August 13, 2010
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LIVING ON BORROWED TIME - DVD
A morally and spiritually bankrupt society …A worldwide economic meltdown…A planet racked with increasingly intense manmade and natural disasters…Are we the Final Generation?
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:42-44
Reviews: The DVD should be seen by small groups and youth ministries far and wide. The clear quoting and referencing of bible verses is especially strong. The collage of dramatic imagery - both in photography and artwork, grabs the viewers' attention and weaves the conclusion that God is about to continue His plan in a major way. The video is so fresh - the oil explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico is shown as one example of how this old world is wearing out and is in flames
The video next defends the authorship and reliability of the bible before showing eight unmistakable developments in our world that point toward the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The number one sign given to our generation is the return of the Jewish people to form the nation of Israel. Jesus Christ is now standing at the door waiting to take his beloved bride- His true believers. Like the admonition from the Book of Jude, verse 23, I pray that this DVD will be used by the Holy Spirit to pluck dying people out of the fire before the borrowed time runs out. - John Wicklund - Chair- Olive Tree Ministries Board of Directors - Maple Grove, MN
Great Job! We have watched all your DVD’s and we think this is the best one so far. After someone watches this DVD there is no way they could argue that we are not living in the last days! – Don & Cindy K. – Bakersfield, CA
The DVD came and it was great. GOOD JOB ! ! – Julie A. – Whitefish, MT
God bless you, the new DVD is amazing! I know that if there is anyone out there who doesn't know what the bible holds or has no clue about what is really going on after seeing this DVD they will surely be enlightened about what is truly going on in the world today. - The Taylor's - Bakersfield, CA
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Clinton prods Netanyahu on Mideast peace talks – www.reuters.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about issues blocking direct peace talks with the Palestinians as the Obama administration boosted pressure for talks to begin as soon as possible, the State Department said on Friday.
Clinton telephoned Netanyahu on Thursday evening, and also discussed the issue with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in message on Twitter.
"Secretary Clinton continued the U.S. push for peace in the Middle East last evening with calls to regional leaders," Crowley said, adding that her talks with Netanyahu focused on "issues to be resolved for direct negotiations to begin."
Clinton's telephone calls followed a trip to the region by U.S. Mideast negotiator George Mitchell this week in which he sought to break down the final barriers to direct peace negotiations, which President Barack Obama hopes to see launched in coming weeks.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas indicated on Monday he could go to direct talks, provided they were based on a March 19 statement by the "Quartet" of Mideast peace mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
But Israeli newspapers said Netanyahu told Mitchell on Wednesday he wanted talks to start immediately without any such "precondition" -- dampening hopes for an imminent breakthrough.
U.S. officials have said they are working with other Quartet representatives on a possible statement, which EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said, in a letter seen by Reuters, would be issued early next week if both parties agree to move forward to direct talks.
The Quartet says Israel should halt settlement building in the West Bank and reach a full peace agreement with the Palestinians within 24 months, creating a state on the basis of borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war.
Indirect peace negotiations mediated by Mitchell have made little discernible progress.
Obama wants the peace process to return to the level it broke off at nearly two years ago, when Israel went to war in the winter of 2008-09 to stop rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip by Hamas militants.
The stepped-up diplomacy comes as a partial 10-month moratorium on Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank, ordered by Netanyahu last November, is due to end on September 26 -- raising a potential roadblock to further dialogue.
Abbas refuses to engage in direct talks unless Netanyahu agrees to a clear agenda. Without one, say the Palestinians, Netanyahu may propose terms for a peace treaty that are completely unacceptable, and leave Abbas looking like a rejectionist when he turns them down.
Abbas 'very close' to direct talks with Israel: EU – www.news.yahoo.com
BRUSSELS (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is very close to agreeing to direct talks with Israel, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said in a letter to foreign ministers seen by AFP on Friday.
Abbas "has requested a few more days for final consultations with Arab partners as well as with the Fatah and PLO executive bodies," Ashton wrote, and "should be in a position to give a definitive answer by Sunday or early next week."
Ashton, who speaks for the European Union as a member of the international Quartet seeking to negotiate a permanent, peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict alongside the United States, the United Nations and Russia, said direct talks could begin "later in August."
That would follow a statement from the Quartet "early next week," she said, one that would "reaffirm" their call on March 19 for Israel to freeze all Jewish settlement activity on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem.
East Jerusalem is the mainly Arab half of the Holy City that Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and then annexed.
The Palestinians and Israelis have not held direct negotiations since Israel's war on Hamas-ruled Gaza in December 2008-January 2009, but since May have engaged in indirect "proximity" talks with US envoy George Mitchell as mediator.
Report: Netanyahu to offer withdrawal from 90% of West Bank - Roee Nahmias – www.ynetnews.com
London-based al-Hayat newspaper quotes Ramallah sources as saying prime minister has prepared plan for evacuation of 50,000 settlers. PM's Office: Report unfounded
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prepared a "tempting" plan to be presented to the Palestinians in the direct negotiations, as part of which Israel will offer to withdraw from up to 90% of the West Bank, excluding east Jerusalem, the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Friday.
The Prime Minister's Office denied the report, calling it "unfounded."
The newspaper quotes "knowledgeable sources" in Ramallah as saying that the prime minister's plan will be in the form of a new interim agreement, similar to the 1993 Oslo Accords.
According to the sources, Netanyahu informed the Western delegates he met with recently that the current situation was not right for reaching a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, and that he planned to present a proposal for a new interim agreement, which would be "extensive and tempting" to the Palestinians.
