Exclusive: US augments Middle East naval-air might as Gates warns against new war
April 22, 2008, 7:22 PM (GMT+02:00)

Monday, April 21, US secretary of defense Robert Gates declared: “Iran is hell bent on acquiring nuclear weapons” but warned: “Another war in the Middle East is the last thing we need and, in fact, I believe it would be disastrous on a number of levels. He was addressing the US Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

At the same time, Gates said he favors keeping the military option against Iran on the table “given the destabilizing polices of the regime and the risks inherent in a future Iranian nuclear threat – either directly or through proliferation.”

The last part of the defense secretary’s remarks was underlined by news of large US naval, air and marine forces on their way to beef up the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and Middle East. They include two nuclear air carriers with assault troops on board.

DEBKAfile’s Washington sources report that Gates’ words, combined with these military movements, have enlivened the guessing game over President George W. Bush’s intentions. Will he or won’t he order military action against Iran’s nuclear sites and/or Revolutionary Guards bases of attack against US forces in Iraq in the last eight months of his presidency? A majority in informed administration circles is betting against Bush risking a major new war in the short time remaining to him as president. But a strong minority believes he will order the American armed forces to go forward, after all

One US military sources advised DEBKAfile to keep a close eye on America’s military movements in the region for clues, because a concentration this heavy must have some purpose.

.............................................................benny

Benny,

Not true. The Lord will destroy 5/6ths of the followers of the beast at Armageddon [Exekiel's war is the battle of Armageddon, not some war fought before the end of the tribulation period]. These will be the core Islamics of the Middle East. Actually, Russia will be destroyed by the beast when the nation opposes his ambitions. And so will nations who oppose from the orient. And the 200 million are not human armies at all, but angelic, and will be under the control of satan. You and Rosenberg need to upgrade your views in these areas. Believe that Israel is living in protection mode now and the nation has been since its 1948 inception. The Lord is protecting the nation, otherwise it would be non-existant today. It is Satan (gog) who looks at Israel as existing and protected from his point of view, and he will instigate the invasion of Israel at the midpoint of the 70th week as recorded in Ezekiel's vision. His human and angelic hosts will be defeated at Armageddon 42 months later.

Ok Stephen,...you go with what you believe, and I'll go with what I know to be true.......I am not going to argue with you, it's a waste of my time.....but I do look at the bright side...at least we agree on the rapture....but this weekend, I'll have more to say on the rapture....there is something that I would like for everyone to become aware of......................benny

Good. The Lord's "harpazo" action is next ...... could be before the end of the day. No human knows the time of this action.

Stopping Iran Before It’s Too Late
by Rt. Hon. Lord Waddington (more by this author)
Posted 04/22/2008 ET




Once again Iran has voiced its determination to defy the United Nations Security Council, vowing to press ahead with plans to expand its nuclear program.

'Iran does not trade its rights in return for incentives,' said government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham in response to an EU offer of further talks with Tehran. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran doesn't need incentives from Europe to obtain its rights.'

These are not empty words coming out of Tehran. Diplomats working with the International Atomic Energy Agency told Reuters earlier this month that the regime had begun installing advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges in its Natanz enrichment complex, work speeding Iran’s effort to build a nuclear weapon.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the resistance coalition which back in 2002 first told the World of the regime’s clandestine nuclear projects, revealed in February that two new nuclear warhead production complexes had been established at Mojdeh on the south-eastern outskirts of Tehran and at Khojir further southeast.

The NCRI says it gets its information from one of its member groups, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI), which ironically was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the British Government in 2001 at the behest of the mullahs’ regime. (The Clinton administration did the same in the US a few years earlier for the same reason.)

Earlier this month, the regime's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that a suspension of Tehran’s nuclear program was a 'non-negotiable subject', another clear indication that his regime has no plans to heed the demands of the IAEA and Security Council. Furthermore, not only through its nuclear projects does the regime demonstrate its belligerent attitude and contempt for the international community. In neighbouring Iraq, the regime’s Revolutionary Guards Qods Force is arming, funding, and training Shiite militias to carry out attacks on British and Coalition forces and on law-abiding Iraqis who just want to get on with their lives.

The Coalition confirmed earlier this month that they arrested two insurgents preparing Iranian-made rockets for an attack south of Baghdad earlier this month; and at the end of last month in the city of Basra, the regime backed radical Shiite militias engaged in heavy fighting with the Iraqi security forces which left some 700 people dead. Only a few days earlier, according to General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, the Tehran-trained, equipped and funded insurgents carried out a barrage of mortar and rocket attacks in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

There were press stories that, according to intelligence reports received by the Foreign Office, the five British hostages who were kidnapped in Iraq last year may be being held in Tehran; and surely all these matters point to the fact that it is high time the UK government and the EU abandon the futile policy of appeasing the mullahs in Tehran and instead back the Iranian people in their struggle to establish freedom and democracy in their homeland.

No sensible person argues for foreign military intervention in Iran, the effects of which could be catastrophic. But what we surely can and must do is work to see an end to the mullahs by support for the Iranian Resistance.

The PMOI, which has a base in Iraq’s Diyala Province, has gained the support of 5.2 million Iraqis, and as recently as November last year 300,000 Iraqi Shiites signed a petition backing the PMOI and calling for an end to 'Iranian terrorist interferences' in Iraq.

In December 2006 the European Court of Justice annulled the proscription of the PMOI, and in November 2007 the Proscribed Organisation Appeal Commission, set up by the British Parliament to hear appeals against proscription, found the ban on the PMOI “flawed” and “perverse,” and demanded that it be lifted by the Home Secretary forthwith. It must have given the mullahs much pleasure to see the government refuse to do so.

The PMOI, the main force of change in Iran, must be removed from the terrorist list so that it is no longer hampered in its work, and the UK must lobby the Security Council and the EU to adopt comprehensive sanctions against Tehran over its refusal to act as a responsible member of the international community.

........................................................benny

Apr 24, 2008 14:48 | Updated Apr 24, 2008 19:26
Ahmadinejad to Syria: Don't side with US
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a warning to Syria on Thursday not to side with the Americans.


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Photo: AP

Slideshow: Pictures of the week "We must always be prepared to thwart the plans of the US in the region," Ahmadinejad told Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in Teheran.

According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Ahmadinejad said that "the Americans are on the verge of destruction" and that "anyone who sides with them will also go the same way."

The Iranian president's office stated that in his meeting with Moallem, Ahmadinejad called on Middle Eastern countries to "raise their alert in the face of the enemies' plots and make plans to foil them."

The Iranian president asserted that the US government was embarking on numerous operations in the region due to its internal issues, the "dead end" its policy toward Iran and Syria had reached and the upcoming US presidential elections.

Moallem mentioned the "sensitive situation" the Palestinians were in, saying that "despite the blockade on Gaza and the continuing Israeli aggression, Gazans have succeeded in continuing the resistance under the leadership of Hamas and conducting their affairs." Therefore, he continued, "the peoples' movement of Hamas has gained strength."


Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem
Photo: AP [file]
The Syrian foreign minister also accused the US of making baseless accusations in order to create internal conflicts and divide the nations in the Middle East.
...............................................................benny

Syrias Business
by Michael G. Mickey
(4-24-08)

Syrias, er serious, business is afoot in terms of global security and Bible prophecy it would appear, based on a Reuters report.

Remember back in September of 2007 when Israel conducted a mysterious air raid in Syria and then had next to nothing to say about it? Remember how it was a short time afterward that rumors began to circulate that Israel had discovered that Syria, in conjunction with Axis of Evil member nation in good standing North Korea, was building a top secret nuclear facility in a remote area which was the target of that raid? Well, it seems the United States is now prepared to levy accusations that North Korea was indeed helping the Syrians build a nuclear reactor that could produce plutonium. Thus, the Israelis had little choice but to destroy it.

There has been some concern on the part of Israel that, if the Bush administration lays out its case before U.S. lawmakers as expected to occur today, it could push Syria and Israel to the brink of a very dangerous confrontation. Perhaps this is why it is being reported that Israel, just as this is about to surface, is prepared to offer Syria the Golan Heights in return for a peace accord between the two.

According to a report, Israeli officials have declined to comment on the offer, but this potentially conveniently-leaked information "could be a sign of progress in back-channel contacts that the two nations have reported in recent days."

It's all a bit odd, isn't it?

Why would the Bush administration publicly trot out information connecting Syria and North Korea attempting to manufacture weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, raising tensions in what is already a tense environment between Israel and Syria wherein each has recently speculated that the other may be preparing to attack?

This is pure conjecture on my part but could it be that all of this is being carefully orchestrated to put pressure on both Israel and Syria to come to peace with one another and resolve their long-standing conflict concerning the Golan Heights? I think there's an excellent possibility this is the case and perhaps there is even more to all of this than we have yet conceived.

A bit of speculation

If the Bush administration, via Israel, has the goods on Syria and North Korea working together in the construction of a nuclear production facility that Israel was forced to destroy in September of last year, it's a great time for Syria, purely as a counter-measure to these U.S. allegations of course, to be receptive to talking peace with Israel.

