember may be lost forever.

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.

Is war on the horizon in the Middle East?  Iran is certainly arming for one.  In fact, what we are witnessing now could potentially be considered the greatest military buildup in the history of the Middle East.  Basically what Iran has done is they have pushed all of their chips to the middle of the table and have decided that they are going to develop nuclear weapons no matter what.  Now they are arming themselves to the teeth for the confrontation with Israel and/or the United States that they know is coming at some point.  We all know that there will be wars in the last days, but when war erupts in the Middle East, things are not going to be pleasant - especially if nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are used.

Iran and Israel are caught in a bizarre game of chicken, and Iran is showing no signs of blinking.  In fact, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered his country's nuclear agency to begin the production of higher enriched uranium.  Iran seems to have no fear of sanctions or of anything else.  Perhaps they realize that Obama has absolutely no interest in a war with Iran.  Or perhaps they are just crazy.  In any event, Iran's leaders have set their course and they seem to have no intention of altering it.

In fact, they are arming themselves as if a coming war with Israel is inevitable....

*An Iranian air force commander said on Monday that Iran will soon unveil a domestically-made air defense system with at least the same capability as Russia's very powerful S-300 anti-aircraft hardware.  If this is true, it will be a major change in the balance of power.

*Iran has begun producing very advanced unmanned drones capable of carrying out devastating assaults "with high precision".   

*Iran has also announced that they officially started production of two new kinds of conventional missiles on Saturday.

*There are even persistent rumors that Iran is developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially carry nuclear warheads.  If that ever comes to fruition, the United States would be in much greater danger.

So what does all of this mean?

It means that Iran is desperately trying to develop strategic weapons that will enable it to close the gap somewhat between itself and Israel and the United States.

There is no way that Iran can achieve strategic parity with the United States military right now, but if they can put enough of a hurt on the U.S. and Israel they know that the politicians in those two nations will think twice before striking.

And that could buy time for Iran to make nukes.

After all, the destruction of Israel is one of the stated goals of the Iranian government.

In fact, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that he believes that the obliteration of Israel "is certain".

That is dangerous talk.

Tensions are rising all over the Middle East.  It is being reported that one Syrian government official recently said that Syria is ready for either peace or war.

And war seems more likely by the day.

According to one new report, Egyptian maritime sources say that the Israeli navy has deployed two missile ships to the Persian Gulf.

Not that there is anything too unusual about that, but it is yet another move that is raising tensions in the region.

As noted above, we all know that war is inevitable in the last days.  But we are also instructed in the Scriptures to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  So let us pray for peace even as things move ever closer to war.

We truly live in extraordinary times.  Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at a pace that is absolutely mind blowing.  There were so many news stories related to the last days this week that it was literally very difficult to try to keep up with them all.  In fact, there are so many events happening out there right now related to the last days that it is hard to know where to begin.  So today we thought that we would highlight a bunch of the key news stories from this past week....

*Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon is warning that Israel might soon have to use military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

*The Iranian ambassador in Moscow stated on Thursday that Russia has assured Iran that it still intends to deliver long-range air-defense missiles.

*A large shipment of North Korean weapons recently intercepted in Thailand was bound for an airport in Iran.

*One new report claims that Egyptian military sources have put out information outlining Israel's plans for a military strike on Iran.

*On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad directly accused Israel of "pushing the region towards war".

*Syria's foreign minister is warning that a future war between Israel and Syria would be a "comprehensive" clash that would "come to your cities".

*Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said this week that he hopes someday to see Israel as a member of the European Union.

*U.S. relations with China are quickly taking a big turn for the worse.

*On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved a record $1.9 trillion increase in the cap on how much the U.S. government can borrow.

*One newly released poll says that 86 percent of Americans are worried or angry about the growing U.S. budget deficit.

*Is "Housing Crash Part 2" on the way?  A massive "second wave" of home mortgages is scheduled to reset beginning in 2010.

*Some analysts are projecting that Social Security is going to be the next federal program in need of a massive bailout.

*The death toll for the earthquake in Haiti has swelled to approximately 200,000.

*Is California next?  Northern California was rocked by a magnitude-6.0 earthquake on Thursday, but officials said there were no immediate reports of major injuries or damage.

*Over the last two weeks, more than 100 earthquakes a day, on average, have rattled Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

*The CIA is telling Congress that "homegrown extremists" working for Al-Qaeda will strike the U.S. in the next three to six months.

*Pressure from radical Muslims has forced the closure of two Christian churches on Indonesia’s Java island.

*Turkish police have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl that was apparently buried alive by Islamic relatives in an "honor" killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys.

*Barack Obama used the "National Prayer Breakfast" as an opportunity to promote his "gay" and "green" agendas.

*U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen told Congress on Tuesday that overturning the ban on gays in the military is the "right thing" for them to do.

*The Archbishop of York is warning that traditional Christianity in the U.K. is being wiped out from public life in the name of equality.

*There are concerns that the U.S. military is going way too far in attempting to create "super soldiers".

*Hasbro and Toys-R-Us are actually marketing a new pink Ouija board for girls ages eight and up.

*Last of all, a U.S. Tax Court has ruled that a Massachusetts woman should be allowed to deduct the costs of her sex-change operation.

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

Friday was the 37th anniversary of the infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade.  In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court (dominated by justices who had been nominated by Republicans) handed down a decision which basically legalized abortion-on-demand nationwide.  Since that decision, more than 50 million babies have been murdered in abortion mills across America.  However, if recent polls can be believed, there may be signs that America is finally starting to wake up and realize that what we are doing is incredibly wrong.

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2007 and 2008 pro-abortion Americans significantly outnumbered pro-life Americans by a margin of 54 percent to 40 percent.  But 2009 was a different story.  Polling done by the Pew Research Center in 2009 revealed that now only 47 percent of Americans support abortion while 44 percent of Americans are pro-life.

A change from a 14 percent gap to a 3 percent gap is very significant.

But is it too late?

The Gallup polling organization also found a move towards the pro-life position in 2009.

A May 2009 survey by Gallup found that 51 percent of Americans stand for the sanctity of human life while only 42 percent consider themselves to be pro-abortion.

This is a huge change from 1995 when only 33 percent of Americans considered themselves to be pro-life.

So is this progress?

Operation Rescue President Troy Newman thinks so....

"The pro-life movement has made significant strides exposing and closing abortion clinics and shifting public opinion toward the pro-life position."

Last month Operation Rescue revealed that just 713 abortion mills are open in the U.S. today compared to approximately 2,200 that were open in 1991.

That is great news, but the reality is that some of the abortion clinics are just getting bigger.

For example, an abortion "supercenter" - the biggest abortion clinic in the United States - is scheduled to open in Houston this upcoming March.

Many believe that if we could just vote out Obama and the Democrats that we would be able to stop abortion in this nation.  But as history has shown, unfortunately it is just not that simple.  The truth is that we gave the Republicans control of the entire U.S. government for years and they essentially did nothing to stop the abortion holocaust.  Former presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin did a great job of describing this sad truth in his recent article about abortion....