The same sources added that Netanyahu believes his offer would be tempting to the Palestinians, as it gives them an extensive part of the West Bank while evacuating a large number of settlements, without forcing them to sign an agreement ending the conflict or ceasing their demand to receive the rest of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
According to the sources, the offer matches the stand of the Hamas organization, which would welcome any new Israeli withdrawal, as long as this does not force the Palestinians to give up on the rest of the territory.
Long-term interim agreement
According to the report, Netanyahu offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the past to establish a Palestinian state with temporary borders on up to 60% of the West Bank, but Abbas turned him down.
Netanyahu realized, the sources said, that the Palestinians would reject any offer for a permanent agreement which would be smaller than the entire territory of the West Bank together with a land exchange, and has therefore come up with the new interim agreement idea, which would enable progress ahead of a permanent agreement and allow the continuation of the negotiations.
Western sources in Ramallah told the newspaper that Netanyahu would work to reach a temporary, but long-term interim agreement, due to the growing fear of Right-wing elements in Israel of the idea of one state for two people after the failure of the two-state idea.
One of the ideas raised by Netanyahu's associates, the sources said, was coming up with a formula linking the future Palestinian state with its temporary borders to Jordan.
According to the report, such an offer may lead to disagreements on the Palestinian side, as on the one hand there are those who fear the interim agreement may turn into a permanent one and will therefore be rejected by the Palestinian leadership.
On the other hand, there are those who believe that the idea should be reexamined, as the Palestinians have nothing more to play within their talks with US President Barack Obama.
Israel steps up security in Jerusalem – www.news.yahoo.com
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel deployed hundreds of extra police in Jerusalem as tens of thousands of Muslims flocked to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound for the first Friday weekly prayers of the Ramadan holy month.
"We have deployed 2,000 police in order to deal with any eventuality," Jerusalem police spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby told AFP. He later estimated that some 80,000 worshippers had attended the early afternoon prayers.
Entry to the compound was being limited to men over the age of 50 and women over the age of 45, as well as married men 45 to 50 years old and married women between the ages of 30 and 45, according to the Israeli military.
The steps were aimed at preventing violence, following several outbreaks of unrest over the past several months in which young Palestinian demonstrators have hurled rocks at Israeli police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
There were no reports of any disturbances on Friday.
The sprawling esplanade containing the Al-Aqsa mosque and the adjacent Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's historic Old City is the third holiest site in Islam after Saudi Arabia's Mecca and Medina.
It is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the location of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem -- including the Old City, with sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims -- during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community.
The Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the Al-Aqsa compound has frequently been a flashpoint in the Middle East conflict.
In 2000, a visit to the compound by Ariel Sharon, a right-wing politician who went on to become prime minister, sparked the so-called Al-Aqsa Intifada, a bloody Palestinian uprising in which thousands of people were killed.
During the lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious and charitable.
Israel wants to be satellite superpower – www.upi.com
JERUSALEM, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Plans are under way to turn Israel into a satellite superpower and increase sales of locally made space platforms to nearly $8 billion a year, a report says.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to approve plans to boost Israel's space status, a report in The Jerusalem Post said Friday.
Currently talks are under way with several countries and defense companies about possible space collaboration, the newspaper said.
The plan calls for the government to boost its support for space research and development, and invest millions of dollars annually, focusing on mini-satellites as Israel's primary market, the report said.
A team of Israeli scientists and economists drafted the plan.
Professor Haim Eshed, head of the Defense Ministry's space division told the paper Israel is one of the few countries that can independently develop, manufacture and launch satellites. The assets are there but are not being marketed, he said.
Israel's expertise is in mini-satellites such as the recently launched Ofek 9 satellite. He estimates Israel has the capability to net 5 percent of the international space market estimated at $250 billion a year, the report said.
Russian S-300s in Abkhazia block possible Israeli air route to Iran – www.debka.com
US and Israeli military sources told debkafile Thursday, Aug. 12, that a threat from Georgia was not the reason why Russian posted advanced S-300 interceptor batteries Russia in Abkhazia and air defense weapons in South Ossetia on the northern shore of the Black Sea -as Moscow officially maintained, but rather possible moves by the US and/or Israel against Iran and its nuclear facilities.
Georgia's armed forces do not run to the sophisticated warplanes, missiles or drones that would warrant establishing the high-powered S-300 interceptors for defending the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Ordinary air defense batteries would do for deterrence.
Therefore, US military sources believe Moscow placed the sophisticated batteries on the Black Sea shore more as a counterweight for the US Sixth Fleet warships present in the Mediterranean and Black Seas and the two big American bases close to the latter waterway - the Mikhail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, and the Bezmer Air Base used by the US Air Force just 50 kilometers from the southern shore of the Black Sea.
Their location gives the US Air Force the freedom to operate over both the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Our military sources disclose that attention was drawn in Moscow and Tehran to the exercises the Israeli Air Force has been conducting from the two American bases to simulate strikes against Iran's concealed nuclear sites.
They noticed in particular the Israeli Yasur CH-53 helicopter which crashed in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania on July 26, killing six Israeli airman and a Romanian flight captain. It was obvious to Russian and Iranian observers from the way the CH-53 crashed and the veil of secrecy clamped down by Israeli authorities that it had been engaged in practicing touch-and-go attacks on nuclear sites which the Iranians have holed up in tunnels burrowed in the sides of lofty mountain precipices.
DEBKfile's intelligence sources do not doubt that Russian placed the top-of-the line air defense systems in Abkhazia for intercepting flights taking off from the American bases in Bulgaria and Romania and heading east over Georgia and Azerbaijan and on to the Caspian and Black Seas to northern Iran.
Byt deploying the S-300s, Moscow has put paid to any plans Israel may have had for using this northern route for attacking Iran.
