THIS is the burning question! The Iran issue is heating up. Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely - before President George W. Bush leaves office.

Not only is Washington disputing Iran’s nuclear programme, senior US officials are accusing Tehran of supplying weapons to Shia insurgents in Iraq.  President Bush’s rhetoric on Iranian activity in Iraq, in particular, is causing concern and inflaming fears that a strike against Iran is in the making.

The new US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the US is not planning a strike. “I don’t know how many times the President, Secretary of State, and I have had to repeat that we have no intention of attacking Iran,” he said. But many informed observers no longer put much credence on what comes out of Washington.

According to the Jerusalem Post, (Feb 10, 07), the London-based Guardian, quoting American intelligence sources, reported that “preparations for a US strike against Iranian nuclear sites are in ‘advanced’ stages - despite repeated denials by the US administration.”

The strike could come early, but most likely it will take place next year, the Guardian suggested.

 

 

THE MILITARY BUILD-UP IN THE  GULF

 

USS JOHN C STENNIS

 

The US has been building up its naval fleet – aircraft carriers, mine-sweepers etc, in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf over the past year.

But the Bush administration says the build-up is aimed at “containing Iran” and forcing it into diplomatic concessions and into the giving up of its efforts to become a nuclear state. A nuclear armed Iran, the US believes, would upset the fragile balance of powers in the volatile region.

Iran continues to deny it is building nuclear weapons. But Israel, for one, remains convinced Iran’s belligerent leader President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seeking a nuclear device to make good on in his vision of “wiping the Jewish nation off the face of the map.”

The Guardian quoted Vincent Cannistraro, a Washington-based intelligence analyst, who maintains: “Planning (for the strike) is going on, in spite of public disavowals by Gates. Targets have been selected, for a bombing campaign against nuclear sites; it is quite advanced. The military assets to carry this out are being put in place. We are planning for war. It is incredibly dangerous.”

A second US navy aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS John C Stennis arrived in the Gulf of Oman in February, doubling the US presence in the region.

 

PUTIN ADDS FUEL TO  WAR EXPECTATIONS

 

President Vladimir Putin’s attack on the US at the recent Munich Conference for its “almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations - a force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts,” has raised the stakes, as it becomes evident that Russia will oppose any strong US action on Iran. 

 

A report in whatdoesitmean.com, Feb 13, had this alarming headline …

 

“PUTIN ORDERS RUSSIAN FORCES TO

 ATTACK U.S. FORCES DURING IRAN

 INVASION”

The article by Sorcha Faal says that according to Russian military analysts, President Putin has issued orders to the Russian Interior Ministry to dispatch Special Force troops to Iran to protect Russian assets, including the Bushehr Nuclear power plant.

Analysts believe the orders to take action “against any and all hostile forces,” is “a direct threat to US and Israeli Forces currently massing for their planned attack and invasion of Iran.”

It is clear from Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezekiel 38 and 39), that Russia will be allied with Iran and many other nations in “the end times,” and that the great northern confederation will invade Israel and the Middle East.    This is an indication that Iran will not be wiped out before the world war.  But there could be an attack from which it recovers, or a failed attack which will leave Iran intact, and thus able to fulfil its role in the prophesied world war.

 

IRAN IGNORES LATEST ULTIMATUM

Feb 26. 07. Iran ignored a February UN deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment program. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad compared Iran’s atomic drive to a “train with no brake or reverse gear.” (Maybe the run-away train needs to be derailed!)

US, British, French, German, Chinese and Russian officials began meetings in London today to discuss additional penalties against Iran. But UN diplomats cautioned that further measures would take weeks to reach agreement, and it would be mild at best.

Prophetically, there’s more in Scripture about Iran than about the US.  Iran (Persia) is listed as a main Russian ally in the Tribulation world war. The USA is not mentioned anywhere!

Many prophecy teachers believe the US could be bankrupted soon, and will no longer be a superpower.

A big part of Europe will make up the Revived Roman Empire (The Beast) which will fight against The North, The South and The East in the Tribulation.

 

U.S. DEMOCRATS WARN BUSH ON IRAN

FEB 16, 07.  Top Democrats in the US Congress have warned President Bush that he does not have the authority to go to war with Iran.   The Democrats now control both houses of parliament.

The Democrat Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, acknowledged that Mr Bush has said he wants a diplomatic solution to the rift with Iran. “I take him at his word,” she said.  But she also said that Congress should assert itself “and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Iran.”  “There should be no more blank cheques” issued by Congress.

Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner criticised the Democrats’ attempts to derail Mr Bush’s plans for Iraq. “While American troops are fighting radical Islamic terrorists thousands of miles away,” he said, “it is unthinkable that the US Congress would move to discredit their mission, cut off their reinforcements and deny them the resources they need to succeed and return home safely.”

 

5 GENERALS THREATEN TO RESIGN

Up to five US generals and admirals are report­edly willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack (on Iran).

A generals’ revolt on such a scale would be unprecedented. “American generals usually stay and fight until they get fired,” said a Pentagon source.

The threat of a wave of resigna­tions coincided with a warning by Vice-President Dick Cheney while visiting Australia, that all options, includ­ing military action, remained on the table. Mr Cheney was res­ponding to a comment by British leader Tony Blair that it would not “be right to take military action.”

 

OR WILL ISRAEL GO IT ALONE?

 

This is the other question that’s in the air. If the US does not take action against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, will Israel, which is totally convinced that Mahmoud means what he says - that ‘Israel should be wiped off the planet’ - take action before it is too late?

‘PALESTINIANS’ PREPARE TO DEFEND IRAN

Feb 26, 07. Palestinian Arab terror bosses say they are actively preparing to unleash a major wave of violence against Israel and US interests in the Middle East in defense of their allies in Iran.

Speaking to WorldNetDaily, a senior Islamic Jihad commander said Tehran has ordered his group to “wreak havoc” on the Jewish state and any Americans within its reach should Israel or the US attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

According to the terrorist leader, the attacks would come in the form of “suicide” bombings and massive rocket barrages from both the Gaza Strip and Judea-Samaria.

If that scenario unfolds, Israel will likely find itself dealing with a major escalation of “Palestinian” terrorism as well as an all-out conventional assault by Syria, Hizb’allah and Iran.

These are the fruits of the “Oslo” peace process that transformed the “Palestinians” from a hostile but ill-equipped body of people into a conglomerate of heavily-armed, well-trained paramilitary terror groups.

 

 

“AHMADINEJAD IS WINNING”

JAN 26, 07. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an evil man. But he is not a stupid man. Indeed, he is smart and fastidious. He understands power and how to get it. And he understands that the purpose of a nation’s foreign policy is to sell ideas and messages and to build coalitions that enable a state to achieve its national aims. Due to his understanding and his abilities, Ahmadinejad has achieved significant success in advancing his policy aims of defeating the US, destroying Israel, and acquiring nuclear weapons.

The source of his frenetic motivation for destruction is his deep-seated and fanatical desire to hearken the arrival of the Shi’ite messiah — the twelfth imam or the Mahdi. Ahmadinejad promises that the arrival of the Mahdi will signal the enduring defeat of liberal democracy and the notion of human freedom and the eradication of Christianity and Judaism. All will be replaced by the “pure” Islam of the Mahdi, of Ahmadinejad and of the late Ayatollah Khomeini.

Over the past week evidence of Ahmadinejad’s success was very evident. In late January, London’s Daily Telegraph reported that Iranian-North Korean nuclear collaboration has reached new heights. Not only were Iranian scientists present at North Korea’s nuclear test last October, according to the Telegraph, North Korean nuclear scientists are in Iran today assisting their Iranian counterparts in preparing a nuclear test that could take place by the end of the year.

This new information means that the timeline for Iranian acquisition of nuclear bombs has been shortened dramatically. If just months ago US intelligence officials claimed that Iran would not acquire nuclear weapons until 2011, and if just six weeks ago Mossad chief Meir Dagan told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Iran needed 2 years to acquire the bomb, the report that Iran could test a nuclear weapon by the end of 2007 means that there’s reason to fear Iran will have the means to launch a nuclear attack against Israel next year.

Moreover, recently there have been several reports that all Iran’s nuclear facilities are working at full strength to increase uranium enrichment.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s announcement Monday that 38 predominantly Western UN nuclear inspectors would be barred from returning to the country is yet another sign that Iran’s nuclear efforts are being stepped up. As well, Iran’s acquisition last month of advanced Russian Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missiles demonstrates that with Russian assistance, Iran is preparing seriously for war.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0107/glick012707.php3?printer_friendly

 

THE  RUSSIAN  BEAR AWAKING 

 

PUTIN ATTACKS AMERICA’S ABUSE OF POWER

 

FEB 10, 07.  At the annual Munich Conference on Security, Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked the United States for what he said was its “almost uncontained” use of force around the world. America’s “very dangerous” approach to global relations was fuelling a nuclear arms race. He called the US a reckless power that has made the world more dangerous by pursuing poli­cies that have led to war, ruin and insecurity.

