January 31, 2007

I found Bush's choice of words (as well as many leaders in the world trying to "solve" the Middle East problem) interesting. The goal right now for the whole world is to see peace and security with Israel and "Palestine."

The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Iran, and made it clear that the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. (Applause.) With the other members of the Quartet -- the U.N., the European Union, and Russia -- we're pursuing diplomacy to help bring peace to the Holy Land, and pursuing the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security. (Applause.)

Group 1 will have no idea what's coming until the sudden destruction arrives and they won't escape it.
Group 2 won't be in darkness as to this time that comes like a thief. We also know from other scriptures that we will escape it. Luke 21:34-36

In other words, believers will have an idea it's coming. This tells us that believers are here for this time just before the sudden destruction but will escape the actual destruction.

I believe this is the coming war on religious fundamentalism. While spouting the reason being peace and security in the world, the leaders (and specifically the antichrist) will wage a war on fundamentalism in the name of peace. In this way he will destroy the fundamentalists and also corrupt his followers. Everyone will be behind him because they will buy into the concept. I think the Alliance of Civilizations will play a part. It isn't until after the abomination of desolation that the war really turns ugly though, in my opinion. Because that's when the gloves come off and Lucifer gives his power to the beast.

There is some background also needed. What times do we know that there will be peace in the Middle East? We know that the temple has to be rebuilt before the abomination of desolation. Revelation 11:1,2 So somehow the current situation has to change. That's where I believe Gog/Magog comes in.

Clearly, Israel is living in peace and safety before the attack. If you read my study on Ezekiel 38,39, I go into why, but this time only fits before the abomination of desolation. Afterwards, Israel will not live in safety until Christ returns in glory. Another interesting thing that the Gog/Magog intervention does is makes Israel and the world recognize the God of Israel. I believe that will be what pushes Israel to rebuild the temple. And the Muslim forces that hate Israel will have just suffered a clear defeat by a much stronger God than them.

So I believe that the peace put forth by the antichrist starts out logical because of radical Islam and it's mutual threat to the EU, which I believe is the antichrist's kingdom. Daniel 9:26 states that the people of the future prince destroy Jerusalem, they were the Roman army. I believe the EU is that revived Roman empire for many reasons I won't go into here. At any rate, that initial peace and security push, that everyone is currently talking about, will shift once the dragon gives the beast his power. It will then focus on the Jews, who were living in safety up to that point.

The world are the ones saying they want peace and security. I believe the shift against religious fundamentalism will make them believe the genocide of the Jews is a necessary evil to irradiate the fundamentalism. I believe this may be spurred on by the mortal head wound the beast gets. Revelation 13

Gog/Magog will have returned much of Israel to the point of belief they were at when the Maccabean revolt happened. That was a good example of how believing Jews would react. I don't doubt that when the antichrist declares himself god, that some fervent Jew will assassinate him. Then when Lucifer is cast down, he revives the beast and gives him his power to kill the Jews. The world will wonder at the beast and the beast will declare war on the fundamentalists who would try to assassinate someone for saying they are god.

So in quick overview, at the first seal, Revelation 6:1,2, the antichrist goes forth to conquer by peace. This is the Western governments, which will eventually fall under one man's control. I believe this push for peace against extremism will start against radical Islam because they make the most problems now.

Ezekiel 38:8-12 speaks of a time that has to be before the abomination of desolation where Israel is dwelling in peace when they are suddenly attacked by Iran, Turkey, Russia, and several other minor Muslim players. These represent the extremists that the Western governments are going after. This will re-enforce the peace being put forth by the beast. This will also wake up Israel and the world to the reality of God. Israel will snap to attention, but since they are still blinded to their Meshiach Nagid being Christ, they will go back to the ways of their fathers, the daily sacrifice and the temple. Whether or not Islam lets them, after seeing God step in on their behalf, I believe they will just build the temple. Islam, having just seen God step in on Israel's behalf will let them.

Then the abomination of desolation takes place and the time of Jacob's trouble begins. However, that unparalleled time is cut short. Matthew 24:15-28 | Daniel 12:1 | Jeremiah 30:4-7 What's left of Israel after the time of Jacob's trouble, about 1/3, is then taken and protected from the dragon for 3½ years. Daniel 12:11 states that from the abomination of desolation is 1290 days. That leaves 30 days that Israel is open to attack by the antichrist.

Immediately after that time of Jacob's trouble, the "tribulation of those days" from Matthew 24:29, the sixth seal takes place. The seventh seal follows, but it's only ½ hour of silence in heaven. What this means is that the sixth seal is probably the same day of the coming destruction.

I won't post all the scriptures here, but look through them at the day of the Lord study. That is the sudden destruction they are going to receive. They recognize it's coming at the sixth seal, then ½ hour later it starts with the first trumpet. The world's goal this whole time is a life of peace and security.

