THE EXCELLENT DEBKA FILES WITH THEIR REVIEWS FOR THIS WEEK'S REPORTS AND HEADLINES.

Summary of DEBKA Exclusives in the Week Ending January 11, 2013

January 5, 2013 Briefs: Likud loses ground over Netanyahu’s fuzzy messages DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis 05 Jan. Likud’s chief asset, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, may also be its chief liability. His silence and ambiguity, his failure to preempt a nuclear-armed Iran and his alignment with Barak Obama on Middle East affairs affecting Israel’s vital security are hurting his party - the joint Likud-Yisrael Beitenu ticket – which 17 days before a general election is on a downward slide to 34 from its first 47-seat rating. Still, the polls put him in the top slot (43+ percent) as favorite for prime minister. Meanwhile, Iran has used the months free of international harassment and Israeli thunder for giant steps toward developing plutonium-based weapons. Netanyahu’s favorite boast that he turned the Iranian nuclear menace into a matter of universal concern has had its downside: As the groundwork for a proactive military policy it was effective; however the gap between rhetoric and inaction has harmed Israel’s credibility and damaged its strategic deterrence. Netanyahu has at the same time omitted to claim credit for the improvement in relations with Turkey’s Erdogan government after years of acrimony, although it would give his campaign a valuable boost. January 6, 2013 Briefs: • Ex-FM Lieberman accepts two-state solution The next government’s guidelines will embody two-state solution for the Israel-Palestinian problem, said Avigdor Lieberman, co-leader of the rulingLikud-Israel Beitenu alliance Sunday. He denied reports that the two parties would go their separate ways after the election. • Netanyahu: Iran hasn’t yet crossed nuclear red line In a wide-ranging Kol Israel radio interview Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Iran has not yet crossed the red line toward a nuclear bomb capacity, and averting this gave peril remained his prime goal as prime minister if reelected on Jan. 22. Asked about a third Palestinian “intifada” in the absence of peace talks and rising unrest on the West Bank, Netanyahu said the Central Command HQ had preparations in place although he hoped they would not be necessary. He Mahmoud Abbas of consistently dodging peace talks, but repeated he was still open to negotiations without prior conditions. Russian warships back Assad’s bluster DEBKAfile Special Report 06 Jan. With a score of Russian warships carrying thousands of marines on the Syrian coast, Syrian Bashar Assad could afford to brazen it out Sunday, Jan. 6, in his first public speech in seven months. Syria “no longer takes dictation from anyone,” he said, and its citizens must defend their country against “a war fought by only a handful of Syrians and many foreigners with Islamist ideology.” He rejected dialogue with the opposition as “puppets fabricated by the West.” DEBKAfile: By harping on the terrorist element in the rebel movement, Assad aimed for a long-term international insurance for his regime – especially after Moscow announced that Russian vessels, including combat ships and landing craft carrying marines and military vehicles, would remain in Syrian waters until Easter – “to deter the West from deploying ground forces in Syria.” January 7, 2013 Briefs: • Egypt foils attempt to bomb Rafah Church of N. Sinai Egyptian army patrols discovered in time two bomb cars on a street between the church and a military facility under construction in the divided town between Rafah and North Sinai, said the Egyptian army spokesman. One car escaped and is being searched. • Netanyahu: Syrian army moves back from frontier, jihadists moves in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: Israel must defend its Golan border against both infiltration and terrorism since the Syrian army has moved back and the jihadists have moved in. “I also submit to the cabinet the fact that the Syrian regime is very unstable, that the question of chemical weapons here worries us.” He said that Israel was coordinating with the United States and others “so that we might be prepared for any scenario and possibility that could arise.” Israel is building a new border fence the length of the armistice line. January 8, 2013 Briefs: • Three left-of-center leaders fail to set up anti-Netanyahu bloc The three opposition leaders held their first meeting Sunday night in secret to forge a left-of-center bloc and a joint campaign strategy for preventing Binyamin Netanyahu heading the post-Jan 22 election government. However, Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich, Tzipi Livni, head of “The Movement,” and Yair Lapid, founder of Yesh Atid (Future), all had their own plans about joining the next Netanyahu administration. • Gen (ret.) Amiram Levin: Comptroller’s report exposed crime organization Ex-Mossad deputy chief Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amiram Levin said in a radio interview Sunday that the Harpaz affair, which resulted in former Maj. Gen Yoav Galant, the defense minister's nominee, being passed over as chief of staff, was but one aspect of a criminal organization exposed by the State Comptroller. It was operated, Gen. Levin charged, by disgraced former officer Boaz Harpaz, with the knowledge of former chief of staff Gaby Ashkenazi and his bureau. The Comptroller found Ashkenazi’s former top aide Col. Erez Wiener responsible for using Boaz Harpaz to gather data maligning the defense minister, his wife and his staff – with the partial knowledge of his boss, the chief of staff. Ashkenazi failed to gain approval for a fifth year in office and Barak has announced his impending retirement.

