Must Listen

Must Read

What Art Thinks

Pre-Millennialism

Today's Headlines

  • Sorry... Not Available
Man blowing a shofar

Administrative Area





Locally Contributed...

Audio

Video

Special Interest

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Two Coming Kingdoms
Nov 1st, 2009
Main Stories
Art Sadlier
Categories: Printed Newsletter;Revived Roman Empire;World Government

Daniel tells us about a coming world- wide kingdom that will dominate the world in the last days. He tells us that this kingdom will be a revival of the old Roman Empire. Today the leaders of the EU boast that they are the return of the old Roman Empire.

From Daniel and John in the book of Revelation we learn several things about this final gentile empire. We learn that, in some respects it is actually two separate kingdoms, (see Rev. 17:10-11).  The Revived Roman Empire actually has its beginning at the start of the tribulation period.

The Revived Roman Empire is described in Revelation 17:12. “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” The one hour is described in other places as 3 ½ years. Antichrist comes on the scene as leader of the Revived Roman Empire, signs the Peace Treaty with Israel and the nations and the tribulation period begins. Verse 13 describes the transition from the Revived Roman Empire to the World-Wide kingdom of Antichrist which takes place at the mid-tribulation point. “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”  Antichrist proceeds to enslave and to crush the whole world for the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation period. He forces, on pain of death, the whole world to worship him.

It is astounding to read these prophecies which were written 2000 to 2600 years ago, and then see these scenarios unfolding before our very eyes.

Today the infrastructure of the Revived Roman Empire is forming before us as we look on. As of today, 26 members of the EU have signed the Lisbon Treaty, the last holdout is Czech President Vaclav Klaus, the other day he agreed to sign it. When he does, all 27 nations will lose their national sovereignty. For want of a better illustration they will become like a United States of Europe. Power will be centralized in the hands of a few men, ultimately ten men and the Antichrist (Rev. 17:12).  The fact is that today there are only ten permanent members of the EU, all others are associate members (see the article on our website April 8, entitled, “The Ten Toes of Daniel’s vision – Now in Existence”). Today a ten nation confederacy exists, waiting to be empowered. That ten nation confederacy is called the Western European Union.

In a few short weeks the EU will choose a New Super President, in this man’s hands will be placed unprecedented power. This will undoubtedly be the office Antichrist will occupy. A second man is to be chosen, a Foreign Minister, he also will be given great power.  Could it be perhaps, that this second man will ultimately turn out to be the False Prophet?  The EU is about to become a totalitarian super state.  The stage is now set for the Revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist to suddenly appear.

Simultaneously with forming of the infrastructure for the Revived Roman Empire is the forming of the infrastructure for the worldwide Kingdom of Antichrist, presently referred to as a World Government. A former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Lord Christopher Monckton, says the real purpose of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18 is to use global warming hype as a pretext to lay the foundation for a one-world government.

He went on to say, "At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, weeks away, a treaty will be signed."  "Your president will sign it. Most of the Third World countries will sign it, because they think they're going to get money out of it. Most of the left-wing regimes from the European Union will rubber stamp it, virtually no one won't sign it," he told the audience of some 700 attendees.

"I read that treaty and what it says is this: that a world government is going to be created. The word 'government' actually appears as the first of three purposes of the new entity.

“The second purpose is the transfer of wealth from the countries of the West to Third World countries, in satisfaction of what is called, coyly, 'climate debt' – because we've been burning CO2 and they haven't. We've been screwing up the climate and they haven't. And the third purpose of this new entity, this government, is enforcement."

Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the United Nations, stated in an article in the New York Times, relating to the Copenhagen conference, “A deal must include an equitable global governance structure.”

Today there is a seeming conspiracy of many world leaders, a conspiracy to deceive the world into accepting a World Government.  Issues like global warming, pandemics and world- wide economic recession are being used to frighten men and nations into surrendering national sovereignty and freedoms. Last spring, Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the UN, stated that we have 50 days to save the planet from destruction by global warming. Last week Prime Minister Gordon Brown made the same statement. All of this, in spite of the fact, that evidence is mounting, that the United States is headed toward a cooling cycle that may last decades.

We know that at recent conferences, the Global recession has been used to enable a group of men to gain a strangle hold on the world’s economy. Repeatedly, we are hearing about ongoing moves to establish a new world currency, which would also facilitate control over the nations of the world.  In a similar fashion the swine flu pandemic is being used by the WTO to exercise control over the nations of the world.

The infrastructure is being laid for a world-wide totalitarian government. That infrastructure will continue to grow until the mid-tribulation point when Antichrist will take control of it and establish his monstrous rule over the entire world.

