Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

UN Security Council May Adopt Resolution on Gaza Soon
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

UN Security Council

Reuters

Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Friday he hopes the Security Council will be able to unanimously adopt a resolution on the situation in Gaza "in the next few days," according to The Associated Press (AP).

Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, whose country holds the council presidency this month, gave reporters no further details.

UN diplomats have been working on merging a draft resolution by Jordan with elements from Britain, France and Germany as well as elements from the United States’ proposal, according to AP.

The Palestinian Authority’s ambassador Riyad Mansour said Thursday that a resolution that includes an international monitoring mechanism would be a useful deterrent to more fighting, but that disarming Gaza is "not realistic."

Last week, before a new long-term truce was reached, the Security Council urged Israel and the Palestinian Arabs to return to the negotiating table to quickly agree on a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

The 15-member council "offered full support to the Egyptian initiative and called upon the parties to resume negotiations to urgently reach a sustainable and lasting ceasefire."

While there have been calls for a resolution condemning Israel over its actions in Gaza, such a resolution would likely be vetoed by the United States.

Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, this week submitted to the Security Council a list of Hamas war crimes that took place during Operation Protective Edge.

In a message accompanying the list, Prosor wrote that “despite the fact that the Council recognizes that Hamas has committed war crimes, nothing has been done yet about them.”

Prosor submitted a lengthy, detailed list of all the rockets fired by Hamas – their targets and the damage they caused – with nearly all of them fired at civilian targets, which in itself is a war crime, as well as many examples of Hamas using the Gaza civilian population as human shields, launching attacks from homes, schools, and hospitals.

“I expect the Security Council to loudly condemn Hamas' activities. The Council cannot remain silent over the use by Hamas of Gaza civilians as human shields,” he said.

UN Filipino Troops in Firefight With Islamists. Some Flee to Israel
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Saudi King: Islamists Soon in Europe and America
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

NATO Allies Put Together New Rapid Reaction Force
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

BRUSSELS - Seven NATO allies plan to create a new rapid reaction force of at least 10,000 soldiers as part of plans to boost NATO defenses in response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine, The Financial Times reported on Friday.

The aim is to create a division-sized joint expeditionary force for rapid deployment and regular exercises. The British-led force would include air and naval units as well as ground troops, the newspaper said.

Countries involved include Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway and the Netherlands. Canada has also expressed an interest in taking part, it said.

Millennial Glory and the Final Rebellion
Aug 30th, 2014
CommentaryThe following is excerpted from John Phillips commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:
Categories: Prophecy;Exhortation

When the Lord returns to earth, He will reign first of all in His 'David' character and put down all His foes by might and power. Satan, the Beast, the False Prophet, and all the Lord's foes, human, angelic, and demonic, will be summarily dealt with. Then the Lord will reign in His 'Solomon' character as Prince of Peace. The world will at last know prosperity and order, under a reign of absolute righteousness, such as it has never experienced since the fall of Adam.

The Lord will rule with a rod of iron (Ps. 2). The Sermon on the Mount will be the statute book. Countless millions will be regenerated, filled with the Spirit, anointed of God, able to live according to the sublime edicts of that Sermon. Satan will be incarcerated in the Abyss and will be unable to incite men to wickedness. Pilgrimages to Jerusalem will include a tour of the dread Valley of Hinnom, where they will see the terrible end of those who defy the Lord (Isa. 66:23- 24).

Thus ten centuries will pass. The glowing Old Testament prophecies will come true. The desert will blossom as the rose. The harvests will be bountiful. The lion and the lamb will lie down together. A man will be but a youth at a hundred years of age. It will be the golden age. The Bible will be at the core of every curriculum. Spirit-filled and anointed men and women will teach the arts and the sciences. It will be an age of peace, prosperity, and progress.

It seems incredible that people will grow tired of it. But, in the end, there will be a widespread revolt. Satan will be released and men by the million will flock to his standard. For as time goes on, more and more millions of people will be born who grow up unregenerate. As children, who grow up in Christian homes sometimes become 'gospel hardened,' so people growing up in the millennial earth will become 'glory hardened.' In ever increasing numbers the unregenerate will begin to murmur against the inflexible laws of the kingdom. Memory of what the world was like when 'sin reigned and death by sin' will fade. Millions, born during the Golden Age, will have no more memory of the miseries and horrors of premillennial times than children born today have of the First World War. People born, but not born again, will find themselves with passions they cannot express, with sin natures they cannot indulge. Increasingly a spirit of rebellion will smolder. The malcontents, afraid to express their lusts and longings openly, will begin to congregate at the far reaches of the planet, as far from the central Glory as possible. There they will nurse their growing hatred for holiness and godliness.