Ahead of Hagel, Brennan appointments, Obama sends intel official to Cairo DEBKAfile Special Report 08 Jan. Pre sident Barack Obama sent US Undersecretary for Defense Intelligence Michael Vickers to Cairo Sunday, Jan. 12 to try and revitalize the counter-terror war in Libya and Sinai. DEBKAfile: Obama needs to show action on fighting terror before the murder of US Ambassador Christ Stevens in Benghazi by al Qaeda comes up at congressional hearings and hampers the endorsement of ex-Senator Chuck Hagel as defense secretary and John Brennan as Central Intelligence Director. Their appointments were announced Monday, Jan. 7. Obama also promised Netanyahu US military aid for the Egyptian army to purge Sinai of terrorists and arms smugglers last November and Israel is still waiting. January 9, 2013 Briefs: • Obama expected to nominate Jack Lew to Treasury Washington insiders report that President Barack Obama has decided to nominate White House chief of staff Jack Lew as his next Treasury Secretary in place of Timothy Geithner. • Israel boosts defense industrial base The goal is to expand Israel’s annual defense exports from $7 billion to $10 billion, said Retired Brig. Gen. Shmaya Avieli, of the Defense Ministry. While the four largest companies account for 98 percent of defense exports (2 percent of total export list), government support will be expanded for hundreds of small- and medium-sized firms which often offer innovative solutions more quickly. • Syria’s 50 tonnes of unenriched uranium missing Bashar Assad was close to building a nuclear reactor at Al-Kibar in eastern Syria with assistance from North Korea when it was destroyed by Israel in 2007. The stock of 50 tonnes of unenriched uranium, enough for weapons grade fuel for five atomic devices, has since gone missing and may have passed to Iran, Assad feels secure enough to allow POW exchange DEBKAfile Special Report 09 Jan. The three-way prisoner exchange of thousands of Syrian, Turkish and Iranian prisoners Wednesday, Jan. 9, was the first Assad-rebel deal. Altogether, the Assad regime released Syrian 2,130 civilians, including 73 women and a number of foreigners, some of them Turks, and obtained the release of 48 Iranians held for six months by the rebel Free Syrian Army. The FSA claimed they were Revolutionary Guards officers and men, while Tehran insisted they were pilgrims visiting holy sites in Syria. DEBKAfile: This turning-point in the 22-month Syrian conflict was made possible by the Syrian ruler’s confidence in his survival and the rebels’ realization that it was their only chance to save some of their war gains. The POW swap may lead to a lull in the fighting as both sides build up their resources – either to win the war or improve their future bargaining position. January 10, 2013 Briefs: • Syrian army fires more short-range missiles A NATO official confirmed the launch of an unguided, short-range ballistic missile – probably a Scud – Wednesday night against unspecified targets in northern Syria. • Three Kurdish women found shot dead in Paris French Interior Minister Manuel Valls told reporters in Paris the three women had been "without doubt executed" with gunshots to the head early Thursday. • Right-of-center bloc gaining 12 days before Israeli vote Less than two weeks before the Jan. 22 general election, the 120 Knesset seats divide roughly between 71 seats for the right-of-center plus religious parties bloc versus 49 for the left-of-center factions plus Arab parties, according to a new opinion poll broadcast by Kol Israel national radio Thursday. Nettanyahu’s Likud-Israel Beitenu is shown to be lleveling out of its decline with the prospect of 34-35 seats. It is followed by Labor under Shelly Yacimovitch steady at 17; Naftali Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi with 14+ ; the ultra-Orthodox Shas dropping to 9 – level with rising Yair Lapid’s new Future; and Tzipi Livni’s Hatenua down to 7 - matched by the second ultra-Orthodox Torah Judaism party. The former ruling Kadima and right-wing Otzma are both down to two mandates each and battling for the threshold minimum of three. Left-wing Meretz may expect four seats while the Arab parties are stable at a total of ten. • First eight Israeli votes cast in Wellington, New Zealand Overseas balloting for the Jan. 22 general election has begun at 96 overseas diplomatic missions, starting in New Zealand. • Blizzards cover two-thirds of Israel in snow After week-long torrential rains and high winds across the country, most of inland Israel was hit by a blizzard Thursday, closing schools and halting public city and intercity transport, as temperatures dropped below zero. The main highways connecting Jerusalem to the rest of the country were later reopened. Dozens of householders were evacuated Wednesday from water-logged homes as rivers and normally dry wadis burst their banks. US military option for Syria nixed before Hagel’s coming DEBKAfile Special Report 11 Jan. At a joint news conference Friday, Jan. 11, retiring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs, Gen. Martin Dempsey, cleaned the Pentagon’s Syrian desk ready for incoming Secretary Chuck Hagel. Boiled down to essentials, their triple message was that Bashar Assad could not be stopped from using chemical weapons if he chose to do so, that securing the CW sites after Assad’s fall was the job of the “international community,” and that no US ground troops would be sent to Syria. Dempsey said if Assad chose to use his chemical weapons against opposition forces it would be virtually impossible to stop him because “you would have to have such clarity of intelligence, you know, persistent surveillance, you would have to actually see it before it happened." Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told same news conference that the US is increasingly focused on how to secure Syria’s chemical weapons if Assad falls from power, but is not considering sending in ground troops.

"LOOK TO EGYPT FOR MORE CLUES ABOUT OBAMA" BY THE HIGHLY RESPECTED MICHAEL YOUSSEF

Posted on Thursday, January 10 By Michael Youseff.

