The U.N. and Palestinian statehood

If the United Nations agrees to the Palestinian Authority's request to recognize a Palestinian state along pre-1967 lines, it could lead to a chain of events fulfilling Biblical prophecy. If the U.N. were to recognize a Palestinian state Israel is considering annexing settlements, restricting water, and restricting ports. This would undoubtedly enrage the Muslim world surrounding Israel. This could be the event to trigger the Psalm 83 coalition that comes to wipe Israel off the map. http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=214279 http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=214341 http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4049602,00.html

Video on the Mahdi

I would encourage everyone to visit watch.org, there is a link provided to the right of my blog, and watch the video on the Muslim belief of the imminent appearing of the Islamic messiah figure, the Mahdi. The belief in the Mahdi's soon coming appearance is reinforced by the current turmoil in the Middle-East. There are a couple of things to keep in mind about the Mahdi figure in Islam. 1. It is said he will appear during a time of great turmoil and warfare. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated he believes he is to help prepare the way for the return of Mahdi. To put it in Christian terms, he sees himself as the John the Baptist to the Mahdi's messiah. 2. There are several parallels between the Islamic description of the Mahdi and Biblical descriptions of the Antichirst. If you are interested in further reading on this topic I would suggest reading one or both of the following two books. The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson Unleashing the Beast by Perry Stone

The current state of the Middle-East

The following article provides great commentary on the current state of affairs in the Middle-East. The part that I find really interesting is the statements made on the significance of what is happening right now in the region. The statement look at the significance of the events in the light of history. However, we need to look at the significance of these events in light of scripture. Scriptural references can be found for events happening now or soon to happen in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip. All of these are lining things up for the events of the tribulation to take place. It is my opinion, that the spreading uprising in the region is setting the stage for such a great unrest that the world will clamor for peace to be brought to the region. A day will come when one man will step onto the world stage with a promise to bring that peace. http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas032911.php3?printer_friendly

The future of U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel?

The following article is a good insight into the type of foreign policy advice President Obama is receiving. The article mainly deals with Libya, but towards the end it begins to discuss possible future implications for Israel in this shift in foreign policy philosophy.

If we as Americans want to continue to have the benefit of God's blessing on our nation, we need to pray that such a shift as discussed in the article below does not happen. We want to remain a nation that blesses Israel and not become one that is cursing Israel through our actions.

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/03/the_rise_of_samantha_power_and.html

U.S. Secretary of Defense in Israel

The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, has arrived in Israel to try to get the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians back up and running. This comes in the wake of a terrorist attack in Jerusalem and an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) strike on Gaza.

It will be interesting to monitor:
1. If the violence continues to escalate after a somewhat calm period of time
2. How much pressure is the U.S. going to exert for peace talks to resume.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-defense-secretary-arrives-in-israel-to-push-mideast-peace-1.351572

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=213618

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=213442

Gaza militants fire on Israel

A new round of violence has erupted between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel. This confrontation is much smaller than past skirmishes, and I doubt this one escalates much further.

The Gaza strip region is mentioned in Psalm 83 as part of a coalition coming to destroy Israel. Because of this we know that someday a major war will break out involving militants in Gaza and Israel, however I don't believe this is the start. Only time will tell though. Anything could happen with the current environment in the Middle-East right now.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/20/israeli-military-rocket-gaza-hits-israel-fresh-waev-violence/?test=latestnews#

The rising influence of Turkey

The following article is a very well thought out and written look at Turkey's rising influence in the Middle-East. I'm posting it here because I think it is well worth reading. Three things stand out to me as interesting in the article.

1. Turkey is moving further away from a secular government and closer to a more fundamentalist Islamic government. Due to this, their relationship with Israel has taken a turn for the negative. Turkey is one of the nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39 that will be part of the coalition attacking Israel. Conditions continue to progress toward this inevitability.

2. Turkey is being discussed as a potential leader in bringing together an Islamic coalition of nations. Such a coalition could be the 10 nation kingdom that will bring forth the Antichrist (Revelation 17:12-13). Not that these would be the nations, but eight nations are mentioned in this article that could join together, Turkey and 7 others. Obviously two more would be needed.