Consider still: the "pro-life" Republican Party controlled the entire federal government from the election of 2000 to the election of 2006: six long years of GOP domination of both houses of Congress, the White House, and the US Supreme Court. And in all that time not one single unborn baby's life was saved. NOT ONE!

And, yet, each year, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) would introduce the Sanctity of Life bill. And each year, the bill would sit in the document room of the Capitol Building and gather dust. What would Rep. Paul's bill do? Two things: (1) It would define unborn babies as persons under the law. (2) Under the authority of Article. III. Section. 2. of the US Constitution, it would remove abortion from the jurisdiction of the court. Had the "pro-life" Republican congress passed Dr. Paul's bill, and the "pro-life" President, G. W. Bush, signed it into law, Roe v. Wade would have been effectively overturned.

So, why didn't President Bush trumpet the bill? Where was the Republican leader in the Senate? Where was the Republican Speaker of the House? Where was Orrin Hatch? Where was John McCain? Where was Lindsey Graham? Where was Glenn Beck? Where was Rush Limbaugh? Where was Newt Gingrich? Where was Sean Hannity? Where was the National Right to Life Committee? Where were the tens of thousands of "pro-life" pastors and Christians?

The truth is that we need to elect a whole different kind of Republicans.

We must require that all Republican candidates pledge to actively work every single year to pass legislation that would outlaw abortion-on-demand in the United States.

Republican candidates are famous for making promises and then not doing anything once they get into office.

We need to let them know that if they do not actively work to end the abortion holocaust that we will vote them out of office and put in another Republican.

The truth is that ending abortion needs to become our number one political priority.

Over the past 37 years we have been living a national nightmare.

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood (who was also greatly admired by Hitler) said the following all the way back in 1922:

"The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it."

The philosophy of the founder of Planned Parenthood is being carried out in virtually every city in the United States in 2010.

Honestly, it is inconceivable how anyone could be in favor of killing over a million babies a year in the United States.

Do you know what they do during an abortion?

One particularly gruesome form of abortion is known as a "partial birth" abortion.  The following are the five steps of a partial birth abortion....

1) Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's legs with forceps.

2) The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

3) The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.

4) The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the skull.

5) The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

How incredibly sick is that?

But now U.S. health insurance companies are increasingly willing to cover the cost of abortions and are viewing them as a way to dramatially cut costs. 

Why? 

Because as one top local Planned Parenthood official recently admitted, abortions are far, far cheaper than live births. 

In an article on the website of Forbes magazine, Baltimore Planned Parenthood CEO John Nugent said that a first trimester abortion costs somewhere in the neighborhood of "$300 to $450" and that this is much cheaper than the alternatives.

According to the article in Forbes, the difference in cost between an abortion and a live birth can be massive....

"Health Care Blue Book confirms the price difference. An abortion performed in an physician's office typically costs $397. A vaginal delivery costs $5,992, while a c-section is $8,558."

This is what human life has come down to in America today - a cost/benefit analysis.

The truth is that health insurance companies have a massive incentive to offer and promote abortion services.

After all, why should they pay out $6000 when they can only pay out only $400 instead?

Well, other than the fact that the $400 payment is for a murder.

But the truth is that U.S. tax dollars are being used to promote abortions, sterilizations and eugenics policies all over the globe.

Many major organizations affiliated with the United Nations actually celebrate abortions and anything else that serves to reduce the human population.  For these radical "environmentalists", human life is a virus that is destroying the earth and they actually believe that our "herd" needs to be "culled" for the good of "Mother Earth".

But the truth is that all we are doing is sacrificing our children to "gods" named "greed" and "convenience" and "sexual promiscuity" and "selfishness".

In fact, as you reflect on the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade today, please take a moment to meditate on the following portion of Scripture....

"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters... and the land was polluted with blood. Then the anger of the lord was kindled against his people, and He abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hands of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power." (See Psalm 106:37-43)

Aziz Dwaik (remember that name), the most senior representative for Hamas in the West Bank said on Wednesday that Hamas is ready to accept Israel's right to exist.  Dwaik also said that Hamas would also potentially be prepared to nullify its decades-old charter which states that the organization would never recognize that the state of Israel has a right to exist.  Meanwhile, a newly released Vatican document blames the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the "occupying" of lands for fomenting most of the conflicts in the Middle East.

Both of these stunning developments come at a time when the worldwide pressure for Israel to agree to a Palestinian state has grown to a fever pitch.

In fact, many are viewing this recent posturing by Hamas as nothing more than a shrewd public relations ploy.  

You see, there are essentially two organizations running the Palestinians - the Palestinian authority in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza strip. 

The Israeli government has been willing to negotiate off and on with the Palestinian authority, but they have had major problems with Hamas.  The absolute extermination of the nation of Israel has always been the stated policy of Hamas, but now things are apparently changing (at least for public consumption).  

In fact, Aziz Dwaik sounds almost dismissive when talking about the cherished charter of his organization.  Just consider the following quotes by Dwaik in the Jerusalem Post.... 

"The [Hamas] charter was drafted more than 20 years ago," Dwaik noted, adding that his movement would even be prepared to "nullify" the document.

"No one wants to throw anyone into the sea," he said.

Many believe that Dwaik will be the next president of the Palestinian Authority, so his words carry with them a great deal of weight. 

In fact, Dwaik's remarks are being viewed by many as an attempt to win official recognition from the international community.

But of course the main goal is to get a Palestinian state.

Intense pressure is being placed on Israel from all over the globe to give the Palestinians a state based on pre-1967 borders.

So what is Israel supposed to get in return?

A promise of peace that won't even be worth the paper it is written on.

Some deal, huh?

Meanwhile, an internal document to be used as a guide for an upcoming meeting of Mideast Catholic bishops blames the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the "occupying" of lands as the root cause for most of the conflicts in the Middle East.

So just who is "occupying" lands according to the bishops?

Well, apparently that would be the United States and Israel.

Particularly Israel.

The reality is that the Vatican has endorsed the Mideast Road Map which calls for an independent Palestinian state and a freeze on all Israeli settlement activity.

Apparently the Vatican has not spent a lot of time reading what God has to say about dividing the land of Israel - or else they are just willfully ignoring it.

In any event, another key element in this equation is the Vatican's not-so-secret agenda for the city of Jerusalem.  Not only has the Vatican publicly expressed a desire to have sovereignty over the Christian holy sites in Jerusalem transferred to it, the truth is that the Vatican would ultimately love to be the governing authority over the entire city of Jerusalem.

Think of it as a "second Vatican" if you will.

Now that is not likely to ever come to pass, but if the Vatican could get control over Jerusalem somehow they would grab it in a second.

More than ever, the land of Israel, and in particular the city of Jerusalem, has become a "burdensome stone" in these last days.  The world is going to keep whining and complaining and putting pressure on Israel until they get a Palestinian state. 

But ultimately the world will see that a Palestinian state will not solve anything.  The nation of Israel is not going to experience true and lasting peace until Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah returns to this earth.

