Saturday, December 27, 2008

Israel launches Massive Air Raid on Gaza

Curt Here...

After many days of rockets being fired from the Palestinians/Hamas into Israeli towns and after many days of warnings from Ehud Olmert, Israel retaliated today by launching a massive air raid into Gaza. It appears from the size and scale of the operation that Israel is very determined to end the assault of missiles from Hamas into their territory.

The article posted below also says that Israeli offensive has sparked angry Arab protests throughout the Arab world along with calls for immediate restoration of calm from many western leaders including the Vatican, Tony Blair and Javier Solana. The Arab League has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. The meeting is scheduled for either Sunday or Monday.

There are also rumors floating around that a major ground operation will probably be forthcoming into the Gaza Strip in the coming days or weeks. Some say reserve Israeli army units are already being called up. This may also be partly in anticipation of a possible missile response from Hezbollah and/or Syria.

So with all this going on, one has to ask the question, is this the beginning of the war that is prophesied in Psalm 83, or could this be the opening shots that leads to the destruction of Damascus? I know there have been many minor skirmishes over the years between Israel and its neighbors, but this seems to have the feeling that it could turn into something a little more serious. Only God knows of course, but it is definitely something we should watch very closely.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and stay tuned.

Curt

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Israel demolishes Hamas compounds, over 200 dead

Saturday, December 27, 2008 12:34 PM EST The Associated Press By IBRAHIM BARZAK Associated Press Writer

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing more than 200 people and wounding nearly 400 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.

Most of those killed were security men, but an unknown number of civilians were also among the dead. Hamas said all of its security installations were hit, threatened to resume suicide attacks, and sent at least 70 rockets and mortar shells crashing into Israeli border communities, according to the Israeli military. One Israeli was killed and at least six people were hurt.
With so many wounded, the Palestinian death toll was likely to rise.

The strikes caused widespread panic and confusion in Gaza, as black clouds of smoke rose above the territory, ruled by Hamas for the past 18 months. Some of the Israeli missiles struck in densely populated areas as children were leaving school, and women rushed into the streets frantically looking for their children.

"My son is gone, my son is gone," wailed Said Masri, a 57-year-old shopkeeper, as he sat in the middle of a Gaza City street, slapping his face and covering his head with dust from a bombed-out security compound nearby.

He said he had sent his 9-year-old son out to purchase cigarettes minutes before the airstrikes began and now could not find him. "May I burn like the cigarettes, may Israel burn," Masri moaned.

The offensive began eight days after a six-month truce between Israel and the militants expired. The Israeli army says Palestinian militants have fired some 300 rockets and mortars at Israeli targets over the past week, and in recent days, Israeli leaders had threatened to launch a major offensive.

"There is a time for calm and there is a time for fighting, and now is the time for fighting," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, vowing to expand the operation if necessary.
Asked whether Hamas political leaders might be targeted, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declared at a news conference: "Hamas is a terrorist organization and nobody is immune."
The first round of airstrikes on Gaza came just before noon. More than 100 attacks took place, continuing well into the evening.

Hospitals crowded with people, civilians rushing in wounded people in cars, vans and ambulances. "There are heads without bodies .... There's blood in the corridors. People are weeping, women are crying, doctors are shouting, " said nurse Ahmed Abdel Salaam from Shifa Hospital, Gaza's main treatment center.

The offensive sparked angry protests throughout the Arab world, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Vatican, the U.N. secretary-general and special Mideast envoy Tony Blair all called for an immediate restoration of calm. The Arab League scheduled an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the situation.

In Washington, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, "Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop. The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza."

In Gaza City's main security compound, bodies of more than a dozen uniformed Hamas police lay on the ground. One survivor raised his index finger in a show of Muslim faith, uttering a prayer. The Gaza police chief was among those killed. One man, his face bloodied, sat dazed on the ground as a fire raged nearby.

By early evening, 205 Gazans were known to be dead and 388 wounded, Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said. He did not provide figures on civilian deaths. But earlier in the day, police said about 140 Hamas security forces were killed. Some of the dead, rolled in blankets, were laid out on the floor of Gaza's main hospital for identification.

Israeli military officials said more than 100 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza by mid-afternoon. They spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.
Defiant Hamas leaders threatened revenge. Hamas "will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood," vowed spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.

Israel told its civilians near Gaza to take cover, and in the West Bank, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a bitter rivalry with Hamas, condemned Israel. Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador to express condemnation and opened its border with Gaza to allow ambulances to drive out some of the wounded.

Despite the overwhelming show of force, it was not clear whether it would halt the rocket fire. Past operations have failed to stop the attacks.

One rocket struck the Israeli town of Netivot, killing an Israeli man and wounding four people, rescue services said.

Dozens of stunned residents, some of them weeping, gathered around the house that took the deadly rocket hit. A hole gaped in one of the walls, which was pocked with shrapnel marks. The crowd broke up after an alert siren went off and everyone went running.

Streets were nearly empty in Sderot, the Israeli border town that has been pummeled hardest by rockets. A few cars carried panicked residents leaving town. Dozens of people congregated on a hilltop to watch the Israeli aerial attacks.

Protests against the campaign erupted in Arab Israeli villages, the Abbas-ruled West Bank and across the Arab world.

The most violent West Bank response came in the city of Hebron, where dozens of youths, many of them masked, hurled rocks for hours at Israeli forces, who lobbed tear gas and stun grenades in response. Officials in Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace, turned off Christmas lights and traders shuttered shops to protest the Israeli attack.

Anti-Israel protests also erupted in Amman, Jordan, and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria.

Israel has targeted Gaza in the past, but the number of simultaneous attacks was unprecedented.

Israel left Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, but the withdrawal did not lead to better relations with Palestinians in the territory as Israeli officials had hoped.
Instead, the evacuation was followed by a sharp rise in militant attacks on Israeli border communities that on several occasions provoked harsh Israeli military reprisals.

http://myembarq.com/news/read.php?ps=1012&rip_id=%3CD95B4L300%40news.ap.org%3E&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

The guys from "The 70th Week" would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

May we not ever forget the real reason for the season.

Curt & Mike

Monday, December 22, 2008

Obama and Rick Warren

Mike here....

I read this article in our local paper on Sunday and found it interesting.

If you recall Rick Warren held a Presidential Debate at his Church a few weeks before the elections. Apparently that relationship has created a relationship that will continue with President Elect Obama.

Mr. Warren has been very influential to Pastors throughout our nation as an author and speaker. He has recently begun to draw criticism over some of his public comments and teachings. As I read this article I kept waiting to find the major theological mis-step and I didn't. He is holding a firm line on the biblical definition of marriage.

What I find more intriguing is the apparent budding relationship that will continue into an Obama presidency. Don't get me wrong, I'm not faulting Mr. Warren for taking the opportunity to pray with the president. I'm just sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what specific challenges or crisis are on the horizon and how President Obama will react.

As a sidebar, gay rights organizations are still apparently on the war path with Christians in the public court of popularity. Would these organizations have publicly scorned a Republican president elect making the same decisions? Didn't Obama run for president as a Christian? Why wouldn't he invite one of the most well known pastors to be a part of his inaguration?

Anyway, this could be in interesting relationship that tells us more about two men who are influential but yet we still don't seem to really "know" them.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/search/4565078-47/story.csp

Across the great divide Gays angered by Obama’s invitation to pastor

Published: Dec 20, 2008 09:32AM


Search: Story

Barack Obama is taking heat from his own political base over his having invited a well-known minister to speak at his inauguration next month — and, no, we’re not talking about civil rights icon Rev. Joseph Lowery, who will deliver the benediction.

