Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Why is Israel in U.S. Cross Hairs?
Mar 9th, 2013
Daily NewsWND
Categories: Commentary;The Nation Of Israel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Here’s what John Kerry said last week in anticipation of his first trip to the Middle East as secretary of state: “There is no more urgent foreign policy priority in 2013 than restarting negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The region and the world can’t afford the current dangerous impasse in the peace process; for if we don’t make progress very soon, then the two-state solution could become impossible to achieve.”

I hope I am not alone in praying for and advocating for the impasse to continue and for the complete failure of any peace process that ends in dividing the land of Israel – again.

What do I mean by “again”?

The land of modern Israel has been divided repeatedly since the world powers first determined to help re-create the Jewish state. Even today, before any more land concessions are demanded of Israel, the land mass represents only a tiny fraction of what was intended and what truly represents historical Israel and Judah.

Yet there is no other nation in the Middle East or anywhere else that is freer for all its citizens, offers more justice to all, is more desirous of peace with its neighbors and has contributed more to the world in terms of inventions, medicines, technology and food. Neither is there a country anywhere in the world that has shown more mercy to its enemies.

So why is dividing Israel the top priority of the U.S., the E.U., the U.N. and other international powers?

There’s a bloody civil war raging in Syria. Just yesterday, more Syrian missiles landed in Israel’s Golan Heights.

The Muslim Brotherhood government is terrorizing and murdering Christians in Egypt.

Libyans murdered a U.S. ambassador and burned down our mission.

Hezbollah and Hamas launch more and more sophisticated missiles into Israel.

Iran is preparing nuclear weapons for, in the words of its own leaders, “the little Satan” (Israel) and “the Great Satan” (the U.S.).

Jordan could be the next domino to fall to the Muslim Brotherhood if Syria falls.

None of these problems resulting in tens of thousands of deaths already have anything to do with Israel having too much land.

Then there is North Korea, threatening South Korea again along with 30,000 American soldiers still stationed there as well as threatening the U.S. with ICBMs. It is also aiding Iran’s nuclear program and starving its own citizens who live in one massive gulag.

Both Russia and China are aiding Iran, too.

Europe’s economy is teetering on the brink of collapse.

In other words, the entire world is a flashpoint with the ultimate targets being the U.S. and Israel. Nevertheless, Barack Obama, Chuck Hagel, John Kerry and the entire U.S. administration are preoccupied with making Israel more vulnerable and less defensible from its many enemies in the region and around the world.

What is this all about?

It’s about an asymmetrical war plan to destroy Israel by its radical Muslim neighbors who have not been able to accomplish this task through a generation of conventional wars.

Why would the U.S. be facilitating this goal as its No. 1 foreign policy objective?

It’s very hard to understand – especially given the fact that there are no negotiating partners even willing to concede Israel has an absolute right to exist.

It is also hard to understand this U.S. policy given that of Israel’s enemies believe the second state in this two-state scenario must be ethnically cleansed of all Jews and that the two-state solution is merely a stage-setting for what they candidly call the “final solution” – the total eradication of the Jewish state.

The Bible Mini - Series
Mar 9th, 2013
CommentaryThe Berean Call
Categories: Warning

This mini-series is but one more program designed to discredit the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

It gets worse if you examine the background of those making this Bible mini-series. Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett say they believe in the Bible, but it's clear that they will put their own spin on it. Downey was one of the stars of

Touched by an Angel, with her co-star being Della Reese, who founded her own "New Thought" church (Christian Science, Religious Science, Unity, and other mind science cults). They are both new-agers to the core. Downey was interviewed by a Hollywood publication, which furnished this information:

"Roma also attends the University of Santa Monica, a private graduate school founded by New Age spiritual and self-help guru John-Roger, and will graduate with a master's degree in spiritual psychology in June.

 "'As someone who has been on a spiritual journey for many years, it seems a natural extension of that work,' says the lady still seen in Hallmark Channel reruns as angel Monica. She notes, 'The skills I'm learning will ultimately qualify me to be a therapist' - not that she has plans to start a practice anytime soon. 'It's really so interesting to learn about human behavior'" (http://becksmithhollywood.com/?p=1879).