"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."
-Luke 21:11

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that has essentially destroyed the nation of Haiti has refocused attention on the prophecies about earthquakes in the last days that we find in the Scriptures.  Yahshua (Jesus) told us that we would see an increase in earthquakes as we approached His coming and that this would be a clear sign that the end times was at hand.  Could the unusual shaking that we are currently seeing around the world be an indication that we are approaching the time prophesied almost 2000 years ago?

You see, unfortunately the Haiti earthquake is not an isolated incident.  2010 is already a banner year for major earthquakes.

For example, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook the ocean floor between South America and Antarctica on Sunday.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit Guatemala's Pacific coast near the border with El Salvador on Monday, but fortunately it did not do much damage.

There have already been five magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes in the area of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean so far in 2010.

The annual average of worldwide earthquakes measuring 6.0 or greater is 152.  If the current pace continues, we will see 260 in 2010.

The earth is shaking my friends.

But aren't we safe from such things in most areas of the United States?

Well, no.

U.S. scientists are predicting that a Haiti-magnitude earthquake will strike along the New Madrid fault in the U.S. some time during the next 50 years.

In 1811, an earthquake along the New Madrid fault was so powerful that it "shook windows and furniture in Washington, D.C., rang bells in Richmond, Virginia, sloshed well water and shook houses in Charleston, South Carolina, and knocked plaster off of houses in Columbia, South Carolina."

At that time the area of the New Madrid fault was not heavily populated, so the damage was somewhat minimized.  But if a true "killer quake" were to strike along the New Madrid fault now, it could devastate an area all the way from Chicago down to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

But the New Madrid fault is not the only area of the U.S. that is a concern.

The truth is that residents of California live in perpetual anticipation of a major earthquake, and a flurry of recent earthquake activity all over that state is raising concerns that California could be the next spot to be hit by the Big One. 

In fact, a very large number of small earthquakes have been reported all over the state of California in the last 7 days.

So will California be hit by a "killer quake" any time soon?

Let's hope not.

But scientists are essentially guaranteeing that one will hit that state during our lifetimes.

The Los Angeles Times recently reported on the "Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast" which was released in 2007.  That report says that California has a 99.7% chance of a 6.7 magnitude earthquake within 30 years.

A 99.7 percent chance?

Ouch.

While most buildings in California would survive a 7.0 earthquake better than most buildings in Haiti did, the truth is that California may eventually see a killer earthquake that is far, far more powerful than the one that Haiti just witnessed.

In fact, there are those who theorize that a truly massive quake could permanently alter the geography of California.

Seriously.

And if we are to take the words of Yahshua (Jesus) seriously (and we should), then we are only going to see an increase in the frequency and severity of global earthquakes from here on out.

So get ready.

A shaking is coming.

The church in America is a complete and total mess.  A shocking new poll of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States has revealed that only 39 percent of the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.

39 percent?

Yes, 39 percent.

This figure comes from the latest "Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians" report which was recently released by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

What is even more stunning is that when you look at only the pastors, the numbers are even lower.

Only 35 percent of the pastors surveyed agreed with the statement that "only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved."

So almost two-thirds of the pastors in the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States believe that there are other ways to be saved other than through Jesus Christ.

At this point it would be really east to jump all over the Presbyterians, but the truth is that this type of apostasy is common in many Christian denominations.

For example, USA Today recently reported on an almost unbelievable new survey that found that 52 percent of American Christians believe that eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

So not only do a majority of Presbyterians not believe that Jesus is the only path for salvation, a majority of Christians throughout the United States believe this as well.

In fact, a different survey taken last year by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 57 percent of evangelical Christians in the U.S. believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life".

What in the world?

What is happening in our churches?

How far have we gotten from the basics of the Christian faith?

In John 14:6, Jesus told us the following....

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

There is no other way to salvation.

Just think about it for a minute.

If there was any other way for our sins to be forgiven, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross?

If there were many other ways to salvation, then the death of Jesus on the cross was totally unnecessary.

Jesus could have simply come down to earth, pointed out a bunch of other ways to get to heaven, and then could have gone back up to heaven without ever having to deal with the cross.

But the truth is that there was no other way for our sins to be paid for.

Jesus Christ, being the sinless Son of God, died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humanity.

All other religions reject this, and most of them involve jumping through "hoops" and doing good works of some kind or another in order to try to obtain the favor of a deity.

But the reality is that without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ there is no path to heaven.

Without Jesus to pay for our sins we are all still guilty.

Why can't Christians in the United States understand this?

The truth is that the church in America is a complete and total mess.  But we knew that these days would come.  2 Timothy 4:3 tells us this.....

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

There were also other results from the PC(USA) survey that were almost equally as shocking.  Just consider these numbers....

*Only one in six members and even fewer ministers believe that the Bible is to be taken literally, word for word.

*Only 44 percent say that they have had a "conversion experience" when they committed themselves to Christ.

So what are we to make of all this?

The reality is that the PC(USA) is not the only denomination out there that is a total mess.

Most churches do not teach Biblical Christianity anymore.

Most churches do not teach the basics of the Christian faith.

Perhaps you attend one of those churches.

If you are confused about what the Bible says about God and about salvation, then we encourage you to check out the new website that we are putting together that answers some of the most basic questions about the Christian faith.

In particular, we would encourage you to read an article that we put together entitled "What Does The Bible Say About Salvation?"

The truth is that the Bible is very clear about God's plan of salvation, and it is the most important message that any of us will ever hear.  If you do not know where you would go if you died tonight, please do not let another day pass without finding out what God has to say about your future destiny. 

Nothing could be more important.

For decades, China was viewed by U.S. strategists as a struggling communist nation with a massive population that really did not represent any kind of strategic threat to the United States at all.  But that has now dramatically changed.  Thanks to trade agreements that are extremely favorable to China, the "Great Dragon" has risen and has become a formidable economic machine.  Already accounting for a fifth of humanity, this new economic muscle has also allowed Beijing to dramatically reform and upgrade the Chinese military.  Now China is without a doubt a world superpower and it stands poised to be a major player on the world stage during the last days.

So just how powerful of an economic force is China now?

Well, in 2010 China is expected to replace Japan as the world's second-largest economy.

Not only that, but China has overtaken Germany and is now the biggest exporter in the entire world.

Let that sink in for a bit.

China sells more stuff to other countries than anyone else in the world.

That fact alone is enough to make China an economic superpower.

Citizens of the U.S. like to think of themselves as the greatest economic superpower, but the reality is that the average American is drowning in debt.  In fact, the average American piled up even more debt this past Christmas season buying cheap plastic stuff made in China to exchange with family members around the ole Christmas tree.

The truth is that U.S. wealth is flowing into China at a staggering rate, and nobody seems to want to do a thing about it.

And thanks to ridiculously one-sided trade agreements, that arrangement is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

But China's growing economic power is only one side of the equation.

It is China's emerging military strength that has U.S. military strategists starting to sit up and take notice.