Gay rights organizations and a number of liberal groups are irate over Obama’s choice of Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback megachurch in California and author of best-seller “The Purpose-Driven Life,” to deliver the invocation at his swearing-in. The reason: Warren’s outspoken opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

In a scathing letter to Obama, the Human Rights Campaign called the choice of Warren “a genuine blow” to gay Americans, who overwhelmingly supported Obama in his race against Republican John McCain.

Gays and lesbians are incensed because Warren was an ardent supporter of a ban on same-sex marriage overwhelmingly approved by California voters in the November election. Some fear the decision to give a conservative pastor such a prominent role in the inauguration may signal that Obama is backing away from his campaign pledges to advance gay rights.

Those are understandable concerns for gays and lesbians, and others who support their cause. But they should keep in mind that Obama has made clear he disagrees with Warren on a range of issues. After Obama was asked to speak at Warren’s church during the campaign, he told reporters he appreciated Warren’s invitation “despite his awareness that I held views that were entirely contrary to his” on gay rights and abortion. “Nevertheless, I had the opportunity to speak.”

Now, Obama has reached across ideological lines to give Warren an opportunity to speak — and pray — at the inauguration of a president who will lead a nation comprised not only of Democrats, but of people across the political and religious spectra.

Nor is Obama likely to abandon the promises he made during his campaign, including an end to “don’t ask, don’t tell” in military service. Better to approach such difficult issues with an open dialogue with evangelical leaders such as Warren than, as too often in the past, from opposite and polarized positions.

Finally, there is another explanation for Obama’s invitation. He has forged a genuine friendship with Warren, an affable soul who wears Hawaiian shirts, gives away 90 percent of his income and pleads with American Christians to do more to fight AIDS, arrest global warming and ease the plight of the world’s poor. Despite their disagreements on some issues, Obama and Warren can find common cause on others.

Obama says he recently became part of an ad hoc prayer circle of supportive ministers that includes Warren. That doesn’t mean Obama agrees with Warren on issues such as gay marriage or stem cell research. But it does mean he values his prayers, counsel and friendship — in the same way that presidents going back to Dwight Eisenhower valued their relationship with Rev. Billy Graham without agreeing with him on all political matters.

At a juncture in history when the American people face an extraordinary range of daunting issues, it’s heartening that the next president continues to bridge the gaps that too long have separated Americans and prevented them from seeing their common interests and urgent need for one another.

There is no better or more fitting place for bridging gaps than the inauguration of the next president — one who will need all of the support and prayers he can get.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Intensify peace talks, UN and top diplomatic partners tell Israel, Palestinians

Curt Here....

Just a quick update. The quartet at the UN put out a statement on Monday calling for the intensification of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The statement also declared that the process that launched the bilateral negotiations that began at Annapolis are "irreversible."

Of course our good friend Javier Solana attended this meeting and was, I am sure part of the crafting of this statement. Please look at the article posted below.

One final tidbit from this article, notice the last sentence as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states that he is looking forward to achieving a two-state solution with the help of President Elect Barack Obama.

The first few months of our next Presidents administration, could be quite interesting.

Stay Tuned.

Curt
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Intensify peace talks, UN and top diplomatic partners tell Israel, Palestinians

15 December 2008 – The United Nations and its diplomatic partners in the search for Middle East peace – the European Union (EU), Russia and the United States – called today for an intensification of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, urging both sides to take the necessary steps to reach this goal.

The so-called Quartet, in a top-level meeting hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters in New York, called on the Palestinians to continue their efforts to reform the security services and dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism.

At the same time, the group called on Israel to freeze all settlement activities, which have a negative impact on the negotiating environment and on Palestinian economic recovery, and to address the growing threat of settler extremism.

“The Quartet expressed its considered view that the bilateral negotiations process launched at Annapolis (last year) is irreversible and that these negotiations should be intensified in order to put an end to the conflict and to establish as soon as possible the state of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel,” said a statement issued at the end of the meeting.

“The Quartet affirmed that a final treaty and a lasting peace will be reached through simultaneous and mutually re-enforcing efforts on three tracks: negotiations; building the institutions of a Palestinian state, including facilitating economic development through an improvement of conditions on the ground; and implementation of the parties’ obligations under the Roadmap, as stated in the Annapolis Joint Understanding.”

The partners have long championed the Roadmap, which embodies the two-State solution, first set for achievement by the end of 2005. At the Annapolis meeting in the United States last year, participants set the hoped-for target for the end of this year, and UN officials have voiced regret that this, too, has proved impractical, while welcoming the intensified talks that have ensued.

Turning to the Gaza Strip where Hamas, which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, seized control from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2006, the Quartet called for a continuation of the calm between Gaza and southern Israel, due to expire at the end of the week, that has reduced violence between Israel and Palestinians there.

It reiterated that a lasting solution to the situation in Gaza can only be achieved through peaceful means and that all Palestinians must commit themselves to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, adding that restoring Palestinian unity based on “the legitimate and internationally recognized” authority of the PA – would be an important factor in this process.

The Quartet condemned “indiscriminate attacks” on Israel from Gaza and called for an immediate cessation of violence, but it also stated its “acute concern” at the recent increase in Israeli closures of crossing points in response to violence, noting they had cut basic commodities and humanitarian supplies, worsening the economic and humanitarian situation there.

The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) reported today that the Gaza power plant, which supplies a portion of the territory’s needs, has been turned off by the company in charge there. The decision was taken following the closure of all goods crossings yesterday.

A series of rolling blackouts has been occurring throughout the Gaza Strip since yesterday evening – ranging from 12 hours a day in some areas to 4 hours a day in others.
UNSCO also reports that 81 truckloads of materials did pass from Israel into Gaza today, including 20 truckloads for humanitarian aid agencies that included flour, milk and medicine.
“The Quartet emphasized that the provision of humanitarian supplies, including food, fuel, pharmaceuticals, water and sewage maintenance items, and to the people in Gaza must be assured continuously,” the statement said. “The Quartet also reiterated its previous call for Israel to allow into Gaza sufficient materials to facilitate the resumption of stalled UN and other donor projects.”

It also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit, whose seizure in Israel by Palestinian militants from Gaza over two years ago unleashed a new wave of violence.

The Quartet commended the PA for its progress in security performance and welcomed the robust Israeli-Palestinian cooperation for the expansion of security and law and order in the West Bank, most notably in Jenin and Hebron.

“The Quartet viewed the successful deployment of the Palestinian security services to Hebron as the most recent demonstration of the substantial progress that has been made since Annapolis,” it added.

Attending the meeting with Mr. Ban were EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Ban thanked the outgoing administration of President George W. Bush for its efforts to advance the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. “These efforts have been tireless and are continuing. Very important progress is underway,” he said.

“In this respect we look forward to working closely from the outset with the administration of President-elect (Barack) Obama to achieve the goal of the two-State solution and comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.”

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29314&Cr=quartet&Cr1

Sunday, December 14, 2008

U.N. Set To Pass Mideast Peace Resolution

Curt Here....

More talk of a peace in the Middle East. This time it comes from the UN in the form of a Mideast Peace Resolution. It appears that a resolution has been negotiated and discussed during closed door emergency sessions over the weekend at the UN. It also appears that it will be voted on and passed nearly unanimously on Tuesday.

I don't personally believe this is the peace treaty that provides the two state solution that everyone keeps talking about, but with all the major players at the UN over this weekend and for the next few days it should not be ignored. IMHO it is clearly another step in the process and will provide additional pressure towards the end result of two state solution and peace in the Middle East.