For the Christian, this is where our time on earth ends according to scripture as we are removed from earth before God's wrath comes upon all them that dwell upon the whole earth. Luke 21:34-36

Film Evangelizes Muslims through Spiritual Phenomenon More Than Dreams Website (January 31, 2007) - A video program documenting Muslims who have come to know Christ through supernatural means is being used as an evangelism tool. The More than Dreams programs, which records the stories of five Christian converts, shares what some say is a well-documented phenomenon spanning decades of Muslim men and women experiencing dreams and visions of Jesus Christ, reported to the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization in an article released on Monday. Reports of Muslims who experience these spiritual revelations usually come from “closed countries” where preaching of the Gospel and converting to Christianity is condemned by death. Many of the Muslims who have the experience are without prior knowledge of the Gospel or contact with Christians, according to LCWE. One common factor, however, appears to be that the revelation comes to those who are seeking to know and please God. The project began in 2002 when a group of people interested in the phenomenon recorded on-site interviews with former Muslims who had converted to Christianity after experiencing dreams or visions of Jesus. The producers interviewed people from all over the Arabic-speaking world including Muslim areas in Africa and Asia. Producers wanted to work with ministry partners around the world to distribute the videos both to evangelize unbelievers and encourage those who have already experienced the revelation that they are not alone. Included among the stories is Khalil, a former radical Egyptian terrorist who persecuted Christians like “Saul” in the Bible, but came to accept Christ through a life-changing dream of the savior. Another story is about Mohammed of Nigeria, who said Jesus Christ appeared seven times to him in dreams. Mohammed had studied the Quran in depth at several Muslim schools and was about to leave for advanced studies in Saudi Arabia when he experienced the dreams. His father and others tried to kill him after his conversion. Since then, however, he has led his father to faith in Christ. The video stories have been dubbed into five languages: Arabic, Farsi, Bahasa Indonesia, Hausa and Turkish. Plans are underway for several other languages commonly spoken by Muslims: French, English, Urdu, Bengali, Kyble Berber and Russian. The producers of More Than Dreams has set the goal to distribute 10 million copies of the film directly and through partners in the next three to five years. The first major distribution took place mid-2006 in Europe. Thousands of copies were handed out to Arabs attending the Germany 2006 World Cup match between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. God will reach all those who are His and of those He will lose none. Praise God that He can bring anyone He knows are His to Him even in one of the most hostile of regions to His Word. John 6:39, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Ephesians 1:3-6, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

New Scientific Proof of Christ’s Resurrection In Upcoming; Documentary -- The Case for Christ’s Resurrection Grizzly Adams Productions (January 30, 2007) - Science and religion have often had opposing views over interpreting evidence on faith issues. But now, science is playing a key role in important new discoveries about the life and death of Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago. The new Grizzly Adams® Productions documentary, The Case for Christ’s Resurrection, reveals a number of new discoveries about Christ’s death and resurrection that help to substantiate, through scientific evidence, the Resurrection story millions of Christians have always known to be true. This fascinating story of religious history supported by scientific inquiry assembles formidable findings based on expert investigation and space-age technical analysis. “The world has long demanded solid proof of the existence of Christ, His death and resurrection,” says the documentary’s senior producer David Balsiger. “Now the evidence is here—including the ability to view the world’s first scientific three-dimensional holographic image of the face of Christ.” Grizzly Adams Productions, producers of family friendly network TV shows, specials, and documentaries, announced it has acquired the TV/DVD rights to two books for the new documentary. The TV Special/DVD is based in part on Resurrected: Tangible Evidence That Jesus Rose from the Dead by Gilbert R. LaVoie, M.D. (Ave Maria Press), and The Shroud of Turin: An Adventure in Discovery by Mary and Alan Whanger, M.D. (Providence House). The production will also use research information from a third book, The Case for Christ’s Resurrection written by Grizzly Adams Productions executives David W. Balsiger and Charles E. Sellier (Bridge-Logos). “There is growing proof that the events depicted in the Gospel accounts are true, with more evidence being revealed regularly, thanks to modern research, analysis and scientific advances,” notes Dr. Gary Habermas, research professor and chair of the department of theology at Liberty University, who is also interviewed in the show. “Science, combined with written descriptions—by non-Christians—of the events of Jesus’ life and death, make it clear that Christian beliefs are grounded in fact.” “This new production examines key evidence, including details of the Resurrection account in the context of modern medical science, information about the missing body from the tomb, and reports of Jesus being seen alive after His death on the cross,” notes Sharon Dymmel, the show’s writer and producer. “There were at least 500 eyewitnesses in and around Jerusalem who actually saw or talked with Jesus after His Resurrection. Beyond the Bible, there are more than 20 non-Christian sources written between 30 and 130 AD that refer to Jesus of Nazareth as a historical figure. Twelve mention His death and provide details on how He died. Ten of these refer to His Resurrection,” explains Balsiger. Jewish historian Josephus, as well as Cornelius Tacitus, the most important Roman historian of the first century, are among the many who provided written documentation on the life of Jesus, and the key beliefs of early Christians, in the years just following the Resurrection. more...