Bible prophecy is being fulfilled exactly as it was given by God 2000-2600 years ago. These and other fulfilled prophecies prove beyond any possibility of a doubt that God is the Sovereign Lord of the universe and that He knows the end from the beginning. The inexplicable question is why men do not bow before Him and acknowledge His Lordship?

Why is it that so few seem to be able to grasp what is happening?  The answer I believe is found in Paul’s epistle to the Thessalonians, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thess. 5:4-6. The implication of these verses is troubling.

Truth
Nov 1st, 2009
Main Stories
A. W. Tozer
Categories: Printed Newsletter;Exhortation

Truth that is not experienced is no better than error, and may be fully as dangerous.

Remember that the scribes who sat in Moses' seat were not the victims of error; they were the victims of failure to experience the truth they taught!

We should see that one of the greatest foes of the Christian is religious complacency. The man who believes that he has "arrived" will not go any further; and the present neat habit of quoting a text to prove we have arrived may be a dangerous one if in truth we have no actual inward experience of the text.

The great saints of the past have all had yearning hearts. Their longing after God all but consumed them; it propelled them onward and upward to heights toward which less ardent Christians look with languid eye and entertain no hope of reaching.

May we offer this word of exhortation:  pray on, fight on, sing on!  Press on into the deep things of God. Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will!  

The Peace Process That Never Seems to Go Anywhere
Nov 1st, 2009
Weekly Commentary
Art Sadlier
Uncategorized

US president after US president has poured energy and resources into trying to bring a peace treaty in the Mid-East.

When Barack Obama took office he vowed to settle the Mideast stalemate. He has bent over backwards to appease the Arab world. He has turned against Israel in the hope of winning cooperation from the Palestinians. Today the chance of a peace settlement is farther away than ever.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has run into a stone wall this weekend. The PA are not interested in negotiating at this point. Obama has created such high expectations among the Arabs that anything less than total surrender by Israel is not acceptable in the Arab streets.

In the meantime the Israelis realize that as Abbas is involved in elections in January, he will not negotiate but will campaign on the issue, politics will overrule. The election in January, or when ever it occurs, may bring a new more radical government to the Palestinians. Negotiations now are not practical in this light.

Why does it seem impossible for the world’s most powerful men to bring about a peace treaty? The answer is quite simple, God’s Word tells that it will be the leader of the Revived Roman Empire that will ultimately sign this treaty. God’s Word tells us how the whole end time scenario will unfold.

Today we see the EU about to appoint a new super President who will be given great powers. The supposed solution will come from Europe not Washington.

The Great Apostasy
Nov 1st, 2009
Main Stories
Art Sadlier
Categories: Printed Newsletter;The Church;Apostasy

The word “Apostasy” means departure from, removal from, the moving away from a previously held position, a departure from the truth of God’s Word to which one once held.

Apostasy began in Paul’s day; he referred to it in Acts 20:29, 30. The apostasy which began in Paul’s day has grown exponentially down over the long church age. Today we have the great monolithic structure of Christendom which has departed from the truth of Scripture, although it still claims to be the Church of Jesus Christ.

In 2 Thess. 2:1 Paul talks about the rapture of the church. In verse 2, he refers to a rumor that claims that the rapture has already taken place and that the Day of the Lord, (Day of Christ) has begun. In verse 3, Paul says that is not so, he then teaches that two things must happen before the Day of the Lord, (tribulation period) begins.

First: the Antichrist must be revealed.  The Antichrist will be revealed by his signature on the seven year peace treaty. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” Daniel 9:27.  This peace treaty will reveal the man who signs it to be the Antichrist. It will initiate the tribulation period.

Second: the great apostasy must take place. In verse 3, these two events are as presented as taking place simultaneously.  Paul, in these verses, relates three things as happening in the same time frame.

1.  The Rapture of the church

2.  The great apostasy

3.  The revelation of Antichrist by the signing of the peace treaty.

There is a massive structure today known as Christendom. There are 1.7 billion people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.  We know that the overwhelming majority of these people are not born again Christians despite their profession of faith. Today there is ample evidence that an overwhelming majority of Evangelicals are Christians in name only, they are unregenerate.

When the trumpet sounds and the Bride of Christ is caught up to be with her Lord all that is unregenerate in Christendom will remain on earth to enter into the tribulation period and the Great Apostasy will take place. Those who claimed to be followers of Christ will receive a false christ (Antichrist) and by doing so will turn away from following the true Christ. Today we are witnessing the stage being set for that coming apostasy.

