U.S. stance on settlements

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called the Israeli building of 1,100 new housing units in East Jerusalem "counterproductive."  According to Clinton the U.S. is hoping neither the Israelis or Palestinians will do anything that the other would consider provocative so that peace talks can get back underway.

The United States would be wise to be careful in the position it takes regarding this issue.  All of Jerusalem was promised to Israel by God, not just parts of it.  If they desire to build, then they have that right.  Pressuring Israel to halt construction, with one eye looking down the road at the possibility of a Palestinian state will not be viewed favorably by God. 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/27/clinton-calls-israeli-settlements-in-east-jerusalem-counterproductive/?test=latestnews

Turkey and Iran join forces

Turkey and Iran are joining together militarily for an operation in Northern Iraq.  This is significant that these two nations are working together on a military operation.  This alliance is part of the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel 38-39.  It will be interesting to watch this partnership grow in the coming days. 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4127471,00.html

Palestinian's petition for statehood

Today was the day that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas petitioned the U.N. for recognition of an independent Palestinian state.  This was no surprise as it has been reported this was going to happen for weeks now.  Here is what to keep an eye on in the days ahead.

1.  Does this lead to violent protests in Israel, especially in Gaza?

2.  How will international community react to what will more than likely be a recognition from the U.N General Assembly, but not the security council?

3.  What will the U.S. do in the way of trying to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians?

One thing is for sure, this is not the end of this issue, but in many ways just a new beginning. 

Netanyahu to address U.N. before Palestinian bid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the U.N. prior to the Palestinian bid for statehood.  I pray God gives him wisdom, but outside of a miracle I doubt it does any good.  The U.N. is very anti-Israeli, and I doubt anything Prime Minister Netanyahu will say can change that.

Netanyahu has also called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to meet for direct negotiations.  It does not seem like Abbas is too interested in talking. 

I believe Friday will prove to be an interesting day.  I think that there is an excellent chance that this Palestinian bid for statehood could spell the end of any kind of peace process, and lead to the outbreak of violence in Israel.  IF, capital letters used intentionally, things play out like this, it could lead to the scenario that would lead to the rise of one man promising to bring peace.  These are interesting times indeed. 

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=238735

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=1184

Big Week

This is the week that the Palestinians are set to petition the U.N. for statehood.  The repercussions of this could bring violence to Israel in the form of Palestinian protests within days, not to mention more attacks on Israeli embassies like what happened Egypt.

There will be plenty of news stories this week regarding what's happening, and as the week goes on I'll try to link and comment on some. 

With this Friday's petition looming, we as Christians need to pray for the following things:
1.  The peace of Jerusalem
2.  Wisdom for our leaders to stand beside Israel
3.  Wisdom for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
4.  Safety in Israel with the potential for violent protests.

More rhetoric from Turkey

While speaking in Tunisia Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan ramped up his rhetoric again against Israel.  He really didn't say anything new, but I have linked the article for your review.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/15/turkish-prime-minister-talks-tough-on-israel-in-tunisia-visit/

The Road to Gog-Magog

Recently I have spent quite a bit of time here discussing Turkey and its increasing hostility toward Israel.  I have more news to report on that front.  Not that this is a surprise, but Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to encourage him in the Palestinian bid for statehood next week before the U.N. 

I have linked an article about this below, but I want to highlight this quote:

On Tuesday, during a speech before the Arab League, Erdogan emphasized that the recognition of a Palestinian state was “not an option but an obligation.”

Couple that quote with the other article that I have linked below which states Russia has stated its intention to support the Palestinian bid for statehood next week, and it presents an interesting set of circumstances. 

Ezekiel 38-39 tells us that something will cause the nations of the Gog-Magog coalition, of which Russia and Turkey are a major part, to attack Israel.  Biblical scholars have long debated what it would be that would be the "hook in the jaw" the passage speaks of.  Many have speculated oil, some have said food, and others have thought it was just a hatred of the Jews.  Could the issue of Palestinian statehood be the triggering issue to bring about the invasion? 

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/erdogan-to-abbas-the-time-has-come-to-wave-the-palestinian-flag-at-un-1.384495

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4121381,00.html

Israel and Turkey part IV.

There is more news to report on the rapidly deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey.  I have linked two articles that dive more into this topic.  Here is the first.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4121204,00.html

This article details how Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said Israel's reaction to last year's flotilla was an act of war.  You can read the article for all of the details and all of his reasons, but you can see how he is setting the stage to engage Israel militarily if there is a flotilla type situation in the near future.  We know Turkey will be part of the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel 38-39.  The military confrontation between these two is inevitable.  Is this the buildup to Gog-Magog, or a preview confrontation that will be part of the buildup?  Only time will tell. 

Before moving on to the next article, I want to make one more comment about this one.  I found the concluding sentence of this article to be the most interesting part of the whole piece.  It reads like this:

Erdogan is expected to give a speech on Monday at Cairo University, where his aides say he will set out Turkey's vision for the region. 

The Antichrist will come out of a coalition of nations that will arise in this region of the world.  Turkey has long desired to build a union of nations in the Middle-East similar to the EU in Europe.  Recently Turkey has been positioning itself to be a leader in the region.  It seems like they are trying to build their ties with the Islamic nations of the region.  Perhaps this is a first step in trying to form an organized group.  Could this be the forerunner of the kingdom of the beast?  It will be interesting to see what Erdogan's "vision for the region" is. 