If what President Bush has said concerning there being a reasonable chance that a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be agreed upon before the end of 2008, one could easily speculate that this disclosure of Syrian-North Korean nuclear cooperation could be, in a diplomatic sense, one cog of a much bigger diplomatic machine, all of its gears spinning as fast as possible in an effort to conclude its work soon with no loose strings left untied that could unravel its progress made toward the seemingly unattainable end result of peace coming to the Middle East.

A lot has been going on lately, none of which by itself seems to be of extraordinary significance. Viewed as a whole, however, it certainly seems that something of a prophetic nature may be in the works, potentially to be realized very soon.

Along with the rumors of Israel offering the Golan Heights in return for peace, the Bush administration and members of the European Union's diplomatic corps suggesting a negotiated peace could be reached before the end of this year and one other element - Hamas, for the first time in history as Joel Rosenberg has been reporting, suggesting "not a comprehensive peace deal in perpetuity, but a peace treaty of a short and specific time frame" - and we have a lot of prophetic potential on the table right now! A lot!

Many, many times people have asked me how I thought a peace covenant such as the one described in Daniel 9:27, which will lead to the advent of the Antichrist, could ever be tabled because peace treaties don't tend to be limited to a set number of years. Peace treaties or covenants are, after all, negotiated to be permanent in duration. Don't look now but we may be getting at least a hint as to how a seven-year covenant "with many" may eventually come to pass through this latest development.

A lot is going on - and on multiple fronts - pointing toward the return of Jesus Christ for His Church drawing nearer by the second. Even though that has been true ever since Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, we can now take our Bible out and, increasingly it seems, sit it beside the daily newspaper and draw connections that are both plentiful and wholly complimentary to the prophecies contained within it. Amazing, in my opinion.

Soon, I have to believe with all my heart, those of us who have placed our faith in Him are going to see Jesus Christ face-to-face. At least I hope so.

Keep the faith!

................................................................benny

Is it time to give up the search for an Aids vaccine?
Most scientists involved in Aids research believe that a vaccine against HIV is further away than ever and some have admitted that effective immunisation against the virus may never be possible, according to an unprecedented poll conducted by The Independent.

Sam's Club, Costco limit rice purchases as prices rise
The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) (WMT), called on Wednesday "recent supply and demand trends."

Ahmadinejad warns Syria not to side with the United States
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a warning to Syria on Thursday not to side with the Americans.-The Iranian president's office stated that in his meeting with Moallem, Ahmadinejad called on Middle Eastern countries to "raise their alert in the face of the enemies' plots and make plans to foil them."

Abdullah to Bush: Israel-PA talks must be based on fixed timetable
Jordan's King Abdullah II told U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday that stalled negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis should be based on clear grounds and fixed timetables as the United States pushes for reaching a Mideast peace agreement by next January.

Gaza fuel crisis is harming aid distribution: UN
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned that aid distribution would end in the Gaza Strip on Thursday unless Israel allows new fuel supplies, but Israel blamed Hamas for the shortages.-"Hamas has prevented the use of this fuel, notably for humanitarian use," said foreign ministry spokesman Arye Mekel.

Ahmadinejad to Syria: Americans are facing doom
Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called his fellow countries in the region to "increase awareness of enemies scheming to eradicate them."Ahmadinejad said in a meeting held with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem that : "Americans as well as their allies are facing doom." The Syrian Foreign Minister praised the Palestinian's resistance to the Israeli siege over Gaza.

UN: Libya compares Gaza to concentration camps
Western diplomats walk out of UN Security Council debate after Libyan ambassador compares situation in Gaza to Nazi camps. Syria's US envoy: Israel commits genocide against Palestinians

"Mobsters without borders" are global threat: U.S.
"They are expanding their holdings in these sectors, which corrupts the normal functioning of these markets and may have a destabilizing effect on U.S. geopolitical interests."

Months after Annapolis, Abbas back in US seeking peace deal
Abbas told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday it was crunch time for Middle East peace talks and was hoping for intervention from Washington to achieve a breakthrough.

Assad confirms reports of Israeli willingness to cede Golan
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday confirmed reports in the Arab media to the effect that Israel had agreed to relinquish the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria.

Information on Syrian nuke reactor to be revealed 'soon'
US intelligence officials are set to tell American lawmakers that Israel's Air Force destroyed a nuclear reactor built with North Korean aid in northeast Syria in September 2007, according to various reports.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...............................................................benny

Exclusive: Hamas rejects Egyptian-brokered deal for Gaza truce
April 25, 2008, 12:07 AM (GMT+02:00)

The Palestinian terrorist group’s reply was handed to Egyptian intelligence minister Gen. Omar Suleiman Thurs. April 24. It was delivered by Hamas leaders Mahmoud a-Zahar and Siad Siyam, who flew in to Cairo with their orders after Hamas’ Damascus-based leaders conferred with Syrian and Iranian intelligence officers in the Syrian capital. They also ordered Hamas-Gaza to step up its attacks on Israel.

DEBKAfile’s sources report:

The Hamas reply came in the form of consent to a six-month truce wrapped round in blatantly unacceptable conditions: Egypt and Israel must open all Gaza Strip border crossings and remove the economic and physical blockade clamped down on the terrorist-ruled enclave; Israeli cease all its counter-terror operations in stages, first in Gaza and then on the West Bank.

Hamas did accept Cairo’s requests for the return of European monitors which they had chased away from the Rafah crossing to Sinai. They also agreed to enter into reconciliation talks with the rival Fatah – to which the US and Israel does not agree.

The first sign of the negative reply ahead for Israel was Hamas’ call Thursday morning to the Gazan masses to stage “angry protests” after Friday worship at the mosques by mobbing the Erez border crossing to Israel and the Rafah crossing into Sinai.

Bracing for another round of Hamas-led violence, Egypt and Israel placed their forces went on high alert along their frontier and their borders with the Gaza Strip. The Israeli high command had been warned that Hamas was preparing to follow the protests up with another round of attacks on the Gazan-Israel border after earlier rounds in the last two weeks temporarily sealed the crossings. Wednesday, Israel reopened all the Gaza transit points for dozens of trucks to bring food, essential supplies and fuel to the Palestinian population.

.............................................................benny

A Syrian nuclear reactor built with North Korean help was weeks away from functioning
April 25, 2008, 12:09 AM (GMT+02:00)

A top US official disclosed this to lawmakers in Washington in a briefing April 24 on the site destroyed last year by Israeli raiders. The official, who wanted anonymity, said the facility was mostly completed but still needed significant testing before it could be declared operational.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..................................................................................benny

Israel's Air Force Chief: Iran Threat Real

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(CBS) The commander of the Israeli air force takes Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s threats against Israel extremely seriously. Israelis must be ready for anything and ultimately trust only themselves, he believes, and for good reason: his family survived the Holocaust.

Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy speaks to 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon in a story about the Israeli air force this Sunday, April 27, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"I think it is a very serious threat to the state of Israel, but more than this, to the whole world," Shkedy says of the Iranian leader’s public animosity toward Israel. "They are talking about what they think about the state of Israel. They are talking about destroying and wiping us from the earth," he tells Simon. It reminds him of the Holocaust. "We should remember. We cannot forget. We should trust only ourselves."

The general likens ignoring Ahmadinejad today to the atmosphere that enabled the Holocaust yesterday. "In those days, people didn't believe that Hitler was serious about what he said. I suggest not to repeat this way of thinking, and to prepare ourselves for what they are planning," says Shkedy. "We should be prepared for everything."

Iran publicly professes to be building a nuclear reactor for energy but many speculate a bomb cannot be far off once nuclear fuel is produced there. In 1981, Saddam Hussein built a nuclear reactor in Iraq and Israel responded militarily with its air force, wiping out the facility.

Israeli air force veterans of that mission talk to Simon about it and cockpit video vividly replays the moment. The Israelis hope they won’t have to undertake such a mission today, but a bombing mission to Iran, if undertaken, is a different thing, the veterans of the 1981 attack say.

Zeev Raz, the commander of that mission, compares the situations. "We had one point to destroy. They have many points, many of them deep under the mountains…underground and it’s a much more complicated problem [than in] 1981," he tells Simon. "I really hope it will be solved another way. There is only one thing worse than the Israel air force having to do it - Iran having a nuclear bomb," says Raz.

Simon speaks to several current Israeli pilots and 60 Minutes cameras catch them in training. The air force is Israel's elite service, allowed by law to select the best people from the entire military-age population, all of whom must serve. Only one in 40 pilots is given the controls of a jet fighter in what is considered the best air force in the Middle East. It has to be, says Col. Ziv Levy, an air base commander. "We spend a lot of time and a lot of effort in training and being prepared for the worst. We cannot lose a single war. The first war we lose, Israel will cease to exist," he tells Simon.



http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4040294.shtml
.................................................................benny

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1209..._us_whats_news

U.S. Says New Find Shows
Iran Still Sends Arms to Iraq
By YOCHI J. DREAZEN
April 25, 2008; Page A1

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military says it has found caches of newly made Iranian weapons in Iraq, leading senior officials to conclude Tehran is continuing to funnel armaments into Iraq despite its pledges to the contrary.