!       In many fundamental, evangelical churches, experience is given equal authority with the Word of God, that’s Apostasy.

!       Humanistic programs have replaced that which God’s Word calls for, that’s Apostasy.

!       A false gospel is being declared, “Just receive Christ as your Saviour”, leaving out repentance, the whole context of the gospel, that’s Apostasy.

!       The teaching of humanistic psychology, even though the prefix “Christian” has been added is a departure from the teaching of God’s Word, that’s Apostasy.

!       The acceptance of groups which in their beliefs and teachings deny the gospel, that’s Apost.asy

The seeker-sensitive church-growth movement has pushed experientialism (and its close kin, pragmatism) into overdrive through the power of marketing. Sound doctrine is necessarily left by the wayside while churches cater to the “felt needs” of consumers who are targeted as potential Christians.

T.A. McMahon says, “Conviction of sin doesn’t feel good, nor does it sell well. The wishful thinking of a purpose-driven church that would attract the lost by turning to the world’s methods has become a Titanic that has ignored warnings and jettisoned its compass of the doctrine of Christ. While the orchestra searches for a contemporary chorus replacement for ‘Nearer My God to Thee’, the vessel is sinking into the depths of compromise while dispensing temporal lifejackets to save the world from its problems.”

The removal of the Body of Christ from the world is near at hand, as unregenerate Christendom steams toward total Apostasy.

At a recent conference entitled, the “Rethink Conference”, the following press release was issued.

“The overall view at the Rethink Conference … is that Christianity, as we have known it, has run its course and must be replaced. Co-hosted by Erwin McManus and Robert Schuller, the conference declared that a paradigm shift is now underway. Speakers insisted that Christianity must be re-thought and re-invented if the name of Jesus Christ is going to survive here on planet earth.”

A new Newsweek/Belief Net Poll shows that 68% of those who call themselves Evangelicals and claim to be “Born Again” now reject Jesus’ words in John 14:6.  The question was, “Can a good person who isn’t of your faith go to heaven or attain Salvation?”  Among Evangelicals 68% said “Yes”.  That is a turning away from the truth, called Apostasy. I think we can safely conclude that at least 68% of Evangelicals are unregenerate.

Fifteen years ago a group of Evangelical leaders entered into an agreement with Catholic leaders, called ECT, Evangelicals & Catholics together. The agreement basically called for Evangelicals and Catholics to co-operate in evangelism, neither group would seek to evangelize the other because, basically, they said, they held the same gospel. The signing of that document influenced many other evangelicals to accept Catholics as brothers in Christ.

On December 7, 2007, Pope Benedict issued an encyclical in which he calls into question modern Christianity. The document titled, "Saved by Hope", is allegedly a deeply theological exploration of Christian hope which states: "In the sufferings and misery of daily life, Christianity provides the faithful with a ‘Journey of Hope’ to the Kingdom of God. The pope also criticized the focus of modern Christianity, saying that its focus on individual salvation had ignored Jesus' message, that true Christian hope involves salvation for all. (See Ephesians 2:8, 9).

This is a blatant and total denial of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is Rome's theology of the Dark Ages. Rome has never changed. She is the enemy of the Gospel and the souls of men.

It needs to be understood that what the pope says in his encyclicals supersedes scripture, so you can set your Bible aside. The real concern is that evangelicals, in their acceptance of Catholics as brothers in Christ, are on the road to apostasy.

Roger Oakland said, “It is amazing to see the progress made in the past few years as the vast majority of churches that were once evangelical move towards an ecumenical unity with Rome. There was a time when evangelical Christians were sensitive to what makes Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholicism. Not so today. The Emerging Church Movement, along with the idea that Christian unity must happen at any cost, has opened the door for a global ecumenical movement that has no biblical boundaries.”
To me personally, the greatest tragedy of the hour is the growing Apostasy among Evangelicals. I weep over those who are slipping into this tragic condition, which will result in the perdition of their souls. Apostasy reveals the insincerity of the profession of faith. I believe the root cause of it all is New Evangelicalism, the subtle compromise of the teaching of God’s Word about separation from compromisers

The Alliance of Ezekiel 38-39
Nov 1st, 2009
Main Stories
Art Sadlier
Categories: Printed Newsletter;Prophecy

God does not ask us to believe His Word without proving His Word to us first. Our faith is not an irrational faith, but rather a faith in the facts which God has given to us. God has proven to us absolutely that the Bible is the Word of God and that He is the sovereign Lord of the universe. Fulfilled prophecy proves beyond any possibility of doubt that the Bible is God’s Word.