Very quietly, China has been engaged in one of the greatest military buildups of modern times.

On Wednesday, Wallace Gregson, the Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, made the following statement regarding China in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee....

"We remain troubled by China’s continued lack of openness and transparency in military affairs."

The truth is that China has always had one of the world's largest militaries.  The PLA maintains a force of over two million men, and it is complemented by the world's third largest air force and the world's largest small ship navy.

But now China has enough wealth to develop and purchase cutting edge military technology.  The reality is that China is quickly becoming a very serious strategic threat to the United States.

For example, China has just successfully tested a new technology designed to shoot down incoming missiles in mid-air.

In addition, China is also pursuing technology that could home in on and destroy satellites in orbit.

Nobody was concerned about China developing these types of capabilities a couple decades ago.  But now armed with billions of dollars from the West, China is rapidly gaining ground on the U.S. military.

China is rapidly expanding and modernizing their conventional forces as well.  China is planning a massive investment in helicopter production with a goal of increasing its helicopter fleet tenfold by the end of the year.

Tenfold?

Yes, you read that right.

There are also rumors that China is planning to build several aircraft carriers, although Beijing is denying those rumors at this point.

There are also reports that the Chinese military is considering setting up military bases and possibly deploying forces in the Middle East over the next decade as a means of protecting its access to strategic materials.

You see, China is heavily invested in the Middle East - particularly in Iran.  In fact, China is Iran's main customer for oil.  China has plans to invest approximately 43 billion dollars in Iran's oil industry, and it has expressed serious concerns about a potential attack on Iran by the United States and/or Israel.

And that right there might end up being the key which brings the United States into conflict with China.

The Chinese are not going to sit idly by and watch the United States and/or Israel decimate Iran and cut off one of their key sources of oil.

The growing Chinese economy desperately needs oil to keep on churning.  A reliable supply of oil is of the utmost strategic importance to the Chinese government.

If the United States and/or Israel goes to war with Iran it would likely infuriate China.

In fact, there are many who believe that it is only a matter of time until the United States and China go to war.

Let us hope that day does not come any time soon, but the reality is that China has become a world superpower and it is going to be a major player in the last days. 

Anyone in the U.S. government who does not take China seriously from now on is making a huge mistake.  The Dragon has risen and it is not going away.

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. 

The new full body scanners going into airports across the United States are being hailed as the next great innovation in airport security, but the truth is that most Americans do not understand what these machines actually do. The reality is that these machines produce an image that is the closest one can get to seeing someone's exposed body without actually seeing their skin. Every curve, every crevice and every detail of the bodies of every passenger will be completely exposed to the eyes of gawking airport security officials. In addition, a number of scientific experts are now claiming that the technology used by these scanners actually is damaging to human DNA. But even with all of these concerns, new polls reveal that an overwhelming majority of Americans want these machines to be installed in U.S. airports.

So are you ready to walk through full body scanners that give security officials a crystal clear look at your completely exposed body?

Democratic political strategist James Carville apparently is....

"Let me buy a [security] card, then go and measure my *****, and let me get on the airplane."

But is this the way that the new "Amerika" has to be?

A place where all dignity and all privacy is completely thrown out the window?

A place where there is no shame and where we are all reduced to little more than cattle to be herded around and embarrassed?

But not only are these new full body scanners a threat to privacy, they are also potentially dangerous to our health.

Many of these machines use terahertz waves in order to produce the images that security officials see.  Technology Review recently described how these new machines work this way....

Great things are expected of terahertz waves, the radiation that fills the slot in the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and the infrared. Terahertz waves pass through non-conducting materials such as clothes , paper, wood and brick and so cameras sensitive to them can peer inside envelopes, into living rooms and "frisk" people at distance.

This capability to see "inside" of clothing has security authorities very excited, but is there a downside to this technology? 

Yes, apparently there is.  According to Technology Review, there is now substantial evidence that shows that terahertz radiation actually damages human DNA....

The evidence that terahertz radiation damages biological systems is mixed. "Some studies reported significant genetic damage while others, although similar, showed none," say Boian Alexandrov at the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and a few buddies. Now these guys think they know why.

Alexandrov and co have created a model to investigate how THz fields interact with double-stranded DNA and what they've found is remarkable. They say that although the forces generated are tiny, resonant effects allow THz waves to unzip double-stranded DNA, creating bubbles in the double strand that could significantly interfere with processes such as gene expression and DNA replication. That's a jaw dropping conclusion.

That is very frightening stuff.

The truth is that there have never been any clinical trials that indicate that multiple exposures to such terahertz waves are safe for humans.

If terahertz waves do "unzip double-stranded DNA", then perhaps some testing should be done before millions of Americans are marched through these machines.

But right now Americans are so scared of another "underwear bomber" that they are overwhelmingly in favor of putting these full body scanners into U.S. airports. 

A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll says that 78 percent of Americans approve of these new full body scanners.

78 percent?

Are the American people that stupid?

Isn't someone going to stand up and say that it goes way over the line to herd the American people into machines so that security officials can look at their private areas?

But this is what we are becoming.

We always knew that in the last days hearts were going to become hardened and people would lose their humanity and any sense of shame.

Thanks to these new scanners that process of stripping away our humanity and our dignity will certainly be accelerated. 

Say goodbye to the America that your parents and grandparents knew.

Say hello to "Amerika" - where individual liberties are a thing of the past and where the Big Brother security apparatus rules over all.

If you asked most people on the street which nation produces the most oil most of them would say that the answer is Saudi Arabia of course.  But they would be dead wrong.  The truth is that Russia is the number one oil producer in the world.  Not only that, but Russia is also the number one natural gas exporter in the world.

So what does that mean?

It means that Russia is the top energy superpower on the globe. 

Russia pumped more than 10 million barrels of oil per day during November, and now they have done something which will give them even more power over energy.

Russia has just finished a new oil pipeline and port complex that enables them to export more oil than Saudi Arabia.  On December 28th, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was on hand to celebrate the opening of Russia’s first modern Pacific-based oil export facilities.  The Pacific port of Kozmino is a project that Putin is extremely proud of, and it promises to literally change the world.

So what makes this port so significant?

The new Kozmino complex promises to be a gate through which Russia’s vast East Siberian oilfields will supply oil for Asia’s energy-hungry economies.

Notice that the Middle East and the West are not part of that equation.

According to Reuters, the first oil transport will load at Kozmino on January 15th.  Hong Kong is scheduled to receive that first shipment.

But this is just the latest sign that Russia has more than recovered from their past economic woes.

In fact, the Russian Bear is back.

Not only is Russia the number one energy superpower in the world, but their economy has been rocking over the past decade.  Russia ended 2008 with GDP growth of 6.0%, and that followed 10 straight years of growth averaging 7% annually.

Moscow is now one of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live.  The economic turmoil of the 90s is a long-forgotten memory.

Russia has been using this new economic power to modernize and strengthen both its conventional military forces and its strategic military assets.

The truth is that Russia is not as strong as they were at the end of the Cold War.