Officials in Washington and Baghdad said the purported Iranian mortars, rockets and explosives had date stamps indicating they were manufactured in the past two months. The U.S. plans to publicize the weapons caches in coming days. A pair of senior commanders said a presentation was tentatively planned for Monday.

The allegations, which couldn't be independently verified, mark a further hardening of U.S. rhetoric on Iran, which senior American officials now describe as the greatest long-term threat to Iraq.

This month, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iranian support for Shiite extremist groups had grown. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said for the first time that he believed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knew about the shipments.

Iran has long denied that its government knowingly funneled weapons into Iraq or trained Shiite militants there. It has derided the U.S. claims as propaganda. Several senior U.S. military officials said the weapons caches would undercut the Iranian denials and provide new evidence of continuing Iranian support for Shiite militants across Iraq.

"You can see the manufacturing dates right on the armaments themselves," one senior commander in Baghdad said. "These are very clearly weapons that were made in the last month or so."

Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, the top American military spokesman in Baghdad, said U.S. officials were "working on a briefing that we hope to be able to deliver in the next week or so." He said he would not be "disclosing the substance of the brief."

Last fall, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Mr. Ahmadinejad had told the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that Tehran would take steps to curb shipments of Iranian weaponry into Iraq.

The weapons of deepest concern to U.S. officials were explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, which U.S. officials accuse Iran of manufacturing and shipping to Shiite militants. EFPs, which are capable of punching through even the strongest U.S. armor, have been responsible for hundreds of American deaths.

The number of EFP attacks began to sharply decline after the Iranian assurances, resulting in a significant reduction in U.S. military casualties. That led several senior State Department officials to conclude that Tehran was honoring its commitments.

At the Pentagon, Mr. Gates and other top military officials have been skeptical, arguing it was too soon to draw that conclusion.

The number of EFP attacks against U.S. forces has rebounded this year. American commanders accuse Iran of providing the rockets that rained down on the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad recently, killing several Americans. U.S. officials said Iran provided the weaponry that Shiite militants used in block-by-block fighting with Iraqi government security forces in the southern port city of Basra this month.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, focused his recent congressional testimony almost exclusively on Iran, which he said was playing a "destructive role" by funneling advanced weaponry to Shiite militants in Iraq.

Within the State Department, views about Iran have also been hardening. Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, told reporters last year that there were signs Tehran was "using some influence to bring down violence from extremist Shia militias." Earlier this month, by contrast, he said Iran was playing a "highly dangerous" role in Iraq, and directly accused Tehran of providing the deadly rockets that slammed into the U.S. Embassy compound where he lives and works.

Mr. Crocker also said that recent talks between U.S., Iraqi and Iranian officials had made little progress and failed to persuade Iran to change its behavior in Iraq.

Still, U.S. officials have until recently acknowledged uncertainty when the Iranian armaments used in Iraq were manufactured. If the rockets and explosives were made before Iran's vow to curb weapons shipments, it was possible Tehran was abiding by its commitment.

In light of the new discovery, U.S. officials say they feel confident Iran is continuing to produce weapons and ship them to Iraqi militants. Some of the newly found weapons had manufacturing dates stamped on the weapons themselves, while others were in sealed containers that had similar manufacturing information, the officials said.

...............................................................benny

Oil prices up on word US ship fired on boats in Persian Gulf By JOHN WILEN, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 54 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Oil prices rose sharply Friday on news that a ship under contract to the U.S. Defense Department fired warning shots at two boats in the Persian Gulf. Retail gas prices as expected rose further into record territory, nearing $3.60 a gallon.

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Crude prices rose on initial reports that a U.S. ship had fired on two Iranian boats; the news raised concerns that a conflict between U.S. and Iranian forces could cut oil supplies from the region. A Navy spokeswoman said the origin of the boats was unclear.

The news was enough to send light, sweet crude for June delivery up to $119.55 before the contract retreated to settle up $2.46 at $118.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The incident worried investors because at first it appeared to be the latest in a series of encounters between U.S. forces and Iranian boats in the Gulf. Early this month, the USS Typhoon fired a flare at an Iranian boat that came within about 200 yards of the ship. In January, several Iranian boats made what the Navy described as provocative moves near a U.S. ship in the Strait of Hormuz. And in December the USS Whidbey Island fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat officials said was rapidly approaching the ship.

On Friday, oil prices were already up before the report on news of a pipeline attack in Nigeria and a looming refinery strike in Scotland.

In Nigeria, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said its fighters hit an oil pipeline late Thursday, the fourth conduit the group has attacked in the past week. MEND said the pipeline belongs to a Royal Dutch Shell PLC joint venture. A Shell spokesman confirmed one of its pipelines had been hit, but provided no additional details.

Earlier this week, Shell said an earlier attack cut its Nigerian oil production by about 170,000 barrels a day.

Separately, workers at an ExxonMobil Corp. joint venture in Nigeria cut production by an unspecified amount to demand more pay.

Adding to the supply concerns, BP PLC said it will shut down a 700,000 barrel-a-day pipeline system that carries oil from the North Sea to refineries in the U.K. on Saturday in anticipation of a strike at Scotland's Grangemouth refinery expected to begin Sunday. The refinery supplies power and steam to the pipeline; if it shuts down, the pipeline can't operate.

Oil's rise came as the dollar strengthened. A stronger dollar typically encourages selling by making commodities such as oil less effective hedges against inflation, and by making oil more expensive to overseas investors. Analysts say the dollar's steady decline over the past year is the chief culprit behind this year's rapid rise in oil prices.

But, noted Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Ill., "that connection between oil and the dollar can be broken easily by supply issues," which drove trading on Friday.

At the pump, meanwhile, gas prices rose another 2.1 cents Friday to a record national average of $3.577 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Gas prices have been following oil futures higher, but are also rising due to concerns about whether gasoline supplies are adequate to meet peak summer driving demand.

Analysts expect gas prices to continue rising for at least another month to $3.70 to $4 a gallon. To a large extent, how high gas prices peak depends on what oil does.

Lately, analysts have recently raised their oil price predictions to $125 to $130 a barrel. Earlier this week, the expiring May crude contract rose as high as $119.90 as investors scrambled to square positions.

However, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates less sharply next week than originally thought. Because rate cuts tend to weaken the dollar, a smaller than expected cut could push the dollar higher, and send oil prices down.

In other Nymex trading Friday, May gasoline futures rose 3.51 cents to settle at $3.0537 a gallon after earlier rising to a new trading record of $3.0815, and May heating oil futures rose 4.45 cents to settle at $3.3028 a gallon. May natural gas futures rose 17.3 cents to settle at $10.963 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude futures rose $2 to settle at $116.34 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Sebastian Abbot in Cairo, Egypt, Edward Harris in Lagos, Nigeria, and Gillian Wong in Singapore contributed to this report.

.................................................................benny

http://www.rapturealert.com/2008/042508syriank.asp .......................benny

US-contracted ship fires toward Iranian boat


Navy spokeswoman confirms cargo ship traveling in international waters in central Gulf fired several warning shots at unresponsive Iranian boats

Reuters Published: 04.25.08, 18:45 / Israel News




A cargo ship contracted by the US Military Sealift Command fired "a few bursts" of warning shots in the Gulf at small boats believed to be Iranian, US defense officials said on Friday.



"They were able to avoid a serious incident by following the procedures that we use," said Commander Lydia Robertson, a spokeswoman for the US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet.



The Westward Venture, a cargo ship chartered by the US Department of Defense, was traveling north in international waters in the central Gulf at around 8 am local time on Thursday when the incident took place, Robertson said.



The ship was approached by two unidentified small boats and its crew issued "standard queries" to the vessels by radio but did not receive a response, she said. The ship then fired a flare, which also produced no response, she said.



The boats continued to approach the cargo ship and its onboard security team fired "a few bursts" of machine gun and rifle warning shots, Robertson said.



"The small boats left the area a short time later," Robertson by telephone.



A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats were believed to be Iranian.



Shortly after the incident, the ship received a radio query from a ship identifying itself as an Iranian coast guard vessel, Robertson said.



"It is not clear if this was one of the small boats or a separate boat," she said. She said the query from the vessel was conducted correctly.



The United States said in January Iranian boats threatened its warships on Jan. 6 along a vital route for crude oil shipments.



Iran denies incident, oil prices jump
Meanwhile Tehran has denied there had been any confrontation between its forces and the US, Iranian media reported.



Some media suggested that, if there had been an incident, it may have involved a private boat that could have been Iranian.




"There has been no confrontation between Iranian boats and US military vessels in the Persian Gulf," the state-owned English-language satellite channel Press TV reported on its website, citing a source in Iran's Revolutionary Guards.




Oil prices surged more than $3 a barrel on Friday as a result of the reported incident, which also drove

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down US stocks.Light, sweet crude for June delivery jumped as high as $119.55 on the news before retreating to trade up $3.08 at $119.14 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.



On Friday, oil prices were already up before the report on news of a pipeline attack in Nigeria and a looming refinery strike in Scotland.

