While most of us are sleeping (prophetically speaking) and not paying attention, the fulfillment of Bible prophecy is unfolding at a rapid and increasing rate. As prophesied by Daniel, a federation of ten world-wide kingdoms will be formed by a revived Roman Empire (Dan. 7:24), or known today as the European Union, and would be headed by Antichrist.
Centuries later the apostle John also referred to those ten kingdoms in Rev. 13:1 and Rev. 17:12.
The Antichrist will emerge from one of those kingdoms/regions. More specifically, he will come out of one of the nations that was a part of the original Roman Empire that destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27) in 70 A.D. The old Roman Empire at that time covered a huge geographic area and included many nations.
A New World Order (NWO), which in part is a confederated ten-kingdom empire covering all nations of the earth, is being developed today and is referenced in the media daily.
The following link is a world map showing the ten world regions established by the EU. It's been revised recently with minor border changes, but is now reasonably accurate. Note that Israel is a part of the "Mediterrean and Middle-East Union", and the United States of America is a part of the "North America Union". Nations have little or no control/input as to their Union identification.
The point I want to make is that we are much farther along in God's end-time plan than most people realize. Prophecy is being fulfilled almost daily. In my opinion we are on the very threshold of the rapture, the AC confirming a covenant with many, Daniel's 70th week, and the "time of Jacob's trouble". So...are these the ten world kingdoms spoken of by Daniel? I believe they could be. We are truly living in exciting times!
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday raised publicly for the first time the prospect of maintaining Israeli forces along the eastern border of a future Palestinian state to prevent arms smuggling.
"The problem of demilitarization must be resolved effectively and this entails effectively blocking unauthorized entry, first and foremost from the east, wherever the border is defined," Netanyahu said in a speech to Israeli ambassadors.
"I doubt whether anything except a real presence of the State of Israel, of Israeli forces, can accomplish that," he said, expanding on his vision of a nation with only limited sovereignty.
Netanyahu has said the state Palestinians want to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized, but he had not made specific reference until now to the stationing of Israeli forces on its Jordanian frontier.
Israel and Egypt maintain control over the borders of the Gaza Strip under interim peace deals. Israel imposed a blockade after Hamas Islamists seized the territory in 2007 from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group.
His comments about an Israeli presence along the border echoed a policy advocated by previous Israeli governments and spelled out new terms in any future negotiations with the Palestinians on statehood.
Palestinians want a contiguous state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and were granted limited self-autonomy in the 1993 Oslo Accords. They have said they want full control over the entire border with Jordan in any future deal, but have not ruled out the presence of an international force.
Netanyahu said an "international arrangement" for the borders of a Palestinian state, similar to the deployment of a U.N. force in southern Lebanon after Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah guerrillas, would not suffice.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been frozen for the past year. Abbas has said they could resume only if Israel halted all settlement activity.
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah; Writing by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Louise Ireland)
(IsraelNN.com) The Palestinian Authority
revealed on Sunday that it rewards both Hamas and Fatah terrorists with higher “salaries” for committing more serious terrorist attacks that are followed by convictions for long-term sentences in Israeli prison. Most of the PA’s funds come from European Union countries, and the United
States earlier this month, for the first time ever, included the PA in its foreign aid package with a $500 million grant. Twenty percent of the American money is earmarked for training the PA’s new army, under
the guidance of American army General Keith Dayton.
A condition of the aid is that the PA recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous agreements with Israel, including a halt to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist incitement.
The PA Minister for Prisoners told the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency Sunday that it pays out three million shekels ($790,000) a month for monthly stipends for prisoners and their families. The minister specifically denied a complaint that Hamas terrorists were being cut off from receiving fund.
The monthly payment amount to 1,000 shekels ($260) but rises to four times that amount, more than $1,000, to terrorists who have served more than 25 years in jail for more serious attacks on Israelis.
In addition, terrorists who are released by Israel receive another 1,200-2,000 shekels ($316-$525) a month for half a year if they were in prison for at least five years. The total payments for their time in jail and release amount to as much $10,000.
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Matthew 1:22,23 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 14:2,3 "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
Our Lord came here the first time...exactly as Scripture said he would. Our Lord is sure to return a second time...exactly as Scripture says He will.
When He came the first time as God manifest in human flesh, it was the most humble of beginnings. Most people did not believe nor did they understand that Jesus was the promised and long awaited Messiah who had come to save His people from their sins. Because of that, many missed the first coming of the One who was the eternal King and Savior of the world.
However, when he returns a second time, He won't be seen as a helpless baby lying in an animal feeding trough in a filthy stable as He was at His first coming. Nor will Jesus appear as a young boy sitting on the lap of the one who physically gave birth to His humanity. He won't return as a suffering Jesus either - hanging on a cross naked, beaten and bleeding while dying a most horrible death.
When Jesus returns the second time, He will be a victorious Jesus who has conquered death and the grave. At the second coming His fierce wrath will crush and defeat all evil, and He'll be ready to declare judgment on an unbelieving world. Nobody will miss His second coming!
Jesus will decend from heaven in great power and glory riding a milk white stallion - followed by the armies of heaven. His eyes will be as blazing fire. Written on His blood stained robe and thigh will be the Name: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
The Bible promises that every eye will see His coming...every knee will bow before Him...and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
Are you ready to meet Him? Is He your Savior, your Lord, and the Master of your life? You must be very sure.
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
(IsraelNN.com) An everlasting hope of finding significant amounts of oil in Israel may have been realized with the announcement Thursday that “significant quantities” of oil were found in a well in the area of Rosh HaAyin, a city located east of Tel Aviv on the western edge of Samaria.
The Givat Olam (Hebrew for “Hill of the World”) Exploration Limited Partnership informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange of the discovery, but added, “At this stage it is not possible to estimate the significance of these findings." The company’s stock more than doubled on the stock market, according to
The firm said the oil was found late Wednesday night and that “more than 60 percent gas was measured in the drill mud.” The commercial potential of the oil field will not be known until tests and calculations on production and processing can be completed.