Why doesn’t President Obama—who claims to be a Christian—ever defend the cause of the harassed and persecuted Christians around the world?
Examining his dealings with Egypt during the past two years may give us some clues.
Clue #1:
When vast street demonstrations opposed former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mr. Obama was quick on the trigger to publically call on Mr. Mubarak to resign.
Mubarak was a secular dictator who promoted capitalism. There was plenty of corruption, to be sure. But that is cultural; the increase—not decrease—in corruption under the Islamic dictator who replaced Mubarak has proven that.
Then, when the election between Mohamed Morsi and General Shafik came down to a razor-thin margin, despite much skullduggery at the polls (fraudulent votes, Christians and others prevented from voting), the White House and the U.S. State Department quickly embraced Morsi as the victor. No doubt, they thought an Islamist president would satisfy hard-line Islamists and neutralize would-be terrorists. Yet neither has happened.
Finally, when current Egyptian President Morsi declared himself to be the supreme ruler, not one public word of criticism came from the American administration.
So Mr. Obama has no problem with dictatorship, as long as it’s Islamic and not capitalist. That’s the first clue.
Clue #2:
Rashid Khalidi, Hamas supporter and former PLO advisor, is an old Chicago friend of Mr. Obama’s. The president also studied under and maintained a relationship with Edward Said, who served as a member of the Palestine National Council and worked with Yasser Arafat.
No doubt those relationships influenced Obama in turning a blind eye to an Islamist’s assertion of power—never mind the fraud and intimidation involved in the process. Hamas, in particular, is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. They have moved their headquarters from Damascus to Cairo and have gained in strength in Egypt since Morsi’s rise.
Clue #3:
President Morsi imitates President Obama in both style and substance. Whoever said “imitation is the highest form of flattery” would be proud of Morsi’s efforts.
They are both ideologues rather than pragmatists, although they express their ideologies differently given their vastly different political environments.
They both love to rule by decrees and executive orders while paying lip service to other existing authorities. Their aim is the same: choke up the existing system and render it ineffective so it will collapse. From the resulting debris, they will establish a transformed society in their image.
They both have little tolerance for opposition. President Morsi is the luckier of the two in this regard; he has more direct power to muzzle and threaten his opponents. President Obama must settle for threats from his friends—such as singer Harry Belafonte who encouraged Obama to “work like a third world dictator and just put all these guys in jail."
They both love to hear themselves talk. Not just any talk, but speeches that support ideas that are the opposite of what they actually do. When they give a speech, knowledgeable people in both countries look at each other and ask, “What did he just say?” For both of them, speeches are all about the art of composition—words, mere words. They speak out of both sides of their mouths.
So don’t look to Obama to defend the cause of Christians. His support for Islamist power drowns out the voices of the persecuted. When true freedom-lovers demonstrated against Morsi’s decree making himself supreme ruler, the Islamist militia killed some of the protestors and injured hundreds more. But the White House only mumbled anemic words like: “We call for calm and for all parties to work together to resolve their differences peacefully.”
The Christians being killed in Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, and Nigeria don’t have an advocate in the White House, but they do have one in Heaven. That is the only place they need to look for help.
But they can also count on some, few as they are, faithful believers in the West—believers who are standing with them, encouraging them, supporting them, and most importantly, praying for them.

DOES THE WEST REALLY SUPPORT THE MIDDLE EAST???

THE WEST SUPPORTS THE MIDDLE EAST? This picture is the 'religion' that the West supports in the Middle East (if it gets omitted again, Big Brother is watching closely!). Mubarak, who was friendly to Christians in Egypt, was told he had to leave. Obama and the rest of the Western leaders insisted on this. Ghadaffi, another Christian friendly leader, was also told to leave and when he fought the jihadists, he was brought down by NATO. Hillary cackled with laughter when she heard of his brutal torture and death at the hands of his--and our--enemies. You see, our enemies are now our 'leaders.' Since the Arab Spring, hailed as a glorious democratic grass roots movement, Christians in these countries are being forced to leave for fear of being murdered. Now your Western 'leaders' are coming after Assad, the last Christian-friendly leader left in the region. And you are supposed to believe he will be replaced by people who, to quote candidate Romney, 'share our values.' But Al Qaeda and other like groups are emerging as the new leaders in Syria. How can America lift her head with pride knowing that our tax money and our military are supporting the ideology that burned the Christians whose charred remains are shown above? The nation that wept over the horrors of Hitler's gas chambers is turning a blind eye to the savage murders of people who truly share our values and our faith. BTW, I was able to verify this story by going to the Spanish language site where the original text appears (see below this commentary). Nigerian Christians have had their churches burned by the local Muslims for many years so this is nothing new. It just happens to be perhaps the first time a photo of the charred remains has been sent to the public. But note that Facebook banned it on their social media and the world msm will remain as silent as the sphinx as long as they can. Their silence is consent. They are complicit in murder. This is the way all totalitarianism starts, with the full support of sold-out media. But this time, it is worldwide. The conditions for Armageddon--the very one mentioned in the Bible--are coming together like never before in world history. There is no longer a city on a hill to look to for help. Our only hope is in God, where it should have been in the first place. http://www.religionenlibertad. com/articulo.asp?idarticulo= 25283 Make this viral. Don Hank.

UPCOMING MEETINGS FOR THE EARLY PART OF THE NEW YEAR.

Dear Friends,

The New year is now well under way, and the first meeting to bring to your attention is the Pontypridd branch of the PWMI who kick start proceedings with their Saturday programme of two meetings on January 19th with guest speaker, Pastor David Moore from Stoke. The schedule is planned for 10.30am to 4pm (please bring your own packed lunch), and the address is the Bethany Baptist Church, Ford Road, Pwllgwaun, Pontypridd, CF37 IHX (contact Pastor Darren Rogers on 01443 686682 for more details).

Following this we have the Swindon PWMI meeting on Thursday, the 14th February when the youngest member of the PWMI National Council, Dr Paul Wilkinson from the Hazelgrove Fellowship in Stockport will minister on reigning in the Millenium and associated issues. Please contact Tony McLellan on 07931 421157 for more details.

The following evening on the Friday, Brian Gemmell from York, and also from the Bible Prophecy Foundation, will commence his annual visit to South Wales, when he will be ministering at three different locations over the period of February15th to the17th. We were hoping to add a further date on Thursday the 14th at Merthyr, but it now looks like this meeting will be postponed as our contacts there could not find a suitable venue.

However, we are delighted to announce that we will be holding a fine evening of superb Bible Prophecy teaching at The Pontypool branch of the PWMI and the BPF, when Brian will speak on "LAWLESSNESS ON THE LOOSE", as he succintly summarises what devilish practises are happening in the world around us today. The venue is the ZION Church, 4 Pisgah, Road, Talywain, Pontypool, NP4 7HZ (tel Neville Stephens on 07808 251502 for more info).