Mr Putin stunned an audience of security officials from around the world that included US Defence Secre­tary Robert Gates. He said that nations were “witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations. The US had disastrously abused its power, and has imposed itself on other countries.” One state, the United States, he said, “has overstepped its national borders in all spheres.”

“This is extremely dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law. This is nourishing an arms race and the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons.”

Mr Putin went on to charge that the US domi­nance had been ruinous. “Local and regional wars didn’t get fewer. The number of people who died didn’t get less, but increased ... We see no kind of restraint,” he said.

A “unipolar” world, Putin said, “means in practice one thing: one centre of power, one centre of force, one centre of decision-making, a world of one master, one sovereign.” (Unipolar means “a single centre of power,” as differing to bipolar and multipolar.)

Putin’s speech has added to tensions between Russia and the US.

US Republican sen­ator and presidential hopeful John McCain who heard Putin at the Munich conference said: “Today’s world is not unipolar ... the Russian leader’s apparent belief to the contrary raises a number of very difficult questions.”

Correspondents say Putin’s strident speech may signal a more assertive Russia, and it may be a turning point in international relations.

What are the reasons for Putin’s sudden attack on the US?  One is that it is a response to US plans to establish a missile defence system close to Russia’s border - in the Czech Republic and Poland – former Soviet satellites, now members of the western NATO alliance.

“Why is it necessary to put military infrastructure on our border? It’s hardly connected to today’s global threats. What is the threat? Terrorism and fighting it!” Putin  said. He warned that any further enlargement of the alliance would be inappropriate.

 

“WHY DID WEST LIE ON NATO EXPANSION?”

FEB 12, 07.  NEW DELHI: “We don’t have to cheat each other and the rest of the world.” That’s what Russian Ambassador to India Vyacheslav Trubnikov believes to be the “main message” of the February 11 speech made by President Putin, lambasting the US and its allies, at the annual Munich security conference.

Echoing his words, Mr. Trubnikov wanted to know why the West “practically lied to us” on the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Again, he pointed to the “treachery” in going back on the commitment that military hardware would not be deployed in new NATO countries in Europe.

Pointing out that Mr. Putin’s speech was about Russia’s position in today’s world, Mr. Trubnikov said the President did not mince his words. Though it did not signal a return to the Cold War, Mr. Putin provided a “frank and honest” assessment of the global scene.

 

RUSSIA TRACKING IDF MOVEMENTS

JAN 26, 07. A few days ago Russia announced that it had completed the sale of advanced anti-aircraft systems to Iran, providing a protective umbrella for the genocidal regime’s nuclear program.

On Friday, The Jerusalem Post reported that Russian military officers are manning listening posts along the Syrian border with Israel and feeding intelligence on IDF movements to Lebanon’s Hizb’allah.  http://www.jnewswire.com/article/1606

 

IRAN SAYS IT RECEIVED RUSSIAN AIR DEFENCE MISSILES

Jan 24, 07. The Iranian defence minister announced Iran has received a Russian air defence missile system. Iran’s announcement came as it launched three days of military maneuvers - its first since the UN Security Council approved sanctions against Iran on Dec 23.    – ynet news.com

 

 RUSSIA AGAINST U.S. PLAN FOR

MISSILE SITES IN CENTRAL EUROPE

Jan 24, 07. The International Herald Tribune reported the Russian defence minister has harshly criticized U.S. plans to deploy missile defence sites in Central Europe, saying that Moscow did not trust American claims that the sites were intended to counter missile threats posed by Iran and North Korea. 

 

RUSSIA~VENEZUELA~IRAN ALLIANCE

Boosted by Russia’s oil wealth, President Putin has been seeking to restore Moscow’s inter­national influence by making common cause with anti-US allies, notably Venezuelan Presi­dent Hugo Chavez, and by maintain­ing its longtime “friendship” with Iran.

Russia, although a member of the Quartet, and the Road Map to Peace in the Middle East, is shoring up its backing for its traditional Arab “friends” - Syria, Egypt and the Palestinians; as well as Iran.

Vladimir Putin’s hardening line is not surprising.  In the light of his renewed build-up of military weapons and systems, and his expansion of alliances to the south, east and to S America, it is evident that he is gearing up for the great battle of the ages.

The Bible foretells a great Northern Confederation led by Rosh (Russia) which will include Beth-Togarmah (the Turkomen), and many Arab and African nations. This alliance which will invade Israel and the Middle East in the endtimes, will be a major part of a holocaustic world war. Read Ezekiel 38:3-8.

“The Sovereign Master, YHWH, says: Listen! I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Rosh (Russia), and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws and bring you out with your whole army - your horses and horsemen all fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing swords.

“Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), and Put (Libya) will be with them, all with shields and helmets; Gomer (Germany) also with all its troops; and the House of Togarmah from the far north (Turkey and the Turkic people of Central Asia) with all its troops - many nations with you. Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them.

“After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will invade the land that has recovered from the sword, whose people have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had long been desolate. Its people had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them are living securely.”

The time for this battle is early in the Great Tribulation. But before the Tribulation, the Rapture – the catching up of the people of Y’shua, Jesus the Messiah, will take place.  Oh friend, don’t be left behind!

 

THE  PALESTINIANS

 

THE FATAH~HAMAS DEAL IN MECCA

FEB 9, 07. After failure to form a unity government over the past year, Palestinian leaders finally clinched a deal in Mecca. The agreement included a promise by Hamas to “respect” previous peace agreements with Israel.

But there was no mention made of the other two international demands, that any PA government, including one controlled by Hamas, must formally recognize the State of Israel and renounce terrorism. Hamas has adamantly refused to comply with both.

It was agreed, among other things, that President Mahmoud Abbas will lead negotiations with Israel, and that the Hamas government’s special security force will be integrated into the authority’s security forces, which are affiliated with Fatah.

The “respect” for the previously signed agreements, was a “great compromise” for Hamas.

The back down by Abbas, who had previously said he would never agree to a unity government unless Hamas accepted the conditions set by the Quartet - EU, US, UN and Russia - was an even greater compromise.

But Abbas said the agreement would “satisfy our people…and bring us to the shores of peace… This initiative has been crowned with success.”

            THE BILLION DOLLAR CARROT 

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah played a pivotal role in clinching the accord. After a year of escalating Palestinian infighting which left hundreds dead and hundreds wounded, Abdullah ordered both parties, Fatah and Hamas, to come to Mecca to work out their differences. It was an order the cash-strapped Palestinians could not refuse.                                                                           

When the talks stalled over the wording of the Mecca  Agreement, King Abdullah stepped in to help resolve the issues.  PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas finally signed the deal with Damascus-based Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal.

    

President Abbas, Hamas politburo chief Khalid Mashaal, and Pales­tinian PM Ismail Haniya, left Mecca with a pledge of $US1 billion from Saudi’s King Abdullah.

 

THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT

Powerbrokers linked to Fatah will now take key cabinet positions in the Palestinian cabinet. But Hamas will still hold majority control in the government.

Hamas will fill nine government portfolios - endowments, economy, labor, local governance, sports and youth, communication, justice and education. 

Fatah will have six portfolios - health, social welfare, public works, transportation, agriculture and prisoners’ affairs.

Four other parties will have one portfolio each - tourism, information, women’s affairs and culture. 

“Independents” are supposed to take the key jobs of finance, foreign affairs and the interior.

It is not clear yet who will head the key interior ministry which controls the PA security forces. A Hamas official told reporters that Abbas “will choose an independent interior minister from among five names that will be submitted to him by Hamas.”

The reconciliation accord stipulates that Ismail Haniyeh will retain his position as prime minister. (But he has to wait for Mashaal to give a green light before going ahead with any major moves.)   The Fatah group will name a deputy PM.

            President Abbas called on Haniyeh to form a new government, saying, “I call upon you to respect international resolutions and the agreements signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization.” 

 

BACK FROM THE BRINK

The agreement, reached on Feb 8, has brought Palestinian society back from the brink of civil war. Palestinians hope that as well as bringing a halt to the fighting, the deal will bring an end to a year-long international embargo against the Hamas government.

In the short term, at least, the agreement is seen by the Palestinians as a major achievement. For the first time in weeks, weapons in the Gaza Strip were fired into the sky in celebration instead of at each other.

There were jubilant scenes as people took to the streets to cheer the signing of the deal. People in cars waved the flags of both Hamas and Fatah, while some set off fireworks and celebratory gunfire.

But as the deal does not meet international demands for recognition of Israel and renunciation of violence, it may not lift the international boycott on funding that had, prior to Hamas becoming the government in early 2006, provided a lifeline to the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian leaders are banking on the concessions in the accord being enough to convince international backers to renew aid flows and deal with the administration. And they are already explaining that they have satisfied the demand for recognition of Israel by signing peace deals sanctioned by the Palestin­ian Liberation Organisation in the 1990s.

But Hamas was never a signatory to the Oslo accord. Over the past year, Hamas has ardently rejected pressure from donor countries to recognise Israel, and under this new deal, Hamas has not been forced to change its position.

The Mecca Agreement brings a fragile peace between Fatah and Hamas, but how long it will last is on many observers’ minds.  And the agreement will do nothing to promote peace with Israel.