The “Meged” well in the Rosh HaAyin area is one of the few that have been drilled outside of the Negev and Dead Sea area. Several studies by independent consultants have confirmed the potential for oil in the area, and previous drillings have encouraged the prospects of discovering enough oil and gas for commercial production.
Earlier this year, a huge gas field was discovered off the Mediterranean Coast. The gas is expected to be on line in three years and is anticipated to help Israel become self-sufficient in gas. It also is providing hundreds of high-paying jobs for developing the field and bringing the gas from the sea, off Hadera and Haifa, to the coastline.
If the Meged well proves commercially viable, it will further Israel’s longtime hope of being energy independent and is likely to strengthen the shekel against world currencies.
Abbas 'won't allow' another intifada~ from the ICEJ News Service daily bulletin: "In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas portrayed himself as a dovish leader, assuring he has always been against “the bullets and the rockets” and that he “will not allow a new intifada” to break out during his remaining time in office. “As long as I'm in office, I will not allow anybody to start a new intifada. Never! Never!" Abbas said. He claimed that “every day there are [Israeli] provocations and there hasn't been a violent response... it's not the proper act to be done by the Palestinian people. I am against the futile rockets and I am for peace." He added, “I am with any peaceful protest that expresses the opinion of the people. I support this. But I am against the bullets and the rockets." He also insisted he has supported boycotts against Israeli products from the West Bank but not against Israel itself, while complaining that the PA is forced to “buy air” from the Israelis. Abbas has indicated he wants to step down whenever new elections determine the next head of the PA, although he could remain on as leader of the PLO."
What rhetoric! He has incited violence on numerous occasions and looked on while his people perpetrated the provocations. I am just stupified at the twisting of truth from the PA!
Obviously they don't know, understand, or fear the Lord God of Israel!
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
(IsraelNN.com) The Organization for Human Rights in Judea and Samaria has accused Israeli authorities of unfairly and selectively enforcing laws for Jewish and Arab residents of the mixed city of Hevron. For years, visitors arriving at the Cave of the Patriarchs in the holy city have been greeted by Jewish music emanating from loudspeakers atop the Gutnick Center next door to the ancient site. But on Thursday, the music was banned and Ofer Ochana, a resident of nearby Kiryat Arba, was interrogated and threatened by the police.
Following the investigation, Ochana was warned that if he attempted to broadcast music over the speakers again he would be arrested and brought up on charges. From information received by the Hevron Jewish community, this police action was most likely a direct order from the new military commander of the central region, who also reportedly demanded that the police carefully examine the law and find a criminal offense that could be attributed to Ochana. The police discovered several laws relating to noise being broadcast publicly from a business in a residential neighborhood. Ochana, who also directs a store and banquet hall inside the building, was then summoned, interrogated and warned. His speakers were disabled and the music was silenced. . . .
“For years Jewish worshipers at the Cave of the Patriarchs have complained about the unreasonable and illegal noise of loudspeakers sounding the Muslim calls to prayer into the area assigned exclusively for Jewish worship, and in the Machpela courtyard. There is no need for this because these areas are not used for Muslim prayer (excepting 10 days a year). Two years ago a professional examination was carried out in order to measure the noise level compared to conventional criteria. The results, delivered to the Hevron DCO reported that ‘if the regulations to prevent hazards (unreasonable noise) from 1990 were applied in this case, the noise levels recorded very highly exceed permissible levels.’
Anti-Israel groups in Canada tried to organize a major national boycott against a leading hiking and sporting goods store chain because it sells Israeli-made products. The effort failed miserably, and in fact had the opposite of the desired effect, reports Israel National News.
Iran and Syria signed a defense agreement on Friday, according to an Iranian Press TV report.
The document, signed by Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi and his Syrian counterpart Ali Mohammad Habib Mahmoud, aimed to face "common enemies and challenges," the report said.
Vahidi praised Syria's great potential in the defense and military fields and said that "it is natural for a country like Syria - which has an inhumane and menacing predator like Israel in its neighborhood - to be always prepared [against possible foreign aggression]."
Read full story at the link.
So...Israel is a inhumane and menacing predator? In my opinion, Damascus just officially signed its death warrent. That city and others will be totally destroyed - and very soon!
Isaiah 17:1-3 1 An oracle concerning Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. 3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites," declares the LORD Almighty.
Ill Winds, What is brewing in Lebanon? By Scott W. Winchell
It appears a powder keg that has been stockpiling in the Middle East for quite a spell is about to explode. What is Hezbollah planning? Is Israel ready? Is Iran planning a larger, bolder strategy for the demise of Israel? What of the involvement of Russia? The plan is a major preemptive strike on all major Israeli airports; auxiliary and military airfields to prevent any military take off against Iran. Ahmadinejad has effectively set much in place in a plan that now appears ready for launch! Iran has erected a building and assembling factory for rocket and missile development for Hezbollah in Lebanon and they are armed to the teeth.
The word is they plan to take out Israeli bases in a prelude to invasion in the Sheba’a Farms, Ghajar, and the Seven Villages region of the Golan. Any invasion, attack, or even a successful victory there would only embolden the Iranians, Syrians, and others to act on other unknown plans. Remember, Hezballah declared victory the last time because any success is all they need for their propaganda machine, and if they succeed there; repercussions are likely to be felt around the world.
Nations foolishly prepare for an attack against Israel, seeking to destroy her forever. However, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is watching over her (Ps. 121:4); He will uphold her with His righteous right hand (Is. 41:10); As long as the sun, moon, stars and sea exist, the offspring of Israel will exist (Jer. 31:35-36); for they will be My people and I will be their God (Ezek. 11:20).