The deployment was also a message of reassurance from Moscow to Tehran: Although Russia is withholding the advanced S-300 interceptors from Iran it has its own methods for blocking an American or Israel raid on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.
Russia: Iran's nuclear plant to get fuel next week - Vladimir Isachenkov – www.news.yahoo.com
MOSCOW – Russia will load fuel into Iran's first nuclear power plant next week despite U.S. demands to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear energy until the country proves that it's not pursuing a weapons capacity, officials said Friday.
Uranium fuel shipped by Russia will be loaded into the Bushehr reactor on Aug. 21, beginning a startup process that will last about a month and end with the reactor sending electricity to Iranian cities, Russian and Iranian officials said.
"From that moment the Bushehr plant will be officially considered a nuclear-energy installation," said Sergei Novikov, a spokesman for the Russian nuclear agency, told The Associated Press.
Russia signed a $1 billion contract to build the Bushehr plant in 1995 but it has dragged its feet on completing the project.
Moscow has cited technical reasons for the delays, but analysts say Moscow has used the project to press Iran to ease its defiance over its nuclear program.
Russian officials say, however, that U.N. sanctions against Iran, including a new, more stringent set approved in June, don't directly prevent Moscow from going ahead with the Bushehr project. It has argued that the Bushehr project is essential for persuading Iran to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and fulfill its obligations under international nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
Russian officials did not say why they had decided to move ahead with loading fuel into the Bushehr plant now.
The uranium fuel used by the Bushehr plant is enriched to a level too low to be used in an nuclear weapon. Iran is already producing uranium enriched to that level — about 3.5 percent — and has started a pilot program of enriching uranium to 20 percent. Iran claims it needs the 20 percent enriched uranium to produce fuel for a medical research reactor, but the move has further heightened international concerns about its nuclear program.
Uranium must be enriched to over 90 percent to be used in a nuclear warhead.
Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as saying that the country had invited International Atomic Energy Agency experts to watch the transfer of fuel, which was shipped about two years ago, into the Bushehr reactor.
"Fuel complexes are sealed (and being monitored by IAEA). Naturally, IAEA inspectors will be there to watch the unsealing," ISNA quoted Salehi as saying.
Russia has said that the Bushehr project has been closely supervised by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which declined comment Friday. It also says Iran has signed a pledge to ship all the spent uranium fuel from Bushehr back to Russia for reprocessing, excluding a possibility that any of it could used to make nuclear weapons.
Russia has walked a fine line on Iran for years. It is one of the six powers leading international efforts to ensure Iran does not develop an atomic bomb. It has backed U.N. sanctions, but strongly criticized the U.S. and the European Union for following up with separate, even stronger sanctions.
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Guide to the Perplexed - By Caroline B. Glick
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Israel's leaders are reportedly concerning themselves with one question today: Are there any circumstances in which US President Barack Obama will order the US military to strike Iran's nuclear installations before Iran develops a nuclear arsenal?
From Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu down the line, Israel's leaders reportedly raise this question with just about everyone they come into contact with. If this is true, then the time has come to end our leaders' suspense.
The answer is no.
To all intents and purposes, there are no circumstances in which Obama would order an attack on Iran's nuclear installations to prevent Iran from developing and fielding nuclear weapons. Exceptions to this statement fall into two categories. Either they are so implausible that they are operationally irrelevant, or they are so contingent on other factors that they would doom any US attack to failure.
Evidence for this conclusion is found in every aspect of Obama's foreign policy. But to prove it, it is sufficient to point out point three aspects of his policies.
First of all, Obama's refuses to recognize that an Iranian nuclear arsenal constitutes a clear and present danger to US national security. Obama's discussions of the perils of a nuclear Iran are limited to his acknowledgement that such an arsenal will provoke a regional nuclear arms race. This is certainly true. But then that arms race has already begun. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, the U.A.E., and Kuwait have all announced their intentions to build nuclear reactors. In some cases they have signed deals with foreign countries to build such facilities.
And yet, while a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is bad, it is far from the worst aspect of Iran's nuclear program for America. America has two paramount strategic interests in the Middle East. First, the US requires the smooth flow of inexpensive petroleum products from the Persian Gulf to global oil markets. Second, the US requires the capacity to project its force in the region to defend its own territory from global jihadists.
Both of these interests are imperiled by the Iranian nuclear program. If the US is not willing to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, it will lose all credibility as a strategic ally to the Sunni Arab states in the area. For instance, from a Saudi perspective, a US that is unwilling to prevent the ayatollahs from fielding nuclear weapons is of no more use to them than Britain or China or France. It is just another oil consuming country. The same goes for the rest of the states in the Gulf and in the region.
The Arab loss of faith in US security guarantees will cause them to deny basing rights to US forces in their territories. It will also likely lead them to bow to Iranian will on oil price setting through supply cutbacks. In light of this, the Iranian nuclear program constitutes the greatest threat ever to US superpower status in the region and to the wellbeing of the US economy.
Then there is the direct threat that Iran's nuclear program constitutes for US national security. This threat grows larger by the day as Iran's web of strategic alliances in Latin America expands unchallenged by the US. Today Iran enjoys military alliances with Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia.
As former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton has argued, at least the Soviets were atheists. Atheists of course, are in no hurry to die, since death can bring no rewards in a world to come. Iran's leaders are apocalyptic jihadists. Given Iran's Latin American alliances and Iran's own progress towards intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities, the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran makes the Cuban missile crisis look like a walk in the park.
In the face of this grave and gathering threat, Obama cancelled plans to deploy anti-ballistic missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. He has shunned the pro-American Honduran and Colombian governments in favor of Nicaragua and Venezuela. He has welcomed Brazil's anti-American president to the White House. He cancelled the F-22.