They are now far stronger.

In early 2010, Russia is now a greater strategic threat to the United States than it ever has been before, but the U.S. is still treating Russia as though the Cold War just ended and Russia was the loser.

In fact, Barack Obama is pushing for a plan which would reduce the size of the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal to about 10 percent of what it was during the Cold War.

Fortunately, some in the Pentagon are quite upset about Barack Obama's plan to start phasing out America's nuclear weapons.

But the vast majority of the American people seem unconcerned.

But they should be.

The number of threats and the number of potential targets is multiplying at a time when Obama wants to dramatically reduce our nuclear capability.

Back during the Cold War, the Soviet Union was basically the only "real" nuclear threat out there.  Today the situation has fundamentally changed.

But Obama believes that in order for the U.S. to have the right preach to other nations that they should not have nuclear weapons, we need to start getting rid of our own. 

So he is dismantling the protective nuclear deterrent that has protected the United States for generations.

With the Russian Bear back and stronger than ever, someday Americans will realize what a massive mistake that was.

We love to get reader comments, and we publish as many as we can (as long as they are clean and not overly spammy), and we do try to take each one of them into consideration. In response to our last post, a reader named Filip posted the following comment: "…I love the articles on this website but man you guys are lazy! one article every 2 weeks and then for this one you make an article with links to most of your previous articles give me a break…"

This comment really made us reflect for a moment.

Are we actually lazy?

Maybe we are.

We certainly are not angry at Filip for his comment.

The truth is that we understand that it is frustrating to come to a good website and find that nothing has been put up in the last few days.

But on the days when we can't get to this website we are actually quite busy.

The reality is that my wife and I run over 50 websites by ourselves - many of them that need continual updating.

We find that having a larger number of outlets is a better way for our message to reach a larger audience, but it also makes it difficult to post on sites like this as much as we would like.

So then how can readers like Filip follow our work without going crazy?

Well, let us suggest the following ways to keep up with everything that we put out without having to run around to 50 different sites....

#1) Follow us on Twitter - our account is Revelation1217 and we post updates there on all the articles that we do related to the last days and Bible prophecy.

#2) Follow us on Facebook - you can friend us on Facebook here.  That is an account that we also use to post updates on all of our most important new articles.

#3) Check "The Most Important News" every day - We run a daily news website called The Most Important News, and five or six days a week (on normal weeks) we post the most important news headlines from all over the world.  That site posts a lot of stories that are very important to Bible prophecy, so it is an important site to check out every day.

#4) On our StumbleUpon profile you can find a list of most of the key articles that we have posted the last few days.  In fact, if you subscribe to our profile that will really help you keep connected with us.

#5) One of our new websites that is getting a TON of attention is The Economic Collapse Blog.  If you have not done so yet, please go check it out.

#6) To learn more about what we believe in (Biblical Christianity), please check out our statement of faith on another one of our new websites.

#7) Lastly, learning all of these things about the last days will not do you any good if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  To learn how you can enter into a relationship with God, please read this recent article that we posted about what the Bible says about salvation.

2009 was truly a year when we saw the pace of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy really begin to pick up speed and accelerate.  The creation of a Palestinian state almost seems like a foregone conclusion now, and yet the next major war in the Middle East seems closer than ever.  Iran has continued to relentlessly pursue the development of a nuclear program even as Israel and the United States continue to insist that they will never allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.  Preparations for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple have intensified and the developing world government continued to emerge this past year.  Not only that, but the decline of Biblical Christianity in both Europe and the United States  rolls on with no apparent end in sight.  So what does all of this mean for 2010?  It means that we had all better buckle up, because things are going to get very interesting very quickly.

But for today we thought that we would take a look back at some of the most important news stories from this past year.  The following are the 18 most significant stories posted on The Last Days during 2009....

#1) The Sacrificial Altar Is Being Rebuilt For The Future Temple In Jerusalem

#2) The Radical Population Control And Eugenics Agenda Of The Global Elite

#3) Why Israel Simply Cannot Allow Iran To Have A Nuclear Weapon

#4) The Temple Institute In Jerusalem Has Spent Approximately 27 Million Dollars On Preparations For The Rebuilding Of The Jewish Temple

#5) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Says That The United States Is Attempting To Block The Arrival Of The Mahdi

#6) Europe Rides The Beast: Official EU Symbols Tell Us Exactly What The Global Elite Plan To Do To Humanity

#7) Iran Has Successfully Tested A Long Range Missile And Is Closer To Producing Nuclear Weapons Than Ever

#8) The Equality Bill: Will A New Law Essentially Outlaw Evangelical Christianity And Roman Catholicism In The U.K.?

#9) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Endorses An Independent Palestinian State

#10) Hezbollah Has Stockpiled 40,000 Rockets Near Israel’s Border And They Have Now Acquired Chemical Warheads

#11) A Plan For Jews And Muslims To Share The Temple Mount?

#12) The Bezichin: The Temple Institute Unveils Two Golden Censors For The Coming Rebuilt Jewish Temple

#13) Pope Benedict: We Need A World Government

#14) A Play Depicting Jesus As A Gay Man Performed At A Packed Church In California

#15) The Mark Of The Beast

#16) The First President Of Europe, Herman Van Rompuy, Is Calling For A European Tax And Has Declared 2009 To Be The First Year Of Global Governance

#17) The Decline Of Christianity In America

#18) Will The Messianic Expectations Of All Major World Religions Pave The Way For Antichrist?

Iran is reportedly close to reaching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan.  This deal would be in direct defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions.  Reports also indicate that Iran is willing to pay approximately 450 million dollars for the shipment.  The price for the shipment was apparently so high because of the need to keep the deal secret and because of the risk that the world community would find out about it.  But now the world community has found out about it.  

So why is Iran willing to defy United Nations sanctions to get their hands on more uranium?

Well, the truth is that Iran is probably running out of it and needs more uranium in order to continue their nuclear program at the same pace.

This comes at a time when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed a year end deadline set by the Obama administration and the West for Iran to accept a UN-drafted deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel.

The United States and the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have threatened Iran with new sanctions if it did not accept a compromise deal by the end of this year.

According to the plan brokered in October by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is supposed to export low-enriched uranium to Russia and France which would conduct further enrichment for them.

But Iran has publicly announced that they intend to do the additional enrichment themselves.

Meanwhile, a maverick Iraqi politician is warning that Iran could "go nuclear" within weeks.

In an interview earlier this month, Iraqi parliamentarian Mithal al-Alusi made the following statements....

"We are receiving information which says Iran is so close to producing an atom bomb."

"All the international community, they don't realize how close [the Iranians] are to the goal... The Iranians will surprise us one day [soon] and say, 'We have it.'"

Those are sobering statements.

Especially when you consider the implications.

The truth is that Israel simply cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.

The Israeli government is keeping a close eye on the situation in Iran and realizes that they cannot allow Iran to proceed with their nuclear ambitions forever.

In fact, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon said recently that the year 2010 will be a decisive year for Iran and its nuclear plan.