This Scripture also comes to mind:
Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side,And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Father, I pray that you would continue to bless Israel in a mighty way. I'm asking that you would form a shield of protection around your people, for her enemies have gathered all around seeking her destruction. Lord, You have promised in Your Word to defend, deliver, and hold Your people in the palm of Your hand. Give the leaders of Israel immeasurable wisdom against the enemy so that Your Name might be glorified. I pray, Lord, that You would open the eyes and soften the hearts of the Jewish people that they would see the true Messiah and turn to Him, as the time for deliverance is drawing short. In these perilous days I pray for the peace of Israel, the peace of Jerusalem, and peace within the hearts of the Jewish people. Father, I thank You, and give You all the praise, honor and glory in Jesus' precious Name. Amen!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 KJV
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Will you please join with me today with your prayer for the support of Israel? As never before, we must storm the gates of heaven, now, praying without ceasing to Almighty God with our petitions for Israel - as Scripture commands of us.
"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
Mr. Twain, it's no secret at all. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is in control and has promised to keep His everlasting covenants with Israel and the Jewish people for all generations.
This is an open letter to United Nations and European Union staff members posted in Jerusalem and Israel. Had I the funds I would print this and place it on every one of the myriad UN and EU vehicles driving around this city. Meanwhile hopefully someone will pick it up and pass it on – Stan
==========================
Dear United Nations or European Union employee stationed in Israel.
You are receiving this notice because it is quite possible that the organization you work for has failed to fully and fairly apprise you of all the realities that come with your posting to Jerusalem or wherever you have been stationed in this country.
Doubtless, before you accepted the position, you learned of all the benefits that come with being on the staff of the UN or EU; the plus side must be considerably attractive, given the number of these organizations’ personnel working in the land.
Or perhaps you are here on a mission; out of a noble desire to help the underdog?
Whatever the case, it is only right you should also know that your presence here, and the activities that occupy you in Israel, place you in potentially grave, personal danger.
You may have to endure quite terrifying consequences for a long, long time to come.
As you may know, Israel is not just another country, and Jerusalem is not just another city.
More than 4000 years ago this land was given by divine decree to three men, who became the Founding Fathers of the most enduring nation in history. (Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 26:2-3; Genesis 28:13,14)
Whether or not you believe in God – the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Bible – the land of Israel, and specifically those parts the UN and EU call “occupied Arab lands,” were given by Him exclusively to the Jews, forever.
The Bible calls Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, “the city of the great King.” (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35)
It is referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God who lived, died and rose again in this city, and who will soon be coming back to reign in this very place – Jerusalem. The site of His Throne Room – according to the same Bible – is the Temple Mount, situated in what you call “Eastern Jerusalem” – that part of Jerusalem the EU and UN want to see becoming the capital of a State of Palestine.
And according to the same Holy Book, God takes a very dim view indeed of any nation that puts its hand to the division of His land. He has vowed to deal extremely harshly with those who do this. God has, He says, “a day of vengeance for the controversy of Zion.” (Joel 3:2; Isaiah 34:1-8)
Browse the Prophets, and you can read about all that will happen to the UN and EU if they insist on forcing the Jewish people to relinquish this land in order to appease and placate the Arabs.
You drive through this city, your logo blazoned brazenly on your vehicle, openly supporting those who hate Israel and working hand in hand with those who pla to take the most important parts of Jerusalem away from the Jews.
The UN and EU reject Israel’s sovereign claim to its ancient capital; they reject the millennia-old claim of the Jewish people to Samaria and Judea – the cradle of their nationhood.
And the UN and EU are determined to impose their will on this, one of the very smallest of the world’s nations.
I am not sure which country you come from, but I am betting the Jewish homeland and the Jewish people have been around a whole lot longer than your nation has.
How dare the UN/EU aid and abet in this way those out to steal the historic Land of Israel from its rightful owners?
You should take note of the fact that Israel has outlasted all the great empires of time. Take careful note: Israel will also outlast the United Nations, the EU, and the rest of the nations who form the so-called Quartet.
And as for the fate of those nations - your nation? As much as the Jews have been singled out for persecution and hatred down through the centuries, so much more will the nations represented in the UN/EU suffer.
God has said He will take the cup of suffering away from Israel and force the nations to drink its bitter dregs themselves. (Isaiah 51:21-23)
Mark these words.
What does this mean for you personally as a member of the UN? In what way will you be held accountable for your role in this? That’s something that you will have to answer in and to yourself. It is certainly something you are set to find out, and I envy you not at all.
Believe me - no matter how honorable you might consider your actions here, you are in for a very rude awakening. Like me, like every individual human being, you are destined to stand before the Almighty one day and give account of your deeds.
You do have a way out - possibly a few to choose from: You can either work within your organization to change the biased and unjust approach it has assumed in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Or you can ask for a transfer to another country where the UN operates.
Or – and this is probably the safest option – you can resign.
The choice is yours. If you ignore this word, beware, for “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
The Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem belong to the Jews. Stop working to wrest it from them. You have no right to do so.
Sincerely, and with the very best of intentions towards you
European Union foreign ministers are expected to officially call next week for the division of Jerusalem, to serve as the capitals of both Israel and Palestine. A draft document authored by the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, Sweden, and implying that the EU would recognize a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood, has been obtained by Haaretz.
Jerusalem is waging a diplomatic campaign to keep the EU from issuing such an endorsement, but diplomats close to the EU deliberations believe it is virtually inevitable.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again. God is in control, but I believe that Jerusalem is His line drawn in the sand. Once that line has been crossed the world will rapidly experience the wrath of His endtime judgments - for as told in Isaiah 62:1, He will not be silent or quiet for Zion and Jerusalem's sake.
Please pray for this family... Fear and Loathing in PA over Temple Mount Link to Jews by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
An Arab university lecturer and writer is hiding underground out of fear for his life after shocking the Palestinian Authority with a book that links Jews with the Temple Mount. The Arab world has been conducting a campaign, including removal of tons of dirt containing archaeological evidence, to try to eliminate historical Jewish links with the Temple Mount.
Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, of Birzeit University in Ramallah, threw acid on the propaganda campaign that tries to convince Arabs that the First and Second Temples never existed. He wrote in a book, “The legendary Temple of Jerusalem may be the place of the Presence of the Almighty and where the High Priests served Him.”
PA officials are furious with Nusseibeh, a scion of a distinguished Arab family, who now is in hiding and cannot be contacted even by mobile phone.
However, Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Middle East expert at Bar-Ilan University, told Arutz 7 that Nusseibeh actually is “small potatoes” compared to a Muslim grand mufti, in the days of the British Mandate, who wrote in 1929 that the Holy Temples on the Temple Mount were Jewish.
According to Dr. Kedar, Nusseibeh already had made enemies in the PA after declaring he is not interested in returning to his former home of Ramle, located near Ben Gurion Airport. He also was threatened with death several years ago after urging Arabs to stop suicide bombings and to abandon their claim to a "right of return" to Israel.
Although Nusseibeh fears for his life, Dr. Kedar says he will continue his often outspoken statements against the Arab propaganda machine without worrying about being targeted by Muslims. Dr. Kedar frequently has been interviewed by the Al Jazeera television network, where he boldly charged Muslims with lying and trying to make Jews a punching bag,
“Our aim is to turns things around and hit them back,” he said. “In order to succeed, we need to know Arabic, Arab politics and Arab history.”
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
Today after I double checked our menu for the USA's traditional Thanksgiving dinner to insure that nothing had been overlooked, I was relieved and thankful to find everything finally ready and in place for the busy day ahead.
However, my mind and thoughts went to this Scripture from the Psalms:
Psalm 100:4,5 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Thanksgiving isn't just about being grateful for our circumstances. It's being grateful for God, who has blessed our life with those things.
Thanksgiving should be a wonderful celebration that is God-honoring and God-focused. But sadly for many, it will often only consist of parades, football games, and a large meal. At a time when we should be giving thanks to Him, our society has pushed Him aside.
There's certainly nothing wrong with families having a great time together on that day. We need to do that, not just during the Thanksgiving gathering, but often. As families we must also celebrate God's goodness and blessings in our lives.
It's only because of God and His blessings that we can be thankful and grateful for what He has done in our lives. We must remember to thank God for who He is, and for what He has done for us eternally through Jesus Christ.
Thank Him, praise Him, honor Him, and glorify His holy name - today and every day.
Have a very blessed, peaceful, and thankful day in the Lord!
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
The history of Israel is nothing short of amazing. Although very difficult days are in Israel's future, she will will be protected and emerge victorious as God has promised. The following website (also includes many related links) summarizes the topics listed below:
FIVE OF ISRAEL'S MANY RECENT MILITARY MIRACLES MIRACLE 1 - Against All Odds, Israel won their War of Independence in 1948 protecting the land The British Mandate of Palestine had given them. MIRACLE 2 - Israeli troops in the Yom Kippur War are saved when a mysterious wind exposes thousands of mines up to 30" deep. MIRACLE 3 - An outnumbered Israeli squad is saved when approaching enemy troops inexplicably flee. One of the captured said, they saw Abraham. MIRACLE 4 - Strange beings (angels) wielding flaming swords foil marauding Arabs in their attempt to destroy a Jewish community. MIRACLE 5 - Yom Kippur War: How four Israeli tanks held off 600 enemy tanks for 72 hours - until another miracle brought relief.
WARS OF ISRAEL 1948 Arab-Israeli War (November 1947 - March 1949) The Sinai War (October 1956) Six-Day War (June 1967)War of Attrition (1967-1970) Yom Kippur War (October 6 - October 26 1973) First Lebanon War (1982) Second Lebanon War (July 12 - August 14 2006)
It’s never quiet in the Middle East, but sometimes the drums are muted. They roll like faraway thunder. You hear them, you know they are out there, but they’re not pressing in on your consciousness, not demanding your attention or causing you to act. Your life - our life - continues as normal.
This is both a blessing and a pity. It’s a blessing because no-one can live constantly hyped on the edge of expectation for an imminent conflict explosion.
On the downside, there’s the tendency to switch off - the danger of losing one’s own edge.
That airforce jet patrolling high over Jerusalem for the third time this morning is just another plane on patrol - never mind that we haven’t heard them this frequently for some time. The interview given by jailed venerated “Palestinian” leader - Marwan Barghouti - last week was just another interview and not a coded message to both the Fatah and Hamas terrorist cells to unleash a “Third Intifada” against Israel. The latest rash of scary headlines? They’re just that - the latest rash.
And the drum rolls on.
In Ha’aretz this morning I read, “Iran set to hold ‘huge’ war games.”
My laptop is shouting the latest threat from Iran’s religious leaders: “We’ll hit the heart of Tel Aviv.”
They can: IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi warned just 12 days ago that Tehran’s proxy army, the Lebanese Hizb’allah - now has rockets that can hit all of Israel’s major cities, including Jerusalem. And Iran has test-fired missiles from its own territory with the range to reach Israel’s heart.
That we’re well into the countdown towards a major war with Iran seems a given. Few Israelis believe this issue - a nuclear-armed Iran - will simply go away; or be diplomatically defused.
Despite this, there is little sense of nervousness on the street. Like us, everyone else seems to be living life as usual.
In fact, it seems on some days as if Israel’s friends “out there” in the wider world - and notably in the United States - are far more concerned about the threat hovering over us than we are.
When it happens? What then? When Israel hits Iran, what will happen in Haifa; what will happen in Tel Aviv; what will happen in Jerusalem?
That’s the first question. No-one seems to have the answer to it so no-one is even talking about it.
The second question? How will the Israeli strikes be reported abroad? When IAF fighters bomb Natanz and the other nuclear facilities, what will Israel be accused of in the court of world opinion?
And when - may God not let it happen - Iranian warheads start dropping on Dizengoff Street and Jaffa Road, on the Haifa Bay area and on the Old City, what will you hear, and how will you respond?