Put this together with Constance Cumbey's reporting on Share International soon to be coming "Christmas gift from the Maitreya" due soon after Christmas (you can read about it here on her Dec 12 post... http://cumbey.blogspot.com/ ) and we have quite a bit of very interesting end times news right now.

Stay tuned.

Curt
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U.N. Set To Pass Mideast Peace Resolution
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 14, 2008

(CBS/AP) For the first time in five years, the United Nations Security Council was poised to adopt a resolution calling for collective peace in the Middle East on Saturday.

Council members met in a closed-door emergency session to discuss a U.S.-drafted resolution, strongly backed by Russia, which appeared to have near-unanimous support. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Zalmay Khalilzad, said a vote on the resolution by the 15-nation council is expected on Tuesday.

The two-page draft resolution calls on Israelis and Palestinians "to fulfill their obligations" under last year's peace deal brokered at Annapolis, Maryland, and for all nations and international groups "to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to negotiations."

“With a year-end deadline looming, the four countries involved in the Middle East Quartet peace negotiations (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) met on Saturday and introduced a draft Security Council Resolution, which will be discussed on Monday with the expectation of a vote on the Ministerial level on Tuesday,” said CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk from the U.N.

“The objective of the Security Council action is to get the stalled talks back on track and show support for a formal meeting in Moscow in 2009,” Falk reported, “and the participation of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is intended to set the negotiations on a better footing before the Bush Administration leaves office.”

“With support from both the U.S and Russia, the Security Council is likely to get the Resolution passed which supports the peace process and the goal of achieving a two-state solution,” Falk added.

The U.S.-sponsored Annapolis talks had set a goal of achieving a substantive peace accord before President George W. Bush leaves office in January, a scenario that appears all but impossible now.

Now, the U.S. focus is on a smooth handover to President-elect Barack Obama that keeps up the momentum for peace. "We believe it is very important at this time to recognize the process that has been made," said Ambassador Khalilzad.

The Middle East peace negotiations have been stalled by a spike in violence in the region and the lack of agreement about resettlement of Palestinians, the fate of Jerusalem and Israeli settlements - and the objective of the talks is to not lose time because of new governments in the U.S and Israel as well as possible Palestinian elections.

“The Bush administration has an interest in passing on to President-elect Obama a peace process that is ongoing and not stalled," said Falk. Khalilzad announced the draft resolution, symbolically, with Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin while addressing reporters after the council session.

Churkin said the draft resolution was presented to council members Saturday for the first time as a culmination of the close work between the U.S. and Russia, which have been at serious odds much of this past year over Zimbabwe, Georgia and other issues.

"Of course we all cannot be satisfied with where the peace process is at now," Ambassador Churkin said, "but considerable efforts have been made over the past 12 months or so, and we believe that the effort has to be pinned down and it has to continue with our support, which may be there because of some political circumstances - change of administration of the United States, elections in Israel, possible elections in the Palestinian autonomy - but despite all those circumstances, we believe that there must be continued effort."

French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, whose nation holds the E.U. presidency until the end of the year, said France has been urging for a long time that the Security Council get involved in the Mideast peace process.

"So for us, it could be a very important milestone," he said. Before the council votes on the Middle East resolution, Libya has asked that it include language directed against Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The Arab peace plan calls for Arab recognition of the Jewish state in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from all lands captured in the 1967 war. Not since November 2003 has the council passed a resolution on the Middle East that calls for collective peace by insisting on a two-nation solution for Israelis and Palestinians, according to Security Council Report, an independent not-for-profit organization.

"The Security Council for a long time has not been able to pronounce itself on anything on the Middle East process or the situation in the Middle East," said Ambassador Churkin, "so to draft this political statement coming out of the Security Council at the crucial junction will not be insignificant achievement."

The council needs only nine members to pass the new draft resolution, but diplomats said that with a resolution on such a complex issue as this one, some of its strength would be derived from passing it unanimously. Even if that does not occur, the resolution appears to be headed toward near-unanimous passage, several Security Council diplomats said. With all five of the council's permanent members on board, there appears to be no threat that any of them - the U.S., Russia, China, Britain or France - will use their veto power.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/14/world/printable4667653.shtml

Monday, December 8, 2008

Blair says that Palestinians and Israelis Reached a Secret Agreement

Curt Here...

There are some real interesting rumors floating around that there has been a secret peace agreement reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians. None of the major details of this so called agreement have been released yet. It apparently has not been signed by any of the participating parties, but there does appear to be at least at this point, some serious legs to this story. Check out the article posted below for more info.

Is this the beginning of the period of false peace that seems to occur during the first half of the 70th week of Daniel or is this just another on the long list of failed peace agreements that we have read about through the years?

If we have entered the 70th week of Daniel through the ENPI agreement (for more info click here http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/page/overview/) that started on January 2007, then it would appear that some sort of peace agreement or period of false peace would need to occur before we reach the midpoint of the ENPI in July of 2010.

Could this really be it? Stay tuned.

Curt

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Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has stated publicly that Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have reached a secret agreement.

In an interview with the leading Palestinian daily Al Quds, Blair stated that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have resolved differences between them, although he was careful to note that this agreement has not been signed. When pressed by the Palestinian reporter about the failure of the Annapolis process which began last year, Blair stated the following: "The continuous meetings between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and [Israeli leader] Olmert as well as the continuous negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli teams has produced an agreement." Blair said that he respects the choice of the Israeli and Palestinian leaders not to divulge details and therefore he would not give any further details.

Tony Blair who represents the Quartet Committee for Peace in the Middle East praised the courage of US President George Bush for his public pursuit for an agreement on a Palestinian state before the end of his term. Leaders of the US, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are in the last months of their terms in office. President Bush's last days in office is January 20th, Olmert has resigned and new elections are slated for February 2009, and the legal term of Mahmoud Abbas is due to expire January 9th. Blair praised President Elect Obama saying that he worked closely with General Jones who Obama choose as national security advisor.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/blair-says-that-palestini_b_148639.html

Friday, November 28, 2008

What is going on with Marriages today?

Mike here….

So what is going on with marriages all around us?

All around me marriages are in trouble much like the current housing situation. So many marriages are in various stages of distress, pre foreclosure, or have already been abandoned and left for someone to pick up the pieces.

So, I find myself asking the question , “What is going on with Marriages today?”

While certainly we could look at the earthly pressures and reality of the American society and culture on marriage I first want to look to scripture for some answers.

Marriage is the analogy Christ uses to explain His second coming and our re-union with our Heavenly Father.

Revelation 19 (New American Standard Bible)

Marriage of the Lamb

7"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

8It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb '" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

10Then I fell at his feet to worship him But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

So, how does this question fit into the possibility that we are living in the end times?

Let’s look at the “Apostasy”…

1 Timothy 4 (New American Standard Bible)

Apostasy

1But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

2by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

3men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;

5for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

While we see that during the apostasy men will forbid marriage I believe the first two versus are even more telling of the spiritual battle that will/is taking place and one of the direct casualties is marriage.

For me personally I’m watching all types of deceitful spirits and pressures pull on marriages. Unfortunately, we don’t often learn of all the challenges until a marriage is so damaged that one or both parties are no longer interested in fighting to repair the relationship.

So, what do we do? Well first and foremost we must hold on to the teachings of the entire Word of God. As believers strive to be Christ like, healthy relationships and marriages will result. I believe first and foremost that selfishness is at the core of all of our sin. It is not hard to see how selfish behavior pulls at the fabric of relationships and marriage either.