The New, New Middle East (January 30, 2007) - ISRAEL, says Tel Aviv University historian Paul Liptz, now has more "friends among [its] enemies than ever before," including some "who don't necessarily want to talk to us." It is an arresting argument, given the outcome of the Lebanon war last summer and the subsequent elevation of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to an iconic status. (As the war wound down, even Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said Hezbollah was "part of the Lebanese national fabric.") But Liptz points to recent reported diplomatic contacts between Israel and Saudi Arabia--"kind of like Earth and Mars getting married." The region's most salient fissure, he believes, divides the "status quo" forces (such as Egypt and Jordan) from those of radicalism and revolution (such as Iran and Hezbollah). This seems a common view among Israelis, which explains why they may look askance at George W. Bush's freedom agenda. Speaking to a visiting delegation of journalists sponsored by the pro-Israel American Israel Education Foundation (which supports the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), Liptz scorns the notion that democracy can transform illiberal Middle Eastern societies. Former Labour party minister Matan Vilnai, an ex-army general, calls America's democratization program "nonsense." On the Israeli right, Silvan Shalom, a Likud party member of the Knesset, blames the U.S.-led democracy push for enabling Hamas to win the Palestinian elections in January 2006. "In my personal judgment, it is a mistake," says Ephraim Kam, a former military intelligence official, who notes that "moderate" Arab leaders--the ones Israel is trying to cultivate--have resisted democratization. Another Israeli security source carves the Middle East into two groups: a "radical" camp (Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas) and a "moderate" camp (including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia). Notice that the "moderates" are all Sunni Arab autocracies, who fear not only a nuclear-armed Persian Iran but also an Iranian-led "Shiite crescent" that might dominate the region. Already frightened at the prospect of a U.S. pullout from Iraq, which would leave Iraqi Sunnis prey for murderous Shiite militias and possibly pave the way for Iranian intervention, status quo states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia now have more reason than ever to work with Jerusalem and Washington. (Though how much they will remains unclear.) more...
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | America |

Two New Books Confirm Global Warming is Natural; Not Caused By Human Activity (January 30, 2007) - Two powerful new books say today’s global warming is due not to human activity but primarily to a long, moderate solar-linked cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery was released just before Christmas. The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change, by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder (Icon Books), is due out in March. Singer and Avery note that most of the earth’s recent warming occurred before 1940, and thus before much human-emitted CO2. Moreover, physical evidence shows 600 moderate warmings in the earth’s last million years. The evidence ranges from ancient Nile flood records, Chinese court documents and Roman wine grapes to modern spectral analysis of polar ice cores, deep seabed sediments, and layered cave stalagmites. Unstoppable Global Warming shows the earth’s temperatures following variations in solar intensity through centuries of sunspot records, and finds cycles of sun-linked isotopes in ice and tree rings. The book cites the work of Svensmark, who says cosmic rays vary the earth’s temperatures by creating more or fewer of the low, wet clouds that cool the earth. It notes that global climate models can’t accurately register cloud effects. The Chilling Stars relates how Svensmark’s team mimicked the chemistry of earth’s atmosphere, by putting realistic mixtures of atmospheric gases into a large reaction chamber, with ultraviolet light as a stand-in for the sun. When they turned on the UV, microscopic droplets—cloud seeds—started floating through the chamber. “We were amazed by the speed and efficiency with which the electrons [generated by cosmic rays] do their work of creating the building blocks for the cloud condensation nuclei,” says Svensmark. The Chilling Stars documents how cosmic rays amplify small changes in the sun’s irradiance fourfold, creating 1-2 degree C cycles in earth’s temperatures: Cosmic rays continually slam into the earth’s atmosphere from outer space, creating ion clusters that become seeds for small droplets of water and sulfuric acid. The droplets then form the low, wet clouds that reflect solar energy back into space. When the sun is more active, it shields the earth from some of the rays, clouds wane, and the planet warms. Unstoppable Global Warming documents the reality of a moderate, natural, 1500-year climate cycle on the earth. The Chilling Stars explains the why and how.
| Earth Changes |

Serious Thinking About the Middle East (January 30, 2007) - Are things moving in the right direction in the Middle East? Most Americans, I think, would say no. But perhaps they should ponder a trio of interesting columns. Two weeks ago, the military historian Edward Luttwak wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal arguing that George Bush's policies have created a Middle East much more hospitable to American goals. Here is his summation: When the Bush administration came into office, only Egypt and Jordan were functioning allies of the U.S. Iran and Iraq were already declared enemies, Syria was hostile, and even its supposed friends in the Arabian peninsula were so disinclined to help that none did anything to oppose al Qaeda. Some actively helped it, while others knowingly allowed private funds to reach the terrorists whose declared aim was to kill Americans. The Iraq war has indeed brought into existence a New Middle East, in which Arab Sunnis can no longer gleefully disregard American interests because they need help against the looming threat of Shiite supremacy, while in Iraq at the core of the Arab world, the Shia are allied with the U.S. What past imperial statesmen strove to achieve with much cunning and cynicism, the Bush administration has brought about accidentally. But the result is exactly the same. The implication is that this happy state of affairs came about by accident. Last week in the Washington Post David Ignatius wrote a column based on an interview with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in which he described a "realignment" toward the United States that came about in large part because of the administration. Rice said the new approach reflects growing Arab concern about Iran's attempt to project power through its proxies: "After the war in Lebanon, the Middle East really did begin to clarify into an extremist element allied with Iran, including Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas. On the other side were the targets of this extremism–the Lebanese, the Iraqis, the Palestinians–and those who want to resist, such as the Saudis, Egypt, and Jordan." America's recent show of force against Iran–seizing Iranian operatives in Iraq and sending additional warships to the Persian Gulf–was part of this broader effort to reassure the Saudis and others that, despite its troubles in Iraq, America remains a reliable ally against a rising Iran. "The U.S. has to demonstrate that it is present in the gulf, and going to be present in the gulf," Rice told me. Ignatius also mentions possible downside risks. more...
| Iran | Islam | America |