If Hamas and the Palestinians were willing to live in peace with Israel, there would be a real cause for celebration. Israel would recognise the new govern­ment, and another $US500 million would soon flow to the Palestinian Authority — the proceeds of tax and customs duties which were withheld since Hamas was elected in January last year.  And a billion Euros would also flow from Europe into the Palestinian coffers.

“We expect the international community to stick to its own require­ments that were stated after the elec­tions which Hamas won,” said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

 

WHAT LEADERS ARE SAYING

KHALID MASHAAL has called for violence to stop immediately, describing the factional fighting and unrest in the Palestinian territories as “dark days.”

         “It is our turn to make this agreement work and to make this agreement stick, to build our Palestinian house on strong foundations,” he said.

Mr Mashaal pledged that the agreement would not be broken. “I tell those who fear that the fate of this agreement will be the same fate of the old ones, we have pledged our allegiance to God from this sacred place ... and we will go back to our country fully committed to it,” he said after emerging from the meeting room, which overlooked Islam’s most holy site, the Black Rock of the Kaba’a.

He said that the international community “must respect our accord, recognize our Palestinian reality and deal with it seriously.”

       MAHMOUD ABBAS said: “Recent days have been very black and may God not allow them to return. It has been a catastrophe that must not be repeated. We don’t want blood spilt.”

Mr Abbas urged the new government to “respect” previous accords signed between the Palestinians and Israel.

ISRAEL: Government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said the conditions for an end to the freeze had not changed.  “Israel expects a new Palestinian government to respect and accept all three of the international community principles - recognition of Israel, acceptance of all former agreements and renunciation of all terror and violence.”

Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu party) said that the proper response to the PA unity government is an Israeli national unity government. 

                  Lieberman has set up meetings with all of Israel’s right-wing and religious parties for the coming week to discuss such a possibility. He says Israel needs to be unified and strong in the face of the possibility that the Palestinian Authority, still ruled by Hamas, will now gain international

acceptance and support due to the Mecca Agreement.

BRITAIN: Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett was hopeful, saying “We welcome the ongoing efforts to end the violence and promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation.”

USA: State Department Spokesman Tom Casey stood by American demands that the PA fulfil the Quartet’s requirements. Casey told reporters that any new PA government must recognize Israel, renounce violence against Israel and abide by previous agreements.

A spokesman told the BBC that Washington remained committed to President Bush’s vision of two democratic states - Israel and Palestine - living side by side, and that the Palestinian people deserved a government that could pursue that goal.

 

AFTER THE MECCA AGREEMENT

 

ABBAS DEMANDS THAT ISRAEL ACCEPTS

 NEW TERRORIST GOVERNMENT

Two days after the Mecca deal was signed, Chairman Mahmoud Abbas demanded that Israel officially accept the power-sharing government in spite of the fact that the unity deal does not obligate Hamas or any other member of the government to recognize Israel’s right to exist or renounce the use of terrorist violence.

US CONGRESS PUTS AID TO PA ON HOLD

The US Congress has put on hold the transfer of $86 million to the PA until it can be determined whether or not the PA is going to remain a terrorist entity.

President George Bush originally ordered the transfer of funds in an effort to bolster the so-called “moderates” Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement.

ABBAS “A FIG LEAF FOR HAMAS”

Feb 16, 07.  After Abbas brokered the power-sharing deal with the ruling Hamas terrorist organization, the US Congress correctly understood that the “Palestinian” leader was making himself a fig leaf for Hamas’ violent anti-Israel positions. 

While the Abbas-controlled part of the PA will hold “peace” negotiations with Israel, the Hamas-controlled half will remain dedicated to Israel’s demise.  - AFP.

PALESTINIANS SEEKING TO SELL THEIR

NEW ANTI-ISRAEL GOVERNMENT

Feb 11, 07.  The Palestinians now have a government that includes major factions that openly reject Israel’s right to exist, and they want the international community to accept that and throw money at them. PA Chairman Abbas has sent out envoys to sell the power-sharing deal reached with the ruling Hamas to the international community.

Although the unity agreement does not include explicit recognition of Israel’s right to exist or a renunciation of terrorist violence against the Jewish state, Abbas was confident that a world bent on forcing Israel to sign away its biblical heartland in the name of “peace” would be forgiving toward the Palestinians.

Hamas officials have already announced that those ministries controlled by their movement will continue to resist peace and will seek the demise of the Jewish state.  - Associated Press 

MERKEL REBUFFS ABBAS

Feb 23, 07. Mahmoud Abbas has had talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seeking Western support for the unity government of his Fatah party and its rival Hamas. He also wanted the financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority to be lifted.

As holder of the EU presidency, Merkel stressed the EU’s insistence that any new Palestinian government must recognise Israel.

The Quartet - Russia, the EU, the US and UN - say they will await the formation of a the Palestinian unity government before making a decision.

FRANCE WILL HELP HAMAS/FATAH GOVERNMENT

In a boost for Mahmoud Abba, France has pledged to cooperate with the unity PA government.

“I encouraged Mr. Abbas to persevere in his efforts to quickly form a national unity government,” said Philippe Douste-Blazy, France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Abbas prepared to return to the Middle East.

“If the government is formed according to the power-sharing deal worked out in Mecca, France will be ready to cooperate with it. And our country will plead on its behalf within the European Union and with other partners in the international community.”

RUSSIA IS PLEASED WITH UNITY AGREEMENT

Feb 27, 07. Russia will work to bring an end to the economic sanctions against the Hamas-led PA for its refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his government is pleased with the new power-sharing agreement between Hamas and PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah, even if the new unity government fails to oppose the murder of Jews or destruction of Israel.

RICE WON’T GIVE PEACE ULTIMATUM

TO PA GOVERNMENT

Feb 16, 07. Regarding the question as to whether the US would recognise the new PA unity government, Condoleezza Rice said, “We’re not going to jump the gun here. We will wait until the new (Hamas-Fatah) government is formed and then we’ll make a decision about how to deal with that government.”

Rice has denied reports that American officials had threatened that Washington would sever ties with the Palestinian Authority if its new unity government fails to recognize Israel’s right to exist and renounce terrorism. En route to the Middle East, Rice suggested the US intends to continue its relationship with the PA regardless of its platform.

America’s top diplomat appears ready to accept Abbas’ proposal that the half of the “Palestinian” government controlled by him will conduct peace talks with Israel, while the half controlled by Hamas remains dedicated to Israel’s destruction.  -  Source: AFP (Agence France-Presse)

Middle East envoy David Welch, on the other hand, called Abbas to warn him that the US will not recognize the new PA unity government because its leading faction, Hamas, has not recognized the State of Israel.

Hamas officials confirmed that the new government would indeed spurn those international requirements.

EHUD OLMERT:

JERUSALEM WON’T CUT TIES WITH ABBAS

 

Feb 11, 07.  Israeli officials said Abbas’ new alliance with the Hamas terrorist organization had effectively blurred the lines between the so-called “moderates” and “radicals”, and that Israel must re-evaluate its willingness to deal with Abbas as a result.

Some Israeli government officials threatened to cut ties with so-called “moderate” PA Chairman Abbas if he goes ahead and forges a unity government with Hamas that is not based on explicit recognition of Israel’s right to exist.

Israeli opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu told Army Radio that Israel must respond to Abbas’ moving closer to Hamas, by moving further away from him. Anything else would risk legitimizing the bloody Islamic terrorist organisation, warned Netanyahu.

              But PM Ehud Olmert rejected the calls to take a harder line with PLO chief and said he still had high hopes for the upcoming summit with Abbas and Condoleezza Rice, where he hoped to hear the Palestinians voice their acceptance of Israel’s right to exist and their decision to disavow terrorism.  - The Jerusalem Post 

The summit shattered Abbas’ high hopes. It was a dead loss. Neither Olmert or Abbas faced the press, and it was left to Ms Rice to report there was no tangible progress at the rare summit, and that the leaders had agreed to meet again soon. 

 

ABBAS SAYS PEACE NOT HIS PRIORITY

Feb 21, 07. PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas the “moderate,” has openly stated that his primary concern is with forwarding “Palestinian” national interests, and not necessarily with making peace with Israel.

For all the world to hear, Abbas stated that the power-sharing deal he struck with Hamas this month in Mecca was not intended to bring the terror group in line with international peace principles.

“We told Israel that this agreement was made to protect the unity of the Palestinian people and its national interests,” Abbas told reporters. “The agreement is an expression of support for Palestinian interests.”

The problem is that “Palestinian” interests, as expressed in the overwhelming election of Hamas, are primarily centered on the destruction of the Jewish state.

ISLAMIC JIHAD & PFLP INVITED TO JOIN GOVT.

Several key terrorist groups, in partic­ular Islamic Jihad, which has been responsible for all the suicide bombings inside Israel over the past two years and most of the Qassam rocket attacks, are not signatories to the new deal.

Feb 18, 07.  Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh invited the Islamic Jihad to join the new unity government, but they have rejected the offer.

Haniyeh also invited the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to join the government.  PFLP head Kayid al-Ghoul said his group was considering the offer, but refuses to commit itself to comply with demands by the international community.