Here is the second article:

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=237670

This article states how Turkey is sending three warships to the eastern Mediterranean to protect Gaza "if necessary."  In my opinion this comes across as Turkey getting ready for a fight.  With their recent posturing in regard to Israel, I believe they will find it necessary to defend Gaza and engage militarily with Israel, whether they really need to or not.

Israeli embassy in Egypt attacked

The Israeli embassy in Egypt was attacked last night by a group of Egyptian rebels.  The ambassador and his family had to be evacuated out of the country by military aircraft.  You can read more details about the attack in the following article.

The attack certainly adds to the tension between Israel and her Islamic neighbors.  The rebels who attacked were opposed by the Egyptian government, but the incident highlights the anti-Semitic sentiment prevalent in the region.  This sentiment will continue to grow until major fighting breaks out in the region.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/09/egyptians-ransack-building-housing-israel-embassy/

The continuing rise of apostasy

2 Thessalonians 2:3 tells us that the rapture will not occur until a great falling away from the faith happens.  All anyone has to do is observe our society through the media to see that this is already happening.  Our society seems to be running away from Christ as quick as it can.  Because of that trend, it is rare that I am surprised by anything that I read, see, or hear about the silencing of Christians here in America.  However, my jaw hit the floor when I read the following article today. 

At a memorial service this weekend for 9/11 at the National Cathedral there will be Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus but no Evangelical Christians.  Let that sink in for a minute.  There will be not Evangelical Christian representation at a "service" at the National Cathedral which has been designated as "The National House of Prayer" since WWII by congress. 

It is sad to see the falling away from the truth that is occurring, but it should cause us to lift up our heads because our redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/06/evangelicals-left-off-national-cathedral-11-program/?test=latestnews

Israel and Turkey part III.

Last week I wrote a couple of entries detailing the eroding relations between Israel and Turkey.  In those entries I discussed the reasons why this could be happening, and the Biblical implications of it.  On the heels of the events of last week I read today that Turkey has suspended its remaining ties to Israel.  Please refer back to last week's entries for commentary on this. 

It's obvious that something is brewing in Turkey.  You have to wonder if these diplomatic moves by Turkey are a precursor to some sort of military action. 

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4118496,00.html

140 nations expected to vote for Palestinian statehood

When the issue of Palestinian statehood comes before the U.N. on September 23, 140 of the U.N.'s 193 nations are expected to vote in favor of the creation of a Palestinian state.  While this will not officially create such a state, it will give the Palestinians ammunition to pressure nations of the world to place sanctions on Israel until an independent Palestinian state is created.  This vote can bring nothing good for Israel.  We are starting to see all the nations of the world turn against Israel as the prophet Zechariah said would happen.

Given the history of various national disasters, economic disasters, and other disasters striking nations that take foreign policy positions against Israel on the heels of those decisions being made (e.g. Katrina in the U.S.), it will be interesting to track what transpires in these nations that do not stand beside Israel, but vote for this resolution.  According to the article below, the E.U. is still undecided on how they will handle the Palestinian bid in the U.N.  If they do not stand with Israel and something major happens in Israel, then that could have ripple effects that could be felt all over the glove, including here in the U.S.

Thankfully, as of know the United States is not planning on supporting the resolution for Palestinian statehood in the U.N.  Let's pray this does not change.

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=236657

Israel and Turkey part II.

On the heels of expelling Israel's ambassador to the country, Turkey is now preparing to challenge Israel on their blockade of Gaza before the world court.  In my opinion this only reinforces the excerpt quoted here yesterday on how Turkey is trying to destroy their relationship with Israel to bolster their status in the Arab world.  It sure does appear as if they are looking to pick a fight with Israel.  Keep these developments in mind going forward as the pieces are set in place for the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/03/turkey-says-it-will-challenge-gaza-blockade/

Israel and Turkey

Turkey has expelled Israel's ambassador to the nation and they are cutting off military ties over an incident last year involving a flotilla to Gaza.  The following article details the recent development.  I find the following excerpt particularly interesting. 

A senior Israeli government official who had seen the report told the AP earlier this week that Israel has come to believe that Turkey is intent on worsening ties with Israel in order to bolster its own position in the Arab and Islamic world.


This statement should make the ears of anyone interested in end-time prophecy perk up.  I say this for two reasons.

One, Turkey is part of the Islamic coalition named in Ezekiel 38-39 that will invade Israel only to be defeated by God Himself.  Some scholars believe Turkey will have a leadership role in this invasion.  If they are indeed trying to bolster their position in the region, where many of the other nations of Ezekiel 38-39 are located, we could be seeing another brick in the wall of this emerging coalition. 

Second, there are scholars who believe the Antichrist will arise out of a ten nation coalition located in the Middle East.  I believe this is very likely an accurate interpretation of scripture.  There have been rumblings over the last couple of years of Turkey wanting to take a leadership role in the region.  There has even been speculation that they would like to build a coalition in the Middle-East similar to the EU in Europe.  Such a ten nation coalition could be sea the beast will rise up out of (Revelation 13:1).  If you search back in the archives of this blog you will find an in depth review of the nations that could be a part of such a union. 


http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/02/turkey-expels-israeli-ambassador/