Hopefully you will hear something about it here on Jerusalem Newswire and the Jerusalem Watchman. Unless our Internet access is knocked out we’ll do what we can to keep you in our part of the loop.
But brace yourselves: Israel - already painted a war criminal by Judge Goldstone - is going to be blamed for the fallout of the inevitable strike. And that fallout could reach us all.
Earlier this year, during Operation Cast Lead, we saw the power of the media to turn people who were staunchly for Israel against the Jewish state.
With Iran it will be much bigger. Huge. What will you do? It’s probably worth asking yourself that question now, before it happens.
If hitting Iran brings American interests under attack - propelling the price of gas through the roof and crashing the precarious economy to the ground; when the world as you know it is collapsing around you, you will need to guard your heart.
It’s not too early to prepare for this now. It may nearly be too late.
We’d better get ready - on our knees
Saturday, 21 November 2009 08:24 News from Jerusalem
Taub Center for Social Policy Studies presents study which suggests number of patents approved to Israeli inventors by US Patent Office in 2003 higher than by any other G-7 nation. Manufacturing productivity, however, rapidly plummeting.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has approved more patents to Israeli inventors than to any other nation of the G-7 countries – the seven largest and most influential economies in the Western world, according to a study conducted by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies.
It's not surprising to me that Israel would be a leading innovator resulting in new patents issued. Scripture tells us in Daniel 12:4 that knowledge would increase in the last days. God has blessed Israel, and has allowed her to rapidly become highly advanced in technology. Israel is a leader in agriculture technology and medical innovations. That tiny nation exports billions of dollars of goods and produce - inconceivable just a few decades ago. Israel's security intelligence and military is among the best in the world.
The story caught my attention because, over the years as a design engineer, I personally have been granted (22) US patents for product engineering and development. It's only by the grace of God that I have done that.
(Jeremiah 31:1-6) "At the same time," says the LORD,"I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."
Thus says the LORD:
"The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness —
Israel, when I went to give him rest."
The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying:
"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.
You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria;
The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food.
For there shall be a day
When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim,
'Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the LORD our God.'"
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. (Ezekiel 37:1-14, King James Version)
Egypt Warns Of Iranian Maneuvers & Tehran Cozies Up To Cairo
(IsraelNN.com) Egypt has issued a warning about Iran's growing potential to change the balance of power in the Middle East. Cairo's suspicions are based on an estimate of the Iranian regime's intentions to spread its Islamic Revolution to Shi'ite and Sunni states and communities in the region -- including those in Egypt.
The concern was discussed at a conference held at the Center for International Political Studies in Cairo late last month, at which experts evaluated the entire Iranian strategic threat to the region.
Participants emphasized the need to maintain tight surveillance on Iranian operations in the East Horn of Africa and their impact on the strategic security interests of countries in the region, especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Gulf states.
Egyptian General Ahmed Fakhr, head of the political studies center, called on the Arab world to work together to thwart Iranian activities in the Horn of Africa and its direct threat to Cairo. Fakhr said the Iranian operations poses a challenge to Egypt and to other countries in the region.
Muhamad Abas Naji, an expert on Iranian affairs in the Strategic Research Center of Ah-Ahram University, noted that Iran is striving to create a presence in the region. Such a move, he said, will reduce pressure on the Islamic Republic as the country moves its forces around in the Middle East, in order to avert an American or Israeli attack. He also explained that the Iranian activities are being carried out by companies and associations that represent the economic arm of the Islamic Republic. Financial institutions that support social services also spread spiritual messages by funding Shi'ite religious centers, he said.
Even as Egypt raises the red flag about Iran's growing strength in the region, however, the Islamic Republic is moving to allay Cairo's fears.
Iran Cozies Up to Egypt?
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki invited his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, to pay a visit to Tehran to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries. According to the Iranian Fars news agency, Mottaki issued the invitation Saturday during a meeting with the newly appointed head of Egypt's Interest Section in Tehran, Alaedin Hassan Yousef.
Mottaki was quoted by the state-run news agency as saying that Tehran-Cairo deliberations would favor regional nations. He noted that Aboul Gheit was the foreign minister of the nation presiding over the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which he noted is expected to have a mounting role in international issues.
Iran attempted to solicit the support of NAM nations in its bid to win a rotating seat on the United Nations Security Council last year.
The 118-member nation NAM is an international organization of countries that consider themselves not formally aigned with or against any major power bloc. The group comprises nearly two-thirds of the United Nations's membership and some 55 percent of the world's population, primarily those of the third world and developing nations.
The Iranian foreign minister expressed his hope that Iran and Egypt could together take steps "in favor of Islamic countries under mutual understanding," according to Fars.
JASON KOUTSOUKIS HERALD CORRESPONDENT November 14, 2009
JERUSALEM: Yehuda Glick is a 44-year-old American-born Jew who spends most of every day preparing for the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem.
Since he became the executive director of the Temple Institute, Mr Glick's main task has been to supervise the manufacture of the utensils the high priests will need when the day arrives.
Crowns and other instruments made of solid gold fill glass cases in the Temple Institute museum in Jerusalem's Old City.
Other artefacts include an array of copper urns, trumpets made of silver and garments to be worn by the High Priest, woven from golden thread.
Musical instruments, including hand-made harps and lyres, lie ready to be brought to life upon the Messiah's appearance.
When the true Messiah comes (not the one they are preparing for), it won't happen in the way they have planned either. All of the millions of dollars raised, all of the gold and silver, and all of the fine crafted instruments and utensils being prepared for that day will be for nought. They are just works and material things. The true Messiah, the Son of God, will come with great power and glory, He will destroy all evil, and He will rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords forever.