Then, Satan will be released from his prison (Rev. 20:7-10). The rebels will hail him as a savior, one who can emancipate them from the hated reign of righteousness. They will flock to his banners. They will mobilize and march on Jerusalem. Their swelling hordes are contemptuously labeled 'Gog and Magog' by the Holy Spirit, perhaps to remind them of the most famous of all former anti- Semitic campaigns and its disastrous results (Ezekiel 38- 39). Deluded by Satan, drunk with the wine of rebellion, determined to return the world to its former state, they will approach the Holy City. But their rebellion will come to a swift and inglorious end.

'Then cometh the end,' Paul says, the very end indeed (1 Cor. 15:24). Peter describes the detonation of the planet in the scorching flames of nuclear holocaust (2 Peter 3:10- 13). Time shall be no more. The Lord, having wielded power on earth, will yield that power to God, even the Father, by delivering up the kingdom to Him. The kingdom of heaven will be absorbed into the kingdom of God.

Let the Headlines Speak
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Ukraine crisis: EU leaders consider response to Russia
EU leaders are to meet in Brussels to consider fresh sanctions against Russia following accusations that its troops are fighting inside Ukraine. Russia denies that its regular forces are backing a rebel offensive in eastern Ukraine. But ahead of the summit, EU officials said a clear message must be sent to Russia to de-escalate the crisis.  

Islamic State Terror Threats Put U.K., Australia on Alert
Australia joined the U.K. in heightening warnings against terrorism, with both governments concerned citizens who have joined Islamic State militants may return with plans to attack on their home soil.  

Federal judge rules against restriction in Texas abortion law
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled against regulations in the abortion law Gov. Rick Perry signed last July, saying they put "undue burden on women."  

Over three million flee Syria since 2011: UN
The number of Syrians forced to flee their country as a result of the civil war that began in 2011 topped three million Friday, UN refugee agency said. Journey out of Syria is becoming tougher as many people are forced to hefty sums ($100 per head or more) at armed checkpoints proliferating along the borders, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.  

Ukraine pushes for NATO membership, Western arms
Ukraine is mounting a push for NATO membership as it faces down Russia, a move that comes ahead of a major NATO summit and as the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada renews calls for armaments from the West.  

Palestinian leader says Hamas caused prolonged war
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Hamas on Friday for extending fighting with Israel in the Gaza Strip, casting doubt on the future of the Palestinian unity government that the Islamic militant group backs, while Israel's premier said the end of the war could mark resumption of peace talks with Abbas.  

Don't mess with nuclear Russia, Putin says
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia's armed forces, backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign states should understand: "It's best not to mess with us."  

A Big Summer Story You Missed: Soaring Oil Debt
Last July the government agency, which has collected mundane statistics on energy matters for decades, quietly revealed that 127 of the world's largest oil and gas companies are running out of cash.  

Kerry Calls for Coalition to Fight Islamic State
Aug 30th, 2014
Islamic StateDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

US Secretary of State John Kerry called for a “coalition of nations to provide military, humanitarian, economic and diplomatic assistance to stamp out the disease of the Islamic state group,” in an article in the New York Times Saturday. This coalition would seek to strengthen Iraqi forces and the moderate Syrian opposition in fighting the Islamic Sate group, which, he said, has "demonstrated the ability to seize and hold more territory than any other terrorist organization, in a strategic region that borders Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey and is perilously close to Israel."

President Barack Obama stirred wide criticism by his admission Thursday, Aug. 28: "We don't have a strategy yet for dealing with Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.” The strategy under preparation would be ready next month, he said.

Iran Vows Continued Support for 'Palestinian Resistance'
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Contemporary Issues;The Nation Of Israel

Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)

Reuters

Two days after a senior Iranian official revealed that the Islamic Republic is arming terrorists in Judea and Samaria, the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards vowed that Iran will continue to support “the resistance” against Israel.

According to the Fars news agency, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underlined that the IRGC forces along with Iranian nation will continue support for “the resistance movement” until “all the occupied Palestinian territories are set free.”

"We are prepared to back the resistance movement until Palestine is liberated," Jafari was quoted as having said in a message addressed to the people of Gaza on Friday.

The message was sent to the Palestinian Arabs after what was termed their 51-day “victory” against “the Israeli aggression and airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.”

"Thanks to the resistance of the oppressed Palestinians, the nest of spider was collapsed and this great victory remains in the history of Islam forever," he declared, according to Fars.

General Jafari noted that there is no doubt that the 51 days of “resistance” will be regarded as a turning point for “annihilation of the savage and baby-killer regime and all should double their strength and readiness for a prosperous future.”

"The enemies tried to sow seeds of discord among revolutionary Muslims to neglect Palestine but thanks to the wise leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei these plots were thwarted," he said, according to Fars.

On Wednesday, a top Iranian military commander confirmed that weapon shipments to Judea and Samaria have already begun and that more will be sent to other “Palestinian resistance groups.”

“Arming the West Bank has started and weapons will be supplied to the people of this region,” Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the commander of Iran’s volunteer Basij force, said.