A decisive year?

Could that mean war in 2010 or 2011?

What would happen if Israel did strike Iran's nuclear program?

Well, according to one new report, Iran would launch a counterattack on Israel and on all U.S. bases in the Gulf region if Israel does strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

If Iran did that, it could spark a massive war that could engulf the entire Middle East.  The consequences of such a war would be mind boggling.

But before resorting to a military strike, it is likely that the governments of the West will continue to try to promote an internal revolution in Iran.  Changing the regime in that manner would be a lot "easier" for Western nations than a full scale war.  However, the prospects for a successful internal revolution in Iran at this point seem dim at best.

What does seem clear at this point is that Bible prophecy will continue to be fulfilled in 2010.  We are truly living in the last days, and there are times when it will be absolutely terrifying, but who wouldn't want to live during one of the most exciting times in all of human history?

Did that headline get your attention?  It should.  A new law is dangerously close to becoming law in the U.K. that would essentially outlaw evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.  Not that "The Equality Bill" specifically designates those faiths as illegal in the legislation itself.  Rather, the bill outlaws specific beliefs and practices that are fundamental to both evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.  In fact, experts are saying that "The Equality Bill" would create a volcanic eruption of litigation in U.K. courts and would ultimately force those who wish to continue to practice anything that even looks like traditional Christianity to go underground.

So just what is the Equality Bill? 

The Equality Bill allegedly aims to consolidate all existing anti-discrimination laws into a single legal framework.  However, it actually goes much farther than any "anti-discrimination" laws in the U.K. have ever gone before.

On the surface, this legislation seems like a good idea.  After all, who wants to discriminate against old people or people of other races?  You can read a summary of this legislation put out by backers of the bill right here.  It actually contains a few good proposals. 

But it is also a vicious attack on traditional Christianity.

The Telegraph quotes a top level official from the "Ministry for Equality" as saying the following when he was asked whether the Equality Bill would lead to legal action between churches and atheists....

"Both need to be lining up [their lawyers]," he said. "The secularists should have the right to challenge the church."

Secularists should have the right to challenge the beliefs and practices of the church?

What in the world?

So exactly what would the Equality Bill mean for churches in the U.K.?

Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics would be wide open not only to lawsuits but also to unlimited government fines and even criminal prosecution if....

*They are found to discriminate against homosexuals or transsexuals in any area of employment - including the hiring of pastors and priests.

*They are found to discriminate against homosexuals or transsexuals in any preaching or teaching. 

*They are found to discriminate against hiring married men or women as priests as the Roman Catholics have done for centuries.

*They are found to insist that pastors or priests remain celibate (as in the case of Catholics) or only have sex within marriage (as in the case of evangelicals).

*They are found trying to prevent any of their clergy from entering into same-sex civil partnerships.

*They are found to be trying to prevent their pastors or priests from having sex change operations, living openly promiscuous lifestyles or engaging in any other form of sexual expression.

So essentially, if the Equality Bill is fully implemented, no religious organization is the U.K. will be able to preach or teach against sexual immorality, will be able to discriminate against the sexually immoral when hiring clergy or will be able to take a formal moral stand against sexually immorality in any way whatsoever.

Some analysts are even claiming that if the Equality Bill is adopted, all hiring for church positions that do not spend at least 51 percent of their time leading worship and preaching would be subject to regulations that would ban discrimination against those from other religions.  So, for example, a Baptist church would be forced to consider an Islamic candidate for a position that ministers to the youth but that also performs other non-teaching functions much of the time as well.

Basically the Equality Bill would be a total nightmare for both evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics in the U.K.  The fact that the law is written in such vague terms would open up the floodgates for all kinds of endless litigation.  If the Equality Bill becomes law, free speech and free expression in churches in the U.K. would be deeply chilled as church leaders struggle with the never ending threat of lawsuits, fines and criminal prosecution.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly preach against sexual sin would be over.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly have any say over the sexual behavior of their clergy would be over.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly discuss what the Bible says about "right" and "wrong" would be over.

Thus this would essentially mean that end of legal evangelical Christianity and legal Roman Catholicism in the U.K.

That sounds quite dramatic, but that is the truth of the matter.

In fact, Baroness O'Cathain, a Tory lawmaker and an evangelical Christian, said last week that the Equality Bill is the "single most damaging Bill to come before the House in my 18 years as a Member".

Are you starting to get the idea?

We are living in the last days, and the truth is that Christian persecution is exploding all over the world.  Christians in western nations have always thought that it was something that happened "over there", but now Christian persecution is moving forward with blinding speed in places such as the U.K.

Ultimately, there will be no escaping persecution.  If you plan to be a Christian in the last days you will face persecution as long as you are on this earth.

You better get ready for it.

If you are a Christian and you are not already being persecuted, you will be soon.

United Nations General Secretary is publicly admitting that the worldwide climate change treaty will be enforced by global government. Up until now, many have dismissed reports that the treaty being discussed in Copenhagen would represent a giant step towards world government. However, when the head of the United Nations tells an interviewer for the Los Angeles Times that "we will establish a global governance structure to monitor and manage the implementation of this", what are we all supposed to think?  In fact, a former official in the Thatcher administration, Lord Christopher Monckton, has seen a draft of the treaty being discussed and he says that it creates 700 new bureaucracies which will implement and enforce the provisions of the climate change treaty.  These bureaucracies will have power to enforce the new world environmental laws that supersedes the authority of national governments around the world.

Fortunately, it appears that a formal treaty will not be signed in Copenhagen.  However, Ban Ki-Moon is hopeful that a "binding political deal" will be signed.

So what is the difference between a "treaty" and a "binding political deal"?

That is a good question.

Ban Ki-Moon put it this way during his interview with the Los Angeles Times in response to a question of whether or not a political deal in Copenhagen is still possible....

We need to have a very strong, robust, binding political deal that will have an immediate operational effect. This is not going to be a political declaration, just for the sake of declaration. It is going to be a binding political deal, which will lead to a legally binding treaty next year.

However, Ban Ki-Moon does expect a final climate change treaty to be signed by mid-2010.

What most people do not realize is that the treaty being discussed in Copenhagen will institute new world taxes which would transfer wealth from "rich nations" as payment for the "carbon debt" that we have accumulated.

Ban Ki-Moon also commented on this during his interview with the L.A. Times....

Developed countries have political and moral responsibilities, therefore they have to do more, first of all by coming out with ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and they should be prepared to provide financial support.

We have pretty good agreement on short-term, fast-track financial support in the order of $10 billion for the coming three years. When we agree on a politically binding agreement, this will have immediate operational effect, including financial support from next year.

This financial support will reportedly be ongoing for the life of the treaty.

So when will the treaty end?

Can the United States ever get out of it?

Well, reports from those who have seen the draft treaty indicate that the only way a nation can leave the treaty is if every single other nation agrees.

Now, if "developing nations" are receiving large payments from the United States every single year, how likely do you think it is for every single one of them to vote to allow the U.S. to leave the treaty?