.......................................................benny

Apr 24, 2008 20:20 | Updated Apr 25, 2008 17:03
Editor's Notes: Stopping Iran
By DAVID HOROVITZ
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The consensus among Israel's political and military leaders as we near our 60th anniversary of independence is that modern Israel has never been as threatened as it is today. Given the wars of survival it had to fight in its first quarter century, that's a profoundly troubling assessment.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called to "wipe Israel off the map."
Photo: AP [file]
Although Syria has all of Israel within missile range, Hizbullah has rearmed and the quantities of weaponry flowing into Gaza risk turning a major irritant into a grave concern, the key focus of potentially devastating confrontation is the Islamist regime in Iran - itself, of course, the key state player behind Hizbullah and the Gaza Islamic radicals.
One might be tempted to disregard the annihilatory rhetoric from Teheran were it not accompanied by the relentless drive for a nuclear bomb. One might seek to downplay the nuclear drive were it not for the rhetoric. But the combination of Iran's incitement to genocide and its determined acquisition of the tools to carry out the deed has created a consensus in leadership here - not absolute unanimity, but certainly a strong majority view - that Israel's future well-being necessitates the thwarting of this Iranian regime's nuclear aspirations.
The widespread belief among Israel's leaders as recently as Israel's 59th birthday was that, one way or another, the Bush administration would halt the mullahs - either by galvanizing concerted, biting international sanctions or by force. Some of Israel's most highly placed officials, only too aware of the negligible impact sanctions were having on Iran, indeed, believed until a few months ago that the US might be resorting to military action right about now - late spring to early summer of 2008.
That the sanctions are not hurting Iran is plainly still the case, notably with oil prices at $100 a barrel compared to $25 just a few short years ago. Every small rise in oil prices yields hundreds of millions of dollars for the Iranian exchequer. Thus the quadrupling in price massively outweighs the limited impact of international sanctions - sanctions that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain described in his interview with The Jerusalem Post last month as "remarkable" in their weakness.
But the notion of a Bush presidency's resort to military action was shattered by the US National Intelligence Estimate late last year that highlighted an asserted halt in the Iranian nuclear weapons program dating back to 2003.
That report prompted a hurried visit to the US by leading Israeli intelligence personnel. Misgivings over its thrust have been expressed by the man under whose watch it was compiled, Michael McConnell. And it may be that a revised document is issued a few months from now.
But the effect of the NIE was to deny the Bush administration legitimacy for military action. President Bush, it has been belatedly accepted in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, will almost certainly not hit Iran.
The sense in Israel is that McCain recognizes the gravity of the Iranian threat, and that if he is elected, Israel will not be left alone to meet a global challenge that much of the globe refuses to internalize, in which Israel is only the most directly and urgently affected.
The belief, further, is that the US, if all else fails, could set back Iran's nuclear program by two to five years by striking at several dozen key targets in a daylong air offensive.
There is no such assessment as regards a Democratic president. Indeed, there is concern that a Democratic administration would neither use military action against Iran nor support Israel in so doing. This constitutes a major complication for Israel since the IAF would need to overfly Iraq if it felt it had no alternative but to act.
Israel does believe that it, too, has the military capabilities to set back the Iranian program by two or more years, but such intervention would be more complex for Israel than for the US, and its feasibility depends on a safe and efficient route to and from the target areas.
THE PLETHORA of assessments in recent years as to when, precisely, Iran will attain the capability to build one or more nuclear devices has led to derision in some quarters, with critics accusing intelligence analysts of crying wolf as landmark dates came and went and the Iranian program was still plainly incomplete.
In truth, Iran has had to grapple with various unexpected difficulties. But it is now able to surmount such obstacles, and by most estimates, including that of the NIE, will have enough enriched uranium for a bomb in 2009-2010. It will also have the surface-to-surface missile capability to deliver such a bomb anywhere in Israel and, assuming continued steady progress on its solid-fuel missiles, across Europe too.
Iran's strikingly undeterred progress is, ironically, being made despite President Bush's explicit determination to prevent judgment day weapons reaching regimes that cannot be trusted not to use them. It is being made despite the heightened awareness, after 9/11, of the degree of ruthlessness to which Islamic extremists will sink. And it is being made in contrast to the success that the international community had been having in curbing proliferation with the likes of Ukraine, South Africa and Libya.
Iran has been emboldened by the spinelessness of the international response to its program and to the accompanying threats it has made. And it has been emboldened by the faltering handling of North Korea's program, which has encouraged it to believe that it faces no immediate danger even as it proceeds to defy the international community.
The sense in Israel is not that time has already run out, but that time is certainly running short. There is a strong body of opinion, in the political, military and intelligence echelons, that Damascus offers a potential means to deter Iran: If Israel can seriously engage Syria, and ultimately weaken the Syrian-Iranian alliance, a lonelier Iran may be less inclined to risk a full-speed-ahead approach to the nuclear program, and could potentially suspend some of its activity.
It is at least partially in this context that intermittent comments by the prime minister, defense minister and others about a desire for a dialogue with Syria should be understood. A peace treaty with Syria, of course, would involve relinquishing the Golan Heights. But those who favor the attempt at a dialogue believe viable terms could be reached as regards Israel's security on that front, and that given the alternatives, an accommodation with Syria that curbs Iran is well worth exploring.


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called to "wipe Israel off the map."
Photo: AP [file]

But the Bush administration is opposed to Israel's legitimating of an axis-of-evil state, Syria, via direct negotiations. To date, evidently, Israel has been disinclined to defy that opposition. In the light of the Iranian threat, runs the counterargument, Israel should be making plain that it cannot hold to a Washington veto on talks with Damascus.

SOME YEARS ago, Israeli intelligence received word of a North Korean shipment heading to Iran with material related to the nuclear drive. In turn, it alerted its British counterparts, and the ship was intercepted. It turned out to be carrying a cargo of relevance not to the bombmaking program, as Israel had believed, but rather to the second-stage Iranian missile program, the delivery system that brings Europe into range. In other words, Israel had alerted a European ally to a shipment that turned out to constitute no direct threat to Israel at all, but a very potent threat to Europe.

Such specific intelligence contributions, together with Israel's credible information on the overall Iranian program, have gradually helped persuade key international players of the extent of the Iranian danger. Senior Israeli intelligence officials have frequently briefed prominent allied leaders in intricate detail. Nonetheless, the inadequate international response, immensely exacerbated by the shock of the NIE, has left Israel feeling more keenly than ever that if Iran is to be stopped, it may fall to us to do so.

Because of the speed of Iran's progress toward it goal, and the complexities of a military strike over Iraq if this is deemed necessary, however, the narrow timetable for action can be readily discerned. If Iran is able to proceed with the program for another year, runs the thinking here, it will then be able to declare that it is a nuclear power. And if the Democrats win the US presidency, they may neither act against Iran nor enable Israel to do so via Iraq.

At some point in the months after Israel marks its 60th anniversary of independence, therefore, the government may have to take a decision that many leaders here consider to be the most significant the modern state has ever had to make. Does this government have the wisdom to make the right choices - to judge correctly whether military intervention is premature and irresponsible or critical to Israel's very survival? We may all find out fairly soon.

There is little doubt that Iran, if attacked by Israel, would hit back - with missile fire, with terrorism. Scenarios predict possible war with Syria and with Lebanon, and upsurges of violence on other fronts, too. Some speak of dozens of fatalities. Others are much bleaker.

But the alternative, runs some of the thinking, would be far worse. Iran, if it goes nuclear, might fire on Israel. And it might not. It might be deterred. And it might not. It might think it could get away with supplying a nuclear device to a third party to use against Israel. And it might not.

But, as a particularly well-informed Israeli put it to me last week, "One nuclear missile on Tel Aviv, and it's over." Then he added: "Did we all gather here after the Holocaust to be wiped out by one bomb?"
.................................................................benny

Apr 26, 2008 14:37 | Updated Apr 26, 2008 15:21
US: We have the power to strike Iran
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The United States has the combat power to strike Teheran if needed, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Friday.


Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon.
Photo: AP

Slideshow: Pictures of the week He alleged Iran was ratcheting up its support for militias in Iraq by providing them with newly manufactured weapons and bringing them across the border to receive training from members of Teheran's Republican Guard.

Mullen said the military is preparing to roll out evidence, including date stamps on newly found weapons caches, to prove that recently made Iranian weapons are flowing into Iraq at a steadily increasing rate.

He would not detail the evidence, which is expected to be revealed by military leaders in Iraq as early as next week. Another senior military official said it will include mortars, rockets, small arms, roadside bombs and armor-piercing explosives, known as explosively formed penetrators or EFPs that troops have discovered in caches in recent months.

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Editor's Notes: Stopping Iran

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the evidence has not yet been made public, said dates on some of the weapons were well after Teheran indicated late last year that it was scaling back aid to insurgents.

In addition, the evidence will include information gleaned from detainees who were reportedly trained by members of Iran's Quds Force, as well as insurgents who received instruction on how to train others.

Part of the firepower the military will unveil was used to support insurgents during the recent fighting in Basra in southern Iraq, officials said.