 The Bible is the Word of God,

Every line, every jot and every tittle

Front back and in the middle,

The Bible is the Word of God.

The Bible is about 30% prophecy, more than half of those prophecies have been fulfilled. They have been fulfilled in exact detail and they have been fulfilled literally. This proves that God knows the end from the beginning. God writes history in advance.

“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my council shall stand, and I will do all my good pleasure” Isaiah  46:9-10.

One amazing fulfillment of prophecy is taking place before our very eyes. We are seeing the alliance of Ezekiel 38 & 39 forming at this very time. In the last number of months we have looked on as Turkey has withdrawn from its’ intended goal to join the EU and has rapidly moved to join an alliance of Russia, Iran and the Muslim nations which surround Israel. (See Ezekiel 38: 2, 3, 5, 6, Persia is Iran)

Turkey and Iran have just announced an agreement to triple trade between the two countries. Russia has been moving into a closer relationship with both Iran and Turkey. In just in the last few weeks the good relationship between Israel and Turkey has been shattered.

We know from scripture that before the war of Ezekiel 38 & 39 takes place there will be a peace treaty signed by Antichrist involving Israel and the nations of the world. This alliance of Muslim nations and Russia will temporarily delay their attack on Israel.

Today Iran is feverishly striving to obtain nuclear weapons to annihilate Israel. According to Bible prophecy this will not happen. Today there is a movement to eliminate all nuclear weapons. President Obama and the Russians are calling for nuclear disarmament. Iran has said that they will give up their quest for nuclear weapons if Israel will give up their nukes. It is possible that this nuclear disarmament will be a part of the seven year peace treaty. This would explain the primitive weapons used in Ezekiel 38:4.

We have seen the passionate desire of Amadinejad, the Iranian President, to destroy Israel. He stated some time ago, “If the West does not support Israel, this regime will be toppled. As it has lost its raison d’être, Israel is a tyrannical regime that will one day be destroyed. Israel is a rotten, tree that will be annihilated in one storm”.

Notice how these words of Amadinejad are prophesied 2600 years ago in Ezekiel 38:9 ”Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm”.

The preparations for this war of Ezekiel are being laid at this very time. How thrilling to watch as Bible prophecy is being fulfilled day by day.      

Revelation 14:1-5 PT. 1
Nov 1st, 2009
Exploring Revelation
Art Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Prophecy;Book Study

Chapter 13 is the darkest hour in the history of man. The Satanic trinity has usurped the authority over the world of men. The blackest spiritual darkness has descended upon mankind. This is hell's hour on earth. Satan and his man are being worshipped by the world.

Chapter 14 reveals the rising Son who is about to appear. This chapter is a tremendous encouragement to the children of God. We catch a glimpse of the ultimate triumph of Christ. Chapter 14 is like a table of content for the rest of the book of Revelation.

We are given an overview of some end time events.  We have seven visions.  1-The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mt. Sion.  2- The angel with the everlasting gospel.  3- The fall of Babylon.  4- The judgment of the Beast worshippers.  5- The blessing of those who die in the Lord.  6- A preview of the last battle of Armeggedon. 7-The reaping of the earth.

Notice the time element of chapter 14.

--We have a backward look to the beginning of the tribulation period.

--We have a forward look to the end of the tribulation period.

--We have a forward look into the Millenium.

There are seven separate visions and they are in chronological order.

Having seen what takes place in chapter 13, the question that comes to us is, How do God's people fare during these days?  In chapter 14 we are given an overall, general view as to how God's people fare during the tribulation period.

VISION - 1  Verses 1-5  In Revelation 7: we saw the 144,000 ( 12,000 from each tribe). We saw them being sealed at the end of the first half of the tribulation period. In Revelation 14:1 we see them after the tribulation period is over, we see them standing on Mt. Sion with Christ. Satan has sought to destroy them but here they are after the tribulation is over, at the start of the Millenium. Not one has been killed, they are safe with Christ.

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads." God's people are on the winning side, Satan can only do what God allows and what God allows is always for His Glory and the blessing of His people.

Notice a contrast between Gentiles and Jews.  Revelation 13:7,15 tells us that the gentile believers, the tribulation saints are slaughtered by the millions. John refers to these gentile martyrs as a number so great that no man could number them. Why does God allow the gentile believers to die and yet preserves alive the Jewish believers?

The answer is very informative. The hope and future for the gentile believers, the Body of Christ is heaven not earth. (Ephesians 1:3).  The Jewish hope and promise of the  kingdom is on earth. (Genesis 48:4).