I encourage believers to press on to the goal. Continue to read your Bible but also be on guard for deceitful spirits placing selfish ideas and motivations in front of you to pursue.

Our marital commitments are very important to God.

Hebrews 13:4 (New American Standard Bible)

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Let me be clear, our marriages are often the first battle field in this Spiritual Battle that is only getting more and more intense.

Hold fast and stay dedicated to one another in prayer.

Mike

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Paul Washer -Ten Indictments

Curt here...

Here is an amazing sermon by Paul Washer, that exposes the problems with today's churches and today's Christians. It is both sobering and convicting.

It is very long, but I would recommend that you take the time to fully view it, even if it takes you a couple of days to get through it.

Curt




Sunday, November 9, 2008

UK's Brown: Now is the time to build global society

Curt Here...

The article posted below states that Gordon Brown, Prime Minister from the UK believes the current "international financial crisis has given world leaders a unique opportunity to create a truly global society." If find this statement to be very interesting because if your a student of Bible Prophecy than you know from scripture that at some point there will be a final global society that will be born from within the Revived Roman Empire or as I believe, this final empire will come from within the EU.

The Book of Daniel clearly states this final global kingdom will be very powerful. Here is a description of it from Daniel 7.

Daniel 7:7
7. "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

From this final empire that will have 10 horns we know that a little horn will come up from among the 10. Here is the next scripture.

Daniel 7:8
8. "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.

This little horn is of course the AC. He will reign for 3 1/2 years over this global society and will make war with the Saints and overcome them.

Daniel 7:23-25
23. "Thus he said: `The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
24. `As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
25. `He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

This final global empire will also control the monetary system and through the False Prophet will institute the Mark of the Beast.

Revelation 13:16-17
16. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17. and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

I believe much of the final prophetic landscape is already in place, and we are heading towards the fulfilling of ancient prophetic scripture in the not so distant future. The headlines are everywhere and many point to this end. Please take some time to review a link that I have at the top of my blog titled "Herb's Overview". Here is the link...http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/page/overview/ Herb does an excellent job of summarizing were we might be at.

We could be much closer than many think.

Curt


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UK's Brown: Now is the time to build global society

LONDON (Reuters) - The international financial crisis has given world leaders a unique opportunity to create a truly global society, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will say in a keynote foreign policy speech on Monday.

In his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet, Brown -- who has spearheaded calls for the reform of international financial institutions -- will say Britain, the United States and Europe are key to forging a new world order.

"The alliance between Britain and the U.S. -- and more broadly between Europe and the U.S. -- can and must provide leadership, not in order to make the rules ourselves, but to lead the global effort to build a stronger and more just international order," an excerpt from the speech says.
Brown and other leaders meet in Washington next weekend to discuss longer term solutions for dealing with economic issues following a series of coordinated moves on interest rates and to recapitalize banks in the wake of the financial crisis.

"Uniquely in this global age, it is now in our power to come together so that 2008 is remembered not just for the failure of a financial crash that engulfed the world but for the resilience and optimism with which we faced the storm, endured it and prevailed," Brown will say in his speech on Monday evening.

"...And if we learn from our experience of turning unity of purpose into unity of action, we can together seize this moment of change in our world to create a truly global society."
According to a summary of the speech released by his office, Brown will set out five great challenges the world faces.

These are: terrorism and extremism and the need to reassert faith in democracy; the global economy; climate change; conflict and mechanisms for rebuilding states after conflict; and meeting goals on tackling poverty and disease.

Brown will also identify five stages for tackling the economy, starting with recapitalizing banks so they can resume lending to families and businesses, and better international co-ordination of fiscal and monetary policy.

He also wants immediate action to stop the spread of the financial crisis to middle-income countries, with a new facility for the International Monetary Fund, and agreement on a global trade deal, as well as reform of the global financial system.

"My message is that we must be: internationalist not protectionist; interventionist not neutral; progressive not reactive; and forward looking not frozen by events. We can seize the moment and in doing so build a truly global society."

http://mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/FullArticle/CBUS/nbusinessNews_uUSTRE4A900K20081110?src=RSS-BUS

Saturday, October 18, 2008

European Leaders are Lobbying Bush to Hold a Financial Summit

Curt Here....

The current European leaders are lobbying President Bush to hold a global financial summit in which the rules of international finance are completely rewritten. These European leaders are using the excuse of the current economic crisis as their reasoning as to why this must occur. The real interesting part of all this, is that President Bush's term is ending very soon, and the next president of the US is going to have to deal with this issue. Those of us who are prophecy watchers have to realize what is really going on here. It is without a doubt a global economic power grab by the EU, plan and simple. Is the next American administration going to fight this power grab or embrace it?

Who says elections don't matter?

This is a very important article and very telling as to where we are heading, please take the time to read it.

I would also encourage all to watch this news video where the reporter clearly says "the EU wants to present a blueprint for a worldwide currency system." It is about 58 seconds in. Things are happening fast people.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10235053&ch=4226714&news

2/16/09: Updated link below as above is not working anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFs99zBTRO0


Curt

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Bush plans to host world powers at economic summit

CAMP DAVID, Md. – President Bush, who is being pressed by European leaders to sign on to global financial market reform, will host a summit of nations in the near future to discuss the economic crisis that has shaken markets around the world, a senior administration official said Saturday.

Word of the impending announcement came at Camp David where European leaders are lobbying Bush to hold a summit by year's end.

The summit will focus on ideas to prevent a crisis from recurring and to preserve the free market system, said the Bush administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made. Bush is not expected to announce a date or site for the event.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso are trying to convince Bush that now is a good opportunity to tighten and better coordinate control of the financial markets, in response to the credit crisis.

The president has backed the steps European nations have taken to stem the downturn, and wants the summit to include the Group of Eight industrialized powers plus other emerging economies like China and India. The White House says Bush, who has just three months left in office, wants to listen to a broad range of ideas, not just from Europe, but from Asia and developing countries.

But the U.S. hasn't signed on to the more ambitious, broad-stroke revisions that some European leaders like Sarkozy have in mind for the world financial system. And with only three months left in office, reforming the global financial system likely will fall to his successor. It's unclear if the summit will be before or after the U.S. presidential election and whether the candidates, their representatives or the winner would attend.

Sarkozy and Barroso were stopping at Camp David to meet with Bush on their way home from a summit of French-speaking nations in Quebec City, Canada.

At the summit, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered Saturday to host an emergency G8 summit at New York's United Nations Secretariat to discuss the global financial crisis. Ban issued a statement backing Sarkozy's appeal to act aggressively and collectively to address the economic meltdown at a summit of the world's most influential nations by December.

"I strongly believe that holding the summit at the United Nations, the symbol of multilateralism, will lend universal legitimacy to this endeavor and demonstrate a collective will to face this serious global challenge," said Ban.

On Friday, Sarkozy repeated his call to overhaul the global financial system so that it can be better supervised in the wake of the crisis.

"Together we need to rebuild a capitalism that is more respectful to man, more respectful to the planet, more respectful to future generations and be finished with a capitalism obsessed by the frantic search for short-term profit," Sarkozy said

Sarkozy has floated the idea of reforming rating agencies and even exploring the future of currency systems. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who engineered a British bank bailout that inspired U.S. and European rescues, is proposing radical changes to the global capitalist system, including a cross-border mechanism to monitor the world's 30 biggest financial institutions.

In his weekly radio address, Bush on Saturday sought to reassure Americans about the cost and scope of the nation's financial bailout plan and said that in the long run "our economy will bounce back." He acknowledged that people are concerned about their finances and, while he offered assurances about an eventual recovery, he did not say when that would happen.