Mullen said he has seen evidence "that some of the weapons are recently not just found, but recently manufactured."

Both Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have made clear that while all military options are on the table, they prefer at this point to use other pressures on Iran.

In laying out details of Iran's continued efforts to fuel terror in Iraq, US military leaders are sending signals both to Teheran and Baghdad.

The United States clearly is trying to send a message to Iran that it will take action if necessary to stop Iranian infiltration.

Washington also hopes that Iraqi leaders will resist negative influences from their Shi'ite Muslim co-religionists in Iran and continue efforts to exert control over their own country.

"The solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure (against Iran)," Mullen said.

Still, while Mullen acknowledged that launching a third conflict in that region would be extremely stressful for US forces, he said he has reserve capabilities in the Navy and the Air Force for any needed military action.

"It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said.

The latest findings, said Mullen, still do not prove that the highest leadership in the Iranian government has approved the stepped-up aid to insurgents who are killing US and Iraqi forces.
But he said it appears that the leaders of the Quds Force are aware of the activity. With their strong ties to Teheran's leaders, Mullen said, it is difficult to believe that "there isn't knowledge there as well."

Still, Mullen added: "I have no smoking gun that could prove the highest (Iranian) leadership is involved in this."

Mullen's comments came as military officials confirmed Friday that crewmen on a ship under contract to the US Navy fired flares and warning shots at small boats, believed to be Iranian, that approached their ship in the Persian Gulf.
The Navy said that on Thursday two high-speed boats approached the ship, contracted by the United States to carry military cargo, but the boats turned away after the shots were fired. No injuries were reported.

US military leaders have escalated their rhetoric against Iran of late, saying that suggestions last year that Teheran may have been backing off its support for militants have turned out not to be valid. Instead, Mullen said there also is recent evidence that Iran is continuing to train insurgents for the fight in Iraq.

"I just don't see any evidence of them backing off. And Basra highlighted a lot of that," Mullen said.

He would not detail any potential US military options, and he played down any impending action.

"We have to continue to increase pressure, and I have no expectations that we're going to get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future," said Mullen. "But I am concerned over time, just in these last couple years, that tensions continue to rise. Iran does not respond and, in fact, they seem to be ratcheting it up in terms of their support for terrorism."

He said Iran has made it clear it wants to be a regional power, and he believes Teheran would prefer to see a weak Iraq, so it could significantly influence what happens there.

The Persian Gulf encounter involving the ship contracted to the Navy is one of several similar episodes in recent months. Earlier this month the USS Typhoon, a Navy patrol boat, fired a flare at a small Iranian boat in the Gulf after it came within about 200 yards of the boat.

In January, several Iranian boats made what the Navy called provocative moves near a US ship in the Strait of Hormuz. And in December the USS Whidbey Island fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat that officials said was rapidly approaching the ship.

Iranian officials have acknowledged several of the incidents but describe them as normal encounters that caused no threat to the US vessels.
.........................................................benny

Benny,

These are all interesting news items and I track them as well. Thanks for keeping us udated. I do think that the scriptures rule out an attack on Iran [modern day Persia] by Israel, or the USA. It really depends upon where we are on the time line of visionary prophecy. If we are close to the 70th week, then I doubt that Iran will be attacked in any major way because the country will be among the little horn's confederacy as stated in Ezekiel's vision. It will be the Lord who will destroy these forces Himself at Armageddon during the last 30 days of the tribulation period. The Iranians [Persians] will be a portion of the followers of satan's beast. If we are not close to the 70th week, anything could happen ..... but Iran will be around to join the beast during the 70th week.

Well first of all Stephen,Ezekial 38 is not the same as armageddon,which this is something that we have already discussed in another section.Second...The little horn is never mentioned as having a confederacy in Ezekial 38-39......you seem to try to tie the little horm into Ezekial 38...and it does not fly with scriptures.........there are a lot of members on this forum who do not agree with your analysis including myself...........you might want to try starting your own topic eleswhere on the subject.I have things to do around the house, and at this time, I cannot give you my undivided attention, maybe later this evening.....................................benny

Benny,

My view is recorded on this forum on many posts so I don't need to start one. The little horn is there in Ezekiel's visions. So is the beast and all of his followers. What you do not see is this: The Lord addresses Satan [Gog] directly ....He goes right to the top ..... no need to address the pawns. And you also do not see the breach in the vision between the invasion and the later battle of Armageddon. This is a common structure of visionary prophecy. For one who does agree with a breach between the 69th and 70th week, I would think this would be an easy rendering for you to understand.

And it doesn't really make any difference whether "many on this forum" agree as you state. Many do not agree with you either. Strange statement indeed. I am responding to your copied news and related for the purpose of evaluating these current events in light of the scriptures as I see them. Do you have a problem with this? What I think you and others may be doing is to speculate and insert an advanced and separate war that is not evident in the scriptures. If the USA is in the visions of the prophets at all, it would have to be MBG's "great city", and this entity will be destroyed by Satan's beast and followers early in the tribulation period. Otherwise the scriptures do not detail a war involving the USA and Israel against Iran [Persia]. Where is it?

Stephen states;"The little horn is there in Ezekiel's visions". Stephen,..I don't know how it is that you figure that the little horn is in Ezekial's visions........The only thing that I can figure why you would make that statement, is that you believe that Gog is satan......I would say that Gog is influenced by satan....but that Gog is not satan himself. The reason why I say this is because satan is destined to be bound for a thousand years and therefore cannot be slain and buried,which indicates that this Gog has a body that can be slain....also,Ezekial 38;1 reveals that Gog is the chief prince of Rosh....the word "chief prince"...interpreted means President or sole leader...Stephen,this Ezekial 38 battle happens before Daniels 70th week begins....At this point in time,the other day,the president of Russia made a 2.something billion dollar arms deal with Libya,and from what I can tell...Libya is the last nation to have come into the Ezekial 38 alignment....It is obvious that war is going to break out very soon....but the catch is ....The Bride will not be on earth, when it happens................Stephen,My problem with you is that,...even though current prophetic conditions exist that Isaiah 17;1 and Ezekial 38 could very well happen before this year is over.....it is as though you have buried your head in the sand to ignor these developements,so that you may hold onto your belief that Islam will control the world......I tell you that it is not going to happen the way you continually have been describing on this forum.....The king of the south,kings of the east, and what have you, does not happen,until the near final moments of the Great Tribulation Period..................benny

Benny,

I see all of the developments and watch all that moves regarding geopolitical events and have for 40 years, but I also know the scriptures and your speculations on this particular issue simply are not there as you put them. You have added them to the pie. I never ignore anything so your theory here doesn't work.

I think you are stuffing the sock with speculations that are not in scripture. For example, Ezekiel 38, 39 does not describe the USA and Israel attacking Iran. You say this is the war that is coming. A war like this may come, but it is not in the scope of the visions of the Bible prophets. Show me where this idea is recorded in Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation, or anywhere else in the visions of the Bible prophets. Sorry I have to be direct about this, but you must consider the speculation to the degree that you are doing it on this issue will be difficult to explain away when it does not happen like you are portraying it to be. Then your words will become fluff. Stick to the scriptures and evaluate all conditions in light of them ..... not the other way around.

Stephen,...I have always stated that I believe that if Israel attacks Iran,...that Israel may do so by her self alone.....You see, At this time, there are a lot of christians in our government, who speak in Israel's behave thru the United Nations.....when the rapture comes to pass, there will not be anyone in our government to speak in Israel's behave....and that is why,I believe Israel will have to go it alone......Logic reveals that Israel will have to attack Iran..."BEFORE" Iran has a nuclear bomb....Scripture states that when they cry peace and safety, then sudden destruction shall prevail, and they shall not escape....keep in mind the current peace negotiations in believed to be concluded sometimes before the end of this year,and that this is all about dividing Gods land which is a big no-no!........Joel 3;2...indicates that world leaders succeeded in dividing Gods land, there logic indicates that they succeeded in agreeing to some form of peace agreement....and that's where the sudden destruction comes into play.......It was not long ago that Syria tried to mount a chemical warhead onto a scud missile that exploded and killed syrian and korean engineers.....two days later, Israel sends a message to Syria stating;..."Try using one of those on us, and we will wipe Damascus off the map!"(Isaiah 17;1)...........Stephen,...My sock of speculations seem very realistic right now.....and I am not alone in seeing and realizing what may happen,will happen very very soon.....benny

Friday, April 25, 2008
CNN'S GLENN BECK ASKS: IS RUSSIA'S VLADIMIR PUTIN THE "GOG" DICTATOR DESCRIBED IN BIBLE PROPHECY?


MEDIA ALERT: Please join us tonight for a one-hour special with Glenn Beck and Joel Rosenberg on "The End of Days: Fact or Fiction?" at 7pm, 9pm and midnight on CNN Headline News.