BRITAIN TO DEAL WITH

‘MODERATE’ HAMAS ELEMENTS

The increasing blame on Israel for problems in the PA, along with the mounting pressure from Russia have contributed to a change in the policy of British PM Tony Blair, who has indicated he is prepared to deal with Hamas. “It is far easier to deal with the situation in Palestine if there is a national unity government,” he said. “I hope we can make progress, including even with the more sensible elements of Hamas.”

MASHAAL VISITS MOSCOW

The Quartet so far has insisted that Hamas meet international demands, but the terrorist organization seeks to drum up international support, starting with Russia. Syrian-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal visited Moscow  at end of Feb, as Moscow continued to ignore Israeli pleas that international powers not conduct talks with leaders of Hamas.

ABBAS’ UNREASONABLE CONDITIONS

Abbas, the leader of the Fatah movement, claims that the unity government is committed to meeting international conditions even though Hamas explicitly refuses to do so. Fatah has paid lip-service to the conditions, but terrorist attacks on Israel by Fatah terrorists continue almost daily. Abbas, significantly, has conditioned his “recognition of Israel” on demands that every recent Israeli government has categorically stated are unreasonable.

Abbas has said a Jewish state could be recognized only after Jerusalem becomes the capital of a new Arab country and millions of Arabs in foreign countries are allowed to live in Israel.

MUSLIM STATES PRESSURE QUARTET

A group of 57 Muslim countries meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has agreed to step up pressure and try to force the Quartet to lift the economic sanctions against Hamas. The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) also continues to accuse Israel of endangering the Al Aksa mosque by conducting archaeological operations near the Temple Mount.

RICE PUSHES FOR PALESTINIAN STATE

Recently Rice expressed: “Eventually you’re going to have to get to a Palestinian government that accepts that it is to live side by side in peace with an Israeli neighbor.”

WHEN “NEVER” MEANS “NOT YET”

It is becoming clear to Condoleezza Rice that “never” often simply means “wait a bit” in the PA. For example, Abbas long claimed that he would “never” join a Hamas government that does not meet the Quartet demands - but this quickly dissolved when he signed on to the pact in Mecca.

But the Israeli PM is guilty of the same thing. Olmert often sets policy according to advice and pressure from the Bush administration. He agreed to meet with Mahmoud Abbas and Secretary Rice even though he had previously declared that no negotiations could be held so long as the PA, which now includes Hamas, does not cease terrorist attacks.

He also stated that the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is a condition to direct talks, but nevertheless met with Abbas twice in the past two months.

RAMIFICATIONS OF A PALESTINIAN STATE

A Palestinian state west of the Jordan River would be “the world’s worst nightmare,” writes Middle East analyst Emanuel A. Winston. It would be “the last link in a string of terrorist states that will not only incubate new terror groups but will also increase their linkage and operational efficiency for major strikes against America - as well as Israel.”

Michael Wise, co-author of The 1.5-Million-Arab Population Gap, writes that, “PA control of any part of the West Bank could result in the arrival of up to 2½ million Palestinian ‘refugees’ over the course of 3 to 5 years.”

The first to arrive would more than likely be the  400,000 who have been living in abject poverty in Lebanon, to be followed soon after by millions more from Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and elsewhere.

“The opportunity to be resettled in Palestine with enormous global financial and political support will be very attractive and immediately accepted by those refugees.”

LEBANON

“O God! Your enemies are roaring; and those who hate You have raised their heads. They craftily plot against Your people ... They have said, ‘Come, and let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have conspired together with one mind; they make a pact against You.”   (Psalm 83:1-5)

 

                     HIZB’ALLAH BACK TO FULL STRENGTH

 

Israel Defence Forces officials maintain that Hizb’allah has regained its full military strength following last year’s war in Lebanon. That feat has been accomplished in just seven months.

HIZB’ALLAH READYING FOR WAR

Feb 26, 07. Hizb’allah is reportedly establishing a new stronghold from which to rebuild its strength and launch future aggression against Israel. In order to bypass the inconvenience posed by the presence of international “peacekeepers” in southern Lebanon, Hizb’allah is setting up this new base just north of the Litani River.

Observers say the hills and valleys are being aggressively guarded by armed Hizb’allah forces.

Additionally, a Hizb’allah-linked businessman is said to be buying up Druze and Christian land south of the Litani in what is feared to be an effort to create a Shi’ite-populated zone from which the group can freely operate. - Ynetnews

HIZB’ALLAH ORDERS BOMBINGS IN ISRAEL

Iranian-sponsored Hizb’allah has ordered its Palestinian agents to launch mass-casualty attacks in Israel.

Israeli security sources said “Hizb’allah has increased funding and orders since the end of the [Israeli-Lebanese] war,” a source said. “It wants the action to move from Lebanon to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.”

The Lebanese Shia group has been financing more than 20 plots to conduct suicide and other bombings inside the Jewish state. The sources said Hizb’allah has relayed funds to Fatah operatives loyal to PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas as well as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The sources said their information was based on the capture and interrogation of senior Fatah and Jihad operatives. They said Hizb’allah-aligned cells were most active in the West Bank city of Nablus.

LEBANESE ARMY IN DEAL WITH HIZB’ALLAH

The Lebanese army has made a deal with Hizb’allah, dividing up patrols in southern Lebanon, according to an officer of the UN Interim Forces (UNIFIL).

Hajj Ali, a Hizb’allah terrorist leader who lives in the village of Bint Jbil near the Israeli border, declared, “There will be another war in the summer. It is the beginning of the end for Israel; we are preparing.”

Hizb’allah still dominates the south; its security men are policing the Shi’ite villages; and its fighters are  patrolling the border. Shi’ite Muslims, aligned with Hizb’allah, have also re-armed.

UNIFIL has refused to carry out the UN Security Council ceasefire resolution clause that it disarms Hizb’allah.

 

SYRIA

 

REARMED FORCES MOVE CLOSER TO BORDER

Feb 22, 07. The Syrian armed forces are being strengthened in an unprecedented way in recent memory with the help of generous funding from Iran. The Syrians are bolstering their forces in all areas except the air force, which has been weak for some time. The main emphasis of the efforts has been missiles and long-range rockets to compensate for the weak air force.

The Syrian navy, after years of neglect, is also being reinforced with an Iranian version of a Chinese anti-ship missile, similar to the one used by Hizb’allah during the Lebanon war to strike an Israeli destroyer.

In addition to the overall strengthening of the armed forces in Syria, there has been a redeployment of forces along the front lines. It appears that the Syrians have moved forces closer to the border with Israel on the Golan Heights. -  Ha-Aretz

 

OLMERT: “PREPARE FOR WAR WITH SYRIA”

Feb 26, 07. PM Ehud Olmert has ordered the IDF to actively prepare for war with Syria, despite buying into assessments that such a conflagration is unlikely this year. But Olmert attempted to veil his concern by claiming the order was just a precautionary measure.

Senior Israeli defence officials and politicians are trying their best to downplay talk of war with Syria in the coming year. But their words tend to ring hollow amid the contrary assessments and  Olmert’s order to the IDF to prepare for war.

There are however, conflicting assessments of the threat.  Some Israeli defense officials point to Syria’s rapid rearming and redeployments as a sign that conflict is on the horizon.

And last week, a senior military correspondent suggested that war with Syria was almost a certainty, citing Damascus’ acquisition of new and improved missiles and air defences, and its hostile redeployment of forces near the Golan Heights.

NO WAR WITH SYRIA, UNLESS …

IDF Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told the cabinet that Damascus won’t initiate a full-scale war with the Jewish state.

However, Yadlin did acknowledge that Israeli defensive moves deemed hostile by the Arab world, a harsh Israeli response to Syrian-backed “Palestinian” terror, or a renewal of hostilities with Hezbollah could all spark all-out war with Syria.

In fact, the likelihood of all three of those things happening in the next 12 months is very high!

IS Isaiah 17:1  ABOUT TO BE FULFILLED?

 

“The oracle concerning Damascus. Look! Damascus is about to be removed from being a city, and it will become a heap of ruins.” (Isaiah 17:1)

Certainly Israel’s past conflicts with Syria sparked similar speculation, but consider that in 1967 and 1973 the primary Syrian threat was from its large armored forces conducting a slow ground assault against the Galilee region.

Today, the primary Syrian threat is from its long-range missiles, which can kill huge numbers of Israelis in nearly every part of the country in a very short period of time. The natural response to Syria’s ground invasions of Israel was to push back their armor and slowly advance into Syrian territory. The natural response to a chemical warhead on Tel Aviv will be the utter destruction of Damascus.

We appear to be just one Hizb’allah rocket barrage or large Islamic Jihad suicide bombing away from that series of events unraveling before us.  – Zionist.com

 

US SAYS ‘NO’ TO ISRAEL-SYRIA PEACE TALKS

Feb 23, 07.  The US has demanded that Israel refrain from even exploratory contacts with Syria, of the sort that would test whether Damascus is serious in its declared intentions to hold peace talks with Israel. In meetings with Israeli officials, Condoleezza Rice was forceful in expressing Washington’s view on the matter. “Don’t even think about it,” she said.