The comments are in addition to ones made by other Iranian officials who recently admitted that Tehran provided Hamas and Islamic Jihad with the technology necessary to make rockets.

The head of Islamic Jihad recently claimed that his group has “many more surprises up its sleeve” for Israel, including Iranian-made “Zelzal” missiles, an unguided missile that can carry a payload of up to 600 kg (1,323 pounds) of explosives for a distance of up to 200 kilometers

Gaza Belt Leaders May Boycott Special Government Session
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Binyamin Netanyahu visits the Sderot train station

Flash 90

Local government leaders in the Gaza Belt region may boycott a special government session Sunday that is to be held in southern Israel.

According to Israeli TV Channel 2, the special session was originally planned to take place in the Sderot municipality. However, this idea was shot down because Sderot's mayor, Alon Davidi, attacked Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon during the war, calling him “a minister without security” (as opposed to the Hebrew version of his title, which means “minister of security”), deriding him as “limp” and saying that he should resign.

An unnamed defense establishment source said that Davidi “spoke in a bullying fahion toward the entire defense establishment.”

A second possibility that was reportedly raised was to hold the session in the Eshkol Regional Council, but that was cancelled because the Council Head, Haim Yellin, was also fiercely critical of the Gaza operation, and said among other things – “in this war, I buried my friends, and my trust in the government.”

It was therefore decided to hold the session at the Hof Ashkelon municipality – but most of the communities in the Hof Ashkelon region are not Gaza Belt communities, and are out of the range of Hamas mortar attacks.

For this reason, the Gaza Belt leaders may opt not to show up for the session.

The Prime Minister's Office said in response that the session is not being held in Sderot because the Prime Minister is going to open the school year there. The Defense Minister's Bureau said that Yaalon “will go to wherever the session is held.”

Future of the Church in NE Nigeria Also Threatened
Aug 30th, 2014
Daily NewsWorld Watch Monitor
Categories: The Church;Persecution

Nigeria’s radical Islamist sect, responsible for the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in Chibok in April, appears relentless in its fight for the establishment of an Islamic state in Africa’s most populous country. Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau has announced, in a recent online video, the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the towns and villages it has seized in north-eastern Nigeria.

The insurgents have raised their flags over Damboa and Gwoza in Borno State, and two weeks later, over Buni Yadi in neighbouring Yobe state. Boko Haram also is trying to claim Madagali in a third state, Adamawa, near the border with Cameroon. Hundreds of sect members attacked the Madagali army base before taking over the town. They also attacked the nearby villages of Sabongari and Kafin Hausa.

Madagali's executive chairman, James Abawu Watharda, said the insurgents struck the area with sophisticated weapons, including rocket-propelled launchers, improvised explosive devices and petrol bombs. They shot at people, set property on fire and overpowered security operatives and vigilante groups before hoisting their flags. They destroyed at least five churches. They also issued written warnings to residents of neighbouring villages to vacate immediately.

Boko Haram withdrew from Madagali on Aug. 25, after holding the town for 24 hours. Nonetheless, the offensive caused widespread displacement of the mostly Christian residents and others from surrounding villages who were taking refuge in Madagali. Most have made their way to Mubi, about 80 kilometres away, itself the victim of a serious Boko Haram attack in October 2012.

Also on Aug. 25, insurgents attacked the border towns of Gamboru Ngala and Banki. The fighting forced thousands of civilians to flee across the Cameroon border.

The Nigerian army, often outgunned and regularly criticized for ineffectiveness against the insurgency, has failed to stop the militants. Hundreds of soldiers have fled to neighbouring Cameroon.

More than 178 churches were destroyed around Gwoza, says a worker for Open Doors International, which works to support Christians who are pressured because of their faith. In a telephone interview, a local Christian worker said "the situation is becoming out of hand. The church can no longer support the large population of refugees from different parts of the northeast trooping to Mubi."

EU Foreign Ministers Say Ukraine Crisis Slipping Out of Control
Aug 30th, 2014
Debkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

At an emergency EU meeting in Brussels Friday on the Ukraine crisis, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the "already dangerous situation" in Ukraine had now entered "a whole new dimension raising concerns that the situation is slipping out of control." Steinmeier's sentiments were echoed by other EU foreign ministers who are considering further sanctions on Russia.

"This needs to stop, especially if we want to avoid direct military confrontation between Ukrainian and Russian military forces," said the German foreign minister, referring to Kiev's claims that 1.000 regular Russian troops had entered Ukraine, capturing the south-eastern town of Novoazovsk. 

Russia denies the accusation. Friday, President Vladimir Putin Friday likened Ukraine army operations against pro-Russian insurgents to the Nazi occupation of Russian cities, especially Stalingrad, in World War Two. He added: “… no one is thinking of unleashing a large-scale conflict with Russia. I want t remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers.”