On the next day, Saturday the 16th February, Brian will be ministering four times at Nancy's Farm in Bassaleg from 11am-5pm (again bring your own packed lunch), when his fascinating subject will be "RETURN OF THE BIBLE GIANTS???" when he will teach on fallen angels, the nephilim, demons, satanic influences on the earth, and much more on this scary but very believable scenario! Please contact me on 07808 251502 for more details.

Brian will conclude his mini tour of our area on the Sunday when he will take the morning service at the City Of Refuge Church in Bassaleg, Newport from 10.30am, when his title will be "GOD'S POWER THROUGH THE WORD" (please contact Nancy Williams on 01633 893210 for more info).

Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope to see you at some of these meetings. For a full guide to of all of the upcoming meetings (with their full addresses) in our area for the year, please go to the top right hand section of this blog where you will find a comprehensive list.

Maranatha Blessings,
Neville.

A Long But Well Worth Watching Video Exposing "Word of Faith Teachers: Origins & Errors of Their Teaching" (Full Film). Avoid Copeland, Hinn, Meyer, Osteen, Jakes, And Many Others With Their Satanic Message!

THE LATEST PROPHECY NEWS WATCH HEADLINES AND STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Prophecy News Headlines

	Where Is The US In Bible Prophecy? New Research Explores The Changing Shape Of Temptation And America's Favorite Sins A new study from the Barna Group examines the temptations Americans say they most commonly struggle with - and how they resolve to deal with these moral and ethical lures.  ....  Click here for full story
	Where Is The US In Bible Prophecy? Who's Filling America's Church Pews? In Puritan New England, Protestant and Catholic churches are declining while evangelical and Pentecostal groups are rising. Why the nation's most secular region may hint at the future of religion....  Click here for full story
	Where Is The US In Bible Prophecy? Abyss Of Debt Still Threatens America Even Though Fiscal Cliff Has Been Avoided If the infamous fiscal cliff in America was averted, why is no one celebrating? Because the abyss below just got deeper ....  Click here for full story
	Israel- God's Timepiece Binyamin Netanyahu Fights Surge From Rightwing Opponent Before Poll Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has been forced to recalibrate his election campaign in response to a downward spiral in opinion polls due to a surprise challenge from an ultra-nationalist startup millionaire and veteran of Israel's most elite commando unit ....  Click here for full story
	Christian Worldview and Issues The Long Christian Winter The line about the American general meeting the Arab Christian isn't as familiar as it should be. "When did your family convert?" the general asked. "About 2,000 years ago," the Arab answered wryly .... Click here for full story
	Rise Of Islam Islamic Influence In UK Textbooks Means Israel Is Wiped Off The Map Ahmadinejad promised it. Now British textbooks are doing it. Israel has been wiped off the map by Garnet Education, an English-language teaching company in Britain, whose educational textbook aimed at foreign students and immigrants to the UK, contains a map with "Occupied Palestine" in place of the Jewish State ....  Click here for full story
	Rise Of Islam Al Gore's Current TV Opens The Door To Islamic Psychological Warfare Al-Jazeera TV, located in and financed by Qatar, which just bought Current TV from former presidential candidate Al Gore for a reported $500 million, "is providing an alternative viewpoint on domestic news,". What sort of alternative viewpoint? ....  Click here for full story

THE LATEST MID-EAST PROPHECY UPDATE FROM PASTOR JD. FARAG

DAVE REAGAN ON "THE WOMAN OF REVELATION CHAPTER 17".

Observations on the Woman of Revelation 17: Roman Spiritual System

By Dr. David R. Reagan

I believe the evil woman pictured in Revelation 17 symbolizes the city of Rome and its corrupt spiritual system. And I believe that system will initially be an amalgamation of the world's pagan religions, including apostate Protestants, under the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.

In that regard, I think it is significant that in 1989 the Archbishop of the Anglican Church, Robert Runcie, called for all Christians to accept the Pope as "a common leader presiding in love." Runcie made his appeal at an evening prayer service midway through his first official visit to the Vatican. "For the universal church, I renew the plea," he said. "Could not all Christians come to reconsider the kind of primacy the bishop of Rome exercised with the early church, 'a presiding in love' for the sake of the unity of the churches in the diversity of their mission?"¹

We have already been given a chilling preview of what is to come. It occurred in November 1986 in Assisi Italy when Pope John Paul II called a convocation of the leaders of twelve world religions to pray to their gods for peace. One of those who came was the Dalai Lama who is considered to be a god himself! The show was stolen by an American Indian chief who danced and whooped to his god.²

Why did the Pope feel it was necessary to bring together pagan religious leaders to pray to pagan gods? Does the Pope feel his own god is inadequate to the task? The most obvious answer is that the Pope believes all the leaders were praying to the same god.

This is one of the most popular ideas in Christendom today. It is the concept that God has revealed Himself in many different ways to different peoples. The conclusion, therefore, is that there are many roads to God. It is tolerance gone to seed. It also contradicts the Scriptures which say that God has revealed Himself in only one person, His Son, Jesus of Nazareth (Hebrews 1:1-2).

In December 2000, Pope John Paul muddied the waters further when he addressed 30,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. He told the multitude "that all who live a just life will be saved even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church."³ The Pope added, "The gospel teaches us that those who live in accordance with the Beatitudes... will enter God's kingdom." He concluded by observing that all that is needed for salvation is "a sincere heart."

In short, the Pope made a liar of Jesus Christ who proclaimed, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6). Jesus is also recorded in John 17:3 as having said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

The Church's Destruction

Notice that the harlot is portrayed as riding on the back of the Antichrist (Revelation 17:3). I believe this symbolism indicates that the church has become a nuisance. The Antichrist has used her to help consolidate his world kingdom, but now she has become enamored with power and is trying to dominate the Antichrist and his kingdom. So, the Antichrist turns on the church and destroys her (Revelation 17:16).