The American argument is that even “exploratory talks” would be considered a prize in Damascus, whose policy and actions continue to undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and the functioning of its government, while it also continues to stir unrest in Iraq, to the detriment of the US presence there. In particular:

*      Syria’s refusal to curb the flow of militants through its border into Iraq;

*      Syria’s role in undermining the Lebanese government;

*      Syria’s open alliance with Iran;

*      Syria’s facilitating of Hizb’allah’s rehabilitation.

While some of those points are also in line with Israeli interests, Damascus’ ongoing support for “Palestinian” terror groups was apparently not on the list of reasons to not talk to Syria.  Source: Ha’aretz

 

GAZA

IDF 2007 ASSESSMENT: WAR IN GAZA CERTAIN

Feb 23, 07.  Israeli defence and security officials agree that Syria, with the backing of Iran, is apparently preparing for war with the Jewish state, but do not believe that conflict will erupt this year.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, however, is a different story. The terrorist arms build-up in Gaza, coupled with ongoing attacks from the area that are certain to one day result in a mass-casualty incident is a recipe for war.

Gaza-based terrorists are firing rockets into southern Israel on almost a daily basis. Many have come dangerously close to hitting strategic facilities in Ashkelon that if struck, could result in the deaths of hundreds or thousands of Israelis. If that happens, and it almost has on several occasions, Israel would feel compelled to enter Gaza in force.

When the Israelis get there, they will find a Hamas-led force armed with advanced weapons thanks to months of successful smuggling via the Egyptian Sinai and employing Hizb’allah tactics put to good use against the IDF last summer.

That spells a prolonged and deadly fight against the “Palestinians” that is likely to end with an enormous increase in international pressure on Israel to make concessions.  - Jerusalem Newswire

HAMAS HAS ADVANCED ANTI-TANK MISSILES

Feb 21, 07.  Further blemishing the supposed benefits of having fled the Gaza Strip more than a year ago, IDF officials now say they are reasonably sure that Gaza-based Hamas forces are in possession of semi-advanced anti-tank missiles.

Arms prohibited by the Palestinian’s peace agreements with Israel have been flowing into Gaza ever since Israel handed over control of the Gaza-Sinai border to Egypt and the “Palestinians.”          - www.jnewswire.com

HAMAS’ MILITARY WING: “TRUCE IS OVER”

Hamas’ Kassam Brigade has declared an end to a cease-fire with Israel, according to a statement released on Feb 21. The call to end the truce appeared on Hamas’s official website, in both English and Arabic. It is the first time in months that Palestinian armed forces directly under the control of the Hamas government openly threatened to attack Israel. (This was not a formal announcement from Hamas.)

IDF WARNS OF TUNNELS IN WEST BANK

Feb 11, 07.  Dozens of tunnels being dug across the Philadelphi Corridor - between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and it is only a matter of time before Palestinians in the West Bank also begin digging tunnels under the security fence since they are being cut off from Israel.

Israel Security Agency Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin said there were at least 10 tunnels being dug from Gaza into Israel intended to be used in attacks against Israeli targets. He said that there were also dozens of tunnels being dug in Rafah that are used to smuggle weapons into Gaza from the Sinai Desert.

Davidi revealed that the Palestinians had improved their defence systems around tunnels and that now almost every tunnel in the Gaza Strip was surrounded with booby-traps and explosive devices. - Jerusalem Post

 

THE ARABS

 

SAUDI SHIFT MARKS POWER PLAY

The House of Saud is cozying up to Israel

to combat the growing threat of Tehran

 

By MARTIN CHULOV in the Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sat down in Jordan last September for a secret summit with Saudi Arabia’s national se­curity director, Bandar bin Sultan.

It was a curious postscript to the recent war between the Jew­ish state and Hezbollah, which five months on has clearly started a thaw in one of the region’s most entrenched stand-offs.

In Washington this month, long-serving Saudi ambassador Prince Turki al-Faisal made an extraordinary appearance at a conference held by US Jewish leaders to mark the appointment of a State Department official to combat anti-semitism.

Days earlier, according to Is­raeli officials, Saudi monarch King Abdullah had told feuding Palestinian leaders he had sum­monsed to Mecca that their real feud lay not with their historic foe, Israel, but with a new regio­nal menace — Iran.

And herein lies the driver of the House of Saud’s canoodling — a “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” world-view that sees the Jewish state as a crucial part of a regional bulwark against a re­surgent Persian empire, and is prepared to look past decades of enmity to involve Israel.

Things have come a long way from the days the Saudi regime branded Israel as the loathed “Zionist enemy that occupies Jerusalem.” And, despite the expedient motives, the Olmert Government is starting to see an open alliance with Riyadh — maybe even diplomatic ties — as a real possibility.

“They are making very unam­biguous noises about Iran being the main threat,” said Eran Lerman, a former deputy chief of Israeli military intelligence.

 

A SHOCK FOR THE PALESTINIANS

 

“The Palestinians came back shocked from Mecca. The mes­sage was,

‘Forget about Israel, the threat is Iran’.”

President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas Prime Min­ister Ismail Haniyeh and his politburo chief, Khaled Mashaal, ended up doing a deal in Mecca, after months of murderous in­fighting among their followers, at the behest of the Saudis, who have since couched the initiative as a means to kick-start stagnant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The fact the Saudis chose Mecca for the summit wasn’t by coincidence. This is about religious iden­tity and sending a message that a good Sunni doesn’t play into the hands of Shia manipulators.

Prospects of peace in the Holy Land were again cited last week as a reason for Prince Faisal’s bonhomie (cheerful friendliness) with Jewish leaders.

But new friends for Israel are hard to come by in the Arab world. And, while happy with the overtures from the Saudis, the motives are clear. So, too, are the potential strategic gains.

“Saudi Arabia is a Wahabi state,” said Lerman, now Middle East director of the American Jewish Committee. “They began their term as being murderously anti-Shia, and have not really moderated much ever since.”

Ever since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected 18 months ago, Riyadh has been wary of his regional ambitions. They see the hand of the Shia Persians in Iraq, and in southern Lebanon, where Iranian-trained Hezbollah gueril­las took the fight to Israel last summer. And they fear the im­pact of a possible Shia uprising among their own Shia minority.

Theologically, the House of Saud — the keeper of the two holiest Islamic shrines — rejects the Shia interpretation of Islam. Culturally, the kingdom does not want the Iranians playing a bigger role in the Arab world. Defen­sively, it fears Iran’s nuclear ambitions. And economically, Riyadh’s massive oil revenues could be hit if oil-rich Iran moves on to a bigger stage.

The Saudi rearguard action is to align with Sunni states — and anyone else. Its overtures to Israel have been well-received by Jerusalem’s most important backers, the Bush regime, which could well do with progress in at least one Middle Eastern headache — the Palestinian question — before their term in office ends next year.

 

SUNNI - SAUDI  CORNERSTONE

The perceived threat from Iran has transformed Saudi Arabia into the cornerstone of regional Sunni hegemony of the so-called moderate states — an image that is hard to reconcile with the strict burkha-clad Saudi society. But the kingdom’s strategic value makes its democratic short­comings easier for the US to overlook. As well as helping out in the Palestinian territories, Saudi involvement could prop up the struggling pro-Western Gov­ernment of Lebanese Prime Min­ister Fouad Siniora and help to quell the sectarian chaos of Iraq.

The key selling point of the Mecca deal was an implicit recog­nition of Israel in a new adminis­tration where the reins of power are shared between Hamas and the Fatah party it democratically defeated one year ago. Hamas has stopped short of directly ac­knowledging the Jewish state, with indirect recognition through agreeing to respect past peace deals — the furthest it has strayed from its hardline man­date.

Abbas and Haniyeh returned from Mecca confident they had done enough to appease the Quartet and ease the suffering of their people, many of whom have not seen a pay cheque in almost 12 months. The well-pleased Sau­dis waved the Palestinians off with a $US 1 billion cheque that blatantly broke the international aid boycott, but which has not raised a murmur of opposition.

In the months before the deal was finally done, Abbas had said implicit recognition of Israel was the best the West could hope for at this stage. Hamas would not even table the other two de­mands, full recognition and a renunciation of violence.

DEAL CREATES MORE PROBLEMS

The Saudi-brokered deal appears to have created more problems for the US-Israeli alli­ance than answers. The sum­mit (of Rice, Abbas and Olmert) seems to herald another dilemma — how to reject the new Palestinian Government without sending the Saudis packing.

New friendships need nurtur­ing. And with the kingdom will­ing to play a role in all the four crisis points in the Middle East, Israel and the US will need to offer some significant compro­mises of their own.    - The Australian / Feb 19, 07.  By permission of News Limited

Recent Arab-Jewish contacts:

*   Saudi national security adviser Bandar bin Sultan met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jordan in September, said Daniel Ayalon, Israel’s former ambassador to Washington. He said it was the highest-level Saudi-Israeli meeting he’d ever heard of.

*   The United Arab Emirates has invited a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The conference, a 51-member umbrella group, is a strong supporter of Israel.

