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Recent News
and Bible Prophecy
U.N. Wants To Repair Babylon- Associated Press - November 13, 2008 - It was one of the world's first, greatest cities - a place where astronomers mapped the stars millennia ago and kings created an early code of law and planted what became known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Yet little remains of the ancient capital, as seen by The Associated Press during a trip to Babylon last month...Now, for the first time, global institutions led by the U.N. are thoroughly documenting the damage and how to fix it...The U.S. also says it will help rehabilitate Babylon, funding an effort by the World Monuments Fund and Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage...
Comment: This is huge news!!! In Revelation 18, the Apostle John looked into the end times and saw a city named Babylon that would serve as a cultural and financial center for the world. Because Babylon laid in ruins for centuries, Bible scholars had the tendency to spiritualize the name "Babylon" as it referred to end times. Now there is discussion about rebuilding and revitalizing the real city of Babylon. The question remains, how could this same Babylon become a cultural and financial center? Would developing such a project take a long time? Actually, with the technology we have available today, it would not take long at all. The nuclear research facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee was up and running with a 75,000 population in about 20 months and that was in 1942-1945. Likewise, new roads and buildings of all sorts could be built at the Babylon site today. World banking in the new Babylon could be set up in a matter of months. It would not surprise this author if we hear more plans about this and that Babylon start to look and sound like what John saw in Revelation 18, one more indicator that we are living in the end times and close to the return of Jesus. There is some poetic justice in my writing this comment. I was raised in a denomination that, for a long time, lacked the luxury of seeing a physical Israel in place. Because they did not see that physical Israel in place, they spiritualized the prophecies about Israel in the end times, believing those prophecies must be about the church. However, in 1948 A.D., a physical Israel was re-established. Since then, this denomination insists on tradition rather than reality to believe the prophecies about Israel being re-established apply to the church and not about Israel. In like manner, there has not been a physical Babylon being restored until recent history. The prophecies about it being this great cultural and financial center in the end times were thusly spiritualized by many. However, a real, physical Babylon is being restored today. Could not the prophecies about it come true as revelation predicts, just as the prophecies about Israel have literally come true?
Google Earth Lets You Tour Ancient Rome - Foxnews.com - November 12, 2008 - The glory that was Rome is to rise again. Visitors will once more be able to visit the Colosseum and the Forum of Rome as they were in A.D. 320, this time on a computer screen in 3D. The rendering of the ancient city in Google Earth lets viewers stand in the center of the Colosseum, trace the footsteps of the gladiators in the Ludus Magnus and fly under the Arch of Constantine. The computer model, a collection of more than 6,700 buildings, depicts Rome in the year A.D. 320. Then, under the emperor Constantine I, the city boasted more than a million inhabitants, making it the largest metropolis in the world. It was not until Victorian London that another city surpassed it.
Comment: A bit eerie because Rome, according to Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 is due to rise again and be the major power on earth when Jesus comes to establish His Kingdom. Why this sudden interest in Rome? This will certainly make many more friendly with the idea of a restored Rome. 'Why Believe in a God?' Ad Campaign Launches on D.C. Buses - Foxnews.com - November 12, 2008 - Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. Under God' pastor dead at 97 - Associated Press - Nov. 30, 2008 - The Rev. George M. Docherty, credited with helping to push Congress to insert the phrase "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance, has died at 97...Docherty, then pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, just blocks from the White House, gave a sermon in 1952 saying the pledge should acknowledge God...There was little effect from that initial sermon, but he delivered it again on Feb. 7, 1954, after learning that President Dwight Eisenhower would be at the church. The next day, Rep. Charles G. Oakman, R-Mich., introduced a bill to add the phrase "under God" to the pledge, and a companion bill was introduced in the Senate. Eisenhower signed the law on Flag Day that year. Comment: The champions for Godly principles are getting old and dying. They are disappearing from America's landscape. A new landscape is emerging. It is a humanistic landscape that is making attempt to establish a society that has no official allegiance or recognition of the God of the universe. It is one that mocks at the Bible and does not want to be regulated by its principles. America is changing, but not for the better! She is slipping down a slippery slope toward corruption and immorality at a wholesale level. The outcome will not be pretty! Majority think heaven is open to other faiths - Associated Press - December 18, 2008 - Most American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Christ as their savior, a new survey has found. And 80 percent of people with this open view of heaven's gates listed at least one non-Christian group — Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists — who may also be saved, according to the survey, released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Comment: This is part of the end-time deception that the Bible speaks of (II Thess. 2:11-12). Anyone familiar with the Bible knows that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to the Father except through me". (John 14:6).