The truth is that the treaty is structured so that the United States would be committed to it forever.  According to the draft treaty being considered, no future president or Congress would be able to do anything to get the United States out of the treaty.  The only way to get out of it would be a unanimous vote from every single one of the other nations.

This is the kind of deal that Barack Obama wants to lock the United States into.

What a nightmare.

As Barack Obama and the United Nations twiddle their thumbs, Iran is aggressively moving towards the development of a strategic nuclear arsenal.  Not only has Iran successfully tested a long range missile that can hit targets well over a thousand miles away, but new intelligence documents show that Iran is actively working on some of the key components necessary for a nuclear bomb.  The truth is that Iran knows that once they have an arsenal of hundreds of nuclear warheads, nations such as the United States and Israel will be much, much more hesitant to attack them and they will be able to do pretty much whatever they please on the world scene.   

The fact that Iran greatly desires to become a strategic military power was underlined just the other day when Iran successfully test fired a long range missile that can reportedly hit targets 1,250 miles away.  This will now give Iran the capability to easily hit Israel, U.S. bases in the Gulf, and most of southeast Europe.

The Pentagon is so concerned about these developments in Iran that they will actually test its core missile defenses for the first time in January against a simulated long-range Iranian attack.

The reality is that it is now only a matter of time until Iran develops even longer range weapons that will be able to directly target the United States.

In "Surat al-Fil" ("The Elephant"), one of the Qur’an’s shortest chapters, Allah sends a flock of birds to destroy the followers of Sultan Abraha.  In the story these followers of Sultan Abraha were to be destroyed because they were plotting to destroy the Kaaba.  So, according to the story, Allah equips these birds with baked clay stones, which they end up hurling at the elephants of Sultan Abraha, supposedly stopping his advance toward the city.

Imagine having the continued existence of your family each day depend on an Ayatollah over in Iran deciding not to press a button.

And the truth is that Iran is much closer to being able to produce a nuclear bomb than ever before.

On Tuesday, Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin said that Iran has now accumulated enough materials to create a nuclear bomb.

So will they?

Well, confidential intelligence documents obtained by one U.K. newspaper clearly show that Iran is working on testing a key final component for a nuclear bomb. 

In particular, the documents reveal plans by Iran to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion.

Uh oh.

Why haven't we heard more about this on the news?

David Albright, a physicist and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington is quoted in The Times as saying the following about this trigger....

“Although Iran might claim that this work is for civil purposes, there is no civil application.”

The mention of UD3 in the documents is of particular concern to intelligence analysts.  UD3 is commonly used as a neutron source - the trigger to the chain reaction for a nuclear explosion.

But of course Iran continues to insist that they are developing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes only.

If you believe that, we have a bridge to sell you.

While there are some politicians around the globe who seem to be buying into Iran's nonsense, fortunately the government of Israel seems to be acutely aware of what is going on.

In fact, Israeli experts are now saying that "the point of no return" for Iran's nuclear program may be only six months away.

Only six months away?

Could there be a war in 2010?

Let's hope not.

Or let us hope that it is delayed as long as possible.

But the truth is that Israel cannot let Iran have nukes. 

If you do not understand this yet, please read this article: "Why Israel Simply Cannot Allow Iran To Have A Nuclear Weapon".

So if Iran does not change course, they will be attacked.

But one key question is this....

If Israel attacks Iran, will Syria attack Israel?

If Syria does attack Israel that could spark a war that engulfs the entire Middle East. 

In fact, there are rumors that Iran and Hezbollah could be preparing for a pre-emptive war.

So what are Barack Obama and the U.S. government doing about all of this?

Not much.

In a move that was supposedly designed to deter Iran from pursuing its nuclear program, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation to impose sanctions on foreign companies that help supply gasoline to Iran.

Do you think that the Iranian leadership is shaking in their boots over that?

The truth is that this is one of the most bizarre games of "chicken" in the history of the Middle East.  Whoever shoots first is going to be at a great disadvantage in terms of world opinion, but the truth is that Israel simply cannot wait forever.

These developments represent just another indication that we are really living in the last days before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In yet another sign of how mentally unstable he is, Al Arabiya television is reporting that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is claiming that the United States is attempting to block the return of the Mahdi. Shi'ite Muslims (and some Sunni Muslims) believe that the Mahdi will be revealed during a time of great crisis and will rid the world of error, tyranny and injustice alongside Jesus.  Ahmadinejad has spoken frequently of the Mahdi in the past.  He is apparently a true believer in this messianic figure.  Now Ahmadinejad has taken things to an entirely new level by claiming that the United States government is actively trying to block the arrival of the Mahdi. 

Fox News is reporting that Ahmadinejad made the following remarks about the United States during a speech on Monday....

"We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world".

They are also reporting that Ahmadinejad stated that the United States is coming against Iran because "they know" that Iran is the nation that will prepare the way for the Mahdi's coming....

"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".

So, according to Ahmadinejad's way of thinking, what would be the logical thing to do about a Satanic nation that is actively trying to prevent the arrival of the savior of mankind?

Would it be logical to do everything possible to destroy them?

Of course.

This is yet another reason why Iran cannot be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons.

You see, Ahmadinejad is obsessed with the coming of the Mahdi and will do whatever he can to help bring it to pass.

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."

They believe that he is still alive somewhere on earth and will be revealed when the time is right.

Ahmadinejad is convinced that the time for the arrival of the Mahdi is near.

It would be a huge mistake to underestimate what Ahmadinedjad is willing to do in order to "prepare the way" for the Mahdi.

But Ahmadinejad is not the only world leader with expectations that a messianic figure will soon arrive. 

As we covered in our recent article entitled "Will The Messianic Expectations Of All Major World Religions Pave The Way For Antichrist?", all of the major religions of the world are expecting "a messianic figure" to arrive soon.

Could the Antichrist one day exploit these expectations to establish his rule over the entire world?

We are truly living in the last days.  Praise God that we get to live during this time when Bible prophecy is literally coming to life right before our eyes.

The Lisbon Treaty, which came into full effect on December 1st, basically ended the national sovereignty for most European nations.  Most of the important decisions for the citizens of Europe will now be made by a small group of European elitists - many of them totally unelected.  But for the global elite, the consolidation of the EU is just one step towards a larger goal.  You see, the ultimate desire of these elitists is to merge regional alliances such as the EU into a world government.  In fact, in symbols used on official European coins, posters and artwork, the elite have sent us a message telling us exactly what they are planning to do to all of humanity - if anyone out there is willing to listen.

The picture at the top of this article is of a statue right outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.  It is a statue of the pagan goddess Europa riding a bull.  EU representatives openly acknowledge as much.  According to Greek tradition, Europa (from which Europe takes it’s name) was a beautiful Phoenecian woman of high ranking who draws the attention of Zeus - the great Greek sky god.  Zeus becomes so enamored with Europa that he transforms himself into the most beautiful white bull that anyone has ever seen. Europa spots this beautiful bull and climbs on top of it and suddenly the bull plunges into the sea and rapes her. Zeus then takes Europa away to Crete where he finally reveals his true identity.