*   Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres met the emir of Qatar in late January after taking part in a debate with Arab students there. It was the highest-level Israeli meeting with the Gulf nation since 1996, when Peres visited as prime minister.

 

SEVEN ARAB MINISTERS WANT

RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL

Feb 22, 07.  Foreign ministers of seven Arab countries issued a joint statement following a Madrid conference, expressing desire to “advance together toward recognition and normalization of relations with Israel.”

The desire was made in a joint statement issued at the end of a Spanish-Arab conference in Madrid hosted by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

The conference was attended by 19 members of the Arab League, including the foreign ministers of Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.

In the statement, the officials expressed their hope that the Mecca agreement signed between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah would lead to the establishment of a national unity government in the Palestinian Authority, “which could contribute to finding a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Moratinos said that the agreement expressed in the joint statement re-emphasized the vision expressed in the 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut. He said that his country wanted to work together with the European Union in order to enable a Palestinian government to be a partner for a dialogue with the international community.  - ynet news

SUNNI~SHI’ITE CONFLICT INCREASES

ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST

The split between Sunnis and Shi’ites dates back to Islam’s earliest days - the 7th century - when a dispute about who would succeed the prophet Muhammad broke out. Shi’ites believe the descendants of Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima, and son-in-law, Ali, were deprived of divinely ordained leadership. That led to a period of bloodshed, martyrdom and injustice that still influences the two sects today.

Over the centuries, differences in ritual, theology and law evolved. The Shi’ite communities — a majority in Iraq and Bahrain and a sizable minority in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — is shaped to a great extent today by the underprivileged status they have often endured in a predominantly Sunni Arab world. For decades, the Saudi government banned Shi’ite rituals; a Sunni minority rules a restive Shi’ite majority in Bahrain; and in Lebanon the Shi’ites have long been poor and disenfranchised.

The Sunni-Shi’ite divide is becoming a major conflict in today’s very unsettled Arab world. The battle is being fought in speeches, newspapers, through rumors in cafes and on the Internet, and outbursts of strife. The conflict is being shaped by politics: a disintegrating Iraq, a rising Iran, a sense of Arab powerlessness, and a persistent suspicion of American intentions. But the division is now seeping into the region’s social fabric, also.

The sectarian fault line has long existed, but never, perhaps, has it been revealed in such a stark, disruptive fashion, says the Washington Post.

Newspapers talk about Shi’ite aggressiveness. In Jordan, in January, the government-aligned newspaper Ad-Dustour, wrote of a conspiracy to spread Shi-ism from India to Egypt. The conspirators’ agenda called for the assassination of “prominent Sunni figures.”

An Algerian newspaper has reported that parents were calling on the government to stop Shi’ites proselytizing in schools. And an Egyptian columnist accused Iran of trying to convert Sunnis to Shi’ism in an attempt to revive the Persian Safavid dynasty, which came to power in the 16th century.

At a bookstore in Cairo, new titles lining the display window included: “The Shi’ites,” “The Shi’ites in History,” and “Twelve Shi’ites.” A newspaper on sale nearby featured a warning that the Shia-Sunni conflict could lead to a “sectarian holocaust.”   - source: Washington Post / 12 Feb 07

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ZIMBABWE

ON THE BRINK OF TOTAL COLLAPSE

 

FEB 10, 07.  Zimbabwe, (formerly Southern Rhodesia) was once one of Africa’s most prosperous economies. Today President Robert Mugabe’s 27-year regime is facing a meltdown. The economy is collapsing. The army and police forces are disintegrating. Along with a wave of strikes and power black-outs, the country is experiencing a breakdown of every essential service.

Water treatment plants are collapsing, and cholera has broken out.

Inflation is running at nearly 1,600%. There’s tension on the streets, as so many people are out of work. The jobless rate is 80%.

Children have stopped going to school because they cannot pay fees. Many teachers are not attending classes as their take-home pay is not enough for transport fares to get to work.

The bankrupt regime continues to print money to stay alive, but this only fuels further inflation. Every pay rise is wiped out within a few weeks.

Zimbabwe’s largest hospitals are crippled by a two month strike among junior doctors, who earn next to nothing. Soldiers, while better paid than teachers or nurses, are also enduring “desperate” conditions. Most earn less than $1 per day. Even the Presidential Guard, which has higher salaries, is also disgruntled.

Life expectancy for men is 37 years, and 34 for women. Infant mortality rate is 60 per 1000 live births.  20% of the adult population has HIV/AIDS.

Corruption abounds. Senior members in the ruling Zanu-PF party are able to buy US dollars from the Reserve Bank and then sell them on the black market at a 2,000% markup. They can also buy fuel from the state at one twelfth of the market price. Magube keeps this wealthy handful happy, and relies on the army and police to suppress challenges.

      President Mugabe, celebrated his 83rd birthday on 26 February with a grand party that cost $Z 200 million. This sum would have been worth $370,000 in December, but by his birthday the value was down to $57,000, so fast is the currency falling in value.   - Source: the Telegraph, the Sunday Times, and other reports

 

International Day of Prayer and Fasting for

Zimbabwe.  April 18, 2007

“‘Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says YHWH; ‘I will set him in the safety for which he yearns’.”    (Psalm 12:5)

If you would like to be a part of organizing and mobilizing this event, please let Kiki Cherry know. Can you help us get the word out?  All we’re asking is for people to …  1) pray 2) organize a prayer event in their city, and 3) pass the word along to everyone in their address book and ask them to do the same.

Kiki Cherry, www.prayzimbabwe.org

 

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GLOBAL WARMING IS BIG MONEY!

 

  “THE WEATHER CHANNEL MESS” BY JAMES SPANN

 

JAN 18, 07.  Some “climate expert” on “The Weather Channel” wants to take away AMS certification from those of us who believe the recent “global warming” is a natural process. So much for “tolerance,” huh?

I have been in operational meteorology since 1978, and I know dozens and dozens of broadcast meteorologists all over the country. Our big job: look at a large volume of raw data and come up with a public weather forecast for the next 7 days. I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype. I know there must be a few out there, but I can’t find them. Here are some basic facts:

*    Billions of dollars of grant money is flowing into the pockets of those on the man-made global warming bandwagon. No man-made global warming, the money dries up. This is big money, make no mistake about it. Always follow the money trail and it tells a story. Even the lady at “The Weather Channel” probably gets paid good money for a prime time show on climate change. No man-made global warming, no show, and no salary. Nothing wrong with making money at all, but when money becomes the motivation for a scientific conclusion, then we have a problem. For many, global warming is a big cash grab.

*    The climate of this planet has been changing since God put the planet here. It will always change, and the warming in the last 10 years is not much different than the warming we saw in the 1930s and other decades.

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=                3a9bc8a4-802a-23ad-4065-7dc37ec39adf

 

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“FALSE ‘CHRISTS’ WILL COME”

 

The Messiah, Y’shua, Jesus, warned that in the endtimes there would be false prophets, messiahs, and people who claim to be Christ.

“Y’shua answered and said to them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying, “‘I am the Messiah - the Christ,” and will mislead many ... and many false prophets will appear, and will deceive many people ... Then if anyone says to you, “Look! Here is the Christ, the Messiah!” or,  “There He is!” do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and will perform great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones). Look! I have told you in advance’.” (Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-25)

In the 20th century, reportedly, there have been not less than 12,000 people who claimed to be Christ, God, or the Holy Spirit. Some gained a lot of popularity or notoriety, but one by one they came to ruin!  The Scripture derisively says to them:

“You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High, but you die like men.”  (Psalm 82:6-7)

Over the last couple of years, another claimant has been causing waves of excitement, and outrage, in Miami, and especially throughout the Spanish world. 

 

A FALSE CHRIST IN MIAMI

 

The leader of a bizarre cult in Miami, Florida, claims he is the Man Christ Jesus, and that his church will one day rule the world.

Puerto Rican preacher, José Luis De Jesús Miranda, 60, says a wondrous thing happened to him in 1976 when he was living in Massachusetts. He claims that two heavenly beings visited him and announced the arrival of the Lord. Then an apparition of Christ “integrated” with him and began to speak inside of him. Miranda believes that he and Jesus Christ became one and the same in that instant. 

              In his youth, Miranda, drifted between Roman Catholics, Pentecostals and Baptists. Some years after his “integration encounter” the voice inside Miranda’s head later told him to move to Miami, where he founded, in 1986, his controversial Creciendo

en Gracia (CeG) (Growing in Grace International Ministry).

In the early years after founding CeG he didn’t claim to be Christ, but he worked as a pastor and began to  spread his doctrine, that under a new covenant with God, there is no sin and no Satan, and people are predestined to be saved.

In 1998, de Jesus claimed that he was the reincarnation of the Apostle Paul. In 1999 he began calling himself El Otro (The Other), and in 2004, at CeG’s world convention in Venezuela, he announced that he is Jesus Christ. Recently, he called himself the Anti-christ and revealed a “666” tattooed on his forearm. His explanation was, that as he is the second coming of Christ, he rejects the continued worship of Jesus of Nazareth.