TRANSCRIPT OF "THE GLENN BECK SHOW"
CNN Headline News
April 24, 2008

GLENN BECK: Now that Russia`s Vladimir Putin has hand-picked the country`s very next president and decided he`d like to be prime minister. He`s turned from controlling politics to controlling religion. Oh that`s always good. Instead of burdening Russians with all the trouble of picking a faith -- I don`t know, there are so many -- he says, no, no, no, really, just one. The Russian Orthodox Church, the country`s now official religion. This has implications in end-times prophesies, and my next guest can help us make sense of all of this. Oh, yes. We`re back in Crazytown, USA. He`s been here all week. We`ll sit down with him tomorrow for a full hour. Joel Rosenberg, the founder of the Joshua Fund and author of a great new book. Please read it. It`s called "Dead Heat." If you liked -- what`s that book -- "Left Behind," you`re going to like this. This is so - - all of the things that are currently happening.Gog and Magog. Gog is a guy who`s a really bad guy, who figures into Bible prophesy at the end of days. He`s from Russia. Is Putin possibly Gog? And what is he doing? What`s -- what`s happening with religion in Russia now?

JOEL ROSENBERG, AUTHOR, "DEAD HEAT": I think it`s too early to say that Vladimir Putin is the Gog dictator in Russia that the Bible speaks of.

BECK: He`s, like, Gog-ish.

ROSENBERG: Gog-esque, I think would be a good way to put it. Why do we know this? The Bible describes that leader as an international coalition builder, a military leader, a diplomat, but also one who is developing an evil scheme to develop alliances with Islamic countries to attack Israel in the last days.

BECK: And specifically, Libya and Iran...

ROSENBERG: They are the two that are clearest defined in that.

BECK: We know that last year he`s already made his alliance with Iran and then just recently he started making his alliance with Libya.

ROSENBERG: Libya. Absolutely.

BECK: Never, ever happened before with Russia.

ROSENBERG: Not with Iran. But Libya, yes, in the `70s and `80s. But now -- but that dissipated. Now it`s back with a vengeance.

BECK: I love it when it comes back. Now, what is he -- what did he do today, you know, what was it on the front page of "The New York Times" today. What`s the significance of this?

ROSENBERG: Well, I never thought I`d say this, but God bless "The New York Times" for making a front-page story...

BECK: Yes.

ROSENBERG: ... on how Vladimir Putin is basically stifling Christian expression in Russia. Meaning...

BECK: Specifically...

ROSENBERG: ... meaning they are harassing -- they`re sending the KGB successor, the FSB, to go harass pastors, churches, parishioners who want to celebrate their relationship with Jesus Christ in any church other than the Russian Orthodox church. And the story in "The New York Times" I commend to people, it goes into tremendous detail on how they`re basically crushing religious expression and dissent, dissent away from the official line in Russia, the way they`ve done it with democratic dissent for the last few years.

BECK: Right. But he`s also, at the same time, isn`t he building hundreds of mosques?

ROSENBERG: Hundreds of mosques. Islam was not illegal under the Soviet era, but certainly suppressed.

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: Now, he is encouraging the building of hundreds and hundreds of mosques, as well as trying -- Russia is actually applying for membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Russia`s trying to become a member, and in fact, the leader of, the Islamic alliance.

BECK: Wow. OK. Tomorrow, you`re going to join me. Tomorrow, please. There`s a couple of things that you need to know. Check out my free daily e-mail newsletter. It`s featuring exclusive articles from Joel, and don`t forget, tomorrow, tune in. We`re going to sit down with Joel for a full hour. We`re going to dissect the recent onslaught of global crises, how it may all part -- be a part of that biblical end-times prophecy. We`re going to talk -- I mean, it`s crazy. Do not miss it tomorrow night, 7 and 9 eastern, only here on Headline Prime. Joel, talk to you then............................................benny

Benny,

What one says and thinks is not necessarily a part of visionary prophecy scripted in the Bible, and this must be investigated with scrutiny. Otherwise we become as those who use the Bible for their own gain and loose talk, and we become one who cries "wolf". I see nothing about Israel attacking any Middle Eastern nation in the visions, but just the opposite. A remnant of Israel will only join the Lord at Armageddon at the end of the 70th week. Israel has attacked enemies since 1948, but none of these incurisons are recorded in the visions, and this is because the 70 week is still in the immediate future. One can observe these things and discuss them, but should never claim them as part of the actual visions, or speculate that they are part. You are a believer and will not be around on the earth to speculate the 70th week because you are leasving the planet before the events of the Lord's coming judgment begin. .

Neither do I see Russia's Putin in Ezekiel's vision ..... or Russia at all for that matter as the leading aggressor in the invasion of Israel. Even John Walvoord admitted that the relationships on this issue that he proposed were far reaching and speculative only. He said the same to me when I asked him about a revived Roman Empire concept. It is always best to know the scriptures first and then evaluate history and current conditions, not the other way around.

Well Stephen,...I would say that I have investigated your claim of Gog is satan.....and my conclusion is that you are incorrect in your theory,and have nothing scriptural in backing your claim....................................benny

Benny,

I think you are avoiding the issue. I would suggest that you continue with understanding who the Lord is addressing in Ezekiel's vision. Much is revealed by knowing.

Stephen,actually it's more like you are avoiding the issue......I very much understand Ezekial 38 and Isaiah 17;1.............You try to act as though you understand Ezekial 38....and really you do not, even though you really do not.And as I pointed out earlier...you have nothing scriptural that would reveal that satan is Gog....on your part is pure speculation.......It is ok to speculate, but you need scriptures to back it up.....even your time frame of Ezekials 38 is way off base.....your understanding of how it's going to go down is flawed scripturally...Ezekial 38 and armageddon are seperate time frames....................................benny

Isaiah 17: Destruction of Damascus


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the last days, the Bible tells us of a horrible series of events that will take place in the lands of Israel and Syria. One of these events is the disappearance of Damascus as one of the premiere cities in the world. The oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet, Damascus has witnessed at least 5,000 years of human history, and some historians believe the city actually dates back to the seventh millennium BC. In fact, Paul was on the road to Damascus when Christ first appeared to Him, an event that transformed not only his life, but the course of human history.

In the very near future, Damascus will once again play a major role in human events. The prophet Isaiah provides us with God’s commentary on a future conflict between Damascus and Israel, and in so doing, he reveals certain prophecies which have been partially fulfilled in the past. However, the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 17 remains in the future. The current existence of Damascus, which will one day cease to be a city, as well as the historical absence of the coalition of nations prophesied to attack Israel and be destroyed by God, is proof that Isaiah 17 prophesies events yet future.

This is what God revealed to the prophet Isaiah:

“This message came to me concerning Damascus: ‘Look, Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted. Sheep will graze in the streets and lie down unafraid. There will be no one to chase them away. The fortified cities of Israel will also be destroyed, and the power of Damascus will end. The few left in Aram will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 17:1-3 (NLT)

These opening verses paint a bleak picture. The city of Damascus will become a heap of ruins, utterly destroyed. Few, if any, buildings will be left standing. The once great city will be devoid of human life and will become home to all manner of wildlife in the absence of humans to chase them away.

According to these verses, the cities of Aroer, which are located on the northern bank of the Arnon River just east of the Dead Sea, will also be deserted. However, the passage doesn’t say they will be destroyed in the same manner as Damascus, just that they will be deserted. It may be that people simply flee these cities out of fear.

In addition, many of the fortified cities in northern Israel will also be destroyed. Those few who remain in Aram, 38 miles south southeast of Damascus, will share the fate of these northern Israeli cities.

“‘In that day the glory of Israel will be very dim, for poverty will stalk the land. Israel will be abandoned like the grain fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest. Only a few of its people will be left, like the stray olives left on the tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five out on the tips of the limbs. Yes, Israel will be stripped bare of people,’ says the Lord, the God of Israel.” Isaiah 17:4-6 (NLT)

The breadth and scope of destruction is clearly illustrated as God describes the Israeli landscape as stripped bare of people. Only a small fraction of people either choose to stay in the land or else survive what is a massive holocaust, leaving only a few inhabitants who struggle in poverty.

“Then at last the people will think of their Creator and have respect for the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer ask their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or burn incense on the altars they built.” Isaiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

As a result of this event, the people of Israel will once again turn to God Almighty. Currently, the nation of Israel is predominantly secular in nature. Other biblical passages infer that this will change as the prophesied rebuilding of the Temple in the last days indicates a spiritual resurgence among the Jews of Israel. Nevertheless, this passage clearly indicates the people of Israel will turn away from all false idols and gods.