At this point I believe the Antichrist will replace the Catholic Church with his new one-world religion that is headed up by the False Prophet. And, I believe this one-world religion will be Humanism carried to its ultimate conclusion — the worship of a man.

Humanism is the belief in Man. It is the foundation of all pagan religions, including pagan Christianity. The False Prophet will call on all humanity to put its trust in the Antichrist as its Lord and Savior. And since the Antichrist will be possessed by Satan (Revelation 13:2), the whole world will in reality be worshiping Satan himself.

Our Response

Considering the fact that the Catholic Church is most likely to be the cornerstone of the Apostate Church of the first half of the Tribulation, what should be our attitude toward Catholicism? Was the Reformation simply much ado about nothing? Has modern day Catholicism reformed itself sufficiently to justify our overlooking doctrinal differences in the name of Christian love and unity?

The first point I would like to make is that Catholicism is not nearly as apostate as some forms of mainline Protestant Christianity. The Catholic Church strongly affirms the virgin birth, the deity of Jesus, and the reality of the Resurrection. All three of these cornerstone truths have been rejected by mainstream liberal Protestantism in its obsessive search for what it calls "the historical Jesus." In short, apostasy is not a Protestant versus Catholic issue. There is apostasy on both sides of the fence.

If Catholicism affirms the deity and resurrection of Jesus, then where does it fall short of Biblical standards? Where is the apostasy?

ABBAS WANTS TO SAVE JERUSALEM!!! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS KIDDING???

‘Our mission is to save Jerusalem,’ Abbas tells Fatah supporters in TV address to huge Gaza rally

100,000 join anniversary celebration in Hamas-controlled Strip, signaling growing detente between Palestinian rivals

By Times of Israel staff and APJanuary 4, 2013, 1:18 pmUpdated: January 4, 2013, 2:31 pm5 | The Times of Israel

 

Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters rallying in Gaza City Friday. (photo credit: AP/Adel Hana)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party staged a massive rally Friday in the Gaza Strip, the first such gathering in the territory since Hamas seized control there in 2007 and a reflection of the warming ties between the two rival factions.

In a speech from his Ramallah headquarters in the West Bank, Abbas declared that “victory is near… We will soon meet in Gaza.”

He named a list of Palestinians killed in decades of struggle against Israel — including those from rival Palestinian movements, such as Hamas’s spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. He said that when Fatah was founded, the Palestinians’ situation was far worse than today. “The world didn’t recognize us. We didn’t have a state or an entity on the political map,” he said. “We were regarded as refugees who needed charity.” But “a trailblazing force” had insistently sought to change that, a process that culminated at the UN, he said, when the General Assembly on November 29 upgraded the Palestinians’ status.

Protesting the “occupation and blockade” imposed by Israel, and the expansion of settlements in Jerusalem, Abbas declared, “Our mission is to unify our efforts to save Jerusalem our capital.”

Throngs had camped out overnight in a downtown Gaza square to ensure themselves a spot for the anniversary commemoration of Fatah founding, and tens of thousands marched early Friday carrying Fatah banners. By early afternoon, a hundred thousand people had gathered, Israel Radio reported.

Top party officials arrived in Gaza for the first time since they were ousted from Gaza by Hamas rivals in 2007.

“There is no substitute for national unity,” Abbas said in the televised address.

Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said the party received a congratulatory message from Hamas’s Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who expressed hope that the two factions could reconcile their differences and work together as joint representatives of the Palestinian people.

“This festival will be like a wedding celebration for Palestine, Jerusalem, the prisoners, the refugees and all the Palestinians,” said Shaath.

Reconciliation between the two factions, however, is still far from coming to fruition. Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, considered more pragmatic than Hamas’s Gaza-based hard-line leaders, forged a reconciliation agreement with Abbas in 2011.

But the Gaza-based leadership, unsupportive of the agreement, has held up implementing it. Also, Fatah enjoys Western support and it has been pressured not to forge a unity deal with the terrorist Hamas, which calls for Israel’s destruction.

Fadwa Taleb, 46, who worked as a police officer during the previous rule of Fatah, gathered at the rally with her family. “We feel like birds freed from our cage today,” Taleb said. “We are happy and feel powerful again.”

A Gaza security official said a Fatah-linked former aide to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died of a heart attack in the square overnight, saying he was shocked by the large crowd that was allowed to gather.

In the West Bank, Abbas signed a presidential decree changing the name of the Palestinian Authority to the “State of Palestine,” following the Palestinians’ upgraded status at the United Nations as a non-member observer state.

According to the decree, reported by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa Thursday night, all stamps, signs, and official letterhead will be changed to bear the new name.

It is the first concrete, albeit symbolic, step the Palestinians have taken following the November decision by the United Nations. Abbas has hesitated to take more dramatic steps, like filing war crimes indictments against Israel at the International Criminal Court, a tactic that only a recognized state can carry out.

With the vast crowds waving yellow Fatah flags and chanting slogans, the large Friday rally to celebrate the movement’s 48th anniversary was a sign of growing detente with Hamas.

A number of Fatah activists and officials traveled from the West Bank to Gaza for the rally, including Jibril Rajoub, who formerly headed the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank; negotiator Shaath, Fatah cofounder Abdul Aziz Shaheen; and Fadwa Barghouti, the wife of jailed activist Marwan Barghouti.

In early December, Hamas celebrated its own anniversary, holding rallies in several West Bank cities for the first time in five years.

Hamas has gained new support among Palestinians following eight days of fighting with Israel in November, in which its terrorists fired some 1,500 rockets into Israel.

UPDATE ON "THE GOG AND MAGOG WATCH". LOOK OUT FOR IRAN AND RUSSIA IN THE NEW YEAR!!!