NYC Facing Lossnce of Status in World of Finance - Foxnews.com - December 07, 2008 - The New York City comptroller's chief economist, Frank Braconi, warned in October that the meltdown had "sped up the process of financial dispersion that was already under way," adding that "in coming years, New York will have to share the financial stage."...At the same time, places like London, Tokyo and Hong Kong have become global financial centers on a scale that some believe already rival New York...the financial sway of cities such as London has been growing faster than New York's. From 1997 to 2007, the new capital raised yearly in New York dropped by nearly one-quarter while in London the figure almost quadrupled, according to the World Federation of Exchanges.
Foreign economists urge 'global plan' - Washington Times - October 1, 2008 - Leaders and economists from Western Europe to East Asia Tuesday urged the United States to go beyond reviving a failed domestic bailout and start working on a new global financial system...The Americans don't have a choice” they must absolutely have a global plan," Christian Noyer, head of the French central bank, said in Paris. ..The 27-nation European Union said Tuesday that the crisis "has become a global problem" and Washington has a "special responsibility" to resolve it. Comment: The new global financial system that John foresaw in Revelation 13 becomes more of a reality each day. Eventually, everyone will be required to take a "mark" in order to participate. (Revelation 13:17). Stay tuned. Target Israel? Iran Tests New Long-Range Missile - Foxnews.com - November 12, 2008 - Iran test fired a new, more accurate surface-to-surface missile, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, in a fresh effort to enhance Tehran's military might...A senior defense official at the Pentagon told FOX News that the missile suffered an in-flight problem, a possible engine failure, during the test, and the missile only traveled about 180 miles out. Comment: The failure of this missile is reminiscent of the Scripture that says of Israel that "no weapon formed against you will prosper" (Isaiah 54:17). God has a huge surprise for Iran! God is going to wipe out her army supernaturally when she makes the mistake of coming against Israel! Ezekiel 38-39 tells us that Russia will be in this great assault on Israel as well. God will rain down fire on the armies and feed the dead soldiers to the birds. For the first time in twenty centuries, those birds are gathering in Israel for this event. (See the Lion of Judah WEB Site article - http://lionofjudahministry.org/cm/content/view/41/1/). All the saber-rattling that is buzzing in the news among those listed in Ezekiel 38:6 (Russia, Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, and others), tells us that this great event is close at hand! Iran insists that Israel will be "wiped off the map". Actually, it is Israel that will be untouched and these evil armies that come against her will cease to exist. God declared through Ezekiel that He would make Himself "known in the sight of many nations" in this great event. This has become possible for the first time in history, through satellite television. How do you think the world will react? Imagine a political world with the armies of Russia, Iran, and the others listed in Ezekiel 38:6 removed from the scene! A political vacuum will be left. The power bases left will be the West and the East. These are the powers listed as the major players in the Book of Revelation for the end times. A good time to be right with God!