Since Oct. 9, 2007, when the Dow topped 14,000, investors have lost $8.3 trillion from pension funds, college savings plans, 401(k)s and other investments. Congress gave Bush a $700 billion plan to buy bad assets from banks and other institutions to shore up the financial industry.

"The federal government has responded to this crisis with systematic and aggressive measures to protect the financial security of the American people," Bush said in the radio broadcast.

"These actions will take more time to have their full impact. But they are big enough and bold enough to work."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/ap_on_go_pr_wh/meltdown_bush

Sunday, October 12, 2008

European Leaders Seek `One Voice' to Counter Crisis

Curt Here...

Europe is seeking one voice to counter the current economic crisis. This latest headline should catch our attention, because we know that some day, and it appears that some day soon, Europe will speak with one voice and one man will be in charge.

The ultimate goal of this man will be to make war with the Saints.

Keep looking up.

Stay tuned

Curt

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Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- European leaders met to forge a new set of measures to combat the credit freeze after their failure to act a week ago contributed to the worst sell-off in the region's stocks in two decades.

``I want Europe to speak with one voice for Europe and for the world because this is a global crisis,'' French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters as he greeted European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Sarkozy said he's seeking ``an ambitious, coordinated plan.''

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government earlier this month rejected French suggestions to form a joint bank- rescue fund, said yesterday the euro region will implement ``the same toolbox of instruments.'' Merkel, Sarkozy and their counterparts in the 15-nation euro region are being forced to shift stance as a deepening slide in financial markets has threatened to tip Europe into a prolonged recession.

``Measures by euro-area governments to end the financial crisis have been uncoordinated and insufficient,'' said Juergen Michels, a Citigroup Inc. economist in London. ``Increasing risks of an economic disaster might force governments to set up more coordinated and more comprehensive measures.''

U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown met Sarkozy, Barroso and European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet. The leaders of the euro nations then gathered at 5 p.m. local time. The talks come after finance chiefs from the Group of Seven nations established guidelines on Oct. 10 for combating the credit crunch, while falling short of adopting new initiatives.

For more click the link...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=alhRZSkR0E3o&refer=worldwide

Friday, October 10, 2008

Berlusconi Says Leaders May Close World's Markets

Curt Here....

Sorry for my absence, but it is very nice to be back posting on this blog. I wish I had better news to be talking about, but sadly I don't.

If you have at all been paying attention then you realize that the global financial world is in complete chaos. Governments from across the globe have been trying for several weeks now to halt the world wide stock sell off. Nothing has worked as we slowly but surely creep towards financial disaster.

The newest idea that seems to be breaking this morning is a complete and total shut down of all world markets as the global powers that be rewrite the rules of the international financial world. This is about the scariest idea that I have heard yet, and without a doubt has extreme prophetic implications.

You see, I have often wondered, how do we get to the point in human history where people willingly accept the Mark of the Beast and then turn around and worship the beast as if he is god. I understand some of the new age groups out there that have been waiting for this "savior" to appear on the world scene, but I could never understand how "normal" people get to that point. I know a lot of people that are not at all religious, and have no interest in religion of any kind. What makes these people take the Mark and worship the AC? After watching the current financial mess unfold, I think I have found the answer and I believe it is fear. Fear is what is going to drive these end times and the AC will appear to have an answer to all these fears. I think this current economic situation sheds light on where the world is heading.

The good news for us believers is that we should not have fear, but hope. Christ is our hope and because of His work on the cross for our sins, we will soon be with Him. This is good news and should not scare us but excite us.

Yes, it is going to get very bumpy and soon there will come a day when we will be forced to decide who's side we are on, but do not lose heart because Jesus is coming soon. So keep looking up and keep your eye on the prize.

Stay tuned.

Curt

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Berlusconi Says Leaders May Close World's Markets (Update1)
By Steve Scherer

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said political leaders are discussing the idea of closing the world's financial markets while they ``rewrite the rules of international finance.''

``The idea of suspending the markets for the time it takes to rewrite the rules is being discussed,'' Berlusconi said today after a Cabinet meeting in Naples, Italy. A solution to the financial crisis ``can't just be for one country, or even just for Europe, but global.''

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell as much 8.1 percent in early trading and pared most of those losses after Berlusconi's remarks. The Dow was down 0.5 percent to 8540.52 at 10:10 in New York.

Group of Seven finance ministers and central bankers are meeting in Washington today, and will stay in town for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings this weekend. European Union leaders may gather in Paris on Oct. 12, three days before a scheduled summit in Brussels, Berlusconi said today, while Group of Eight leaders may hold a meeting on the crisis ``in coming days,'' he said.

Berlusconi didn't give any details about what kind of rules leaders were looking to change, except to say that leaders are ``talking about a new Bretton Woods.''

The Bretton Woods Agreements were adopted to rebuild the international economic system after World War II in a hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The aim of the agreements was to establish a monetary management system, initially by pegging currencies to gold. The IMF was set up later to help manage the international financial system.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aP5mpMUORBWM

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Rice Visit: PA State Closer than Ever

Curt Here...

Negotiations continue between Israel and the Palestinians on a two state solution at a very rapid pace. According to the article posted below we could have an nearly complete agreement in principals within a few weeks and a signed agreement on all principles by the beginning of next year.

As the pace of current events and possible fulfillments of Biblical prophecy are rapidly increasing I am finding it difficult to keep up with it all.

Things are getting very interesting.

Stay Tuned.

Curt

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Rice Visit: PA State Closer than Ever

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Negotiations between Israel and PA continue at a "crazy" pace, agreement on dividing Jerusalem is "closer than ever," and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is pushing for a nearly-complete agreement on a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria by January. So reports Aaron Klein of WorldNetDaily (WND).

Secretary Rice, completing a visit to the region today (Tuesday), has been pressing Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would divide Jerusalem. Rice says Israel must agree to a Palestinian state capital in Jerusalem - Israel's own capital - and a full Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Despite official Israeli government denials, Jerusalem is thus very much on the negotiating table. The Shas Party, which has said it would quit the government if Jerusalem were to be negotiated, remains firmly in the government coalition.

The Rice Compromise: Israel Remains in Jerusalem for 1-5 YearsKlein quotes top diplomatic sources involved in the talks as saying that Rice has been pushing for a "compromise" between Israel and the PA that would involve Israel's withdrawal from eastern Jerusalem, including most of the Old City, within one to five years.

The Israeli team, led by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, is willing to conclude an agreement on a Palestinian state by the end of the year, but wants to leave talks to decide the fate of Jerusalem for a later date. The PA team, however, wants a deal by January on all core issues, including the Holy City.

The Rice compromise, the sources told WND, asks Israeli leaders to bend and agree to promise sections of Jerusalem to the PA - but not to actually withdraw before one to five years have passed. U.S. President George W. Bush would then, just days before his term in office ends, issue an official letter guaranteeing U.S. support for the agreement.

High Intensity TalksWND's Klein quoted an unnamed Palestinian Authority negotiator saying that the intensity and frequency of Israeli-Palestinian talks in recent weeks have been "crazy," and that the sides have been meeting on a daily basis, usually at the highest levels. The negotiator further said Jerusalem is being discussed by both sides, and that the two teams are "closer than ever" on coming to an agreement on the status of the city. "This claim was verified to WND by other diplomatic sources involved in the negotiations," Klein wrote.