GOG N MAGOG WATCH: Iran Finishes Military Exercises as Russia Sets for Largest Naval Exercise in Decades

Posted on January 3, 2013 by shekinah419

Standard

Reblogged from END TIME HEADLINES:

• 

Iran’s navy wrapped up a six-day military drill around the Strait of Hormuz aimed at displaying the country’s readiness to defend the waterway.

Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari praised operational units’ swift response after the military exercise ended yesterday, according to a report published by state-run Press TV. The drill covered an area extending to the Sea of Oman and the north of the 

Read more… 528 more words

THE POPE CALLS FOR "GOD-CENTERED GLOBAL ECONOMY"!!!

THE POPE CALLS FOR "GOD-CENTERED GLOBAL ECONOMY"!!!

Reblogged from politicalconnection:

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The USA Today headlines read “Pope calls for ‘God-centered’ global economy“.  Pretty scary when you realize that he is one of the most powerful men in the world and he also thinks he is “god”.  Huffington Post and even Jesuit Fred Kammer in a Loyola University New Orleans website article both pointed out the Pope’s recent document affirms that wealth needs to be redistributed economically, globally, and even at the level of national resources being shared with other countries.

Read more… 1,424 more words

SHORT VIDEO ON "JEWS WILL BE GONE FROM THE EARTH WHEN THE MAHDI COMES"!!!

Egyptian Cleric: Jews will be gone from the earth when Mahdi comes

By Shoebat Foundation on January 2, 2013 in Blog, General

As the West attempts to split hairs when determining if Islamists with this view are part of al-Qaeda or not, the words of Islamists like this fall on deaf ears. His idea of victory is for the earth to be uninhabited by a single Jew.
Understand how history repeats itself with today’s persecution of Christians in Islamic countries and compare to the plight of the Jews in Nazi Occupied Europe, click her for details.
Note that this guy is rooting for the Syrian rebels.
Via MEMRI:

NETANYAHU CITES BIBLICAL PRECEDENT INVOLVING "RUSHED" PEACE AGREEMENT!!

Citing Biblical precedent, Netanyahu cautions against ‘rushed’ peace agreement

Warning Hamas could overthrow Palestinian Authority, PM rebuffs Peres’s call for making peace with Abbas                                  

Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara host rabbis and scholars at their home for a Bible study session in October (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/Flash90)

Israel should not rush into a peace agreement with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as the Hamas terror group could take over the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

Netanyahu, speaking at his weekly Bible-study session, compared political changes in the region to the weekly portion, saying just as a benevolent Pharaoh was replaced by one who enslaved the Jews, leaders around the region are being forced out and that could happen to Abbas as well.

“In this week’s Torah portion it is written, ‘Now there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph.’ That’s also happening today,” he said from his Jerusalem residence, referring to the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, who replaced Hosni Mubarak as Egypt’s leader last year.

“Everyone knows that Hamas could take over the Palestinian Authority,” Netanyahu said. “It can happen after an agreement [with Israel], it could happen before an agreement, as was the case in Gaza.”

Netanyahu was referring to a violent 2007 coup during which Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and pushed out the more moderate Fatah movement.

In recent days, President Shimon Peres has called on Netanyahu to use the opportunity presented by Abbas’s moderate views to find a way to make peace with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu, however, said that doing so would ignore security needs.

“As opposed to the voices that I have heard recently urging me to run forward, make concessions, withdraw [from the West Bank], I think that the diplomatic process must be managed responsibly and sagaciously and not in undue haste,” he said. “Otherwise a third base for Iranian terrorism will arise here, in the heart of the country. Peace can be achieved only when security is assured.”

Netanyahu was likely referring to Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon as local Iranian-sponsored terror bases.

Netanyahu reportedly restated his commitment to a two-state solution on Monday, but stressed the need for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and for security arrangements to be in place for an agreement to be reached.

Netanyahu’s reaffirmation came on the heels of comments by Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely claiming his call for a two-state solution, made in a 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University, was “tactical” and meant for external consumption only.

“Two states for two peoples was never part of [Likud's] election platform,” Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Ynet last week.

SOURCE

TWO GOOD ARTICLES FROM THE "RAPTURE READY" WEBSITE BY TODD AND TERRY.

Coping with the New Norm in Natural Disasters (By Todd).

There is no denying the fact that natural disasters have been on the upswing in the United States. In the past two years, floods, drought, tornadoes, and hurricanes have occurred with record frequency. In the past week, the year 2012 added to its list of destructive weather a powerful winter storm that hit the southern states hard. The big news from this weather event was the number of tornadoes it generated: There were 40 tornado reports. The National Weather Service has determined whether some of these reports were just straight-line winds. Since the old record is only 12, it is almost a certainty that we will pass the record for the most number of tornadoes occurring on Christmas Day.   While the Gulf states were getting hit by tornadoes, an ice storm was generating wide-scale damage here in central Arkansas. Terry and I live in the city of Benton, AR, and our city had its worst weather of this type since 2000. There are trees down all over town, and a third of the city is without power. I'm currently sitting at a desk in the Arkadelphia, AR, Days Inn, so it goes without saying that the power is out in our neighborhood. Since Terry lives right across the street from me, retreating to his house was not an option. Terry's son, Terry Jr., has set up a heater to keep their house warm, and they have a generator. My house is about 55 degrees. I did have two battery power units that helped me through the first day of the outage. I have a mobile internet card to act as a backup when my cable modem fails. Once the battery units ran out of juice, I headed south on the interstate.   The key functions of the site continued despite my absence. Since the folks who labor to maintain RR are spread out across five states, the daily news, message board, and RR radio carried on as normal. The only real snag was the addition of new articles, which is a task that I solely manage. Terry and I had talked about how we would operate if there were a major weather event in our area. The plan was for me to hit the road before a big storm. Unfortunately, in this case, the weather service provided no warning about how bad the ice was going to be. Since there are all these tall trees on the side of the road, I learned that it's best to wait out the storm before making your retreat. I think it’s important for every student of prophecy to plan around the increase of last-days birth pangs. For example, Memphis, Tennessee, is a nice city, but I would never live there because of its proximity to the New Madrid fault. I would have the same caution about living in any of the other earthquake risk zones. If you live in an area prone to earthquakes and you don't have the option of moving, there are things you can do to lower your risk of calamity.   There is no way I could give my blessing to someone who had a home destroyed and wants to rebuild in the same location. I'm sure most of victims of Hurricane Sandy will rebuild their homes in the same spot. Since it is already a given fact that another hurricane will come within 100 years and damage their new homes, the possibility of a shorter time scale would give me pause. The people who rebuilt after the great flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River found themselves repeating the disaster in the great flood of 2011. The way things are going, the next great flood might only be a few years away. Bible prophecy warns that calamities will only increase as we get closer to the Tribulation hour. In the near future, there may be other disasters that we find ourselves being forced to cope with, but we do have hope for relief. Jesus told us that all these warning signs would be the calling of our final redemption. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21: 8-11, 25-28).  --Todd