Sharia law is spreading as authority wanes (January 30, 2007) - Islamic sharia law is gaining an increasing foothold in parts of Britain, a report claims. Sharia, derived from several sources including the Koran, is applied to varying degrees in predominantly Muslim countries but it has no binding status in Britain. However, the BBC Radio 4 programme Law in Action produced evidence yesterday that it was being used by some Muslims as an alternative to English criminal law. Aydarus Yusuf, 29, a youth worker from Somalia, recalled a stabbing case that was decided by an unofficial Somali "court" sitting in Woolwich, south-east London. Mr. Yusuf said a group of Somali youths were arrested on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager. The victim's family told the police it would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail. A hearing was convened and elders ordered the assailants to compensate their victim. "All their uncles and their fathers were there," said Mr. Yusuf. "So they all put something towards that and apologized for the wrongdoing." Although Scotland Yard had no information about that case yesterday, a spokesman said it was common for the police not to proceed with assault cases if the victims decided not to press charges. | Islam | EU/UN |

North America activists plotted 'stealth' strategy (January 30, 2007) - Participants in a high-level, closed door, three-day conference on the integration of the three North American nations debated whether openness about goals was preferred to a stealthy policy of building infrastructure before a vision of the end result was even laid out to the people of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, according to notes obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Official notes taken on a session on "Border Infrastructure and Continental Prosperity" at the North American Forum in Banff, Canada, last September, reveal the internal debate over continued secrecy. "While a vision is appealing, working on the infrastructure might yield more benefit and bring more people on board ('evolution by stealth')," record the notes discovered amid documents obtained by Judicial Watch. Several speakers at the event emphasized the importance of "deepening economic integration," "integrating the energy infrastructure" and "the development of new institutions" between the three North American nations. Participants promoted the idea of using popular issues, such as concern over climate change, to push integration of energy and environmental governance and the possibility of imposing a carbon tax. Judicial Watch released yesterday the documents it received in a FOIA request from the U.S. Northern Command, whose commander, Admiral Timothy Keating, participated in the conference along with Northcom political adviser Deborah Bolton and Plans, Policy and Strategy Director Maj. General Mark Volcheff. A similar request concerning participation in the North American Forum meeting by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is still pending. more...
| NewWorldOrder | America |

Earthquake Rocks Australian Island (January 30, 2007) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 rocked the coast of Australia's remote Macquarie Island Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake struck at 2:54 p.m. local time and was centered six miles below the seabed. Stuart Koyanagi, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at Ewa Beach, Hawaii, said the quake was unlikely to generate a major Pacific-wide tsunami. "Normally at this magnitude we don't expect any kind of destructive tsunami," he said. Clive Collins, a seismologist at Geoscience Australia, said the Macquarie Island earthquake involved two tectonic plates moving against each other horizontally, rather than vertically, and was unlikely to displace the large quantity of water needed to generate a tsunami. "It's most unlikely there would be any tsunami," he said. "It's a fairly large earthquake and it's fairly shallow, but we don't think there's any risk." The isolated, sparsely populated island lies about 835 miles south of the island state of Tasmania, and serves as a base for Australian expeditions to Antarctica.
| Earth Changes |

Iran: Even military actions won't prevent us from obtaining nuclear technology (January 30, 2007) - Iran's ambassador to Syria, Hassan Akhtari, said that "a military action will not bring to a halt Iran's acquisition of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes." In an interview to Iranian news agency Fars, the ambassador said that an attack by the United States or Europe might "damage Iran, but will cause much more damage to themselves."
| Iran |

100 Pound Chunk of Ice Crushes Mustang in Tampa, FL | Secondary article (January 29, 2007) - Town 'N Country, Florida - Neighbors heard a whistling sound is what they described before noticing that a neighbor's car was severly damaged. The Ford Mustang had a 100 pound block of ice sitting in the backseat. The back end of the car was caved in. The only explanation from neighbors is the ice fell from the sky. Hillsborough deputies do not believe it was a criminal activity. The 20-year-old owner of the car is upset and did not want to talk to Tampa Bay's 10 News. His father says he has not seen anything like it before. Neighbors have pieces of the ice chunk in their refrigerators. The owner of the car is in possession of the major chunk of ice.
| Earth Changes |

Germany, Spain may push ahead on EU Constitution without France or UK (January 29, 2007) - A group of European Union governments led by Germany and Spain may press ahead with the deeper political integration set out in the bloc's constitution without France or the UK, said Spanish EU Affairs Minister Alberto Navarro. "We can't all advance at the pace of the slowest," Navarro told journalists in Madrid on Friday after a meeting of 20 EU governments that support the constitution. "To progress in Europe, we often have to do it with a group of countries that are prepared to move forward. We have the example of the euro. We must be prepared to take that step." European leaders must decide how to proceed with the constitutional project when the "period of reflection" ends in June under Germany's presidency. Germany has long been a proponent of the constitution to overcome shortcomings in the existing Nice treaty. The process of ratifying the constitution was halted in 2005 when voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the text in successive referendums. Supporters of the treaty will try to win approval for the text by adding further clauses to the document, Navarro said. „Europe doesn't need a minimalist solution,” Luxembourg's Europe Minister Nicolas Schmit said at the press conference. "Europe needs a maximalist solution that allows us to resolve the problems of our times. We want to send a message of support to the German presidency." French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy is calling for a "mini-treaty" that would strengthen the EU's decision-making efficiency while dropping provisions, such as the extension of the bloc's powers in foreign and internal affairs, that rankled the French electorate.
| EU/UN | Solana |