The following is a version of the story of the goddess Europa from the San Diego State University website.....

One night Europa had a dream. In this dream two continents, which were in the forms of women were arguing over Europa. Asia maintained that since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other continent, which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, that Zeus would give her to it. It was early morning, disturbed by the dream Europa did not go back to sleep. She summoned her companions, who were all daughters of nobility and of her age. It was a beautiful day and they went off gathering flowers by the sea. Zeus noticed this charming group, particularly Europa, who was the prettest [sic] of the maidens…Zeus appeared to the group as a white bull. A white bull more beautiful then any other…The bull laid down in front of Europa. She slid on to its back. Instantly, the bull charged off, plunging into the sea, and began to swim rapidly from the shore. Europa saw that a procession had joined them, Nereids riding dolphins, Triton blowing his horn, even Poseidon. From this she realized that the bull must be a god. She pleaded with him to pity her. Zeus spoke to her and explained his love. He took her to Create, where he had been raised. He promised that she would bear him many famous sons.

So what does all of this have to do with today?

Well, you see, Zeus (the bull) is associated in the Scriptures with the true master of these elitists.  In Revelation 2:12-13, we read the following....

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne."

So what was so special about Pergamum?

That was where the Great Altar of Pergamum (or Pergamon) was.  Wikipedia tells us that following about this altar.....

The Great Altar of Pergamon, a massive stone podium about one hundred feet long and thirty-five feet high, was originally built in the 2nd century BC in the Ancient Greek city of Pergamon (modern day Bergama in Turkey) in north-western Anatolia, 25.74 kilometers (16 miles) from the Aegean Sea. The Great Altar of Pergamon has figured in lists of the Wonders of the World.

It has long been assumed that the magnificently-scaled and opulently decorated open-air altar (it is not a temple) was dedicated to Zeus.

You see, that is why in Revelation chapter 2 Jesus said that Satan's throne was there.  It was this gigantic altar of Zeus that He likely was referring to.

So by using this ancient legend as a symbol for the EU, the elitists are telling us that the plan of their master (Zeus or Satan or Lucifer) is to seduce Europe (Europa) and ultimately to dominate it.

We see this same legend promoted on coins, on posters and in artwork all throughout the EU.  Some examples are posted below.....

A 2 Euro coin was released in Greece that depicts a woman riding a beast.....

In 1996, a 5 Euro Coin was released that depicted Europa riding the bull.....

To commemorate the second election of the European Parliament in 1984, a stamp was released with this same symbology.....

A cover of Der Spiegel featured a picture of a woman riding a beast carrying the EU flag with the headline: "Good Morning Europe".....

Here is a German phonecard made by the EU.....

Time Magazine published some artwork of a "United Europe" that featured Europa riding the beast.....

The photo below is a Europa statue in front of the Winston Churchill Building.....

Not only that, but other EU symbols send messages that have a very deep meaning.  According to tradition, Nimrod was the one who began the building of the Tower of Babel.  He also built the very first empire after Noah's flood and he tried to establish the very first world government.  With that in mind, check out the EU poster below.  This poster was the official poster promoting the EU Parliament before it was banned because of protests from numerous groups.  Note how clearly it connects the EU with the Tower of Babel.....

By using this symbology, the EU elitists were basically saying that they wanted to complete what Nimrod started - the building of a world government.

This ties in directly with the symbology of the woman riding a beast.

You see, not only does a woman riding a beast hearken back to the legend of Zeus and Europa, it also has a direct connection to the Bible.  In the book of Revelation we also read about a woman riding a beast.  In Revelation 17:3 it says this.....

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

That beast in the book of Revelation represents the world government led by the Antichrist.  By so prominently using the symbol of a woman riding the beast, the global elite are very clearly communicating that they are connected with this coming Beast system.  They know what the Bible says when they use symbols like this.  It seems like they are almost bragging about it.

You see, the elitists at the very top of the pyramid are hardcore Luciferians.  They also know that Antichrist is coming, and they plan to serve him.  They believe that they are actually going to win the end.  They have confidence in their "god" just as we have confidence in our God.

Satan has deceived himself into believing that he can win this thing in the end and he has deceived his followers into believing the same thing.  Such a thing seems inconceivable to Christians - but this is what hardcore Luciferians actually believe.

In fact, one thing that is common among the Luciferian global elite is a compulsion to tell us exactly what they are about to do.  In this case, they are very open about the fact that not only do they intend to deceive and subjugate Europe, but they intend to do the same to all of humanity.

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.

Iran is becoming bolder and more aggressive by the day as the U.S. government continues to show absolutely no willingness to do anything about either their nuclear program or their sponsorship of terrorism.  In a dramatic escalation, Iran has officially announced a plan for 10 new industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities and has earmarked approximately 20 million dollars for terrorist groups fighting the West.  As we have written about previously, Israel simply cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.  Iran may be emboldened by the seeming weakness of the United States at this present time, but the reality is that Iran's actions are putting them on an inevitable path towards war - an end result which the majority of their population surely would not want. 

The biggest new development is the Iranian government's approval of a plan on Sunday to build 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities.  This represents a massive expansion of their nuclear program, and is in direct defiance of U.N. demands that it halt enrichment.

This action by the Iranian government comes only days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency censured Iran regarding its recent actions and demanded that they halt the construction of a recently revealed uranium enrichment facility.

Concerning these new facilities, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran will need to install 500,000 centrifuges throughout the 10 planned enrichment facilities in order to produce approxiamtely 250 to 300 tons of fuel per year.

But of course we all know that Iran has much more in mind than that.

The truth is that they want nuclear weapons and they are not going to stop until they get them.

Once Iran gets them, where will they end up?

That is the real danger.

You see, Iran is openly a state sponsor of terrorism and nobody seems to be willing to do anything about it.

Iran's parliament passed a stunning new law on Sunday which earmarked approximately 20 million dollars to support terrorist groups fighting the West. 

Something does not seem quite right when we all have to be groped by airport security before we get on an airplane, but Iran can openly send 20 million dollars to terrorist groups fighting the U.S. and Israel and get away with it.

Meanwhile, Russia and Iran have just agreed on new oil and gas deals.

That is just one reason why economic sanctions will not work.

Russia and China will not go along with them, so any economic sanctions will be totally ineffective.

So what is the answer?

War?

War with Iran would be a total and complete disaster.  Iran has a far more advanced military and is much more powerful than Iraq ever was.  Iran would not be a pushover for anyone.  A whole article could be written about the horrible military and economic consequences of war with Iran.

But Israel cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.

Israel recognizes this and has publicly stated this over and over.

But Iran is refusing to back down.  Instead they seem determined to play this bizarre game of nuclear chicken.

If there is not a fundamental change by one side or the other there is going to be a military conflict.

Evangelical Christians tend to get excited about such a prospect, and even though we are to expect such developments in the last days, the truth is that war is always horrible.  If it comes many people will die and it will not be something to rejoice about.