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Restraining Sudden Destruction (By Terry). 

Author’s note: I am operating on generator power, the ice and snow storm of Christmas Day having felled trees and power lines. Thus, I’m way behind on things, including preparing for my Future Congress II presentation at Dallas next week. Plus, I’ve had the granddaddy of all colds since Christmas Day. I say all of that to say I hope you will understand that I am sending a Nearing Midnight article that ran earlier in 2012. This is the only time I’ve offered a retread, and certainly would prefer to send a new update. However, I was going to write on this very topic –“The Restrainer"--because the evil we see occurring all around in our society and culture today is observably becoming worse. The shootings, for example, are serving the devil’s multiple purposes–to take the lives of God’s creation–man—and to incite those who want to take away from Americans the one right–the 2nd Amendment--that truly stands between we the people and a potentially dictatorial government, should one raise its ugly head. One can only imagine the horrific assaults that will take place from the fallen minds of men, inspired by the demons of hell, when the Restrainer removes to Heaven with Christ’s call, “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1-2).   There is a sense among many at this moment in history that impending disaster presses against the fabric of life on planet Earth from every side. This is not mere paranoia pushing against the collective, anxiety-ridden psyche of a world uncertain about its future. The threat is real, and it is in Bible prophecy. A quick scan of issues, events, and anticipated actions testify to the reality of the threat and validates the angst. Israel is ground zero for much of the fear pressing upon a world full of dread. The Jewish state is considered the trigger point for possible nuclear conflict in the Middle East–conflict that is sure to spread globally once unleashed. Iran is the antagonist that is the cause of the most immediate threat to regional and world peace–although the world diplomatic community seems intent on making Israel responsible for keeping war from erupting. This is the way it is, despite the fact that the Iranian regime’s leaders threaten to wipe Israel off the map.   It is puzzling to many as to why there hasn’t been an uncontrollable explosion there in the ancient Bible land. Israel’s restraint has been remarkable, considering the threat from its neighbors, particularly from Iran and its developing nuclear program. Rumors continue to fly of war-making against that program, thus to eliminate atomic weapons that will almost certainly be unleashed against Israel if allowed to come to fruition. The world is in absolute economic chaos. Everywhere one looks, there are untenable fiscal circumstances that threaten not only national, but continental and even planetary economic implosion. Greece is the most recent to require a $170 billion bail-out--done, incidentally, with money that doesn’t really exist. Debt forgiveness and other sleight-of-hand chicanery are at the root of the “fix”--a trick similar to the trillions-of-dollars, smoke-and-mirrors maneuvering employed to keep America’s financial ship afloat for these months since the current administration began to wrestle with the controls of power. Like in the case of the Israeli/Iranian threat to world peace, it is dumbfounding to many as to why these economic pressures, pressing in upon the fabric of world stability, haven’t ruptured the building bubble and collapsed the global monetary structure. The worldwide terrorism factor--wrapped up in militant, fanatic Islam and the ongoing jihad declared against anyone and everyone who refuses to bow to Allah--amazingly hasn’t broken through the fabric of the world’s relative stability. Tremendous pressure from that quarter is on the rise in a mighty way, however.   No matter at which of Israel’s enemy neighbors one looks, there is seen the arising of Islamist insurgency. The Muslim Brotherhood--which, inexplicably, continues to be viewed by mainstream news and the Obama administration as a benign embryo of democracy on the ascent—is spreading its malignant tentacles through the Arab Spring assaults on governments in the region. They seek to replace present dictatorships with other dictatorships, controlled by an oligarchy-like rulership. Why, many puzzle, has that incendiary movement not torched the combustible Mideast situation, igniting the conflagration the world’s diplomatic community fears?   I wrote at the beginning of this commentary that these pressures that represent a cataclysmic threat are in Bible prophecy. The end-of-the-age combination of absolute evil will, God’s prophetic Word says, comes much like the antediluvian age of Noah’s day, which ended with a great, destructive deluge. Daniel the prophet put it this way: “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:26). Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection would, the prophet foretold, set in motion events that will culminate with mankind’s final war that will be fought this side of Christ’s return. The desolations of that era will be like a flood--i.e., the war of good versus evil will include many troubles, which God’s Word outlines for anyone who truly is a watchman in the last days.   Jesus told those watchmen (mentioned in Mark 13: 37) that when we see all of these things, including great wars and rumors of war, that we are to know that the end “is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). But we are to be looking up, because He is very near to His time of return (Luke 21:28). When is the end coming, then? We know from Daniel’s prophecy that a flood of issues and events with evil at their core will mark the end. Jesus Himself prophesied that the time of His coming will be like it was in the times of Noah’s day and like Lot’s day in Sodom (read Luke 17:26-30 and Matthew 24:36-42). Things will be moving along relatively as usual for those times. We must remember that those times were filled with godlessness and great evil, even though people were buying, selling, marrying, planting, etc. Jesus then said that the same day Noah went into the ark, and the same day that Lot was taken from Sodom, God’s judgment fell. He said it will be exactly like in those days at the time He returns. That first phase of His return will be at the Rapture of His church–not at His Second Advent (Revelation 19:11). We can know that is true, because at the time of His Second Coming at Armageddon, it will not be business as usual. The earth will be almost completely destroyed, and nearly three-fourths of mankind will have been killed by that time.   Prophetic observers of God’s Word are witnessing that end-times onslaught of pressures from evil that Daniel called a flood. But, that flood hasn’t broken the dam holding it back. This is amazing even to many who watch and believe in prophetic stage-setting. Why hasn’t the Middle East completely exploded in war? Why hasn’t the world economy imploded, bringing about worldwide financial collapse? Why have the Muslims been allowed to continue to set up their long-desired, worldwide caliphate, while Israel more and more is viewed as the troublemaker that might be the instigator of war? Paul the apostle, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told us the reason things haven’t yet completely come apart--why evil hasn’t yet taken over: And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10) The KJV word “withholdeth” in the Greek language is katecho. It means to “restrain.” So, this prophecy by Paul is about the one who will “restrain” evil, until He is taken out of the way. The Restrainer is God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. God Himself is restraining the evil, which can’t take over the world and be ruled by Antichrist.   How can God be “taken out of the way” so evil and Antichrist can take over for a time? This will happen only when the church–all believers in Christ (the born again) are taken to Heaven in the Rapture. The Holy Spirit indwells each and every Christian at present. When the church is raptured from the earth, the Holy Spirit will serve a different purpose in God’s plan for the consummation of human history. He will no longer restrain the evil thoughts of mankind. He will no longer govern the consciences of those left behind to endure the Tribulation–the final seven years of history before Christ’s Second Coming. It is no wonder that Jesus said that time will be the worst that has ever been, or ever will be (Matthew 24:21). It will be hell on earth when the Restrainer no longer restrains evil as He does in this present hour. Jesus says that at the time the Holy Spirit leaves His restraining office, judgment will fall that very day (again, reread Luke 17: 26-30 and Matthew 24:36-42). That stupendous change for all of mankind can take place at any moment. Here is what Jesus told us further: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). --Terry