3. The sobering thing as an American is the potentially negative effect such a coalition could have on the U.S. The scenario laid out by this article could greatly weaken the U.S. It does need to be said here that there is no mention of the United States in end time prophecy. If things play out the way the article says they could, that may be what weakens the U.S. to the point of not being an end time player.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=275621

Israel seizes warship loaded with concealed weapons

The Israeli Navy seized a ship loaded with concealed weapons assumed to be headed for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

According to Psalm 83 Israel will be involved in a war with people located in the Gaza Strip.

Here are a couple of more verses dealing with Gaza.

Zephaniah 2:4
Zechariah 9:5

The most interesting news story in quite some time

While I was watching the news this morning to get the latest on the earthquake in Japan, I heard what I thought was the most interesting news report that I have heard in quite a while. The report was given quickly and almost without thought by the anchor. Obviously there was a rush to get back to coverage from Japan, but even if the earthquake had not happened I doubt this story would have garnered much attention.

The thing is, as I said earlier, this report caught my eye more than any news report in a while. I tried to find a link, but have been able to so I'll relay the report from Fox News from memory, and then comment on it.

During the report on Libya's turmoil on the news there was a quote read from an "Omani official" that said the Arab world might have to come together to intervene in Libya. Here is why I find this so interesting:

1. The Middle-East area is the region where the future kingdom of the Antichrist will be located. The possibility of the nations of this area joining together for a common goal could be one of the first steps to this kingdom being formed.

2. One individual is talking about this region coming together to intervene in Libya, to bring peace. I'm NOT saying this official is the Antichrist, but one day a man from this region will arise promising peace.

3. Libya is one of the nations the Antichrist will come to control when he comes. Combine that fact with reason number one above, and you can see where pieces could be coming even more into place for the prophecies of the Bible concerning the Last Days to be fulfilled.

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami

Anytime a major world event like this happens, there is always a curiosity as to how in fits into Bible prophecy. This earthquake and tsunami are not specifically mentioned anywhere in scripture. The one reference we could look to for scriptural implications is Matthew 24:7 in which Jesus lists earthquakes in various places as a sign of the last days.

Day of Rage recap

The Saudi Day of Rage turned out to be a bust. There were some protests, but nothing major. Personally I am not surprised by this.

There was very little media coverage due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Day of Rage

Don't forget to keep an eye open for news out of Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow is supposed to be the Day of Rage. It will surprise me if anything happens, but only time will tell.

Saudi Day of Rage approaches

The Saudi government spoke about about the upcoming "day of rage" in Saudi Arabia. I still doubt anything happens, but I will still be watching to see if anything does. Any unrest in Saudi Arabia could send shock waves throughout the world economy.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4040079,00.html

1 + 1 = 2

Don't mess with Israel.

1 http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4038202,00.html

+


1 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4038310,00.html


=

2 Genesis 12:3 - I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.

Iran to build a naval base in Syria

Iran and Syria have reached an agreement to allow Iran to build a naval base in Syria. This could be another piece in the puzzle of events setting up for the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. If a war breaks out between Iran and Israel, a naval base in Syria would likely draw the Syrians into the fight. This could lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 17:1 of the destruction of Damascus.

http://www.debka.com/article/20718/

Jordan could be next

According to the following article, Jordan could be one of the next Middle-Easter nations to deal with protests.

The startling thing about the contents of this article is the role the Muslim Brotherhood could play in the future of Jordan. With the uncertainty in Egypt due to the departure of Hosni Mubarak, Jordan is the last Arab nation with both a stable government and a peace deal with Israel.

Should a more hard line path be taken in Jordan, Israel would find itself totally surrounded by hostile nations.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/1/muslim-brotherhood-sees-opportunity-in-jordan/#

Day of Rage planned for Saudi Arabia on March 11

As uprisings and protests continue to happen throughout the Middle-East, word comes that a "Day of Rage" is scheduled for Saudi Arabia on March 11. The following article gives more detail about it.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0226/1224290928849.html

I seriously doubt anything comes of this due to the iron-fisted control of the Saudi government. However, if something were to come of this the implications for the world economy and world in general could be devastating. The results could easily bring chaos to the world making conditions ripe for the appearance of the Antichrist.

For a well spoken, sobering explanation of the potential ramifications go to watch.org and view the clip of Charles Krauthammer addressing this topic. If the link is no longer there, go to youtube and search for "Charles Krauthammer Saudi Arabia all hell breaks loose."