Not surprisingly, there is already a "Bible 30-Day Experience Church Kit that "includes everything you need to launch a sermon series and outreach campaign based on The Bible miniseries." course for churches available in conjunction with this series. We've received reports from readers of The Berean Call that their pastors have announced new studies based upon this material.

Downey's producer, husband Burnett, states, "By telling these emotionally connected, big stories, hopefully millions of people will reopen their Bibles."

It would truly be wonderful if people would reopen their Bibles and move away from reading about or seeing a documentary on the Bible and would instead read the Bible itself to see what it says. May the Lord deliver us from the deception of men.

The first show aired this past Sunday. How did it fare?

It has received some well deserved flak for depicting the angels at Sodom as "Ninjas." Several news sources have commented on this. It is instructive, however, to read comments of the viewers. For example:

[Comment from a reader]: "My son and I watched it. Just about fell out of my chair when an angel was depicted as a ninja. We both said....'What were they thinking?'"

[Now from a defender]: "Really? Did you just assume and think he was a Ninja because the actor playing him was of Asian Descent? He behaved more like a Roman Gladiator in his sword work and movements, but maybe you didn't notice that. Ninjas also carry Katanas, however this guy carried Roman style swords and used them as such."

The Bible distinctly says that the angels struck the men of Sodom with blindness. They had no need for swords. Nevertheless, this is what Downey and Burnett's movie portrayed. This departure from the Scriptures doesn't leave us with an expectation that the later episodes will improve.

Let the Headlines Speak
Mar 9th, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Asteroid to fly past Earth this weekend
An asteroid the size of a city block will pass by Earth this weekend, but have no fear: There's no danger of it hitting our planet. The 80-meter (262 feet) wide asteroid makes its closest approach to Earth on Saturday afternoon in the United States. It will be about 975,000 kilometers (604,500 miles) away...That's about 2 1/2 times the distance from the Earth to the moon.

Election for new pope to begin on Tuesday
Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on 12 March, the Vatican has announced after 115 cardinals gathered for talks. Pope Benedict XVI stepped down last month after nearly eight years in office, becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. The 85-year-old blamed his failing health for his inability to carry on.

China warns against Korea escalation
China has appealed for calm on the Korean peninsula, hours after North Korea said it had scrapped all peace pacts with the South and threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes. China, the North's only major ally, said all sides should continue to talk and avoid "further escalation". Pyongyang has reacted angrily to another round of sanctions imposed by the UN over its recent nuclear test.

Obama to U.S. Jews: Still room for Iran diplomacy, no point in 'chest beating'
U.S. President Barack Obama told Jewish leaders Thursday that while he was determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he does not believe in “extra chest-beating” and is convinced that there is still room and time for a diplomatic solution.

Lawmakers urge administration to take tougher stance against NK threats
Republican lawmakers called on President Obama Friday to take stronger stance against a nuclear-armed North Korea and its leader’s increasingly hostile threats against the United States.

Russia says Assad 'not bluffing' about staying put
Syrian President Bashar Assad "is not bluffing" about his determination to stay in power, Russia's foreign minister said in comments broadcast Friday, as the United Nations said arrangements had been made for the release of 21 U.N. peacekeepers held by Syrian rebels.

Venezuela Nicolas Maduro sworn in as acting president
Venezuela's former vice-president Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in as acting president hours after the state funeral of Hugo Chavez. The ceremony was led by National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello in the capital, Caracas.

Bomb kills 4, wounds dozens in northwest Pakistan
Pakistani police say bomb has exploded in a Sunni mosque in the northwest, killing at least four people and wounding more than 25 others. Senior police officer Imtiaz Khan says the bomb was planted in a bookshelf inside the mosque in Peshawar.