The fact that Obama fails to recognize the danger an Iranian nuclear arsenal poses to the US does not in and of itself prove that Obama would not attack Iran's nuclear installations. After all, the US has fought many wars and launched countless campaigns in its history against foes that posed no direct threat to the US. In most of these cases, the US has fought on behalf of its allies.
In the case of Iran's nuclear weapons programs, because the Iranians have openly placed Israel first on their nuclear targeting list, US debate about Iran's nuclear program has been anchored around the issue of Israel's national security. Should the US attack Iran's nuclear installations in order to defend Israel?
Given the distorted manner in which the debate has been framed, the answer to that question hinges on Obama's view of Israel. Three recent moves by Obama and his advisors make clear that Obama takes a dim view of Israel. He views Israel neither as a credible ally nor a credible democracy.
First there is the character of current US military assistance to Israel and to its neighbors. In recent months, the Obama administration has loudly announced its intentions to continue its joint work with Israel towards the development and deployment of defensive anti-missile shields. Two things about these programs are notable. First, they are joint initiatives. Just as Israel gains US financing, the US gains Israeli technology that it would otherwise lack. Second, as Globes reported last week, the Obama has actually scaled back US funding for these programs. For instance, funding for the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile program - intended to serve as Israel's primary defensive system against Iranian ballistic missiles -- was cut by $50 million.
The defensive character of all of these programs signals an absence of US support for maintaining Israel's capacity to preemptively strike its enemies. When the Pentagon's refusal to permit Israel to install its own avionics systems on the next generation F-35 warplanes is added to the mix, it is difficult to make the argument that the US supports Israel's qualitative edge over its enemies in any tangible way.
An assessment that the US has abandoned its commitment to Israel's qualitative edge is strengthened by the administration's announcement this week of its plan to sell Saudi Arabia scores of F-15 and F-16 fighter jets for an estimated $30 billion. While the US has pledged to remove systems from the Saudi aircraft that pose direct threats to Israel, once those jets arrive in the Kingdom, the Saudis will be able to do whatever they want with them. If one adds to this equation the reduced regional stature of the US in an Iranian nuclear age, it is clear that these guarantees have little meaning.
Obama's moves to reduce Israel's offensive capacity and slow its acquisition of defensive systems goes hand in hand with his rejection of Israel's right to self-defense and dismissive attitude towards Israel's rule of law. These positions have been starkly demonstrated in his administration's treatment of Israel in the wake of the IDF's takeover of the Turkish-Hamas Mavi Marmara terror ship on May 31st.
In the face of that blatant display of Turkish aggression against Israel as it maintained its lawful maritime blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza's coastline, Obama sided with Turkey and Hamas against Israel. Obama demanded that Israel investigate its handling of the incident. Moreover, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that Israel was incapable of credibly investigating itself and so required Israel to add non-Israeli members to its investigative committee.
Yet even Israel's acceptance of this US humiliation was insufficient for Obama. His UN envoy Susan Rice then demanded that Israel accept a UN investigative panel that is charged with checking to see if the Israeli committee has done its job. And if the UN panel rejects the Israeli commission's findings, it is empowered to begin its own investigation.
As to the UN, as former Obama and Clinton administration officials Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon explained in an article in the Washington Post last week, Obama's national security strategy effectively revolves around subordinating US national security policy to the UN Security Council. In the remote scenario that Obama decided to use force against Iran, his subservience to the UN would rule out any possibility of a surprise attack.
Although in theory the US military's capacity to strike Iran's nuclear facilities is much greater than Israel's, given its practical inability to launch a surprise attack, in practice it may be much smaller.
All of these factors constitute overwhelming evidence that there are no conceivable circumstances under which Obama would order a US strike on Iran's nuclear installations to forestall Iran's development of nuclear weapons. And this reality should lead Israel's leaders to three separate conclusions.
First, and most urgently, Israel must attack Iran's nuclear installations. Iran's nuclear ambitions must be set back at least until 2017, the latest date at which a new -- and hopefully more rational -- US administration will certainly be in office.
Second, given the fact that the US will not take action against Iran's nuclear installations, there is no reason for Israel to capitulate to US pressure on lesser issues. The Obama administration has nothing to offer Israel on this most important threat and so Israel should not do anything to strengthen its position. Among other things, this conclusion has clear implications for Jewish construction in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, Israel's future responses to Lebanese aggression, as well as for Israel's continued cooperation with the UN probes of the Turkish-Hamas terror ship.
Finally, Obama's behavior is a clear indication that Israel was wrong to allow itself to become militarily dependent on US military platforms. Former defense minister Moshe Arens wrote recently that Israel should strongly consider abandoning plans to purchase the F-35 and restore the scrapped Lavi jetfighter to active development. Arens suggested that in doing so, Israel may find willing collaborators in the Indians, the French and even the Russians.
No, the US has not become Israel's enemy - although the Obama administration has certainly struck an adversarial chord. Polling data suggests that most Americans disagree with Obama's treatment of Israel and recognize that Iran is a threat to the US.
But polls aside, the answer to Israel's desperate queries is that it is up to us. If the Obama administration teaches us anything, it teaches us that we must rely first and foremost on ourselves.
Repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran - Dan Murphy – www.news.yahoo.com
If Israel is likely to decide to attack Iran next summer, as argued in an Atlantic Monthly story by Jeffrey Goldberg out this week, the big question is, what happens in the aftermath?
A common view among strategists and political analysts is that the US will be held responsible by Iran and much of the Muslim world. Tehran is expected to use the relationships it has carefully cultivated with militants in Iraq and Afghanistan to lash out at US troops, and some say it could provide fighters in Afghanistan with the surface-to-air missiles they crave.