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on mount Sion,"  This is encouraging! Here in the middle of the tribulation period when Satan seems to be winning the war, that here the Lord graciously pauses to give us a look at the final outcome. In this first vision we see the last chapter, we are on the winning side! Jesus is Lord!

The message is, "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36.

The Site - Verse 1:  " mount Sion"  That's an earthly scene, Jerusalem, this is a forecast of Christ's literal return to the earth as recorded in Zechariah 14:4 and Psalm 2:6.

Next we will finish the first vision.

Let the Headlines Speak
Nov 1st, 2009
Main Stories
Art Sadlier
Categories: Printed Newsletter;Today's Headlines

Hate Crimes Law - Ungodly, Unconstitutional, Unnecessary  OneNewsNow

A Christian evangelist who was once arrested, jailed, and charged under Pennsylvania's hate crimes law says the federal hate crimes bill signed into law by President Obama is one of the most dangerous laws in the history of the United States.

Marcavage says the new federal hate crimes law is yet another move by the federal government to "silence Christians."

"What this bill does is [seek] to shut down those who dare to speak against the sin of homosexuality with the hope and freedom that is found in

Jesus Christ," says the Christian activist.

Ban Ki - Moon: Jerusalem Must be Capital      Release: United Nations

Jerusalem must be the capital of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all, if peace in the Middle East is to be achieved, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today.

“This is the road to the fulfillment of both the vision of [United Nations] Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, and the yearning for peace of people from all over the world,” he said in a message to the Jerusalem International Forum in Rabat, Morocco, in which he stressed that the international community does not recognize Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem.

Art`s Commentary: Zechariah 12: 3-4 warns of this very day and this very attitude. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in siege both against Judah Art`s Commentary: Zechariah 12: 3-4 warns of this very day and this very attitude. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered against it.”

1,000 Priests Could Quit the Church of England to Join Catholic Church      timesonline.co.uk

As many as 1,000 priests could quit the Church of England and thousands more may leave churches in America and Australia under bold proposals to welcome Anglicans to Rome. 

Entire parishes and even dioceses could be tempted to defect after Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to offer a legal structure to Anglicans joining the Roman Catholic Church. 

Pope Benedict wants to make Christian unity an enduring legacy of his papacy. He is due to visit Britain next year; Dr Williams will visit Rome next month. The Pope has already shown his determination to reunite Christendom at almost any price, welcoming back the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X despite a Holocaust-denying bishop in its ranks.

Sunstein Urges: Abolish Marriage 

Friday                     WND - Aaron Klein

Advisor compares institution to country club membership: the US government should abolish its sanctioning of marriage, argued Cass Sunstein, President Obama's regulatory czar.

Sunstein proposed that the concept of marriage should become privatized, with the state only granting civil union contracts to couples wishing to enter into an agreement.

Art's Commentary: these are the types of individuals with whom President Obama surrounds himself.

U.S. Sponsors Plan to Restrict Free Speech Oct 20 - WND - Bob Unruh

A proposal sponsored by the Obama administration at the United Nations that purports to seek protection for "freedom of opinion and expression" actually is a call for a worldwide crackdown on freedom of speech and a mandate for nations to ensure "that relevant national legislation complies with … international human rights obligations" – a clear threat to the First Amendment, according to critics.

The resolution was submitted recently by the United States and Egypt. It was approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council as a first step in its process through the international organization.

It demands that all nations condemn and criminalize "any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”.

Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation told WND the issue is not about free speech at all but about installing international precedents to stifle any criticism of Islam.

School Opens to Train Descendents of Cohanim (priests) for Service in the Rebuilt Temple

                 Oct17-israelnationalnews.com

Jews in the town of Mitzpe Yericho are taking practical steps to prepare for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, by preparing descendents of Cohanim (priests) and Levites for service. At the Mitzpe Yericho school, Temple priest hopefuls learn exactly how to conduct the daily Temple service and offer the required sacrifices.

Israel's Growth Outpaces the World   Oct 17-israelnationalnews.com

The Central Bureau of Statistics has released the latest population figures for Israeli cities and towns.

Israel’s population as of June 30, 2009 stood at nearly 7.43 million – nearly three-quarters of a percent more than it was at the end of 2008. Some 623,000 people (8.4%) live in rural villages and towns of fewer than 2,000 residents.

Israel's growth rate currently stands at an annual rate of approximately 1.5% - compared to 1.188% for the entire world in 2008.