Reports of the past few months say that the Olmert-Livni negotiators are prepared to give up well over 90% of Judea and Samaria, as well as land for a "safe passage" between those areas and Gaza. This, despite the results of the withdrawal from Gaza three years ago, which include the takeover of the area by Hamas and incessant rocket attacks on nearby Israeli areas.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127351

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Fear of new Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria strengthens military alliance with Russia

Curt Here....

To piggy back on the post below, here is an additional story that shows that Russia is strengthening it's military alliance with Syria. Again, if you know Biblical Prophecy then you know that Damascus, the capital of Syria will be destroyed during the conflict of Isaiah 17.

This agreement with Syria will add more fuel to the already stoked fire that is beginning to rage in the Middle East and is more evidence that Russia is quickly aligning itself with many of the Islamic nations in the Middle East just as the Bible predicted it would do.

Stay Tuned.

Curt

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From The Times

August 21, 2008

Fear of new Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria strengthens military alliance with Russia

Syria raised the prospect yesterday of having Russian missiles on its soil, sparking fears of a new Cold War in the Middle East. President Assad said as he arrived in Moscow to clinch a series of military agreements: “We are ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its security.”

The Syrian leader told Russian newspapers: “I think Russia really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself closed in a circle.”

Mr Assad said that he would be discussing the deployment of Russian missiles on his territory. The Syrians are also interested in buying Russian weapons.

In return Moscow is expected to propose a revival of its Cold War era naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, which would give the Russian Navy its first foothold in the Mediterranean for two decades. Damascus and Moscow were close allies during the Cold War but the Kremlin’s influence in the region waned after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yesterday’s rapprochement raised the possibility that Moscow intends to re-create a global anti-Western alliance with former Soviet bloc allies.

Many in Israel fear that the Middle East could once again become a theatre for the two great powers to exert their spheres of influence, militarily and politically. And with Israel and the US providing military backing to Georgia, Russia appears set to respond in kind by supporting Syria.

Already, Israeli observers worry that the chaos in the Caucasus may disrupt gas supplies to Europe and Turkey from the Caspian Sea region, creating a greater energy reliance on Iran and its vast reserves. The crisis could in turn allow Tehran to exploit splits in the international community and use Russia as a backer to advance its nuclear programme. Russia has wooed Syria in recent years, as it has tried to increase its influence in the Middle East and increase arms sales.

Syria and Israel recently confirmed they had been holding indirect talks to reach a peace deal after decades of hostility. Part of Syria’s motivation was to break the international isolation it has suffered for its strategic alliance with Tehran. A closer alliance with a resurgent Russia could afford Mr Assad a way out of any binding commitment. Some Israeli analysts even fear that it could encourage Syria to try to take back the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967, by force.

The Georgia conflict sparked a mocking speech with Cold War rhetoric by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, over the performance of Israeli-trained Georgian troops. One of the Israeli military advisers there was reserve Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch, who commanded a division in Israel’s inconclusive war with Hezbollah in 2006, and who resigned his commission afterwards.

“Gal Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they too lost because of him,” the Shia leader taunted. “Relying on Israeli experts and weapons, Georgia learnt why the Israeli generals failed.

“What happened in Georgia is a message to all those the Americans are seeking to entangle in dangerous adventures.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article4573599.ece

Russia Says Response to U.S. Missile Shield Deal With Poland Will Go Beyond Diplomacy

Curt Here....

If you have been following the news regarding the conflict between Russia and Georgia then you realize that things are definitely heating up in that part of the world. I am especially interested in the latest developments between Russia, Poland and the US as I believe that we could possibly be seeing the beginning stages or the opening acts of several of the military conflicts that are prophesied to occur during the end times.

As far as I can tell from my studies of scriptures there are at least three major conflicts that will occur during the end times before the battle of Armageddon. The three conflicts are detailed in Psalms 83, Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38 & 39. I personally believe that all three are somewhat tied together (or at least lay the ground work for each other). In these conflicts Russia along with several Islamic countries attack Israel in an effort to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.

Anyways, the latest news out of Russia is very interesting. Russia has threatened Poland with a military response for it's signed missile defense agreement with the US. The interesting part of this is that the US and Poland had been negotiating unsuccessfully for over a year and half on this missile defense deal and it came together rather quickly once the Georgia and Russia conflict began. So clearly, Poland after watching how Russia dealt with Georgia, quickly came to an agreement with the US.

In response to this agreement Russia not only threatened Poland with military action, but they promptly and surprisingly cut ties with NATO.

So what does this all mean? I believe Russia is beginning to cut it's ties to the western allies and will continue in their quest to be fully aligned with the Islamic nations that are bent on the destruction of Israel. It is all coming together rather quickly and IMHO we could see a major war break out in the Middle East in the very near future. Will it be one of the major conflicts that are prophesied to occur during the end times?

Stay Tuned.

Curt

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Russia Threatens Military Response if U.S., Poland Follow Through With Missile Defense Deal

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

MOSCOW — The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S. missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia — a move followed swiftly by a new warning from Moscow of a possible military response.

For many Poles — whose country has been a staunch U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan — the accord represented what they believed would be a guarantee of safety for themselves in the face of a newly assertive Russia.

Negotiators sealed the deal last week against a backdrop of Russian military action in Georgia, a former Soviet republic turned U.S. ally, that has worried former Soviet satellites across eastern Europe. It prompted Moscow's sharpest rhetoric yet over the system, which it contends is aimed at Russia despite Washington's insistence the site is purely defensive.

After Wednesday's signing, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed any suggestion the 10 missile defense interceptors — which Washington says are intended to defend Europe and the U.S. from the possible threat of long-distance missiles from Iran — represent a threat to Russia.

"Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one," Rice said. "It is in our defense that we do this."
She denounced an earlier threat from a Russian general to target NATO member Poland, possibly even with nuclear weapons, for accepting the facility.

Such comments "border on the bizarre, frankly," Rice told reporters in Warsaw. "The Russians are losing their credibility," she said, adding that Moscow would pay a price for its actions in Georgia, though she did not specify how.

"It's also the case that when you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988," Rice said. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats around."

Hours after the signing, Russia's Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow's response would go beyond diplomacy. The system to be based in Poland lacks "any target other than Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles," it said in a statement, contending the U.S. system "will be broadened and modernized."

"In this case Russia will be forced to react, and not only through diplomatic" channels, it said without elaborating.

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington criticized the deal, saying the U.S. missile interceptors are technologically unproven and will only confirm Russian suspicions the system is directed against Moscow and not at Iran.

The deal follows an earlier agreement to place the second component of the missile defense shield — a radar tracking system — in the neighboring Czech Republic, another formerly communist country now in NATO.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,407262,00.html

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NATO Says Russia Has Cut All Military Ties With Western Alliance


Thursday , August 21, 2008


BRUSSELS, Belgium — Russia has halted all military cooperation with NATO, the Western alliance said Thursday, in the latest sign of East-West tension over the invasion of Georgia.

NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance had received notification through military channels that Russia's Defense Ministry had taken a decision "to halt international military cooperation events between Russia and NATO countries until further instructions."

She said NATO "takes note" of the decision, but had no further reaction.

On Tuesday, NATO foreign ministers said they would make further ties with Russia dependent on Moscow making good on a pledge to pull its troops back to pre-conflict positions in Georgia. However, they stopped short of calling an immediate halt to all cooperation.

Under a 2002 agreement that set up the NATO-Russia Council, the former Cold War foes began several cooperation projects. They include sharing expertise to combat heroin trafficking out of Afghanistan, developing battlefield anti-missile technology, joint exercises and help with rescue at sea.

Romero said she was unaware of any specific events under the cooperation agreement scheduled before early September.