State Dept: US Goal to Expel Jews in 'Occupied' Post-67 Lands by Hana Levi Julian
(IsraelNN.com) A top State Department official spelled out on Tuesday that the goal of the United States in its negotiations in the Middle East is to pressure Israel into expelling Jews from Judea and Samaria in order to "end the occupation that began in 1967." . . . "Our goal in the region is clear," he said, "two states living side by side in peace and security; a Jewish state of Israel, with which America retains unbreakable bonds, and with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, that ends the daily humiliations of Palestinians under occupation, and that realizes the full and remarkable potential of the Palestinian people."
The "peace and security" mentioned in the article sounds very much like a precursor to Israel's "peace and safety" conditions described in Ezekiel 38:1-17, leading to the attempted Gog Magog invasion of Israel.
This is a great idea! It's my understanding that the Israelis are second only to the US in technology. With rockets raining on them daily, new and accurate warning systems are absolutely necessary. Praying it will be in place soon.
Israel is working on a warning system that will calculate the precise location of where a rocket will hit and alert residents in the area using cell phones, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
"The rocket sensor will create a virtual ellipse (of the predicted impact zone) and all phones in that area will receive a warning," the Jerusalem Post quoted Chilik Soffer, a senior official at the Israeli Home Front Command, as saying.
"We will use communications technology to send the signals and we are now working with the communications ministry to make the alert available," he said.
The alert will come in as a vibration, audio alert, light flash or text message, he added.
The aim is to make more specific the air raid systems that Israel currently has in communities near the border with Lebanon and Gaza, which have in the past come under regular rocket fire from Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups.
Fearing Israel will launch an assault on Hizb'allah before a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Lebanese guerrilla group is getting ready for a new war, the Observer reported on Sunday.
According to the British newspaper, Hizb'allah has been "busy reinforcing fixed defense positions" north of the Litani River, and after losing many of its bunkers in the south during the Second Lebanon War, is preparing "a new strategy" to defend villages there.
"Sure, we are rearming, we have even said that we have far more rockets and missiles than we did in 2006," a Hizb'allah commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "We had to blow up or leave some of our bunkers and fighting positions, but we still have plenty of capabilities in the south. We expect the Israelis to come soon, if not this winter, then they will wait until spring, when the ground isn't too soft for their tanks."
The report comes less than a week after the Israel Navy seized a cargo ship loaded with hundreds of tons of weaponry sent to Hizb'allah from Iran.
Andrew Exum, a military expert on Hizb'allah at the Centre for New American Security, was quoted by the Observer as saying that Hizb'allah no longer controls the border, due to the presence of UNIFIL.
"They appear to be hardening the villages for this next round of fighting, while pushing their fixed positions north away from UNIFIL to protect the approaches to Beirut and the Bekaa Valley," he said.
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
From WND 2009
JERUSALEM – U.S. law enforcement agencies were in touch with the Palestinian Authority and Israel yesterday to garner information on Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas, WND has learned.
Hasan is from a Palestinian Muslim family that is still present in a Palestinian village outside of Jerusalem, PA and Israeli security sources told WND.
Hasan's parents moved to the U.S. from a Palestinian town near Jerusalem. He was born in Virginia.
Hasan has a brother who still lives outside Jerusalem, said the PA and Israeli sources. The brother did not return WND calls for comment.
According to initial information provided to WND by PA and Israeli sources, Hasan's family is not on any list of Palestinians with known connections to Islamic militants.
"Upon immediate inspection, the family seems to be regular. Nothing special stands out," said a PA security source.
Still, Israel and the PA began an investigation last night into the family's history and ties.
Hasan is suspected of shouting "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "Allah is greatest," and using two handguns in the massacre at Fort Hood that also left dozens injured.
"He said Muslims had a right to attack" the U.S., said Col. Terry Lee, who worked with Hasan at the Texas post, where the devout Sunni Muslim reportedly objected to his upcoming ndeployment.
"He said Muslims shouldn't be fighting Muslims," he added. "He was very clear on that."
According to an explosive new book, "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America," Hasan is just the tip of a jihadist Fifth Column operating within the ranks of the U.S. military – which is too blinded by political correctness to see the threat. It's here now: Jihad in America! $4.95 today only! Save $15 on new DVD from makers of 'Obsession'
Quoting from a classified military briefing, "Muslim Mafia" reveals that this Fifth Column has penetrated "every branch of the U.S. military." The Islamist enemy has even infiltrated the al-Qaida detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Read related articles HERE
(IsraelNN.com) Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are traveling to the United States this week to meet with senior White House officials in an effort to draft an agreement to be offered to the Fatah-led half of the Palestinian Authority, under Mahmoud Abbas. Such an agreement, Barak said Tuesday, will include a "viable Palestinian State" and the end of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
According to Barak, the Obama administration will be expected to promote the agreed-upon draft to Abbas, in an effort to kick-start Israel-PA talks.
In a Voice of Israel government radio report, Barak was quoted as saying that the negotiations with the PA are intended to reach an agreement that includes "the end of the conflict and all mutual claims, the establishment of an economically and territorially viable Palestinian State alongside Israel, and the end of the occupation that began in 1967."
This would entail, according to the PA's current demands, a full withdrawal of the Israeli military and all 250,000 to 300,000 Jewish civilians in Judea and Samaria. The demand for a statement that the two sides have no further claims has never been accepted by the PA, due to its ongoing demand for unfettered Arab migration into Israel and the belief that Israel was founded entirely on Arab-Muslim lands.
However, Barak told the media that an agreement such as he described with the Palestinian Authority is a vital Israeli interest, because all other options would be far worse.
Minister Barak also praised U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as President Barack Obama's special envoy George Mitchell. They have made significant efforts, according to Barak, to promote negotiations and contacts between Israel and the PA.
Any agreement that gives even one square inch of Israel land to the PA makes me sick.
I would trust in the Lord, if I were Israel... read Psalm 89!!