Israelis Prepare for War With Iran
Nov 1st, 2009
Daily News
Klein Halevi
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

The postcard from the Home Front Command that recently arrived in my mailbox looks like an ad from the Ministry of Tourism. A map of Israel is divided by color into six regions, each symbolized by an upbeat drawing: a smiling camel in the Negev desert, a skier in the Golan Heights.

In fact, each region signifies the amount of time residents will have to seek shelter from an impending missile attack. If you live along the Gaza border, you have 15 seconds after the siren sounds. Jerusalemites get a full three minutes. But as the regions move farther north, the time drops again, until finally, along the Lebanese and Syrian borders, the color red designates "immediate entry into a shelter." In other words, if you're not already inside a shelter don't bother looking for one.

The invisible but all-pervasive presence on that cheerful map of existential dread is Iran. If Israel were to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran's two terrorist allies on our borders—Hezbollah and Hamas—would almost certainly renew attacks against the Israeli home front. And Tel Aviv would be hit by Iranian long-range missiles.

On the other hand, if Israel refrains from attacking Iran and international efforts to stop its nuclearization fail, the results along our border would likely be even more catastrophic. Hezbollah and Hamas would be emboldened politically and psychologically. The threat of a nuclear attack on Tel Aviv would become a permanent part of Israeli reality. This would do incalculable damage to Israel's sense of security.

Given these dreadful options, one might assume that the Israeli public would respond with relief to reports that Iran is now considering the International Atomic Energy Agency's proposal to transfer 70% of its known, low-enriched uranium to Russia for treatment that would seriously reduce its potential for military application. In fact, Israelis from the right and the left have reacted with heightened anxiety. "Kosher Uranium," read the mocking headline of Israel's largest daily, Yediot Aharonot. Media commentators noted that easing world pressure on Iran will simply enable it to cheat more easily. If Iranian leaders are prepared to sign an agreement, Israelis argue, that's because they know something the rest of us don't.

In the last few years, Israelis have been asking themselves two questions with increasing urgency: Should we attack Iran if all other options fail? And can we inflict sufficient damage to justify the consequences?

As sanctions efforts faltered, most Israelis came to answer the first question affirmatively. A key moment in coalescing that resolve occurred in December 2006, when the Iranian regime sponsored an "International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust," a two day meeting of Holocaust deniers. For Israelis, that event ended the debate over whether a nuclear Iran could be deterred by the threat of counter-force. A regime that assembles the world's crackpots to deny the most documented atrocity in history—at the very moment it is trying to fend off sanctions and convince the international community of its sanity—may well be immune to rational self-interest.

Opinion here has been divided about the ability of an Israeli strike to significantly delay Iran's nuclear program. But Israelis have dealt with their doubts by resurrecting a phrase from the country's early years: Ein breira, there's no choice. Besides, as one leading Israeli security official who has been involved in the Iranian issue for many years put it to me, "Technical problems have technical solutions." Israelis tend to trust their strategic planners to find those solutions.

In the past few months, Israelis have begun asking themselves a new question: Has the Obama administration's engagement with Iran effectively ended the possibility of a military strike?

Few Israelis took seriously the recent call by former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski to shoot down Israeli planes if they take off for Iran. But American attempts to reassure the Israeli public of its commitment to Israel's security have largely backfired. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent threat to "obliterate" Iran if it launched a nuclear attack against Israel only reinforced Israeli fears that the U.S. would prefer to contain a nuclear Iran rather than pre-empt it militarily.

On the face of it, this is not May 1967. There is not the same sense of impending catastrophe that held the Israeli public in the weeks before the Six Day War. Israelis are preoccupied with the fate of Gilad Shalit (the kidnapped Israeli soldier held by Hamas), with the country's faltering relations with Turkey, with the U.N.'s denial of Israel's right to defend itself, and with an unprecedented rise in violent crime.

But the Iranian threat has seeped into daily life as a constant, if barely conscious anxiety. It emerges at unexpected moments, as black humor or an incongruous aside in casual conversation. "I think we're going to attack soon," a friend said to me over Sabbath dinner, as we talked about our children going off to the army and to India.

Now, with the possibility of a deal with Iran, Israelis realize that a military confrontation will almost certainly be deferred. Still, the threat remains.

A recent cartoon in the newspaper Ma'ariv showed a drawing of a sukkah, the booth covered with palm branches that Jews build for the autumn festival of Tabernacles. A voice from inside the booth asked, "Will these palm branches protect us from Iranian missiles?"

Israelis still believe in their ability to protect themselves—and many believe too in the divine protection that is said to hover over the fragile booths. Both are expressions of faith from a people that fear they may once again face the unthinkable alone.