Drastic Murder Rate Decline in Washington D.C. After Prayer Vigil (January 29, 2007) - In mid July of 2006, the Christian Defense Coalition organized a week long 24 hour prayer vigil under a large tent on the Mall following the announcement of a “crime emergency” by Washington, D.C. officials. The group prayed that the number of murders in Washington D.C. would drop dramatically over the next five months from the previous year. The Christian Defense Coalition is delighted to report that there were 27% less murders in the final five months of 2006 compared with final five months of 2005. The Coalition encourages churches across the nation to begin to reach out in public prayer regarding pressing social concerns facing their local communities. Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments, “The Christian Defense Coalition promised at the end of July we would announce the numbers concerning Washington, D.C.’s murder rate for the final five months of 2006. We are delighted to report, after a season of concentrated and regular prayer, there was drop in the murder rate of 27%. These results serve as a visible reminder to the power and effectiveness of corporate public prayer and intercession. It should also be a wake-up call for churches all across America to engage in public prayer regarding pressing social issues of the day. Sadly, most churches have chosen their own security and comfort rather than stepping out into the purposes of God and engaging culture. Now is the not the time for indifference and selfishness. Rather, it is a time for passion, boldness and faith.”

Putin Sends Message To Iran's Supreme Leader To Strengthen Ties (January 28, 2007) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message on expanding mutual ties to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. The message was submitted on Sunday to Khamenei by Russia's Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, who arrived in Tehran Saturday night for talks with Iranian officials, IRNA said. During his meeting with Ivanov, Khamenei said that Iran and Russia can serve as partners in the political, economic, regional and international domains. "The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes all-out promotion of relations with Russia, believing that capacity for expansion of ties between the two sides is higher than expected," Khamenei was quoted as saying. The Iranian supreme leader pointed out that Iran and Russia hold half of the world's total gas reserves and "the two countries through mutual cooperation can establish an organization of gas exporting countries like the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)." For his part, Ivanov said that Putin believes the two countries should use all their capacities for promotion of strategic relations and cooperation at bilateral, regional and international levels. Calling his talks in Tehran "positive," Ivanov said Moscow believes prospect of cooperation between the two countries is "very good and promising." However, the IRNA report did not mention whether Khamenei and Ivanov discussed Iran's controversial nuclear issue, although the Russian security chief's visit came amid increasing international tension over Tehran's atomic program. more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog |

Saudi Invites Palestinian Leaders To Meet In Mecca (January 28, 2007) - Saudi Arabia invited feuding Palestinian leaders for urgent talks in Islam's holy city of Mecca and both the Hamas-led Palestinian government and rival faction Fatah said on Sunday they had accepted the offer. The invitation from Saudi King Abdullah was announced on the third day of fierce clashes between Palestinians in Gaza in which 23 people have been killed, heightening fears of civil war. "I invite them all ... for an urgent meeting in brotherly Saudi Arabia at the sacred house of God (Mecca's Grand Mosque) to discuss disputes in a neutral (environment) without intervention from any other side," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Abdullah as saying in an open letter. The Islamist militant group Hamas won Palestinian elections a year ago, unseating President Mahmoud Abbas's once dominant Fatah. "We welcome the invitation by His Majesty King Abdullah and the government appreciates this generous position, which comes in an attempt to resolve Palestinian internal differences," Palestinian Foreign Ministry spokesman Taher An-Nono said. A senior Fatah official also said the group welcomed the invitation and was ready to participate in the talks. Abbas and Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal met in Damascus earlier this month to iron out their differences, but said they needed to hold further talks. Abdullah, who proposed an Arab-Israeli peace initiative adopted at an Arab League summit in 2002, said inter-Palestinian fighting could jeopardise efforts to create a Palestinian state. "Unless the wise in Palestine put a decisive and immediate end to the dispute ... it would deny the steadfast Palestinian people any hope in ridding itself of the hell of the Zionist (Israeli) occupation and (block) the creation of an independent free state of Palestine," he said. "What is happening in the land of brotherly Palestine serves only the enemies of the Islamic and Arab nations and puts question marks in the minds of the international community which respects our just (Palestinian) cause." more...
| Islam |