Police strikes in Egypt accelerate, adding turmoil
After months of battling with angry young protesters, many in Egypt's police forces say they have had enough. Strikes and protests spread around the country Friday by police units frustrated with being blamed for deadly crackdowns on protesters and accusing Islamist President Mohammed Morsi of using them to fight his enemies. In at least 10 of the country's 29 provinces, some units sealed their stations with chains, some calling for the removal of their boss, the interior minister, appointed by Morsi.

Is the Middle East brewing the perfect storm for a health epidemic?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned U.S. health officials Thursday of a deadly new virus originating in the Middle East. This virus is in the coronavirus family, and it seems to be creating severe respiratory distress, similar to that of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, which first emerged in Asia in 2003.

Undercover Agent with Fake Bomb Clears Newark Airport Security
According to the Post, the undercover inspector was carrying a fake improvised explosive device (IED) in his pants and managed to get through a magnetometer and physical screening without it being discovered. The mock IED's makeup wasn't reported, but the Post noted that it was small enough to be stashed away in pants and, if real, powerful enough to blow a hole in a jet's fuselage.

Russians Conduct Huge Nuke Drill
Russian nuclear forces conducted a major exercise last month that tested the transport of both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons near Europe, according to United States officials. The exercise raised concerns inside the Pentagon and with the U.S. European Command because it was the largest exercise of its kind in 20 years and involved heightened alert status of Russian nuclear forces.

Joint U.S. - Israel-turkish-jordanian Hq to Operate in Syria in Chemical War
Mar 9th, 2013
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues;War

A new US-led contingency headquarters for joint US, IsraelU, Jordanian and Turkish operations will go into action inside Syria if any or all these allies should come under chemical or biological attack. Agreement to establish this headquarters was finalized at the talks US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel held with visiting Israeli defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon Tuesday, March 5.

debkafile’s military sources report that Hagel spoke of a chemical war in Syria in terms of an imminent and realistic eventuality. Washington expected the Syrian rebels close to al Qaeda to initiate this type of warfare and the Syria army to fight back in kind. Such an exchange could quickly spill over the Syrian borders to its neighbors, it was likewise predicted.
The abduction of 21 UNDOP Filipino UN observers Wednesday, March 6, by the Islamist Martyrs of the Yarmouk, is now seen as tying in closely with the next plans of the Islamist militias of the Syrian rebel force, headed by Jabhat al-Nusra, which are to cement their grip on the Syrian Golan, eastern Syria and the Upper Euphrates, where the important towns of Deir Azor and Abu Kemal are situated.

Therefore, the parties involved in their release refute the optimistic accounts of the blue-helmeted hostages’ early release issuing from Damascus, UN headquarters in New York and Middle East capitals.

By strengthening their holdings in eastern Syria, the Islamist militias believe they would pave the way for the creation of an al Qaeda-dominated territorial entity, the first of its kind, ranging from the eastern outskirts of Damascus to the northern approaches to Baghdad.

Jabhat al Nusra, al Qaeda’s most effective combat force in Syria and Iraq, is determined to go through with this plan, even if it necessitates fighting with the chemical or biological weapons they have managed to get hold of.

The kidnappings of UN observers have attracted worldwide attention and put the Islamist camp now dominating the Syrian rebel movement on the map as a force to be reckoned with and respected – internally and internationally.

The US defense secretary warned his Israeli visitor that the intelligence data reaching him indicates that al Qaeda and its affiliates will prefer multiple chemical attacks inside Syria and across its borders for greater effect, rather than aiming for single targets. Each of the victimized countries will then have to decide whether to react at once, or wait for the member-governments under the new headquarters to get their act together for a collective response.

Our military sources add that the new headquarters places under one roof the American, Israeli, Turkish and Jordanian counter-WMD commands operating separately since last year in Tel Aviv, Ankara, Beirut, Amman and areas abutting Syria.

According to those sources, although US defense spending cuts have held up the overhaul and refitting of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier and its strike force and their departure for the Middle East, the ship and its air combat unit are nonetheless on standby for deployment in the event of chemical warfare raising its head in the Syrian conflict.