From Zion Shall Grow Forth Produce -Isrealnationalnews.com - October 27, 2008 - Preparations for Agritech 2009 - Israel's International Agricultural Exhibition - are well underway. In anticipation of the upcoming fair, scheduled for May of next year, a delegation of 40 journalists will arrive in Israel next month to meet with the directors of agricultural and water companies...Among the visiting journalists will be print and TV media representatives from countries that are among Israel's best potential customers for exports of agricultural products and knowledge. These include China, India, Turkey, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, France, Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil, Peru, Tanzania, Senegal, and others..."Agritech Israel has become a well-known brand name for showcasing the worldwide reputation of Israel's agriculture. Agritech Israel is regarded as one of the most important agro technological exhibitions in the world, a fact proved by the thousands of visitors from around the world at previous exhibitions."
Comment: Over and over in the Old Testament Scriptures, there is the recurring theme that the Land of Israel would be restored from being a dry and parched land to an agriculturally thriving one. Amos 9: 13-15 reads, "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed;... "Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. "I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them," says the LORD your God". Ezekiel writing about the same subject says, "And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field; that you may not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations". (Ezekiel 36:30). Ezekiel 36:34-36 states, "And the desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. And they will say, This land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate , and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. Then the nations left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it". Did you get that last part? God is restoring Israel today to let the nations know that He is involved in restoring Israel and that He is able to do what He says. Thusly, God is in the process of sending the world a message today. It is so unfortunate that there are so many today who are ignorant about that message! There are others who have been theologically taught that Israel has become irrelevant, so in their minds, there is no message. There are others who just don't care about this major move of God in our world today. (Most in this category don't care about anything except making sure they keep cable TV and cell phones turned on and have plenty of security, prosperity, and entertainment). However, for those of us who understand, God bringing the Jewish people home to Israel and restoring the Land of Israel is a major sign that the Lord is about to do something BIG! (Ezekiel 36:22). Included in that "BIG" will be the appearing of Jesus, Israel's Messiah. For those of us who are looking forward to His return with great anticipation, it would be the greatest Christmas present of all!
California Attorney General Asks State Supreme
Court to Void Gay Marriage Ban - Foxnews.com - December 19, 2008 - California Attorney General Jerry Brown changed course on the state's new same-sex marriage ban Friday and urged the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8. In a dramatic reversal, Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right. Comment: In the Old Testament we have a record of how God dealt with homosexuality. Genesis 19:5 records that the men of Sodom wanted to "know" Lot's guests. God destroyed the cities, Sodom and Gamorrah for this sin and wickedness in general. In the New Testament, Romans 1 records more of how God feels about homosexuality. Here is what is recorded in Romans 1:26-27: "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error". We are marching toward the world that Jesus said would exist just before His return, like the days of Lot. (Luke 17:28). UK's Brown: Now is the time to build global society - Reuters - November 9, 2008 - The international financial crisis has given world leaders a unique opportunity to create a truly global society, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will say in a keynote foreign policy speech on Monday. In his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet, Brown -- who has spearheaded calls for the reform of international financial institutions -- will say Britain, the United States and Europe are key to forging a new world order. "The alliance between Britain and the U.S. -- and more broadly between Europe and the U.S. -- can and must provide leadership, not in order to make the rules ourselves, but to lead the global effort to build a stronger and more just international order," an excerpt from the speech says..."...And if we learn from our experience of turning unity of purpose into unity of action, we can together seize this moment of change in our world to create a truly global society." Comment: According to Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, the great power base of the world of the end-time will be the Roman Empire in its revived form, Europe. That final empire will extend to become worldwide. Its leader, according to Revelation 13, will regulate money all over the world. Notice who Brown believes are key to "forging a new world order", Europe and the United States. The world order that Daniel spoke of is very close to being organized! Daniel also asserted that it would be this revived Roman government that would be in place when the Messiah came to this earth to replace it with His own Kingdom. His Kingdom is therefore starting to come into view! The citizenship of His Kingdom is being built and has been for a long time. However, the days of adding to that citizenship are nearing their prophesied end! If you are not a citizen of His Kingdom, now would be a good time to become one! Jesus told a man named Nicodemus one night that "unless one is born again" he will not "see the Kingdom". (John 3:1-3). How does one become born again? By turning in faith to Jesus and believing in Him with your heart (Romans 10:9). Ask Him into your heart and life today! Time is short!