Iran prepares people for 'messiah miracles' (January 27, 2007) - Official Iranian radio has completed broadcasting a lengthy series on the imminent appearance of a messianic figure who will defeat Islam's enemies and impose Islamic Shiite rule over the entire world – even speculating on specific dates the so-called "Mahdi" will be revealed. English-language transcripts of "The World Toward Illumination" programs can be found on the website of IRIB, a public broadcast arm of Tehran. "Be joyous my heart, miracles of the Messiah will soon be here," reads a poem used to conclude the first broadcast. "The scent of breaths of the One we know comes from near. Grieve not of sorrow and melancholy, as assured I was … last night that a Savior will come, it's clear." After the coming of the 12th imam, or Mahdi, "liberal democratic civilization" will be found only in "history museums," explained the program. "Contrary to the views of western theoreticians, who usually depict an ambiguous and dark future for mankind, Muslim experts believe human history, despite its many ups and downs, has a very auspicious fate," explained the program. "Muslims believe hopes for the realization of such a happy ending for the world are called 'Awaiting Redemption,' and means waiting for man's problems to be solved by the Savior at the end of time. This awaiting influences many, and inspired them with activity and enthusiasm in confronting darkness and oppression for changing the existing situation. …" This messianic figure will be a direct descendant of Muhammad, according to the broadcasts. "In short, when he reappears, peace, justice and security will overcome oppression and deceit and one global government, the most perfect ever, will be established," it said. The Mahdi will appear suddenly, according to the report, in Mecca. Though no one can know the day, Shiites believe, the report actually suggests possibilities in the Muslim calendar. The Mahdi will lead a cataclysmic battle against a descendant of Muhammad's archenemy, Abu Sofyan, culminating in the cities of Kufa and Najaf. His enemy, though, is destroyed later in Jerusalem. "Another beautiful moment of the Savior's appearance is the coming down of Prophet Jesus (PBUH) from heaven," says the report. "Hazrat Mahdi receives him courteously and asks him to lead the prayers. But Jesus says you are more qualified for this than me. We read in the book Tazkarat ol-Olia, 'the Mahdi will come with Jesus son of Mary accompanying him.' This indicates that these two great men are (sic) complement each other. Imam Mahdi will be the leader while Prophet Jesus will act as his lieutenant in the struggle against oppression and establishment of justice in the world. Jesus had himself given the tidings of the coming of God's last messenger and will see Mohammad's ideals materialize in the time of the Mahdi." more...
| Islam | False Prophet |

Burma Government May Move to Abolish Christianity (January 27, 2007) - There are new concerns in Burma that the government is trying to destroy Christianity. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that an internal government document lays the foundation for eradicating the faith, including arresting anyone caught evangelizing. This kind of persecution has been going for years in Burma, also known as Myanmar. In 2005, CBN News met with Christians in Burma. These Burmese Christians sang praise songs; they worshiped openly and freely in a government-approved church in Rangoon. But most Burmese Christians don't share their freedom. Government officials have shut down churches in this capital city and have disallowed the construction of new church buildings. The number of bibles allowed for import is limited and in-country printing of bibles and Christian literature is restricted. Public evangelism is prohibited in Burma, but that hasn't stopped this group of young Christians from sharing the gospel. Among them is a man we call David. His name has been changed to protect him from possible persecution. David told CBN news he and several other team members recently visited a Buddhist village of 2,000 families. They were attacked when a crowd gathered to listen to praise songs the evangelists were singing. "Some Buddhist monks came and started shouting, 'don't worship God here – he has nothing to do with us,'” David said. “They said we were trying to establish Christianity in the village and they did not want it. The monks and others threw stones at us. They hit us like a hard rain. Some of us were hit in the cheek, the neck and the forehead." Despite David's experience, evangelists say many Burmese are open to the gospel. In 2005, 83 percent of the Burmese people said they were Buddhist – about nine percent were Christian. The church is growing here among Protestants and independents at a rate of about five percent each year. David said he would like to return to the village where he and the other young Christians were attacked with stones. He says he will press on despite the risk of hostile crowds or government arrest. "It is dangerous, but God gives us strength deep inside and boldness to move forward," he said.

The Nations Come to Learn How the Desert Bloomed (January 27, 2007) - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev hosted a major international conference last November on combating desertification, with experts coming to study Israel’s successes in “making the desert bloom.” The conference was sponsored by the Blaustein Institute of Desert Research (BIDR), Ben-Gurion University, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference was part of international activities marking 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, as declared by the United Nations in recognition of the acute problem of desertification or land degradation worldwide. Around 300 attendees from 20 countries and 5 continents took several field tours into Israel’s reclaimed and existing desert areas to glean from her experience with the problem. According to BIDR, desertification is responsible for the loss of agricultural productivity, famine, and population displacement, as well as the escalation of poverty; it affects about 400 million people in developing regions, especially Africa. Israel was selected as a uniquely appropriate venue for the desertification conference, due to its rich history of rolling back the desert through innovation and tenacity. When the state was established in 1948, much of its semiarid regions were degraded and the Negev Desert had expanded northward all the way to the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem corridor. Since then, a combination of intensive dryland agriculture, afforestation, and economic initiatives has reclaimed tens of thousands of acres for farming, residential construction, and industrial parks.
| Israel |