‘Juniper Cobra’ helping US develop missile shield for Europe Senior officials in the US and Israeli militaries have announced that the results of this week’s Juniper Cobra missile defense exercise will be instrumental in the Pentagon’s plans to develop a missile defense shield for Europe. The Israeli Arrow II, the ship-based Aegis, the high-altitude THAAD and Patriot (PAC) III missile defense systems tested in the last two weeks are all planned to be integrated into the Obama Administration’s new plans for defending European and East Asian allies against the threat of ballistic missiles from Iran and North Korea. Elsewhere, the Japanese Navy successfully tested its third Aegis-capable destroyer on Tuesday, shooting down a dummy ballistic missile fired from the US Navy’ s test range in Hawaii. Pentagon officials have expressed high confidence that the new Aegis BMD system will be able to defeat any missiles that potential enemies might launch at the US or its allies for decades to come. From ICEJ news
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
In my opinion, an alliance between Turkey and Iran is a final piece of the prophetic puzzle needed to unite all of the nations together as described in Ezekiel 38 for the Gog Magog invasion of Israel. Events are moving very quickly.
Don
Iranian-Turkish Alliance Emerging
By Joel C. Rosenberg
On October 19th, I wrote a weblog entry entitled, “Turkey Turns On Israel.” That dynamic is now accelerating. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pronounced “Erdo’-wan”) is now in Tehran, embracing President Ahmadinejad, calling Iran’s tyrannical regime a friend, endorsing Iran’s nuclear program and international defiance, and continuing to denounce Israel.
This is a nasty development in its own right. It also is consistent with biblical prophecy. Ezekiel 38-39 indicates that in the “last days” Iran and Turkey (“Persia” and “Gomer,” respectively) will form an alliance with each other, with Russia and a group of other nations hostile to Israel.
Answer: The phrase "the time of Jacob's trouble" is a quote from Jeremiah 30:7 which says, "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it" (KJV).
In the previous verses of Jeremiah 30, we find that the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah the prophet about Judah and Israel (30:3-4). In 30:3, the Lord promises that one day in the future, He will bring both Judah and Israel back to the land that He had promised their forefathers. Verse 5 describes a time of great fear and trembling. Verse 6 describes this time in a way that pictures men going through the pains of childbirth, again indicating a time of fear and pain. But there is hope for Judah and Israel, for though this is called "the time of Jacob's distress" (NASB), the Lord promises He will save Jacob (referring to Judah and Israel) out of this time of great distress (30:7).
In Jeremiah 30:10-11 the Lord says, “‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. I am with you and will save you,’ declares the LORD.”
Also, the Lord says He will destroy the nations who held Judah and Israel in captivity, but will not destroy Jacob completely. However, it should be noted that the Lord describes that time as a time of discipline for Jacob. He says of Jacob, “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
Jeremiah 30:7 says "that day is great, so that none is like it.” The only time period that fits this description is the period of the tribulation. This is an unparalleled time; there will never be another like it. Jeremiah 30:6 depicts a man going through the pains of childbirth. This is paralleled by other passages that liken the tribulation to birth pains.
Jesus similarly described the tribulation. In Matthew 24:6-8, He stated that the appearance of false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes are "the beginning of birth pains." We know this will be during the first half of the tribulation because the appearance of the beast/antichrist occurs at the midpoint of the tribulation (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27; Revelation 13).
Paul, too, described the tribulation as birth pains. First Thessalonians 5:3 says, "While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." This event follows the rapture and the removal of the Church, in 4:13-18. In 5:9, Paul reemphasizes the absence of the Church from this time period by saying, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." The wrath spoken of here is God's judgment on the unbelieving world and His discipline of Israel during the tribulation.
These birth pains are described in detail in Revelation 6-12, birth pains which are the Lord's discipline designed to bring Israel back to Him.
For those who have received Christ as Savior from sin, the time of Jacob's trouble is something for which we should praise the Lord, for it is His demonstrating that He keeps His promises. Just as He has promised us eternal life through Christ our Lord, He also will fulfill His promises of land, seed, and blessing that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the form of covenants by giving those things to their physical descendants. But before He fulfills these promises, He will lovingly but firmly discipline the nation so that they return to Him.
Jews have a right to worship freely on the Temple Mount, says Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, head of the Yeshivat Hesder in Petach Tikvah. But they have more than a right to worship there, he says: They have a need to do so, because the Temple Mount – where the Holy Temple stood – is so much a part of Jewish tradition. And as such, preventing Jews from doing so is not just a matter of religion, but of basic human rights.
"The term 'struggle' as it relates to the Jewish desire to worship on the Temple Mount does not accurately describe the desire, the longing of Jews to ascend to the Mount and worship G-d," he writes in an article in a journal distributed by the Yeshiva. Rabbi Cherlow appeals to "lovers of truth and justice" to identify with that desire – as a matter of freedom of worship, a basic human right.
"The Jewish prophets teach us that Jerusalem's rebuilding begins not with bricks and mortar, but with the rebuilding – and reforming – of society," Rabbi Cherlow writes. "As the prophets said, 'Zion will be redeemed with justice.' Each time we restrain ourselves from parking in a spot reserved for the handicapped, rescue a poor person from financial injustice, or release an 'agunah' [a woman who is not free to remarry] from her chains, we rebuild the first layers of the Holy Temple, a place where lovers of justice and truth can join together," he writes.
Respecting others' freedom of worship is a part of the mosaic of truth and justice, according to Rabbi Cherlow: "Despite our differences of opinions in other areas, I appeal to you, those with whom I have worked on such issues, to support me now. There is nothing more dangerous than hypocrisy. The power of a moral stance is only strong when there is no hypocrisy, when it is untainted by political motives. It is effective only if it is straightforward and honest. Those who seek to advance the cause of humand rights and the basic elements of justice, but do not do so in an honest manner, cause untold damage to the cause of justice and ethics."