God is Speaking
to the USA! Joel 3:2 warns retaliation for dividing His Land!
Condi pulls a Solomon: Split Jerusalem in 2 - World Net Daily - August 31, 2008 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, completing a visit to the region today, has been pressing Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would divide Jerusalem by offering the Palestinians a state in Israel's capital city as well as in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to top diplomatic sources involved in the talks.
Bush Prepares for Hurricane Gustav - Fox News - August 31, 2008 - President Bush, faced with the prospect of a second monster hurricane striking the still-battered Gulf Coast on his watch, checked in with governors and federal officials Saturday to make sure Washington was doing all it can...The president called state leaders in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas in the early morning ...Those states are in the potential path of the hurricane, which has been cutting a deadly route through the Caribbean and picked up even more power Saturday, probably en route to a terrifying Category 5 designation. U.S. to 'guarantee' Palestinian state - Letter intended to bind Israel, PA, next administration in Washington - World Net Daily - September 11, 2008 - The U.S. is planning to issue a letter guaranteeing the country will back agreements reached during current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations aimed at creating a Palestinian state before President Bush leaves office in January...The move is intended to ensure any agreements reached by the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority, and spelled out in a joint document, will be recognized by the next U.S. administration and binding for Israel and the PA. The information comes as Jacob Walles, the U.S. consul-general, stated in an interview with a major Palestinian newspaper yesterday that Israel and the PA agreed to negotiate Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley area leading to the Dead Sea.
Ike Ravages Texas Coast With Lower-Than-Expected Storm Surge, Cutting Off Power to Millions - Foxnews.com - September 13, 2008 - Howling ashore with 110 mph winds, Ike ravaged the Texas coast Saturday, flooding thousands of homes and businesses, shattering windows in Houston's skyscrapers and knocking out power to millions of people.
June 2008 Midwest floods - Wikipedia - The June 2008 Midwestern United States floods were flooding events which affected portions of the Midwest United States. After months of heavy precipitation a number of rivers overflowed their banks for several weeks at a time and broke through levees at numerous locations. Flooding continued into July. States affected by the flooding included Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Treasury, Congress ramp up bank bailout talks - Reuters - September 21, 2008 - The Bush administration and Congress on Sunday ramped up talks on an unprecedented $700 billion bank bailout as they battled the clock to prevent further financial market turmoil that risks hurtling the economy into a deep and damaging recession. The plan for the largest-ever bank rescue would give sweeping powers to the U.S. Treasury to buy up toxic mortgage-related debt from financial firms, including U.S. subsidiaries of foreign banks. Comment: God gives a general warning to those who claim to know Him but not living for Him about sending floods, famine, and trouble in general in Amos 4. The United States has definitely been experiencing these troubles in general! Unfortunately, in spite of all the warnings so far (floods, fires, hurricanes, and the like), there are few who would associate these natural disasters with the way our country is treating God. Additionally, God has specifically warned long ago in Joel 3:2, against those who would divide His Land. The policy of influencing Israel to give up her land and even divide Jerusalem in the interest of making so-called peace has mainly been spearheaded by the United States since 1991, but has been unprecedented recently in the Bush Administration, even to the point of asking Israel to divide Jerusalem! In this author's opinion, the politics of forcing Israel to cede land to her enemies is a dangerous policy! It has pushed the issue over the edge with God and has caused the Lord to make good on His promise in Joel 3:2 to retaliate against those who "divide My Land". God is speaking today to the USA and He is saying,
"USA, -- get your hands off of MY LAND"!