Washington Soon to Release Evidence of Hostile Iranian Activity in Iraq (January 26, 2007) - US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad and State department spokesman Sean McCormack said the US would soon present evidence of Iran’s hand in the violence besetting Iraq. The spoke as US-Iran military tensions over Iraq continued to rise. The ambassador stressed too that the charges against the Revolutionary Guards al Quds Brigade agents detained at the Iranian “liaison center” in Irbil on Jan 11 would be made public. The detainees are still in custody. McCormack spoke of “solid evidence” that Iranian agents sent by the Iranian government are working with individuals and groups in Iraq. He quoted President Bush who vowed to confront the networks and individuals “trying to harm our troops.” Eight days after the US raid on Irbil, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 286 exclusively revealed some of the evidence referred to by the two US officials of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’s direct involvement in terrorist operations in Iraq. Quote: Their biggest catch was Iranian colonel Fars Hassami, No. 3 in the Revolutionary Guards al Quds Brigade’s hierarchy, two below the Brigades commander, General Qassem Sulemaini. Officers of the al Quds Brigade also serve with Hizballah combat units in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The interrogation of Hassami and his four fellow detainees yielded some eye-openers, supplemented by sweeps of their offices and computers. 1. Col. Hassam was found to have been in charge of Iranian operations in northern and central Iraq - from Kurdish Irbil down to the northern outskirts of Baghdad – and all links with Iraq’s Shiite militias, including Moqtada Sadr’s Medhi Army, and Sunni insurgent groups. Hassam was the live wire behind Iran’s military, intelligence and logistic operations in the violence-stricken towns of the northern half of Iraq, Tal Afar, Mosul, Haditha, Kirkuk, Samarra, the Banji refinery town, Tikrit, Ramadi, Falluja and Baquba. more...
| Iran | America |

Russian Scientists 'Alarmed' as Millions of Birds Begin Falling From World's Skies (January 26, 2007) - An alarming series of reports from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Influenza Research Institute are reporting today that millions of avian species have succumbed, while in flight, to a rapidly evolving virus linked to the deadly H5N1 Bird Flu variant. Doctor Scientist Oleg Kiselyov, the head of the Influenza Research Institute, states in these reports that a nematode parasite belonging to the 'Superfamily Subuluroidea' has now become a carrier of a 'mutated' H5N1 Bird Flu Virus with 'sub strains' never seen before. More horrifically are that these reports state that this mutated H5N1 Bird Flu virus has now 'jumped' the 'species barrier' and is now infecting both animals and insects, and which has also been confirmed by Indonesian scientists, and as we can read as reported by the Malaysian National News Service in their report titled "Indonesian Scientist Warns Of Bird Flu In Flies", and which says: "In the wake of the increasing number of bird flu cases in Indonesia, an Indonesian scientist has warned the government not to place too much of the blame for bird flu on poultry as other animals could also carry the virus. Veterinary pathologist Wasito of Yogyakarta's Gajah Mada University's veterinary medicine said that other animals such as cats, dogs and even flies could also carry the H5N1 virus. "A study we are conducting here, for example, has convincingly found that it is possible for flies to spread the bird flu virus," he was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post daily in Yogyakarta yesterday." Doctor Scientist Kiselyov further states that Western scientists are rejecting Russia's research and are instead reporting to their citizens 'other causes' to explain the growing number of mass bird deaths in mid-flight, including Sri Lanka, and which has become yet another of the World's Nations to report birds falling from sky dead. Australia has likewise refused this research for the mass bird deaths in their country, preferring instead to blame the sudden deaths of thousands of birds in mid-flight on a 'mystery toxin'. The United States, also, continues to keep the dire situation facing our World's avian species from this virus from their citizens, even as more reports of mass bird deaths continue to rise in their country, including the latest report from their Western Regions which are reporting this week on the deaths of hundreds of ducks. more...

The Destruction of the United States (January 26, 2007) - History teaches that all nations, like all individuals, have a beginning and an end. No country is immortal. No nation is invincible. To make the point less delicately, America will one day cease to exist. And it may be useful, especially given the multiple crises now developing, to contemplate the mortality of the world’s most powerful country. What would the world be like without the United States? Would it be more violent or less violent? Would it be richer or poorer? Would there be more dictatorships in the world, or fewer, more freedom or more tyranny? The answers you give on these questions, if you are liable to have any answers, are ideologically defining. There are those who claim that America’s destruction would be a good thing. The destroyers of America, by this reasoning, would be liberators and heroes. If we attempt to look at the case objectively, it is hard to think of America’s chief rivals for power as “liberators” in any sense of the word. China is a communist dictatorship and Russia is governed by thugs. It is not nice to say that major powers like China or Russia seek the destruction of the United States. It is not nice to say that Russia and China are governed by thugs. But anyone who studies the foreign policies, chicanery, secret maneuvers and war preparations of Beijing and Moscow cannot honestly conclude otherwise. The fact that Russia and China are both assisting Iran’s development of nuclear weapons is more than suggestive. It is no accident that in America’s struggle against radical Islam, the Russian president has declared that Russia is Islam’s “best friend.” Before the fall of the Communist Party Soviet Union the central goal of Soviet foreign policy was to foster the downfall of the United States and the communization of the entire world. China, on the other hand, is a great country that suffered eclipse during the period of Western imperialism and colonialism. So China has reason to predicate its policy on the notion that “one good turn deserves another.” The reason for China’s opening to the West was not to enrich the Chinese bourgeoisie, or to adopt Western democratic values. The Chinese Communists sought an opening to the West so that they could get the investment capital and technology they needed for a modern military machine. Developing their economy is merely a necessary step in developing China’s new superpower status. Some days ago China successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon. This remarkable capability didn’t develop overnight. As Washington Times correspondent Bill Gertz pointed out in his January 24 column, American defense officials concede that China’s Jan. 11 test is part of a “covert space-weapons program designed to cripple the U.S. military in a conflict.” The Chinese, to be sure, are publicly lying about the peacefulness of their intentions. “This test was not directed at any country and does not constitute a threat to any country,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Oh yes, we all know that China couldn’t possibly want to shoot down American satellites. Beijing merely enjoys the challenge of shooting down its own satellites for meaningless target practice. In that case, it was a also a “practice” exercise when Chinese hackers attacked U.S. Naval War College computers in November. As one U.S. official told Bill Gertz: “The Naval War College is where the Navy’s Strategic Study Group is planning and practicing cyber-war techniques, and now they don’t even have e-mail access.” more...
| America |