NATO itself decided last week to suspend plans for a Russian warship to join NATO counterterrorism patrols in the Mediterranean Sea, deciding it was inappropriate in the wake of the eruption of fighting in Georgia.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,408083,00.html

Thursday, July 31, 2008

It's Time to Cut Jerusalem in Half

Curt Here...

Shimon Peres president of Israel recently said that it is time to cut Jerusalem in half and divide the city. In the article listed below Peres details why it is in the best interest of Israel to once again be a divided city. This should be alarming to us prophecy watchers, as it is a clear sign to the lateness of the hour. Here is a couple of scriptures to help as I believe the Bible predicts that indeed, Jerusalem at some point in the future will be divided and it will not be under pleasant circumstances. The good news is that soon after this happens Christ will return and set up his earthly kingdom.

Zechariah 14:2

2. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

Joel 3:2

2. I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.

Stay Tuned

Curt

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President Shimon Peres Promotes Division of Jerusalem
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) President Shimon Peres, following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon, has become the latest mainstream politician to intimate that Jerusalem must be divided.

Peres paid a condolence call this morning (Tuesday) to the family of David Shriki, a policeman who died of wounds he suffered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem earlier this month. Shriki, 20, lived with his family in Rishon LeTzion.

Peres said that there must be a separation between the Arabs of Jerusalem and the Jews, and that it must be in the form of a wall. Peres emphasized that the problem is also one of education. He said that Arab doctors are a common sight in Israel, yet Jews are not afraid to go under their knife. "This shows," Voice of Israel reported that Peres said, "that when we reach a certain level of education, the relations between the two sides change."

Teacher and Lawyer Murdered 41 Israelis Between ThemPresident Peres did not mention the suicide-slaughter of 21 Israelis aboard a #2 bus from the Western Wall in August 2003, which was perpetrated by a Moslem teacher and religious leader from Hevron. Nor did he mention the massacre of 20 Jews two months later in the Maxim Restaurant in Haifa commited by a female terrorist lawyer.

"Jerusalem has become a security problem of late," Peres said. "We have to make both a wall and a bridge in Jerusalem. We have to ensure separation and also let them live differently, otherwise it will be like a pressure cooker that is liable to explode. Without offering a carrot, there is no value to using a stick; sticks alone cannot educate. In the meanwhile, they are fortifying themselves, and Hamas is taking over the street, instilling fear on the Arab street in Jerusalem. It is not simple to solve this problem, and it can take time to find the right solution."

Olmert Sees Separation as the Way to Agreement With FatahPrime Minister Olmert told a Knesset committee the day before that living with such a large number of Arabs in the capital means more terrorist attacks - implying that the reduction of terrorism is dependent upon removing them from the city's borders. "Whoever thinks we can live with 270,000 Arabs in Jerusalem must take into account that there will be more bulldozers, more tractors, and more cars carrying out attacks," the Prime Minister said.

On Sunday of this week, Olmert's friend Vice Premier Chaim Ramon called for the detaching of eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Tzur Baher and Jabel Mukaber - homes to the two tractor/bulldozer terrorists - from Jewish Jerusalem.

Arab construction in Jerusalem flourished under Olmert's tenure as Mayor of Jerusalem, charges WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein. He writes that the police and the Jerusalem municipality generally hesitated to act against illegal Arab construction, and thus left a vacuum into which the PA's Fatah stepped (Peres said it was Hamas that reigns in Jerusalem).

Given Olmert's desire to conclude a peace agreement as quickly as possible with Fatah, which demands parts of Jerusalem as its own, Klein charges that the recent attacks in Jerusalem serve Olmert's purposes in encouraging a public sense that Jerusalem must be divided."Things are reversible," Klein concludes. "Israeli forces can go into troubled eastern Jerusalem hotspots and wipe out the terrorist infrastructure there if they so desired. Israel can allow Jews to build communities in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods that were purchased for that very purpose. Jerusalem does not need to be divided."

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126996http://

Monday, July 14, 2008

Mediterranean Union Launched, but Who is in Charge?

Curt Here....

This past weekend in Paris, the Mediterranean Union was launched. French President and current President of the EU Nicolas Sarkozy was front and center all weekend long smiling for the cameras and acting very proud of himself, but is Sarkozy really in charge of this new union? I ask this question because everything I read about this new MU seems to be supportive of an agreement that is already in place. This agreement is the Barcelona Process or Euromead.

Nothing is more telling or supports this idea more than to read the "Joint Declaration of the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean " which was released shorty after the end of the MU Summit. The whole thing can be read here..... http://www.eu2008.fr/webdav/site/PFUE/shared/import/0713_declaration_de_paris/Joint_declaration_of_the_Paris_summit_for_the_Mediterranean-EN.pdf

Here are some highlights....

2. Heads of State and Government underline the important role played by the Barcelona Process since 1995. The Barcelona Process has been the central instrument for Euro-Mediterranean relations. Representing a partnership of 39 governments and over 700 million people, it has provided a framework for continued engagement and development. The Barcelona Process is the only forum within which all Euro-Mediterranean partners exchange views and engage in constructive dialogue. It represents a strong commitment to peace, democracy, regional stability and security through regional cooperation and integration. The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean aims to build on that consensus to pursue cooperation, political and socioeconomic reform and modernisation on the basis of equality and mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty.

13. The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean will be complementary to EU bilateral relations with these countries1 which will continue under existing policy frameworks such as the Association Agreements, the European Neighbourhood Policy action plans,

The European Neighbourhood Policy is an existing agreement that started in 2007 and lasts for 7 years. It did not replace the Barcelona Agreement, but strengthened it and breathed new life into it. It is very clear from everything that I am reading in today's headlines about the MU, that the MU is designed to function within the existing framework of the Barcelona Agreement and the ENP. Here are a couple of noteworthy quotes.

“As I've tried to point out, the European Neighbourhood Policy does not replace the process launched years ago in Barcelona. It renews it, clarifies it and breathes fresh life into it.” Margot Wallstrom regarding the ENP and fears that it was replacing the 1995 EURO-MED [E.U. "ROMED"] Agreement“

[The European] neighbourhood policy [ENP] is not a substitute for the Barcelona process; it rather underpins and deepens it.” Javier Solana December 17, 2006

So now I ask who is in charge of the EU and all of these agreements? There has been a lot of discussion lately in prophecy circles about Sarkozy, but in my mind Solana is still in the drivers seat and Sarkozy is doing Solana's bidding.

I came across a commentary today that I believe states this better than I could so I will post his thoughts below for you. The author's name is Pastor Brian Roberts and I have been reading his commentary's for quite awhile. You can find more of his thoughts at this link...http://www.pastorbrianroberts.com/

Stay Tuned

Curt



THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS
IS ON THE MOVE
7/13/08

MY THOUGHTS
Here are some news links coming out of the Mediterranean Union. Again, I
want to reiterate that Sarkozy's idea of the MU is being directed by Javier
Solana's European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). This means that Solana is in the
driver's seat. The partnership pact with Syria is apart of Syria's Action Plan
within the ENP. The ENP could have great prophetic implications for all of us.
You see, the ENP confirmed the Barcelona Process at the end of 2006, and came
into effect on January 1st, 2007. There are many who think that this was the
prophetic confirmed covenant spoken in Daniel 9:27. So far, the news coming out
of the MU supports that notion instead of negating it.