Knowing that this will happen, we must ask: why does it happen? The answer is found in the verses that follow:

“Their largest cities will be as deserted as overgrown thickets. They will become like the cities the Amorites abandoned when the Israelites came here so long ago. Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you – the Rock who can hide you. You may plant the finest imported grapevines, and they may grow so well that they blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and incurable pain.” Isaiah 17:9-11 (NLT)

The devastation that overshadows Israel will come about because Israel has “turned from the God who can save them.” All the hard work performed prior to this event will be lost. Those who have been distracted by the things of this world will be disappointed, for they have forgotten God, and by putting faith in the things of this world, they will ultimately be disappointed. Their only harvest will be “a load of grief and incurable pain.” This grief will be brought to a climax when, in the midst of their suffering, the nation of Israel faces an imminent invasion:

“Look! The armies rush forward like waves thundering toward the shore. But though they roar like breakers on a beach, God will silence them. They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling before a storm. In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:12-14 (NLT)

While Syria and Israel lie in ruin, the enemies of Israel will view her suffering as an opportunity to invade, their ultimate goal to destroy her forever. However, God has a different plan in mind, and He will destroy these invaders Himself. A more in depth illustration of this attack is foreseen in Psalm 83:

“O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive! Don’t you hear the tumult of your enemies? Don’t you see what your arrogant enemies are doing? They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you – these Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites, Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites, and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Do to them as you did to the Midianites or as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. They were destroyed at Endor, and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil. Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna, for they said, ‘Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!’ O my God, blow them away like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind! As a fire roars through a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, chase them with your fierce storms; terrify them with your tempests. Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O Lord. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever. Make them failures in everything they do, until they learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.” Psalm 83 (NLT)

So how do we know that Psalm 83 describes the same scene envisioned in Isaiah 17? Let’s compare the two. Here’s how the intentions of Israel’s enemies are described:

Plunder & Destruction
“This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:14 (NLT)

Destruction
“They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision.” Psalm 83:3-5 (NLT)

Plunder
“for they said, ‘Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!” Psalm 83:12 (NLT)

Here’s how the fate of Israel’s enemies are described:

“They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling before a storm.” Isaiah 17:13 (NLT)

“O my God, blow them away like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind!” Psalm 83:13 (NLT)

From the description of their fate alone, it is reasonable to conclude that the armies of Isaiah 17:12 are the same nations who sign a treaty against the Lord in Psalm 83:5-8. Below is a list of those nations and their modern geographical equivalents:

Edomites = Jordan / Parts of the West Bank
Ishmaelites = The Arab people
Moabites = Jordan / Parts of the West Bank
Hagrites = Jordan / The Arab people
Gebalites = Lebanon
Ammonites = Jordan
Amalekites = Southern Israel / Gaza
Philistia = Gaza
Tyre = Lebanon
Assyria = Syria / Parts of Turkey and Iraq
The Descendants of Lot = Jordan


By studying the geographical history of these ancient people and places, we can uncover which nations they currently compose. According to Psalm 83, in the aftermath of the destruction of northern Israel and Damascus, Israel will be invaded by armies from Jordan, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. All of these locations are heavily populated by the enemies of Israel today.

An Expanding War?
But are the nations cited in Psalm 83 the only nations involved in this attack? It’s quite possible that additional conspirators are named in the Book of Ezekiel. Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 might well foreshadow the war of Gog and Magog.

In Ezekiel 38-39, an enormous coalition of nations, “a vast and awesome horde” – will roll down on Israel “like a storm and cover the land like a cloud” Ezekiel 38:9 (NLT). This prophesied future war in Ezekiel has many similarities to Isaiah 17:12-14. Both prophets foresee a time when enemy armies rush toward Israel while she awaits unprepared. Both prophets foresee God’s instantaneous destruction of Israel’s enemies. And in both scenarios, the marching armies intend to plunder and destroy the people of Israel:

Destruction
“You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence!” Ezekiel 38:11 (NLT)

Plunder
“But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Who are you to rob them of silver and gold? Who are you to drive away their cattle and seize their goods and make them poor?’” Ezekiel 38:13 (NLT)

Plunder & Destruction
“This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:14 (NLT)

Could the events predicted in Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 be a catalyst for the war of Gog and Magog prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39? Although it is not a certainty, the possibility can not be completely ruled out.

Today’s Headlines

Looking at today’s geopolitical landscape, it’s not difficult to envision the scenario outlined in Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83. Syria has been adamant in its demand that Israel surrender the Golan Heights, threatening war if Israel fails to comply. Meanwhile, the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah has apparently convinced leaders in Damascus that Syria can be victorious in a conflict with Israel by simply overwhelming the tiny nation with rocket attacks. From a greater perspective, it has convinced the entire Islamic world that Israel isn’t the militarily invincible nation they once thought.

Syria’s rocket technology is far more advanced than that deployed by Hezbollah, and Syria is known to possess chemical weapons, including the highly lethal VX and Sarin gases. If Syria miscalculates and attacks Israel with these weapons, the Israeli response will be swift and devastating. Israel is armed with nuclear weapons, and if its survival is put in question, it will not hesitate to use them.

If this happens, a mortally wounded Israel will become an irresistible target for her enemies. The surrounding Muslim nations will see an opportunity to destroy her, while Russia will see an opportunity to seize the upper hand in the oil rich Middle East.

Today, the most virulent enemies of Israel reside in the very places named in Psalm 83 – Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinians in the West Bank and Jordan, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Syria leadership and its Axis of Evil partners in the city of Damascus.

As of this writing, the conditions are ripe for the fulfillment of Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83, paving the way for the rapture of the church and the beginning of the tribulation. In light of such developments, we should zealously preach the Gospel of Christ to all who will listen. For the hour is late, and the return of Christ is near.

Britt Gillette is founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the relationship between bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology. For more information or to sign up for his email alerts, please visit http://www.brittgillette.com
................................................................benny

Benny,

"you have nothing scriptural that would reveal that satan is Gog"

Oh but I do. And you know this. Unless you have a different Bible. I will post the proof-text again.

yes....please do...........................................benny ...P.S.....Stephen states;"Oh but I do. And you know this. Unless you have a different Bible.".......Stephen,I assure you that I have the same bible......And I will tell you what it is that I do know......I know that Your theory has many flaws, and that I can reveal that your theory cannot hold water,insomuch that you should realize that you are going to reevaluate your theory.

Military strategy for Iran in works, top officer says
Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post

Saturday, April 26, 2008

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(04-26) 04:00 PDT Washington --

The nation's top military officer said Friday that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a conflict with Iran would be "extremely stressing" but not impossible for U.S. forces, pointing specifically to reserve capabilities in the Navy and Air Force.

"It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said at a Pentagon news conference.

Still, Mullen made clear that he prefers a diplomatic solution to the tensions with Iran and does not foresee any imminent military action. "I have no expectations that we're going to get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future," he said.

Mullen's statements and others by Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently signal a new rhetorical onslaught by the Bush administration against Iran, amid what officials say is increased Iranian provision of weapons, training and financing to Iraqi groups that are attacking and killing Americans.

In a speech Monday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Gates said Iran "is hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons." He said a war with Iran would be "disastrous on a number of levels. But the military option must be kept on the table, given the destabilizing policies of the regime and the risks inherent in a future Iranian nuclear threat."

Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who was nominated this week to head all U.S. forces in the Middle East, is preparing a briefing soon to lay out detailed evidence of increased Iranian involvement in Iraq, Mullen said. The briefing will detail, for example, the discovery in Iraq of weapons that were very recently manufactured in Iran, he said.

"The Iranian government pledged to halt such activities some months ago. It's plainly obvious they have not. Indeed, they seem to have gone the other way," Mullen said.

He said recent unrest in the southern Iraqi city of Basra highlighted a "level of involvement" by Iran that had not been understood by the U.S. military. "It became very, very visible in ways that we hadn't seen before," he said.

While Mullen and Gates have stated that Iran's government must know of Iranian actions in Iraq, which they say are led by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mullen said he has "no smoking gun which could prove that the highest leadership (of Iran) is involved in this."

In an incident Thursday, a cargo ship contracted by the U.S. military fired "several bursts" of warning shots at two fast boats that approached in international waters off the Iranian coast, defense officials said Friday.

The unidentified small boats approached the Westward Venture, a ship carrying U.S. military hardware, as it headed north through the central Persian Gulf about 8 a.m. local time, said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, spokeswoman for the Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.

The U.S. ship initiated bridge-to-bridge communications and, after receiving no response, fired a flare. The speed boats continued to approach, so the ship fired warning shots with a .50-caliber machine gun and M16 rifle. The boats then left the area, she said.

Soon after, an Iranian coast guard boat queried the Western Venture, Robertson said. It was unclear whether that was one of the small boats.

In January, five Iranian patrol boats sped toward a U.S. warship and dropped small, boxlike objects in the water, an incident that alarmed military officials and that President Bush called "a provocative act." The objects turned out to pose no threat to the cruiser Port Royal or two other U.S. vessels accompanying it.

This article appeared on page A - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle

..............................................................benny

Benny,

"I can reveal that your theory cannot hold water,insomuch that you should realize that you are going to reevaluate your theory."

No you cannot .... and I will not revise in your direction. Only continuous improvement, no back peddeling. I have already been down the road you are on and it just does not fit the bigger picture that the scriptures give in some cases. You are following outdated theology in some ways ..... it is not that far off in some areas and right on about others, but way off on some critical precepts. It takes time and prayer closet study to get precise understanding. I do like your news updates, but I think you speculate more than you have justification from the scriptures. You seem to follow the spectacular writers and latest splashes of current events like the Herb Peters types. Nothing wrong with this if one can sift through the junk. The problem with this approach is "cry wolf" presentation and vulnerability to the critics who embrace aberrant falsehood.