Temple Institute Announces: High Priest's Crown is Ready! - israelnationalnews.com - February 17, 2008 - The Temple Institute in Jerusalem announces the completion of the Tzitz, the High Priest's headplate - now ready for use in the Holy Temple. The tzitz is made of pure gold, was fashioned over the course of a more than a year by the craftsmen of the Temple Institute, and is ready to be worn by the High Priest in the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem. 120 Sets of Linen Garments for Lay Priests is Presently Underway - March 13, 2008-www.templeinstitute.org/garment_manufacture.htm - For the first time in 1,938 years the linen garments of the lay priests are being produced in preparation for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service. The last priestly garments to have been worn were those worn by the priests who were martyred by the Roman legions who brutally invaded and destroyed the Holy Temple on the ninth day of the month of Av, in the year 70 CE. Comment: Incredible! No other generation for almost 2,000 years has seen these developments. Zeal to rebuild the Temple tells us that the Antichrist, who takes his seat in it (II Thess. 2:4) is close at hand. It also tells us that the Lord who comes to stop Him (II Thess. 2:8) is close at hand. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!
Lightning sets 800 fires in California - Associated Press - June 24, 2008 - In less than a day, an electrical storm unleashed nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 wildfires across Northern California, a rare example of "dry lightning" that brought little or no rain but plenty of sparks to the state's parched forests and grasslands. The weekend storm was unusual not only because it generated so many lightning strikes over a large geographical area but because it struck so early in the season and moved in from the Pacific Ocean. Such storms usually don't arrive until late July or August and typically form southeast of California.
'Extraordinary' number of fires forces California firefighters to pick their battles - Associated Press - July 1, 2008 - Cool, damp weather returned Tuesday to the area around a huge wildfire close to Big Sur, one of hundreds of blazes firefighters have struggled to contain because of hot weather, rough terrain and lightning storms...This year is extraordinary for the number of active fires, Kirchner said. The weekend of June 21 had 1,200 fires; a number Forest Service officials said appeared to be an all-time record in California. More than 1,400 fires burning in California - KSBY.com - June 30, 2008 - More than 1,400 fires scorch a path of destruction across the state. One of the biggest of those fires is burning in Monterey County near the town of Big Sur. Here is the latest on the Basin Complex Fire: More than 35,000 acres have burned since the fire began June 21. Fire crews say it's only 3 percent contained. More than 1,000 firefighters are working to get it under control. 16 structures have been destroyed, more than a thousand others are still threatened. Comment: All of these disasters were taking place in California as the State was announcing seemingly an all-out campaign to challenge traditional marriage, to make it legal for homosexuals to marry in the State. It was God who established traditional marriage between man and woman in the book of Genesis (see Genesis 2:18-25). Saudis to Christians: Get out! - World Net Daily - August 12, 2008 - More than a dozen Christians in Saudi Arabia who were accused by government officials of worshipping in their homes have been ordered deported...The report from the Washington-based human rights group said 15 Christians will be deported. Sixteen had been arrested April 25 when a dozen Saudi Arabian police officers raided a home during a prayer meeting. "The first officer to enter the house after breaking down the main gate pointed a pistol at the Christians and ordered them to hand over their resident permits and mobile phones," the report said. "The other 11 police followed quickly and started searching the entire house. They confiscated an electronic drum set, an offering box with 500 Saudi Riyal in it ($130), 20 Bibles, and a few Christian books." Comment: We have heard much about Allah and Jehovah being the same God of late. If this is true, why are Christians getting this treatment in Saudi Arabia, a Muslim State? II Thessalonians 2:11-12 make a case that in the end-times, truth would be not be received by many. It says, "...because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false..." Jehovah and Allah are not the same God and this news story stands as evidence.
Church of England Confirms Support for Women Bishops - christianpost.com - July 8, 2008 - After lengthy debate, the Church of England's General Synod voted on Monday to confirm its support for the ordination of women as bishops without offering much in the way of safeguards for objectors. The Synod had already agreed to the ordination of women bishops in principle but was voting on Monday night...