Newsweek (Feb 5, 07) has given a write-up entitled, “Meet the Minister Who Says He Is Jesus Christ.”

The article described a meeting of a 10-piece band and its singing, swaying, whooping and hollering. And as Jose Luis de Jesús Miranda enters the people chant, “Lord! Lord! Lord!” A man onstage announces, “It’s Jesus Christ himself! Let’s welcome Jesus Christ Man!”

The lectern is emblazoned with a near replica of the U.S. presidential seal, except that it reads in Spanish, Government of God on Earth. In the eyes of his flock, Miranda is “the second coming of Christ.”

His sprawling organization now includes more than 300 congregations in two dozen countries, from Argentina to Australia. He counts more than 100,000 followers and claims to reach millions more through a 24-hour TV channel, which reportedly reaches 2 million, as well as a radio show and several websites.

Many of his followers wear T-shirts with De Jesús’ face and a bold slogan, GOD HAS COME. Their cars are adorned with license plates that say: Creciendo en Gracia: The Government of the Kingdom of God. 

His doctrines are bizarre. He tells his followers they can live any way they want to because sin doesn’t exist and the devil is dead. He also teaches that Christian churches are led by ministers of Satan, and he encourages members of his organization to stage protests at church services and Christian events.

Miranda does not hide his intentions. “My purpose is to close down every church so that the true church can begin,” he told the Miami paper. “You could say I am leading the greatest reformation that has ever happened.”

 

The official website of Growing in Grace

www.cegenglish.com  announces …

 

“With over 30 countries already reached more than 350 educational centres, His own TV and radio programs, an entourage of 300+ faithful Pastors, and a ministry to millions of followers is growing in numbers every day … the nations are shaking as the man Christ Jesus is leading the biggest reform the world has ever seen.”  - La prensa – El Salvador

 

“The Man Christ Jesús,

Dr Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda,

is coming to the USA.

The King of kings and Lord of lords

has arrived in America!

He is …

*         Turning ignorance into wisdom by revealing the mysteries of the world. 1 Cor 2:7

*          Teaching the world that sin no longer exists, as we are dead unto sin.  Heb 9:26

*         Proving there is no Devil, as it was destroyed 2000 years ago. Heb 2:14

*         Transforming the lives of millions of people worldwide. Rom 1:5

*       As the last manifestation of God in flesh, He has established the Government of God on earth as written in the Gospel, and NEVER does Telethons for His radio or TV programs.

*       He has promised that EVERY religion including Catholics, Protestants, Jewish, Mormons, etc., will end, as all their leaders are corrupt in teaching an expired doctrine.

*         Worldwide followers – THE CHURCH -  recognized and proclaimed Him as the LORD, and revealed to all nations that He is GOD.  Rom 16:25”

 

BLIND LOYALTY OF FOLLOWERS

Miranda exerts total authority over the ministry. He fits the classic profile of an egotistical religious con man. He lives in a mansion, drives a BMW, wears lots of diamonds and spends $300,000 a year on bodyguards. Meanwhile many of his staff volunteer their time and give up to 80% of their income to the CeG. Hispanics especially are falling for his deception — and lining his pockets. 

Though his followers worship him, others denounce him as a charlatan.

What is most alarming about CeG is the level of blind loyalty his followers display. The group’s website proclaims: “We are going to shut the mouths of those dogs [speaking of Christian churches.] We are ready to give our lives for this!”

The apostle Paul has given us a clear warning about imposters, charlatans and false teachers in the endtimes. And there are a lot of them around the world, on TV channels, on the internet, and in the church today! Paul writes to those who are true servants of Jesus, Y’shua, the true Messiah,

“In the presence of God and the Messiah, Y’shua, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, exhort, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine; but to suit their own desires, they will gather more and more teachers around them who will tickle their ears. They will turn away from hearing the truth, and will turn aside and listen to myths.”   (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

 

 

THE  WAY  TO  GOD

 

 

By DON STANTON

Men have been seeking the way to God for thousands of years. Some have found the way; many have not! Many have entered blind alleys and ended up at a dead end; others have been greatly discouraged and conclude that it is futile to search for something you can’t see; some have come to the conclusion that there is no such way - and have given up their quest.

Some say it is a very long road that leads to the Eternal One, and you just have to keep on pressing on until you find it. But some travelers complain that the way is not clearly defined, and that it is too difficult to be sure if you’re on the way or not.

Others claim that they are sure they are on the right Way; and although there are difficulties along the Way, they know that it is definitely the way that leads to Life Eternal – to the Almighty God.

If one is seeking to find God and to know Him, then it’s a reasonable proposition to find out what God says – whether He can be found, whether He can be known, and how.

“Oh, but,” some will say, “There are so many writings that claim to be from God, and many are very difficult to understand, it’s all too confusing.”

Yes, there are many writings, and there are many people who claim to be “God.” In fact, over the past 100 years there have been no less than 12,000 people who have claimed to be God or Christ.  There is one man in Florida, USA, at the present time who claims to be both Christ and God. (Report on preceding pages)

If you listen to everything that is written, said or claimed, it is confusing indeed.

What we need to recognise is that there are a lot of philosophies, fables, myths and imaginations out there that make up “religion.” Well, “religion” is simply a system of beliefs, and there’s a great variety of beliefs. The worship of Satan, and even atheism are systems of belief – religions.  Quite a lot of people have worked out a system that sounds very convincing, but often it borrows and builds on existing philosophies, and uses rationalism or imagination to come to a conviction.  And there is at least one “scripture book” that adherents claim fell down from heaven.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE BIBLE?

The Bible claims to be Scriptures inspired by God. But this Book did not drop from the sky! Rather, the Almighty, the Eternal One, the Creator, the Heavenly Father chose and guided some forty identifiable men to speak and to write what He revealed to them.

The apostle Peter was one of those 40, and he wrote these words:

“We did not follow cunningly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Master, Y’shua the Messiah. On the contrary, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My Beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased’ - and we ourselves heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain … But first of all you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation; (nor is it a matter of one’s own private, intellectual interpretation); for never has a true prophecy originated by an act of human will, but holy men spoke from God as they were moved and impelled by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:16-18, 20-21)

The apostle Paul, another of the 40, wrote to Timothy and reminded him …

“From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise in respect to salvation through faith in the Messiah, Y’shua. All Scripture is divinely-inspired - God-breathed, and is profitable for teaching, for conviction and reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate and complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  (Y’shua is the original Hebrew Name of Jesus.)

The Bible is an amazing, unique Book.  It is made up of seventy books. (The Psalms are actually five books).  The whole Bible was written over a period of 1600 years, roughly a span of forty generations.

 

 

The human authors of the books of the Bible came from every walk of life. Moses was a political leader who was trained in the universities of Egypt. Peter was a simple fisherman. Amos was a herdsman, while Joshua, a military general. Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the king of Persia; and Daniel was a prime minister in the courts of Babylon. Luke was a physician. Solomon a philosopher-king. Matthew was a tax collector, while Paul was a converted Pharisee who made tents for a living.

The Bible was written on three continents in three different languages; Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, yet it reads as if it flowed from a single pen.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Bible is the best selling book of all time, with sales of 2.5 billion copies between 1815 and 1975. By the end of the 19th century, the Bible had been translated into 337 languages.  By 2007 the complete Bible, or portions of it, became available in over 2,300 languages. And Bible translators are continuing to work on hundreds of new language translations – some being dialects of even small linguistic groups.

“But is the Bible reliable?” you may ask.

A superficial reading will not give you the answer. But eminent scholars who have studied the Bible for many years are emphatic about its reliability.  I, myself, have studied the Bible for sixty years, and the more I study, the more convinced I am of the Bible’s authenticity and reliability.

The content itself is convincing, and the numerical makeup of the text of the Bible is awesome. (See our book, God’s Numerical Design in Creation and His Word, for amazing discoveries. It is really amazing! We are now placing this book on our website.)

THE BIBLE DECLARES THE WAY TO GOD

The Scriptures reveal the true Way, but it also warns of a false way.

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

The Messiah, Y’shua, contrasted the true and the false ways:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But because the gate is narrow and the way difficult that leads to life, only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-13)

Many do not find the Way because they are simply carried along by the crowds on the broad way. The Messiah said:

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33)

“Seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

In the Book of Proverbs, King Solomon, personified wisdom, when he wrote:

“I love those who love Me; and those who seek Me diligently will find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17)

It’s true “God is love,” (1 John 4:16), and “God is Light” (1 John 1:5), and it is also true “God is wisdom.” In fact, He alone is absolutely wise. (1 Timothy 1:17)

So God, Wisdom, is saying, “Seek Me diligently.”

The prophet Hosea also writes:

“It is time to seek YHWH until He comes and rains righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12)  (YHWH - pronounced Yahweh - is the Name of God).

The reason for many not finding the Way is that they do not seek it!

Isaiah the prophet says the Teacher will show us the Way:

“Although YHWH has given you bread of adversity and water of oppression, your Teacher will no longer be hidden, but your eyes will see Your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the Way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20-21)

 

 

THE MESSIAH IS THE WAY

 

Here are some surprising statements Y’shua made to His disciples:       

“‘In My Father’s House are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going there 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, so that you also may be where I am. And you know where I am going, and you know the way.’