That logic applies when it comes to Jewish worship on the Temple Mount, he writes. "Those who fight for freedom of worship, but are quiet when Jews are shamed and bullied when they attempt to ascend the Mount, damage the cause of justice and morality. Those who claim that 'terrorists should not be rewarded' when it comes to a liberal cause, but here claim that we cannot ascend the Mount because of 'Muslim violence,' those who say that 'the time is not right,' but never seem to be able to find the right time, are committing terrible acts against the cause of justice – and still expect to be rewarded! This attitude is the same that disapproves of police violence only if you are the victim, or protests against freedom of speech when the people being kept quiet are the ones you don't like. This hypocrisy hurts us all, right and left. Anyone who does profess those values of fighting for truth and justice has an obligation to fight in this instance, as well."
...A resident of Caesarea who is a lover of antiquarian books and Judaica found in Budapest an old book, in Latin, which had been written by a Christian named Reland, chronicling his trip in the land of Israel in 1695/6.
(Picture: Antiquarian book found in Budapest)
The writer, Reland, a man of many talents - a geographer, a cartographer and a philologist - knew Hebrew, Arabic and Ancient Greek, as well as the European languages, perfectly. The book was written in Latin. In the year 1695, Reland was sent on a tour of the land of Israel or, as it was then called, Palestine.
During that trip, he visited approximately 2500 places which had been inhabited and mentioned in the Bible or in the Mishnah (a collection of early oral interpretations of the scriptures compiled about A.D. 200.)... ...No settlement in the land of Israel has a name of Arabic extraction. The names of settlements are mostly of Hebrew extraction; some of Greek or Latin-Roman. In fact, no Arab settlement (except for Ramla) has had an original Arabic name to this day. Most names of Arab settlements are of Hebrew or Greek extraction which have been impaired and replaced by meaningless names in Arabic.
There is no meaning in Arabic for the names Acre, Haifa, Jaffa, Nablus, Gaza or Jenin and the names of cities, such as Ramallah, El-Halil and El-Kuds have no historical or philological roots in Arabic. In the year 1696, the year in which the tour was taken, Ramallah, for example, was called Beit El, Hebron was called Hebron and Mearat HaMachpelah was called El Chalil (a name for Abraham of the Bible). The land was, on the whole, empty and desolate; the inhabitants were few and concentrated in the cities of Jeusalem, Acre, Safed, Jaffa, Tiberius and Gaza. Most of the inhabitants of the cities were Jews, the others were Christian; there were very few Moslems, mostly nomadic Bedouins. Nablus (Schem) was different, with a population of about 120 people from the Moslem Natsha family and about 70 Shomronites. In Nazareth, the capital of the Galilee, there were approximately 700 people - all Christians...
It is interesting that Reland mentions all the Muslims as nomadic Bedouin tribes who arrived in the area as seasonal workers, in both agriculture and construction. In Gaza, for example, there were approximately 550 people; fifty per-cent of them were Jews, the rest Christians.
The Jews engaged in flourishing agriculture, owning vineyards and olive orchards and growing wheat (like in Gush Katif) and the Christians engaged in commerce and the transportation of the produce. In Tiberius and in Safed there were Jewish settlements, though their occupations, on the whole, were not mentioned. The only exception was fishing in the Kinneret – a traditionally Tiberian activity. A city such as Um el-Phachem, for example, was then a village of 10 families, all Christian, consisting of about 50 people; a small Maronite church was also mentioned. (The Shehadah family) The book totally contradicts the post-modern theory of "a Palestinian heritage" or a Palestinian people, and strongly supports the fact that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews and not at all to the Arabs, who stole the land, and the name Palestine, as well, stole from the Latin and still claim to possess even that. Read it HERE
The more I study the Word of Elohim Adonai, the more I see the importance of Israel in these last days...this tiny, tiny country, being sliced and diced even further by the satanically influenced world leadership, is pivotal to understanding what is going to happen very soon. From Genesis to Revelation, Israel is central to God's Plan. Why?
It all started with the rebellion of the most venerated created being in heaven: Satan--Lucifer...the Angel of Light, or Light Bearer. This creature held the highest honor in God's realm...that of being the covering angel. He literally protected or guarded God's presence. God IS light. Satan's raiment sparkled with precious jewels...can you imagine what that looked like in God's presence??!!! This being, created with a free will, just like we are, let his exalted position overcome his common sense. He became proud. His pride led him down the path to rebellion. In seeking to usurp the throne of God, he turned a third of the angels in heaven against their Creator with his lies and accusations. And when Elohim (plural Hebrew word : Aba-Father, Yeshua HaMashiach-Son, and Ruach HaKodesh-Holy Spirit=One God) instituted His plan to counter Satan's slander, Satan beguiled mankind into believing his lies. From Adam, through Seth, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and eventually Yeshua, the nation of Israel and what it stands for, has been the object of Satan's venomous and vicious attacks in an attempt to thwart God's ultimate plan of redemption. This is a WAR between a righteous, holy God and the satanic forces of evil. What gives us hope is that God is all knowing and has revealed the end to those of us who believe in and trust the Lord and refuse to join Satan's rebellion. And in the end, we know that those who have been created cannot win in a war against their Creator. Period. Let us, therefore, stand with courage and confidence in the righteousness of God and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Abbas 'won't allow' another intifada~ from the ICEJ News Service 
Senior officials in the US and Israeli militaries have announced that the results of this week’s Juniper Cobra missile defense exercise will be instrumental in the Pentagon’s plans to develop a missile defense shield for Europe. The Israeli Arrow II, the ship-based Aegis, the high-altitude THAAD and Patriot (PAC) III missile defense systems tested in the last two weeks are all planned to be integrated into the Obama Administration’s new plans for defending European and East Asian allies against the threat of ballistic missiles from Iran and North Korea. Elsewhere, the Japanese Navy successfully tested its third Aegis-capable destroyer on Tuesday, shooting down a dummy ballistic missile fired from the US Navy’ s test range in Hawaii. Pentagon officials have expressed high confidence that the new Aegis BMD system will be able to defeat any missiles that potential enemies might launch at the US or its allies for decades to come. 