Comment: The following is what the Bible says about the selecting of Bishops: "It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer (bishop), it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer (bishop), then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?, and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (1 Tim 3:1-7). One would get the impression that Bishops are supposed to be masculine, at least, from the Bible's perspective. I guess this doesn't mean much to the Church of England. Texas school district to let teachers carry guns - Reuters News Service - August 15, 2008 - A Texas school district will let teachers bring guns to class this fall, the district's superintendent said on Friday, in what experts said appeared to be a first in the United States...Teachers who wish to bring guns will have to be certified to carry a concealed handgun in Texas and get crisis training and permission from school officials. Comment: Incredible that it has come to this! The Bible declares that in the last days violence and "lawlessness" will increase (Matthew 24:12). Amazing that school teachers have to defend themselves at school! Top Russian general names Israel as Georgian arms supplier - Jerusalem Post - Aug 19, 2008 - Russian Deputy Chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn accused Israel in a Moscow press conference on Tuesday of arming the Georgian military with mines, explosive charges, special explosives for clearing minefields and eight kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). "In 2007, Israeli experts trained Georgian commandos in Georgia and there were plans to supply heavy weaponry, electronic weapons, tanks and other arms at a later date, but the deal didn't work out," Nogovitsyn said. Comment: The Russian bear is flexing her muscles. Interesting that this story indicates new hostility between Russia and Israel! Since Russia is predicted by Ezekiel 2500 years ago to militarily come against Israel in the last days (see Ezekiel 38 & 39). South African Olim Arriving in First-Ever Group Flight - israelnationalnews.com - July 21, '08 - Ninety-six South African are scheduled to land in Israel Monday night, the first time a group of new olim, (immigrants to Israel) has been organized from the country by the Jewish Agency. Their arrival precedes by several hours a North American flight of 210 new olim. Comment: God keeps bringing the children of Israel home as He promised He would in the last days (see Isaiah 11:12, and Isaiah 43:6).
1st time: Entire 'Lost tribe of Israel' allowed 'home' - World Net Daily - August 23, 2008 - After years of diplomatic wrangling, the Israeli government has given permission to a community of Indian citizens who believe they are one of the "lost tribes" of Israel to move legally to the Jewish state. This decision, first reported in Israel's Maariv newspaper, clears the way for the arrival here of 7,232 members of the Bnei Menashe. They believe they are the descendants of Manasseh, one of the biblical patriarch Joseph's two sons and a grandson of Jacob...According to Bnei Menashe oral tradition, the tribe was exiled from Israel and pushed to the east, eventually settling in the border regions of China and India where most remain today. Most kept customs similar to Jewish tradition, including observing Shabbat, keeping the laws of Kosher, practicing circumcision on the eighth day of a baby boy's life and observing laws of family purity.
Comment: As this article suggests, there are no "lost tribes of Israel". Man may not have known for twenty centuries where they all were, but God has!!! He said He would preserve them (Jeremiah 31:35-37) and then gather them back to Israel in the end times from the "ends of the earth" (Isaiah 43:6). He is! The gathering of the children of Israel back to the Land is something God said He would do in the last days to prove to the nations that He is God (Ezekiel 36:23). As of this writing, some 5.6 million have been gathered back to the Land of Israel and most of them since 1948. God is at work! Temple Institute Tailors Kohanims’ Garments - IsraelNationalNews.com - July 2, '08 - Since Monday, the Temple Institute in the Old City of Jerusalem has opened a workshop for the tailoring and production of the Priestly Garments to be used by Kohanim (priests) in the Temple service. Priestly garments have not been worn since the destruction of the Second Temple almost 2000 years ago. Each set has a turban, tunic pants and belt which must be individually tailored at a cost of NIS 2,500 per Kohen. At the inauguration ceremony on Monday, Efrat Chief Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, himself a Kohen, was measured for a set of the garments. The garments are the fruits of a worldwide search. Special flaxen thread from India and Turkish mountain worms for the correct shade of crimson are two examples of the necessary materials . "The Temple is not a message (to only) the Jewish people. It reunites the world all around one central prayer house… all the nations will be coming to Jerusalem" Temple Institute Director Rabbi Yehuda Glick said. Comment: Huge News!!! The Bible anticipated a new Temple to be in operation in the last days. II Thessalonians 2:4 says that a future leader will "take his seat in the Temple of God" to display himself as God. According to Daniel 9:27, three and one half years later, Jesus will return to this earth to rule and reign as "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords". There hasn't been a Temple for almost two thousand years since the Romans destroyed it in 70 A.D. and scattered the Jewish people all over the world. Now there are almost six million Jewish people living in the land of Israel and there is a zeal to restore Temple worship. The return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and putting a Temple in place are prerequisites to the Return of Jesus to this earth. His return is drawing very NEAR!!!