Gaza: Thousands Rally for Islamic Jihad
Nov 1st, 2009
Daily News
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST
Categories: Today's Headlines;Anti-Israel

Tens of thousands of Islamic Jihad loyalists held a rally in Gaza on Friday to commemorate the group's slain founder.

Holding plastic models of rockets and wearing masks and mock suicide bomber's vests, the members chanted "death to Israel" and "Muhammad's army will be back to wipe off the Hebrew state."

An Islamic Jihad leader, Nafez Azzam, called on the crowd Friday to reject negotiations with Israel and support violent resistance.

The group was founded in 1979 by Fathi Shikaki as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Shikaki was gunned down in Malta in October 1995 by a man on a motorcycle in an attack widely attributed to Israel.

Islamic Jihad, a terrorist organization smaller than Hamas, has carried out dozens of suicide bombings and other attacks against Israeli civilians.

Cold Start to Fall Continues, 252 More Low Temperature Records Set in the U.S.a This Week
Nov 1st, 2009
Daily News
Hamweather climate center
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

More new record lows, lowest max temperature, and snowfall this week. The new low records outnumber the high records. There were an impressive number of Lowest Max Temperature records set also, 1129.

Art's Commentary......Global warming is a device to bring about global control, an excuse to force a world government upon a unsuspecting world.

USA_records_1017-1024-2009

Source Hamweather climate center and NOAA/NWS

Clinton, Palestinians in Tiff Over Restarting Peace Process
Nov 1st, 2009
Daily News
Israel Today
Categories: Today's Headlines;Peace Process

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is currently visiting Israel, angered the Palestinians on Saturday when she praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to get peace talks back on track and rejected Palestinian preconditions.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Netanyahu, Clinton said the Israeli leader had implemented "unprecedented" concessions by partially freezing the growth of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria for the sake of restarting the peace process.

Senior Palestinian Authority official Nabil Abu Rudeineh shot back by insisting that any continuation of Jewish construction in areas claimed by the Palestinians, including Jerusalem, made peace talks impossible.

"A settlement freeze and acknowledging the terms of reference is the only way towards peace negotiations," said Rudeineh. "Settlement is illegitimate and it is not possible to accept any justification for the continuation of the settlement activity or to defend it in the lands occupied [sic] in 1967, including Jerusalem."

In her remarks, Clinton was adamant that a settlement freeze had never been a precondition in the past, and as far as Washington is concerned, would not be one now.

Netanyahu again urged the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, where he would be happy to hear and address their further concerns regarding the building of Jewish homes on ancient Jewish lands.

Clinton Faces Huge Challenge in Mideast Talks
Nov 1st, 2009
Daily News
, Associated Press Writers Steven Gutkin And Amy Teibel,
Categories: Today's Headlines;Peace Process

JERUSALEM – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's long-shot attempt to resuscitate a moribund Mideast peace push is coming up against a firm Palestinian decision not to sit down with Israel, unless it freezes settlement construction on lands the Palestinians seek for a future state.

Israel has given no indication it's willing to call such a moratorium, resisting Washington's demands for months. Israeli officials are also privately expressing doubt about the wisdom of holding peace talks before Palestinian elections scheduled in three months' time.

Nearly a year after President Barack Obama took office, the Mideast peace initiative that is a cornerstone of his foreign policy is clearly in grave danger.

Palestinian officials say their president, the moderate Mahmoud Abbas, can't give ground on settlements because his people are already disillusioned with his leadership and feel he repeatedly caves in to U.S. demands.

A demoralized Abbas told Clinton in a telephone call last weekend that he would not seek re-election, prompting an urgent phone call from Obama to persuade him to reconsider and assure him the U.S. is committed to establishing a Palestinian state, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the phone calls were private.

One way Clinton could break the impasse would be to wrest concessions from Israel, allowing Abbas to regain credibility.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has rebuffed months of U.S. pressure to stop all building of new homes for Israeli settlers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu — who opposes some of the key territorial compromises that would be needed to attain a final accord — has also rejected a Palestinian demand that peace talks resume where they broke off under his predecessor.

Netanyahu's spokesman, Mark Regev, had no comment when asked what gestures Israel might be willing to make to help Abbas. He reiterated Israel's position that it is ready to relaunch talks without preconditions.

Speaking Friday, Netanyahu said he hoped to use talks with Clinton "to try to relaunch the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as soon as possible."

But Obama's inability to get Israel to budge on settlements has generated a feeling among Arabs that he is unwilling to put teeth into his demand.

Palestinian leaders are extremely frustrated with Obama and have decided to stick to their position on peace talks even if they end up getting blamed for holding up negotiations, said a senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was commenting on internal deliberations.