"There are segments of the [Iranian] regime, parts of the military apparatus especially, that will welcome an attack, the heightening of tensions and even confrontation," says Kaveh Ehsani, a political scientist who studies Iran at DePaul University in Chicago. "Their strategy to react to this is to export conflict – to Afghanistan and Iraq and Lebanon and Gaza… they’ll raise hell anywhere they can, like in Saudi Arabia."
But how big the Iranian reaction would be remains an open question. More US soldiers would die, that much is almost certain. But how many is unclear. And while Iran can bottle up tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and drive up world oil prices, or encourage Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to rain missiles on Israel, analysts are divided on whether the country will take the plunge.
US response could be far more threatening than a Israeli one, Wayne White, former deputy director of the Middle East desk at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, says a there's a complex web of calculations being made by both the Israelis and the Iranians, and that Iran may show restraint in the wake of an attack, not wanting to be drawn into a conflict that could threaten the Islamic revolution.
"The Iranians might also appreciate that if they up the ante ... there could be more blowback on them," he says, pointing out that a dramatic Iranian attack on US interests, or a precipitous withdrawal form the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and UN nuclear monitoring could provoke a US response far more threatening to Iran than the limited strike Israel is capable of.
He says some retaliation against both Israeli and US interests is inevitable, "but not in such a visible form, such a dramatic shift that could be immediately placed upon them. They may be cunning about this, knowing that they still have a lot of their [nuclear] program, and not give us a pretext to wade into the situation and take what they have left.... the thing they really fear most is that huge attack from the United States that could, in the end, involve several thousand sorties against a great array of targets."
Why might Israel attack Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes? It's no secret that Israel is deeply skeptical that harsh new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program will prevent it from progressing. Israel also dismisses Tehran's assurances of peaceful intent out of hand.
Israeli leaders like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu view Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an anti-Semitic madman who wouldn't be deterred by the risk of a massive nuclear retaliation from Israel, the region's only nuclear power. Often Israeli rhetoric compares a possible Iranian nuclear bomb with the Holocaust.
Mr. Ehsani says those sorts of fears are clouding Israeli and American strategic thinking. Both are "obsessed with the nuclear program at the expense of long term, geostrategic thinking about Iran," says Ehsani. "If everything you’re doing in terms of setting up your pieces on the chess board is to stop them from developing their nuclear program, which Iran is pursuing because of concerns about regime survival, then you've got a sort of vicious circle that could backfire."
Intentions and capabilitiesThe actual outcome of an Israel strike is likely to be murky. Israel's successful attacks on an unfinished Syrian nuclear reactor in 2006 and Iraq's Osirak nuclear facility in 1981 (which Iran had tried to and failed to destroy with jets of its own the previous year) are sometimes held up as models. But those were single sights, much closer to Israel and above ground.
Iran has 17 known nuclear sites and has placed many of its key facilities deep below ground, so deep that there are doubts that even "bunker buster" bombs could destroy them. But "if there’s one tunnel complex that we’ve discovered, there’s probably seven or eight we haven’t," says White. "They've been preparing for this for a long time."
And an attack wouldn't be easy: Long flights over Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or Turkey, limited time over their targets, and a need to hustle home to deal with possible Hezbollah retaliation are just a few of the problems.
As Steven Simon, a senior fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations, put it in a briefing on the odds of an Israeli strike on Iran last winter: "Israeli officials are aware that no conceivable Israeli strike could completely eliminate the nuclear threat posed by Iran and that an attack might only intensify longer-term risks as Iran reconstituted covertly, advancing an argument long made by counterterrorism officials that any effort to counter Iran’s nuclear challenge is going to be like 'mowing the lawn.' "
Col. (ret.) Pat Lang, a former head of the Middle East desk at the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, writes on his blog that a 50 percent chance of an Israeli attack is "about right" though he cautions of the consequences for US interests. "Goldberg doesn't think that the US would eventually be drawn into such a war? That is foolish. The escalation ladder that would be climbed would be likely to include attacks on US forces and a strike on Israel would be probable from some quarter. That would create a political situation in which US entry into the war would be likely."
Repercussions and triggersThat's an outcome US officials are well aware of, and at least one reason that a unilateral Israeli attack, something the Obama administration opposes as the Bush administration did before it, would strain US ties.
But if Netanyahu becomes convinced that sanctions aren't working and that the US is unlikely to lead an attack, Goldberg argues the Israelis "will state that they believe they have a reasonable chance of delaying the Iranian nuclear program for at least three to five years. They will tell their American colleagues that Israel was left with no choice. They will not be asking for permission."
White predicts that the strains on the US relationship with Israel would be manageable since "the US population is well inclined to Israelis and has a dismal view of Iran."
"The US doesn’t want to do this at all, and doesn’t want them to light the fuse, either," he says, "because it would be presumed that we gave them the green light. This is an unfortunate belief in the Middle East – it just isn't true. When the Israelis wish to do something exceedingly dramatic like the [Osirak] raid in 1981, they don’t tell us anything at all."
He says he would expect Israel to carry out a strike on Iran if it received intelligence about a specific site or nuclear progress that they viewed as "alarmingly actionable." He adds that there is no strategic hesitation "except for the difficulty of the mission, because they believe Israel will survive the bulk of the blowback.... In the long run, I’m alarmed. In the short run, I think the Israelis don’t want to do this."
Unintended consequencesAt times, the US military establishment has appeared less eager for a confrontation than members of the Obama administration, who have repeatedly said that "all options are on the table" when asked about what the US might do if sanctions don't make a dent in Iran's nuclear program.