To college freshmen, GPS has always been there - Associated Press - August 19, 2008 - Students entering college this fall have lived their whole lives in a digital world where GPS has always been available, phones have always had caller ID and tax returns could always be filed online...ther cultural markers are all but unknown to them IBM typewriters, Roseanne Barr's tortured version of the National Anthem, Pee-wee Herman's "Playhouse" and gas-station attendants who fix flat tires or offer to check under the hood.
Comment: The rate at which technology is moving is astounding!!! No surprise however. Daniel 12:4 states that knowledge will increase in "the time of the end". This is exactly what we all are observing. G7 nations welcome U.S. bank bailout - Reuters - Sep 22, 2008 - Group of Seven nations welcomed the $700 billion U.S. markets bailout plan on Monday but there was no sign that other governments saw any need to follow Washington in setting up rescue packages of their own...U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Sunday he was "aggressively" encouraging other countries to put in place similar schemes to the plan announced on Friday which sent global stock markets soaring. The world's big central banks have already joined in a coordinated move with the U.S. Federal Reserve to pump hundreds of billions of dollars in extra funding into markets to prevent the world financial system from seizing up in a credit freeze. Comment: Amazing that the current economic crisis we are facing brings us to consider a global solution! According to Revelation 13, we are going to have a system in the future that will be global in scope. A leader from Europe that God calls "Antichrist", will cause all to receive a mark, or they cannot participate (see Revelation 13:16-17). With this present crisis bringing the world's big banks to cooperate, the world banking system is becoming more believable. Britain Takes Up Islamic Law - Foxnews.com - September 15, 2008 - Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases. The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through county courts or the country's High Court, a part of its Supreme Court system. Comment: This is a product of the deception that Jesus and Paul prophesied for the end times!!! Jesus predicted that the deception He spoke of would sweep the earth before His return and be so powerful that "if possible, even the elect would be deceived" (Matthew 24:24). Paul, writing on the same subject, said this, "because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false..." (2 Thess 2:10-11). The deception, in spite of all the evidence otherwise, is that Islamic law can peacefully coexist alongside any law for long. Presbyterian Assembly votes to drop homosexual clergy ban - AP - 6/28/2008 - The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)...set up another confrontation Friday over its ban on ordaining non-celibate gays and lesbians. The denomination's General Assembly...voted 54 percent to 46 percent Friday to drop the requirement... Comment: Jesus predicted days just as it was in the days of Lot in Luke 17: 28-30. We are approaching those days rapidly! Grassley Probes Televangelists' Finances - CBS News - November 7, 2007 - Acting on tips about preachers who ride in Rolls Royces and have purportedly paid $30,000 for a conference table, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday he's investigating the finances of six well-known TV ministers. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said those under scrutiny include faith healer Benny Hinn, Georgia megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar and one of the nation's best known female preachers, Joyce Meyer. Grassley sent letters to the half-dozen Christian media ministries earlier this week requesting answers by Dec. 6 about their expenses, executive compensation and amenities, including use of fancy cars and private jets. Comment: Jeremiah 5:30 & 31 deals with this tragic issue. They say, "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it"? Also, the same atmosphere existed among the spiritual leaders in Micah's day. Micah warned, "Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us. Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest" (Micah 3:11). A day of reckoning is coming because "judgement begins at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). God will hold all accountable for what is done in His name, including what was done with His money!