Muslims 'about to take over Europe' (January 25, 2007) - Islam could soon be the dominant force in a Europe which, in the name of political correctness, has abdicated the battle for cultural and religious control, Prof. Bernard Lewis, the world-renowned Middle Eastern and Islamic scholar, said on Sunday. The Muslims "seem to be about to take over Europe," Lewis said at a special briefing with the editorial staff of The Jerusalem Post. Asked what this meant for the continent's Jews, he responded, "The outlook for the Jewish communities of Europe is dim." Soon, he warned, the only pertinent question regarding Europe's future would be, "Will it be an Islamized Europe or Europeanized Islam?" The growing sway of Islam in Europe was of particular concern given the rising support within the Islamic world for extremist and terrorist movements, said Lewis. Lewis, whose numerous books include the recent What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East, and The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror, would set no timetable for this drastic shift in Europe, instead focusing on the process, which he said would be assisted by "immigration and democracy." Instead of fighting the threat, he elaborated, Europeans had given up. "Europeans are losing their own loyalties and their own self-confidence," he said. "They have no respect for their own culture." Europeans had "surrendered" on every issue with regard to Islam in a mood of "self-abasement," "political correctness" and "multi-culturalism," said Lewis, who was born in London to middle-class Jewish parents but has long lived in the United States. more...
| Islam | EU/UN |

Kadima Proposes Handing Judea and Samaria to Europe (January 25, 2007) - A member of PM Ehud Olmert's Kadima party proposed transferring control of Judea and Samaria to a European task force until the establishment of a Palestinian state. Following the establishment of the state, the strategic territory would be handed to security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The proposal comes after WND broke the story earlier this week according to top European and Egyptian diplomatic sources Israel has been conducting behind-the-scene negotiations to hand over most of Judea and Samaria to Abbas' security forces. The sources said the transfer of security control to Abbas would be coordinated by the European Union and Jordan. Judea and Samaria encompass Jerusalem and are within rocket-firing range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport. At Israel's prestigious Herzliya Conference, Knesset Member Shlomo Breznitz, reportedly a close confidante of Olmert, said the Judea and Samaria should be temporarily transferred to the Europeans and that most of the territory's Jewish communities should be evacuated. "The only way to get out of the impasse is to transfer the territories, for a limited time, to an international mandate, that will run them until the establishment of a Palestinian state," said Breznitz at the conference. The Herzliya Conference is attended by Israel's top leadership and regularly maps out the country's agenda for the coming year. In 2004, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced his plan to withdraw from Gaza at the conference. They sources, who said they were directly involved in behind-the-scene negotiations, said one proposal being considered is for the E.U. and Jordan to supervise the transfer of northern Samaria to Abbas' security forces, which reportedly are receiving aid, weapons and training from the U.S. The sources said major changes in Israeli-Palestinian affairs are expected within a few weeks to two months. According to an aide to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, speaking on condition of anonymity, there will be a "historic political evolution and movement in negotiations in the next few weeks and few months, unseen since the Camp David peace talks in 2000." more...
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | Solana |

Merkel's Foreign Policy Man is a Brussels Fan (November 19, 2006) - When it comes to foreign policy, the man who will be whispering strategic suggestions in future chancellor Angela Merkel's ear is an EU player with a good reputation. Brussels is, for once, in complete agreement. When it comes to foreign policy advisers, there's no one better on the market at the moment then Christoph Heusgen. A trusted advisor of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the 50-year-old is director of the Policy Planning Unit, a group of 50 diplomats responsible for helping shape the EU's strategic planning. News that Heusgen will now be Merkel's chief advisor has been roundly applauded by observers, some of whom say it could indicate an EU-friendly direction in the future German government's policy planning. "Heusgen's appointment was greeted with a mix of joy and regret in Brussels," wrote the Süddeutsche Zeitung. "Regret because he was leaving. Joy, because (his appointment) indicates Merkel is behind Europe's political union." A lifelong diplomat, Heusgen has spent nearly his entire career in the European Union. For the past five years, he's been Solana's chief of staff; a position that, together with his responsibilities as director of the Policy Unit, have lent him a key role in helping shape EU's ambitious -- if unrealized -- goal of a common foreign policy. "We've only had the political will (to do this) since 1999," he said, in explaining the long road still to go. Heusgen is a fervent advocate for a strong Europe. As head of the unit charged with analyzing crisis situations and possible responses, he's become a strong proponent of EU-wide military cooperation as well. "We need to be able to, when it is necessary, involve ourselves militarily," he said. more...
| EU/UN | Solana |

News for January 31, 2007