Admiral Mike Mullen, at the World Leaders Forum at Columbia University in April, said that the "unintended consequences" of an Israeli attack on Iran would "be substantial in an area that's so unstable right now. We don't need more of that." He even appeared ambivalent about which was worse -- a nuclear armed Iran or a war with Iran.
"What we need is engaged political and diplomatic leadership from around the world to make sure that that doesn’t – that neither one of those things happens. And I don’t believe – I think Iran having a nuclear weapon would be incredibly destabilizing. I think attacking them would also create the same kind of outcome."
Extreme weather and natural disasters occurring simultaneously around the globe – www.untiljesuscomes.org
No matter how one would like to keep optimistic in this day and age, it is very hard to ignore the fact that this earth is experiencing some serious changes. Russia is fighting a killer heatwave, raging wildfires, and threats of nuclear smog, while the Asian floods, landslides, are also taking massive tolls on human life, properties, and affecting the global markets. These are only a few examples of the world-wide extreme weather and natural disasters occurring simultaneously around the globe today. Words and phrases such as ‘unprecedented’, ‘never before in living memory’ are now common, and describe many of these events, and one has to wonder, what on earth is going on?
Most are quick to blame it on global warming. Climate change experts, Scientists, and Al Gore have all helped to give man-kind a ‘reason’ and ‘explanation’ for these unusual occurrences in weather and unprecedented disasters. In a recent article from the Montreal Gazette entitled, “Disasters ‘prove that global warming is happening”, Dr. Peter Stott, who is the head of climate monitoring at Britain’s Met Office has said that there was “clear evidence” of a rise in the frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change. “The odds of such extreme events are rapidly shortening, and they could become considered the norm by the middle of this century,” he was quoted as saying. Professor Andrew Watson, of the University of East Anglia, said the extreme events are “fairly consistent with the IPCC reports and what 99 per cent of the scientists believe to be happening.” Next to global warming, another familiar culprit most closely associated with these events wreaking havoc on earth is, “Mother Nature”. ‘She’ is frequently pointed out, and in a recent Bloomberg article, Peter McGuire, the managing director of CWA Global Markets Pty said, “Mother Nature is playing a very evil hand – it’s always the poor that suffer.”
Global Warming and Mother Nature? Global Warming suggests that man-kind is at fault and as the ‘green religion’ becomes part of the norm for a ‘fix’ and Mother Nature is revered more and more, there is another explanation that needs to be examined. And quickly for those not aware. This explanation offers a hope in connection with it and a promise from the very creator of the earth.
The Bible foretells many signs that would culminate in the last days. Jesus indicated that these signs would arise together, occurring together in concert, as His return drew near. (Matthew 24:33-34) He said that chaotic and strange weather would be prevalent (Luke 21:25-26). Jesus foresaw the seas and the waves roaring in the last days. He also likened these signs to birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). The Greek word odin, often translated as sorrows in Matthew 24:8, literally means birth pangs. We are seeing an increase in strange weather patterns as prophesied; floods, droughts, famines, earthquakes, etc., and it is because the earth, ‘creation’ itself longs to be freed from the curse. Since Adam, all mankind, and creation has been fallen. The apostle Paul reminded us in the Scriptures that the creation itself would be delivered from the curse at the end of the age (Romans 8:21). And that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs (Romans 8:22). As delivery draws near, birth pangs always increase in both intensity and frequency. Therefore, the creation itself would travail as the time of delivery draws near. The ‘fix’ for the increase of these extreme weather and natural disasters, will not come by the hand of man. There is no turning back, just as a woman who labors and enters into stronger labor does not just stop and go backwards in progression. So, Is going ‘green a bad thing’ ? No. but there is no need for extremes in this way. That is not to say man-kind should not be good stewards of the earth.
The last days are here as the Word of God has prophesied thousands of years ago and viewing the current events through the lens of Biblical prophecy for days such as this can prove more accurate and truthful than any Scientist or man-made explanation – through which comes No real solution against the force of God. The solution and end of all these signs that will keep increasing until the time of the end will be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ the Redeemer, when His Kingdom is birthed. These extreme weather events and natural disasters now occurring do not prove global warming is true – they prove that there is a God, a God Who keeps His Word.
The signs we are seeing now serve as a wakeup call that the Tribulation time of judgment is coming, and for all to examine their own walk with God. Prior to the Tribulation, there will be a rapture to Heaven, of all those who are the LORD’s followers now on earth- all those who place complete faith in Jesus Christ – and that could occur at any time.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
The long term prophetic nature of yes being yes and no being no – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
In July 2005, I covered a story where six teens and two adults were arrested for praying in front of the White House. The US Park Police SWAT team made a big deal of it. One policeman was ordered to move in and he said while throwing his arms up in the air, "They are praying for God's sake." Those praying were cuffed and hauled away. Even as a journalist covering the event, the police told me to move out of the area or I would be arrested, too. Some regulation prevents people from occupying space on the sidewalk in front of the White House for more than a few minutes. This regulation apparently trumps the Constitutional right of freedom of religion, peaceful assembly and free speech.
On June 25th, some 50 high school students attending a Young America's Foundation leadership conference visited the Lincoln Memorial. They were so moved by the experience that they spontaneously broke into singing the National Anthem. Fox News reports the students were ordered to stop singing by the Park Police because they were violating a federal law because it was a demonstration in an area that must remain, as they put it, "completely content neutral." That was the first time the students attempted to sing the Anthem. Then one girl said, "This is America. We sing the National Anthem. Who says on the Lincoln Memorial that we can't sing the National Anthem? That’s what I want to know."