More than 40 nations invited
to Annapolis - YnetNews.com - November 20, 2007 - The United States
issued formal invitations to some 40 nations and organizations on
Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Annapolis peace conference...The list of
confirmed invitees also includes the Arab League and Arab countries
such as Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Libya, Mauritania,
Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Members of the international
diplomatic quartet have also been given invitations. These include the
UN, The EU, Russia, and Mideast envoy Tony Blair.
Rabbis Warn US of Disasters to Follow
Annapolis -israelnationalnews.com - November 6, 2007 - The SOS Israel
organization dispatched a letter to US President George W. Bush warning
him that American pressure for Israel to withdraw from parts of the
Land of Israel and divide Jerusalem at the upcoming Annapolis
Conference is liable to lead to disasters befalling America. The rabbi
pointed out that they had made a similar prediction in 2005, prior to
the US-backed Disengagement from Gaza and northern Samaria...Hurricane
Katrina formed on August 23rd, 2005 – on the day the Disengagement was
completed. "This time the Almighty is warning the US in advance: if the
plague of water was not enough now he shall send flames. While
hundreds of thousands of families have already fled the terrible fires
in California, and we ask you, will you really forge ahead with this
malevolent plan?" the letter said.
Spitzer steps down as New York governor - USA
TODAY - March 11, 2008 - Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the nationally known
do-gooder who suffered a jaw-dropping fall from grace this week after
being accused of frequenting a high-price call girl ring, announced his
resignation Wednesday.
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Former N.J. Gov. McGreevey Confirms Reports of Three-Way Sex With Wife and Aide - FoxNews.com - March 17, 2008 - It's now a case of he said, he said, she said. Both former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey and his one-time driver insist that they engaged in three-way sex with McGreevey's wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, who is in the midst of a nasty divorce from from the now openly gay ex-governer. Comment: Scandal and corruption continue to plague a people who are in rebellion against God. God said in the last days man's morality would grow from worse to worse (II Timothy 3:13). Birthrate up for Jews, down for Muslims - Jerusalem Post - Nov 6, 2007 - The country's fertility rate continues to rise; the average number of babies born to Muslim women is falling; having babies before the age of 20 is less common, and the average age when women have their first child is up. These are some of the findings of the report on Patterns of Fertility in 2006 released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics. A total of 148,170 babies came into the world last year: 71 percent of them were born to Jewish mothers and 23% to Muslims; 3% to women of undetermined religion; 2% to Druse; and 1% to Christians (81% of those Arabs). Comment: Isaiah 44:3&4 - "For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants; And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.' Deut 7:13 - "He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground..." Canada orders ministry by Christians shut down - World Net Daily - March 21, 2008 - The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were "critical" of the beliefs of those who are not Christian, WND has learned. "When a group such as Jehovah's Witnesses said of our doctrine we're worshipping a freakish three-headed God (the Trinity), we should be able to respond," she said. "We say, 'Here's the doctrine of the Trinity and here is where it is in the Scripture.'" That, however, violates Canada's hate crimes laws, and the ministry was ordered to either make wholesale changes in its presentations, or shut down. Comment: At press time for this newsletter, many of the details were missing about this story. If time proves that the story stands as printed by World Net Daily, then it is consistent with the expectation that truth will become greatly contested in the last days. II Thessalonians addresses this issue when it says, "because they receive not the love of the truth...God will send them strong delusion". (II Thessalonians 2:10-11). If the story stands, then it is very alarming and unfortunate that standing for truth in our developing world would amount to "violating a hate crime law"!
Comment:
Our world is in turmoil as the Lord said it would be in the days
before His return. Look up, redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28)! |