Where does that
bring us? If the ENP is the prophetic covenant, then you don't need a peace
treaty to start things off. The Bible never said it had to be a peace treaty,
just a treaty. The false peace is a slow dawning of peace that comes upon the
Middle East during the first 3 ½ years of the 70th week of Daniel. The Great
Tribulation and then the Day of the Lord does not come until at the midpoint of
the 70th week, and toward the end of the 70th week respectively.

If the
MU comes out of all of this and comes into its own and confirms the Barcelona
Process and the ENP, then we may need to look at a new treaty as a possible
treaty of Daniel 9:27. As of right now, that has not happened, and the ENP is
the leading candidate to the prophesied treaty. If the ENP is that prophesied
treaty, then we may only have a couple of years until the Abomination of
Desolation (Matthew 24:15). What an exciting and yet scary time to live in.
Always keep yourself in Christ, and let Him be your rock and salvation. Jesus is
the only way to life and the only way to heaven. Unfortunately, some like Tony
Blair don't get it. I hope you do. Jesus is the only way, and if someone follows
another way, show them love, but don't get drawn into their own deception. Be
ready, because the Kingdom of Darkness is on the move.

God Bless,
Bro. Brian

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Jewish Priests Fitted for Service in Future Jerusalem Temple

Curt Here....

The article listed below details a very interesting event that took place the other day in Jerusalem. You see Jewish Rabbi's got fitted with priestly holy garments. These garments have very specific specifications and this is the first time in over 2000 years that such garments have been made.

Why are they doing this now and what does it mean? I am not completely sure, but it appears as if the road towards the construction of the Third Temple is one step closer.

There is a second link at the end of the article that takes you to pictures of this event along with a video. I would encourage all to watch.

These are amazing times. Stay tuned.

Curt
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Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Israel Today Staff

Jewish priests fitted for service in future Jerusalem Temple

Confident that Israel's Temple to the Almighty will be rebuilt atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount in the very near future, the Temple Institute this month began fitting Jews from the biblical priestly tribe for their holy garments.

The Bible describes a very specific set of garments to be warn by members of the priestly tribe when they are serving in the Temple. This month's fitting was the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple over 2,000 years ago that potential Jewish priests had been measured for such garments.

Following the fitting, each potential future priest was presented with a set of garments matching the biblical description. When the Temple is rebuilt, a fresh set of garments will need to be made for each priest, as they can only be used in the Temple.

The Temple Institute has for decades been involved in preparing the various garments, instruments and other items needed to dedicate what is known as the Third Temple. Most Jews and Christians believe the Third Temple will be built atop the Temple Mount - today occupied by Islamic mosques - prior the coming of Messiah and the establishment of his direct reign over the earth.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=16549

Link to pictures and video. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126721

Monday, June 23, 2008

Ireland to Hold Second Referendum

Curt Here....

Well it appears that the powers that be within the EU will not let the Lisbon Treaty die. After the people of Ireland rejected the Lisbon Treaty earlier this month the Irish Government has been continually pressured by Brussels to somehow figure out a way to push through the failed Treaty.

The latest idea is to hold a second referendum in Ireland and to somehow convince the people of Ireland that they really do want the treaty. This is a repeated pattern within the EU, if you don't first succeed, try try again. We will see if it works.

Stay tuned.

Curt

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THE Irish Government is expected to bow to Franco-German pressure and hold a second referendum to try to rescue the Lisbon treaty that voters rejected this month.

The plan for a possible new vote in Ireland, being discussed by some ministers in Dublin, will be greeted with outrage by opponents of the treaty in Britain.

Irish ministers say they might be able to rescue the treaty if they can secure concessions from Europe to placate voters on a list of issues.

"A yes vote can be achieved if the Irish people are offered guarantees on issues like defence and taxation," said one senior Irish official.

"The no campaign will be picked off one by one. Everyone has a price."

The likely time for a new referendum is next spring so that the treaty can come into force before the June 2009 European election campaign for the Brussels parliament.

The date is favoured by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

If the Irish vote no again, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown would have to choose between siding with Ireland to stop its citizens being turned into second-class Europeans or siding with France and Germany to push ahead with further EU integration.

Concessions likely to be sought by Ireland include guarantees to protect its neutrality in the event of European armed forces being created, the reinstatement of its right to a European commissioner, and the right to set its own abortion laws and corporate tax rates.

Mr Sarkozy is determined to "save" the EU as France takes over the rotating presidency on July 1. "It is not written down in the summit conclusions, but everyone agreed that we need to get out of this before next year's European elections," Mr Sarkozy said last week.

He said European leaders had already mandated France to ensure the EU "does not grind to a halt".

Both Mr Sarkozy and Ms Merkel have exerted subtle pressure on Ireland and its potential allies by threatening the end of the EU's enlargement east if theLisbon treaty does not come into force.

The French President will visit Ireland on July 11 for talks with Brian Cowen, the Taoiseach, or Prime Minister.

"We will try to make this 'no' an opportunity," he said, pledging to use "English pragmatism" to find a solution.

The Irish Government has to decide its next move before the European Council meeting on October 15.

A spring referendum date is seen as crucial by several European leaders, but no strict timeline has been imposed on Ireland to come up with a response to the no vote; and there has been no formal declaration from the European Council that the country has to hold a second referendum.

"The council did not impose a timeline or plan B or C upon us," an Irish government official said.
"That would have left us in a difficult space. Now they await our detailed analysis of where we go from here."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23904137-2703,00.html

Friday, June 13, 2008

Ireland Vote Rejects EU Treaty

Curt Here...

Ireland has rejected the EU treaty and has at least temporary put on hold the implementation of the unification of Europe under one constitutional treaty. This will more than likely bring shock waves to many of the EU leaders who have dedicated much time and energy to this document and to the ratification process.

Somehow, I believe that there are few in the higher levels of leadership within the EU who are not as concerned. You see, there is an existing document that has been in place since June of 2000, that will give complete power to one individual over the entire EU in the event of an emergency. It is of course Recommendation 666.

You can read it here. http://www.assembly-weu.org/en/documents/sessions_ordinaires/txt/2000/jun00_txts_adopted.php#P51_3072

I believe that all of the groundwork for the future AC to assume complete control over the EU is all ready in place. So, if you were this individual waiting to assume power when the timing was right would you be worried about some treaty that didn't get passed today?

Not hardly.

Curt

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Ireland has rejected the EU reform treaty, politicians said based on a wave of returns from the referendum on the issue.

Tallies of votes produced nationally by election observers, as well as early official returns, all showed the "no" camp ahead in the vast majority of Ireland's 43 electoral constituencies. Pro-treaty voters were clearly ahead in only a few.

Electoral officials expected to confirm the result later and send shock waves throughout the EU.
The euro fell to a one-month low on the news.

Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said he expected all other 26 EU members to ratify the Lisbon Treaty through their national parliaments by the end of this year.

This would leave Ireland - the only member to put the mammoth, often-unreadable document to a national vote - diplomatically isolated but nonetheless wielding the power to prevent the treaty from becoming law and forcing a period of renewed negotiations.

"Obviously it's disappointing. It's quite clear there's a very substantial 'no' vote," said Mr Ahern, who noted that 58% of voters rejected the treaty in his home district.

"If we're left as the only country that has not ratified the treaty, it will obviously raise questions. We're in uncharted waters," he said.

The outcome appears likely to throw the EU into renewed diplomatic turmoil and fuel appeals across the continent for more democratic accountability.

The Lisbon Treaty was painstakingly negotiated following the failure of the EU's proposed constitution, which French and Dutch voters rejected in 2005. Both documents sought to reshape EU powers and institutions in line with its rapid growth in size and population since 2004.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gPHV1GQqXyAB3JJ3Sn2NczRhF1JA