Clinton arrives Saturday on her first visit since Netanyahu took office in March and her second since becoming Obama's top diplomat. She will meet with Abbas in Abu Dhabi before heading to Jerusalem.

Obama personally tried to jump-start talks last month by bringing Abbas and Netanyahu together in the U.S. for their first meeting since the Israeli leader took office. But that high-profile sitdown with Obama produced no breakthroughs.

Getting Abbas to sit down with Netanyahu could be a hollow victory if it's done by pressuring Abbas to acquiesce to U.S. demands, or to an Israeli agenda that Palestinians see as hostile.

In five turbulent years in office, Abbas has never faced as much outrage as recently, when he suspended efforts to put Israeli officials on trial for alleged war crimes during last winter's Gaza war. Aides said he acted at Washington's behest.

The grassroots backlash was so harsh that Abbas quickly backtracked. Still, he was weakened badly, making it even more difficult for him to even consider backing down on the settlement freeze demand.

Complicating matters further is the Palestinian leader's bitter rivalry with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which wrested control of Gaza from Abbas loyalists in 2007. Hamas has long preached that Abbas' moderation doesn't pay and that only armed struggle will produce a Palestinian state.

Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not expressing formal policy, said starting talks with Abbas now could be pointless because Hamas could oust moderates in the elections, scheduled for Jan. 24.

At the moment, it's not clear if Abbas will be able to hold elections at all, absent a Hamas reconciliation deal that would allow voting in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Abbas' weakness contrasts sharply with the strong domestic support Netanyahu enjoys, even as Israel's image worldwide takes a beating.

A U.N. report has alleged the Israeli military committed war crimes during its Gaza offensive. Ties with the U.S. are turbulent. Relations with Turkey, Israel's most important Muslim world ally, have begun to sour. Anti-Israel sentiment and boycott calls are gaining steam around the world.

Yet a recent poll showed that if elections were held now, Netanyahu's Likud Party would win 33 seats — six more than now. Two-thirds of Israelis are pleased with his handling of foreign affairs, the poll found.

Choosing God's will
Nov 1st, 2009
Thought for the Week
A. W. Tozer
Categories: Inspirational;Exhortation

No act that is done voluntarily is an abrogation of the freedom of will. If a man chooses the will of God he is not denying but exercising his right of choice. What he is doing is admitting that he is not good enough to desire the highest choice nor is he wise enough to make it, and he is for that reason asking Another who is both wise and good to make his choice for him. And for fallen man this is the ultimate use he should make of his freedom of will. Tennyson saw this and wrote of Christ, Thou seemest human and divine, The highest, holiest manhood, Thou; Our wills are ours, we know not how; Our wills are ours, to make them Thine. There is a lot of sound doctrine in these words--"Our wills are ours, to make them Thine." The secret of saintliness is not the destruction of the will but the submergence of it in the will of God. The true saint is one who acknowledges that he possesses from God the gift of freedom. He knows that he will never be cudgled into obedience nor wheedled like a petulant child into doing the will of God; he knows that these methods are unworthy both of God and of his own soul. He knows he is free to make any choice he will, and with that knowledge he chooses forever the blessed will of God.

Calviism by Ironside
Nov 1st, 2009
Main Stories
H. A. Ironside
Categories: Printed Newsletter;Topical Study

Turn to your Bible and read for yourself in the only two chapters in which this word predestinate or predestinated is found. The first is Romans 8:29-30, the other chapter is Ephesians 1:5 and 11. You will note that there is no reference in these four verses to either heaven or hell but to Christ-likeness eventually. Nowhere are we told in scripture that God predestinated one man to be saved and another to be lost. Men are to be saved or lost eternally because of their attitude towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Predestination means that someday all the redeemed shall become just like the Lord Jesus.

D.L. Moody used to put it very simply the elect are the “whosoever wills” the non-elect “whosoever wont's”. This is exactly what scripture teaches, the invitation is to all, those who accept it are the elect.

Remember, we are never told that Christ died for the elect. Whosoever means, “whosoever”. Only a biased theologian, with an axe to grind, could ever think that it meant only the elect.

Ahmadinejad to Visit Turkey
Nov 1st, 2009
Daily News
Ynet News
Categories: Today's Headlines

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will make an official visit to Turkry, the Iranian news agency Fars reported Sunday.

According to the report, Ahmadinejad will arrive in Ankara next Sunday to attend an Islamic Convention summit on economical cooperation. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Tehran last week. (Dudi Cohen)


2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
go back button