Then as a demonstration of civil disobedience, the students sang the National Anthem again. Apparently, the Park Police were worried that the students were being political by singing the Anthem because authorities kept stressing that any demonstration must be "content neutral." The students, however, were spontaneous and demonstrating never crossed their minds until they were told they couldn't sing the National Anthem on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Students interviewed said that singing the song became political after they were told they were breaking the law by singing it. The students, however, were not arrested as were those who prayed in front of the White House.
This nation is in deep trouble when praying before symbols of national government and singing the National Anthem at memorials to freedom and justice are considered breaking the law. I am offended that our government a would even consider these actions improper. I am also offended that our government would deliberately run this country amuck. We as Christians have a say. Many say firmly that these things are wrong, but our actions are not aligning with our words. As Jesus said, in Matthew 5:37, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil." Time to back up what we say we believe. It’s about changing hearts more than it is about elections.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
A Zealous Love – Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.
— Psalm 115:6–7
We tend to equate jealousy with pettiness and selfishness. We see it as a vice, not a virtue. But when God was giving Moses the Ten Commandments and said He was a jealous God, this is not the type of jealousy He was speaking of. If we were to substitute the term "zealous" for "jealous," it would help in our understanding of it.
God is zealous in His love for you, and He wants you to be zealous in your love for Him. God loves you and wants an exclusive relationship with you. For example, doesn't a wife want her husband to be faithful to her? Doesn't a husband want his wife to be loyal to him? Doesn't a parent look out for his or her children and care about their welfare? Of course.
This is essentially what God was saying when He told Moses, "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods" (Exodus 20:5). In other words, "I want your complete love. I don't want you to bow down before other gods."
When the Israelites worshipped the golden calf while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, they rationalized their behavior by saying it was "a festival to the Lord" (Exodus 32:5). Call it what you like, but it was blatant idolatry. And a person who really knows God, who has experienced a new birth, and is living in fellowship with Him should not need an image or representation to be able to pray. Something is not right when believers feel they need that.
This is a problem because it gives us a false concept of what God is really like. And if the image is false, then the thought of God is false—and ultimately it will produce a character that is false.
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On Broadway - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmai.com
Bright lights, adult theaters, jumping hot spots for socializing (among other things), fast cars, high rollers lots of fun and excitement to be had “On Broadway”. Now that’s the life, huh? “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:13.
There’s a Broadway in every town, in every community, in every nation. And I’m not talking about the street called Broadway, although many have become trapped and lost on that street. No, what I’m talking about is the Broadway Jesus speaks of as a particular path that each of us must choose to walk or avoid. It’s actually a simple path to follow. That’s why so many end up there. Fun, thrills, games of all kinds. A plethora of perversions and distractions from the woes of life can be found “On Broadway”.
What is the Broadway? It’s interesting when we look at the Greek word it actually means spacious, there seems to be no limitations on just how many people Broadway will accommodate. Any decision we make or any path we take which opposes Jesus Christ is the Broad-way that leadeth to destruction, and that my friends is just a simple fact.
There are many cults circulating the globe which teach their followers concepts that are diametrically opposed to God’s inerrant word, and those teachings culminate “On Broadway”. When someone says “There are many paths that lead to Heaven”, that’s Broadway. “All religions claim their own path to Heaven, Christianity is no different,” that’s Broadway. “I’m basically a good person; God won’t send me to Hell”, Broadway. “I don’t believe in God, or Satan, or Heaven and Hell”, okay, everybody say it together, Broadway.
Even in Christian colleges there are those who conspire with Satan to lead their students to Broadway. Anyone who teaches contrary to God’s word is conspiring with Satan. Satan, the father of all lies, invented the lie “…ye shall not surely die ” Genesis 3:4. In other words he called God a liar. That is precisely what we see happening whenever a pastor or college professor tells their parishioners or young impressionable students God didn’t really mean what He said. I’ve received letters from students confirming this to be the case. Be careful where you send your children for a Christian education. Many Christian colleges have successfully robbed that name from God and are currently well entrenched on Broadway.
A dear sister in the Lord recently wrote to me about the co-pastor “a woman” at her Church who line item vetoes verses from God’s word which she doesn’t like – Broadway.
Many Christian denominations come close to Broadway because they won’t recognize Israel’s legitimate claim to the land God gave them. “The Church has replaced Israel in God’s eyes”, that’s Broadway. God never reneges on a covenant. Those covenants He made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David are binding. Refusing to accept the truth of those covenants and thinking the Church has now replaced Israel in God’s eyes is just another way to call God a liar – Broaaadwaaay.
“Jesus is not God” – Broadway. “Jesus was a good teacher but He didn’t die on a cross or arise from the grave”, do you get the feeling Broadway’s filling up fast? Are we beginning to see why the Broadway is so easily followed yet so destructive? And why Jesus says many will enter thereat? There are so many lies infiltrating the minds of men that over time the truth of God’s word becomes diluted, and of non-effect.
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8. The word “spoil” above actually means to give place to. In other words, when man gives place to the doctrines of men instead of adhering to God’s word – Broadway.
Today we see many doctrines of men being adhered to in the church. One which is a sure path to Broadway is by adding to the sufficiency of the cross. This concept, in effect, is saying Jesus didn’t pay the whole price for my sins so I must perform my own works, such as being baptized to complete the process, or I must speak in tongues, or be a member of a certain congregation… these doctrines of men (lies) go on and on. Instead of being saved by grace through faith, according to man’s doctrines , faith alone just won’t do. This lie will lead people away from believing that through faith in Jesus Christ are we saved by God’s grace. Ultimately many who go to Church to find the truth only find Broadway.