THE LATEST FASCINATING MID-EAST VIDEO PROPHECY UPDATE BY THE EXCELLENT PASTOR JD FARAG FROM HAWAII.

THE SPLENDID MARK HITCHCOCK SPEAKING ON "THE RAPTURE", AT JD FARAG'S ALOHA BIBLE PROPHECY CHURCH FROM HAWAII.

"BORED BY GOD - WHY CHURCHES CREATE NEW CHRISTS" BY HARRY GAYLORD

If you are one to keep your eye on trends that go on in the world of Christianity, you will notice that there are plenty of inconsistencies. On the one hand, there are plenty of churches who are faithful to God’s word and the gospel and take great measures to ensure their reputation as Christians is held to high standards. They even practice what they preach in the various ministries they carry out in their communities.
Then on the other hand, you have ministries that bend over backwards to get more people to follow them. They will re-interpret God’s word to make it favorable to worldly interests. They embrace ungodly practices and will falsely claim that the Bible doesn’t really speak against those practices or will falsely claim that what the Old Testament spoke against no longer applies to the church today.

I truly praise God for the former type of church and not the latter. So how is it that ministries get to the point where they don’t even resemble the true Christ of real Biblical Christianity and preach a reinvented Christ? The Bible tells us in several places how such things happen. Here’s one of those passages:
¹³ Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
¹⁴ Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
¹⁵ And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.  Malachi 3

Reinventing the God of the Bible and reinventing Christ to form false gods and false christs begins with selfish ambitions. It starts when people in Christian settings tell themselves, “You know what? I’m out here busting my hump trying to do what’s right, trying to follow what the Bible says and shedding tears over wrong things and bad things I do or others do. But what good has it done me? It hasn’t brought in any more money. It hasn’t made me famous. It hasn’t given me more power over people. In fact, it’s just made my life more boring. My spouse is boring, my kids are boring, my job is boring, my church is boring, and God, you’re boring.” [Malachi 3:14]

This mentality is followed by a dismissive, questioning, and doubtful view of what the Bible actually teaches. That type of individual then speaks against true doctrine and conjures up false doctrine to replace the true [Malachi 3:13]. Before you know it, they have turned things backward. If a person is strutting around like a proud peacock bragging about themselves and how special they are and how God constantly gives them life’s luxuries like jet planes or yachts and supernatural visitations, then they are considered happy by those who reinvent the Bible and God. [Malachi 3:15a]

If a person is materially prosperous and gives beaucoup dollars to a ministry, yet commits adultery or is a pedophile in the children or youth ministry or is in a same sex relationship or is shacking up with someone, then their wicked works are overlooked and they are considered “set up,” or built up and exalted by God in the eyes of the compromising individual. [Malachi 3:15b]
And, finally, those prosperous people who test God with their sinful behavior and presume God won’t do anything about their sin, thus encouraging themselves in sin and unrepentance, are then viewed as being “delivered” or saved and sanctified by the individual who has conjured up a new christ. [Malachi 3:15c]
That, friends, is how the prosperity gospel, the Word Faith movement, the Emergent church or Emergence Christianity, the Signs & Wonders movement, the “gay Christian” movement, and other similar movements got their start and rose to prominence in Christendom.

Harry A. Gaylord