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Master, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?’  Y’shua answered him, ‘I AM THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life; no-one comes to the Father, except through Me’.” (John 14:2-6)

The early believers were called “Followers of the Way,” as you see in this passage:

“Now Saul, still breathing out murderous threats and against the disciples of the Master, went to the high priest, and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2)

“But how do we know that Jesus was not just another “claimer”? What makes His words so reliable and authentic?

1   First, the reality of WHO HE IS - the Messiah. In our book, THE MESSIAH, which is already on our website, I have documented 72 Old Testament prophecies about the future Messiah. All these prophecies were fulfilled exactly, in the life, death and resurrection of Y’shua.

72 prophecies fulfilled in Y’shua - this cannot be an accidental phenomenon!  There’s no doubt in an honest mind, that Y’shua is indeed the Messiah -  the Anointed One; God manifest in the flesh.

 

2   Secondly, HIS WORDS are not the words of an ordinary man. His claim to be the Way is backed by His office. And His words breathe life.

The apostle Peter who accompanied the Messiah for three concentrated years, and witnessed everything about His life and teaching, made this statement – it was after some “disciples” had left Y’shua:

“Y’shua said to the twelve disciples, ‘Do you also want to go away?’  Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life; and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’.”  (John 6:67-69)

 

3   Thirdly, the DEATH OF Y’SHUA on the cross, followed by His RESURRECTION from the dead on the third day proves His words are genuine and reliable,  for the Master had foretold these major events. If they were not fulfilled, He would have been exposed as a deluded false messiah.

 

   Look at what He said:

“From that time on Y’shua began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes - the teachers of the Law, and that He must be killed, and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)

“Y’shua said to His disciples, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day’.” (Matthew 17:22-23)

Y’shua said to Nicodemus: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-15)

“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes (the teachers of the law), and they will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge and to crucify, and on the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:18-19)

These specific prophecies were fulfilled exactly as the Master foretold. The historical record is in the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And you may read a harmonised account of the crucifixion and resurrection in our book, “The Life and Teachings of Y’shua the Messiah” (parts 11 and 12 on our website)

 

4   The reasons WHY Y’SHUA SUFFERED such hostility and gave His life, eliminate the possibility that it was all an accident. With one word Y’shua could have escaped the scourging and the cross.  But …

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

In our booklet, THE PASSION, I have given 15 reasons why Y’shua willingly endured such suffering. One of the main reasons was because it was the Father’s predetermined plan to bring redemption to lost mankind.

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Y’shua of Nazareth, a Man accredited by God among you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as yourselves also know - this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of wicked men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up, freeing Him from the agony of death, for it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” (Acts 2:22-24)

“God our Saviour … wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, (YHWH El Shaddai), and one mediator between God and men - the Man, Y’shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), who gave Himself as a ransom for all men - a fact attested to at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:3-6)

In short, the Messiah fulfilled the Bible’s prophecies by becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God to pay the penalty of the sin of the world. And because He took our place, we can receive pardon and freedom from condemnation.

 

5   Other specific prophecies of Y’shua were likewise fulfilled exactly. One in particular was the total destruction of the Temple and the slaughter of Jews, and exiling of almost all the survivors.

“And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and dedicated gifts, He said, ‘As for these things which you see, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down’.”

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognise that its destruction is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city, for these are the days of vengeance when everything that has been written will be fulfilled.

“What agony there will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be taken as captives into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:5-6, 20-24)

These prophetic statements were fulfilled in the year AD 70 – about 40 years after the Master prophesied these details.

And there is also this prophecy:

“And Y’shua answered and said to them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying, “I am the Messiah - the Christ,” and will mislead many. … And many false prophets will appear, and will deceive many people … Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! here is the Christ, the Messiah!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and will perform great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones). Look! I have told you in advance’.” (Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-25)

This prophecy has been fulfilled thousands of times, as it being fulfilled right now in Florida. (See article, “A FALSE CHRIST IN MIAMI”)

My friend, if these five points do not convince you of the authenticity of Y’shua the Messiah, then neither would you be convinced if I listed the hundreds of miracles that Y’shua did.

But this is what the apostle John, another first witness of all Y’shua did and taught, said:

“Indeed, Y’shua did many other signs also in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Y’shua is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that, believing, you may have life in His Name.”  (John 20:30-31)

And let me say, the Messiah is still doing miracles in this day and age. I have experienced wonderful miracles in my life, and I am sure all followers of the Way could say the same thing.

And my friend, even if you are not a follower of Y’shua, I dare say you can point to some miracles that have happened in your life – times when you almost got killed; or when you were at your wits’ end, and then something wonderful happened. You may not have given the credit and praise to God and to Messiah Y’shua. You may have put it down to “good fortune” or “chance.”

But you know, the Hand of God does marvellous things for everyone. It is His love, and His grace working in us all, to save us and to complete His plan for our lives.

“Because of the tender mercy of our God, a Sun rising from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)

And there is a wonderful miracle that happens in the life of every soul who turns to the Saviour – he, or she, receives forgiveness of sins, and is given a new “heart.” This miracle is “the new birth” that Y’shua was referring to when He said:

“You must be born again.” (John 3:7)

It’s a new spiritual life as a child of God. It’s a wonderful miracle.

“Of Him (Y’shua) all the prophets bear witness that through His Name, every one who believes in Him has received forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43)

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the Messiah, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; see, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 God says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

And “to all who received Him, to those who believe in His Name, Y’shua, He gave the right to become children of God; children born, not of blood (of natural descent), nor of the will of the flesh (human decision), nor of the will of man (a natural father), but of (YHWH, the Almighty) God.” (John 1:12-13)

 

 

HOW TO ENTER THE WAY?

If you really want to enter, it is not difficult!  But you have to make up your mind. It is one of those questions -  “Will I, or, won’t I ?”

To enter the Way, as Acts 10:43 and John 1:12-13, which you have just read, says, you need to believe in the Saviour, the Messiah, and receive Him as the Way for you.

Do you believe that Jesus is the living Saviour …

“… that the Messiah died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

If you do, then will you put your faith in Him to save you, to receive you, and to make you a child of the Heavenly Father?

If you do this, Y’shua will become your personal Saviour and your ever-present, loving, Heavenly Master. He will be your Way to God!

How to do it – to make it real?  Simply come to Y’shua, Jesus, in faith, and pray – talk to Him, acknowledge that you are a sinner, and need His forgiveness and salvation. Ask Him to receive you and to make you His follower. It’s a transaction – and it need not take more than a few minutes.

The Messiah gives you these promises:

“I am the door; whoever enters through Me will be saved.” (John 10:9)

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast away.” (John 6:37)

“For this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

“Y’shua the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For YHWH, the Almighty God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten, His one-and-only, unique, eternal Son, so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal (everlasting) life.”

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world; but so that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten, the unique, eternal Son of God.” (John 3:14-18)

And the apostle Paul, a one-time enemy of Y’shua who became His fervent follower and laid down his life for the Messiah, says to you and me:

“Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame or disappointed.” (Romans 9:33)

DON’T DELAY!  COME TO THE SAVIOUR NOW?

I don’t want to pressurize you, dear friend, but it’s a terrible fact that many, many souls have been eternally lost because they procrastinated – they put their decision off until it was too late!

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1)

Again the apostle Paul says:

“We also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain, for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I heard you, and in the Day of Salvation I helped you.’ Look! I tell you, now is `the well-accepted time’; now is `The Day of Salvation’.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

Following is a prayer to help you to enter the Way. Read the prayer carefully, and if this expresses the thoughts of your heart, pray along these lines, believing and trusting in the Saviour. Make the transaction now, without delay!

    TRANSACTION PRAYER

Lord Jesus, Y’shua, I come before You today, just as I am, a sinner needing salvation. I have read this message, and I have come to understand that You are the Anointed One, who came from Heaven to save sinners like me. 

Feeling my own unworthiness, I thank You for the great sacrifice You made, when You endured the cross, and paid the penalty of my sins.

I believe You are indeed the Messiah, the Saviour, and that You rose from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and are seated on the Throne of Eternity.

I believe in You, Master, and I trust You for salvation. I receive You as the Way, my Saviour and Master, and by Your grace and strength, I want to live for You from this day on.

Thank You for hearing my prayer, and for answering. Thank You for Your forgiveness, and for Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for your love. Make me like You, Master.

Thank You Heavenly Father, for receiving me as Your child. Thank You, Thank You. In the Name of Y’shua, Jesus the Messiah, I pray.  Amen

 

And if this is your prayer today, my friend, we would be glad to hear from you, so that we may pray for you.

Do keep a record of the date of today’s transaction. And keep on thanking the Master for His salvation throughout the day, and of course in the future too.

And finally, I recommend that as soon as possible, you start on the first lesson in our booklet “THE WAY - Eight Bible lessons for new believers.” 

It will help you in your spiritual journey.

May God bless and keep you. 

         Your brother,  Don  Stanton