When believers in Christ fail in their assigned task of spreading the Gospel of Christ, Satan will take full advantage of that failure, and he has. Besides all the Christian cults, and demon possessed professors, many of our Christian leaders are vacillating when it comes to standing firm on the word of God. When the scriptures are allegorized, marginalized, or even discounted as mere fables by pastors and teachers, Satan gets elevated. This very real satanic promotion has and will in the future lead many to – Broadway.
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. Basically liars, these are men and women who have perfected the skill of lying to an art. They’ve made their father the devil proud. The only way any of us can keep from participating in their dance, “the Broadway shuffle”, is by being ever diligent in our studies of and believing in God’s inerrant word. God warns us again and again about liars. Sadly many just don’t pay attention or they don’t believe Him, and of course yet another path to Broadway.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Of course this claim by the Creator of the universe is widely disputed among false religions, and even many so called Christian college professors; thus this disputed truth has been responsible for more people wondering onto Broadway than almost any other lie promoted by Satan.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14. Here Jesus drives home a fact. “Few” is His word when referring to just how many will eventually follow Him. The Greek word “oligos” can be translated as: little, small, few, or slight. In other words we’re looking at a Greek word which, when used in the above context, represents a very slight numerical value. God is telling us in no uncertain terms that huge multitudes of folks will find Broadway much more advantageous than to accept the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just who are these people? Well, some of them you know. Some may even be related to you.
I don’t know about the rest of you but when I read God’s word about how few enter in through the narrow way (Jesus Christ) vs. the many that will go through the broad way (the path that leads to Hell) it’s not only sad but depressing. But imagine how our Creator God must feel when even one of His creation rejects His Son? God offers all of humanity a free gift of salvation, yet He tells us that Broadway will be packed. What a sad commentary as we see multitudes upon multitudes of deceived folks looking to Broadway (Hell) for their eternal future.
God knows something none of the rest of us can ever know. He, being outside of the restraints of time and space, has a unique advantage over us. He can see the beginning of all things as well as the end of all things simultaneously. This unique advantage allows Him to make statements such as “few there be that find it” (that is the narrow way – Jesus Christ), and “broad is the way that leads to destruction” (Satan’s way – Hell). God knew, even before He created the universe, who would believe in and follow His only begotten Son, and who would take the Broadway turnoff. This in no way diminishes our responsibility to choose for ourselves which path to take.
Yep, Broadway is a turnoff in more ways than one. It means going against the truth. It’s a deliberate choice that folks make to stand in complete rebellion against their Creator. The lies which the enemy supplies to all humanity are damning and he knows it. Satan cannot see the beginning from the end and thus all he can do is work day and night to corrupt God’s creation. Satan is a very powerful and intelligent supernatural being but he can’t hold a candle to God; as hard as the enemy tries to usurp God, God never loses control. But He, being the loving gracious God He is, will never force anyone to avoid Broadway. He gives us direction through His word and has placed the Holy Spirit on earth to guide us to Jesus Christ, but the final choice to follow Christ or to jump “the Broadway train” is entirely our domain.
Jesus gave us those verses in Matthew 7 as a warning to all who wish to occupy eternity with Him. He’s telling us that there will be much obstruction ahead (that’s another commentary), but the simple way will be the Broad way. The narrow way, which is only through Jesus Christ, leads to life, “and few there be that find it”.
Should we think that the more the lost see Christians being persecuted for their faith the better Broadway will look to them? Not hardly. Foxe’s “Book of Martyrs” tells of millions of early Christians being persecuted and executed, but they remained steadfast in their faith. He describes many scenes of Christians as they are being eaten by beast or burned at the stake all the while their faces resembled angels. It was as though they were looking at Jesus and He had given them a peace to endure the pain. These martyrs, by holding fast to their faith, are prime examples of how the Church, though hugely persecuted, grew to the size it is today.
The lies which permeate our current Christian culture are, on many occasions, voiced by those who over the years have gained our trust. During the dark times of persecution which are surely coming what can we expect from these fearless leaders? A new mantra of political correctness. The old adage “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen” is changing. Many of our Christian leaders today simply turn down the heat (water down the word of God). Christianity is currently perceived as politically incorrect; therefore many Christian leaders are simply falling in line with what society wants. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. And what will those itching ears, and fables get them? Broadway.
Salvation through Jesus Christ alone is becoming more and more unpopular. The Muslims hate us for what we preach, and yes I mean all Muslims. There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim. They wish to inculcate Sharia Law across the globe and here in America the religion of Islam is spreading like wildfire. One main obstruction to their achieving their goal is Christianity; it must be eliminated so they can proceed with their agenda. Oh, and by the way, Islam and it’s 1.5 billion adherents – Broadway!!
Broadway is Satan’s undisputed path. Is it easy? Is it comfortable? Is it fun? Some may think so, but it’s actually deadly and Satan knows it. Satan hates humans, he even hates those who openly worship him as their god. It is not in his character to be benevolent. He is determined to lead and guide, through whatever deception seems to fly, as many people as he can down – to Broadway.
Jesus admonishes us to enter through the straight gate and narrow way which at this point in time obviously remains open. If this were not the case He would have shut the door and taken us home by now. Consequently there must still be time and room for anyone who chooses Him, albeit precious little time remaining.
Therefore we, as His followers, still have work to do. We are to hold fast to the faith ‘til He comes. We are to spread the good news of His Gospel to the world. We are to make disciples of all nations. And we are to do all this no matter how much persecution comes our way.
Question: Is the straight gate and the narrow way the only path to Heaven? Give that some real thought before you answer. Are there other roads that lead to the Father? If you believe, as many do, that there are many roads that lead to Heaven then you’ve just called Jesus Christ a liar and your future is secure – On Broadway.
May God bless and change lives,
Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmai.com
All scripture is from the KJV
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(Lord Come Quickly)
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