Stephen,have you ever had a recuring nightmare?......................................................................If, as you say, the antichrist is Gog and is destroyed at the 2nd coming (as described in Eze), then, the following questions still apply-



Since the Bible is clear that the antichrist does establish his palaces in Jerusalem/Israel, why would the antichrist then invade from outside Israel (the north) when he is already in Israel occupying his headquarters? Now, we can go on and on about this.

If Gog comes from the north at the end of Daniel's 70th week (as you say), what is he doing in the "north"? I thought he was in the temple showing himself to be God. Did he leave and go north? If so, why? How is it that the Lord manifests himself to even the heathen by allowing Gog (as you say) to trample all over Israel/Jerusalem for 42 months in the temple in Jerusalem? Did the antichrist get kicked out of the temple? Did he leave voluntarily?



So, you must be saying that the following verses are 7 years long-



It shall come to pass at the SAME TIME when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken; surely in that day there shall be a great quaking in the land of Israel;...I will plead against him... I will rain upon him...rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone... Eze 38:18-38:22 These 5 verses say clearly that at the time Gog comes against the land of Israel, the Lord will destroy him.



For Gog to be the antichrist is impossible, since the antichrist will already have OCCUPIED Israel for 42 months. What would he be doing coming against the land of Israel (from the north parts) Eze 39:2, if he is ALREADY in Jerusalem posing as God? Your interpretation goes against the plain sense of the verse. The use of the words AT THE SAME TIME can not be changed to be 7 years or 3 and one half years in length.


If Gog ATTACKS ISRAEL AT A TIME WHEN ISRAEL IS AT REST, HOW CAN THAT BE AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION? ISRAEL IS NOT AT REST AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING PERSECUTED BY THE BEAST INCARNATE IN THE LITTLE HORN.!! THIS MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOG TO BE THE LITTLE HORN.
Stephen, if you can solve this, I would be delighted.
.....................................................benny

I can solve it.
The AC (Iran / Ah-Mad-In-Jihad) has already set temple in Jerusalem, for every time I look at Jerusalem, I see that abomination of the Golden Dome sitting there. When Gog (Russia) goes to Israel, the shortest route would be south through Syria (from the view of Israel they come from the north).

So: AC and Gog are not the same, but they work together.
Neither of you see, that Jerusalem is already spiritually occupied.
Therefore neither is in the right time frame.

Justice,I appreciate your effort.....but you really do not understand what is going on here......also,you state;.."So: AC and Gog are not the same, but they work together.
Neither of you see, that Jerusalem is already spiritually occupied.
Therefore neither is in the right time frame."........the truth is Justice, is that you do not know what Stephen and I are aware of, pertaining to endtime prophecy....as a matter of fact,...it is obvious that you are not able to discern certain matters related to this topic....in other words, you might try and read it again ..only this time,...read more slowly..............................................benny

Benny,

I never have nightmares at all ....in fact I dream very little .... I sleep.

"Since the Bible is clear that the antichrist does establish his palaces in Jerusalem/Israel, why would the antichrist then invade from outside Israel (the north) when he is already in Israel occupying his headquarters? Now, we can go on and on about this."

>He has to invade and occupy first before he rules over the Land of Israel for 42 months [note Revelation 11:2]. He will come from his place out of the northern Middle East and invade and occupy just before midweek.

"If Gog comes from the north at the end of Daniel's 70th week (as you say), what is he doing in the "north"? I thought he was in the temple showing himself to be God. Did he leave and go north? If so, why? How is it that the Lord manifests himself to even the heathen by allowing Gog (as you say) to trample all over Israel/Jerusalem for 42 months in the temple in Jerusalem? Did the antichrist get kicked out of the temple? Did he leave voluntarily?"

>He comes just before midweek ..... not at the end of it. You know this, you are not thinking. He will be forced to Armageddon at the end of his 42 month occupation and rule.

"So, you must be saying that the following verses are 7 years long"

It shall come to pass at the SAME TIME when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken; surely in that day there shall be a great quaking in the land of Israel;...I will plead against him... I will rain upon him...rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone... Eze 38:18-38:22 These 5 verses say clearly that at the time Gog comes against the land of Israel, the Lord will destroy him.

>No. Ezekiel's vision has two parts. 1.The invasion just before midweek .... the occupation for 42 months [not included in the vision] ..... and then 2.the battle of Armageddon at the end of the week. You don't see the breach in the vision. When the Lord says "at the time, or in that day" He means during the time frame ..... just like the Day of the Lord is not "just" one day, but a period of time. Satan invades, the Lord allows him to maul Israel and occupy .... and then He defeats him later at Armageddon. And from that day forward Israel and the nations will know that He is the Lord ..... from Armageddon forward, not any time before. The nations will not know[recognize, accept] that He is the Lord during the tribulation period for sure, they will be against Him.

"For Gog to be the antichrist is impossible, since the antichrist will already have OCCUPIED Israel for 42 months. What would he be doing coming against the land of Israel (from the north parts) Eze 39:2, if he is ALREADY in Jerusalem posing as God? Your interpretation goes against the plain sense of the verse. The use of the words AT THE SAME TIME can not be changed to be 7 years or 3 and one half years in length."

>Gog is not the "antichrist", Abaddon-Apolloyn incarnated in the little horn is Satan's mimic. Gog is Satan. You have this sequence wrong in your rendering of the actions of the little horn. And yes "at the same time can be interpreted as a "period" of time. It usually is in visionary prophecy [in that day, at that time, the day is coming, etc.]. This is where you are missing the structure of visionary prophecy in Ezekiel's vision. The time frame for the invasion and Armageddon is a 1,260 day time frame. Actually Armageddon will be fought in the next 30 appended days [note Daniel 12:7-12].

"If Gog ATTACKS ISRAEL AT A TIME WHEN ISRAEL IS AT REST, HOW CAN THAT BE AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION? ISRAEL IS NOT AT REST AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING PERSECUTED BY THE BEAST INCARNATE IN THE LITTLE HORN.!! THIS MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOG TO BE THE LITTLE HORN."

>Gog is not the little horn Benny. Gog is Satan. Israel is protected today, at rest [in place .... permanent sounding], and will still be until just before midweek when the Lord will allow Satan's beast and followers to invade and occupy His land. You insist upon putting the invasion and the battle of Armageddon together as one event [you also say that Ezekiel's war is not the battle of Armageddon]. These are two different events separated by a time lapse in the vision. The persecution of Israel [Jacob's time of trouble] will begin when the invasion takes place just before the midpoint of the 70th week [Israel will not be able to prevent the success of this invasion] .... when the believing remnant sees the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place [the invasion will permit this], they will flee into the Jordanian wilderness for protection from Satan's beast .... otherwise he would kill them all. They will be in the wilderness and He will be ruling the holy land including Israel and all of the Middle East for 1,260 days [42 months]. Two thirds of the nation will be killed in the invasion. Gog is not the little horn, or the beast, but is Satan. And he will instigate another humman rebellion at the end of the Lord's millennial kingdom when released from the abyss 1,000 years later. His beast and the little horn will win the victory at the invasion [see Zechariah 12,13,14, for the same view], and will be subsequently defeated at Armageddon .... 42 monthe later.

"Stephen, if you can solve this, I would be delighted."

> You must understand that Ezekiel's vision has both the invasion and the battle of Armageddon with a time breach between. Many visions of the prophets are structured exactly like this where only the focal details are included, but not everything that takes place. This is no different that the breach between the 69th and 70th weeks as an example. Many visions have compression with breaches in time lapse. You also must study the results of the war. From that day forward the nations and Israel will know the He is Lord .... who He is. Neither the nations or Israel do at this time and will not until He has finished His coming judgment period and reveals Himself. Israel will have to do the clean up of the land after Armageddon as described in the vision to prepare the land for His millennial reign. This action would not be done if the war in the vision is one that takes place some time earlier in the 70th week, or before it as you think. Things would just get crapped up with carnage again, and the process would have to be done again. This action will only be done once as Ezekiel describes it. Events during the tribulation period would also prevent the clean up activities. These things have to be done after the battle of Armageddon and they will be.

>Let's close for now and you think about this. Correct understanding bears much weight on many other issues of Bible prophecy and how one evaluates what is going on in the Middle East today.

Would we be saying that Satan is the chief prince of Meschech and Tubal? Are we then saying that Gog is not a human being, but he is the chief prince of Mescech and Tubal? If he is Satan, why would he be the chief prince of only Meschech and Tubal?

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? -- Ezekiel 38:13 So, then, are we saying that the merchants of Tarshish are going to ask Satan (Gog) these questions?

And thou [Gog] shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a -- Ezekiel 38:15

So, then, is Satan going to come from the north riding upon a horse?

And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. -- Ezekiel 38:21-22
and
Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. -- Ezekiel 39:4-5

Are we saying that Satan [Gog] is going to fall on the mountains of Israel and fall upon the open field and be given unto ravenous birds of every sort?

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. -- Ezekiel 39:11

So, then, Satan is going to be buried after having been eaten by ravenous birds? Now, you could say that Gog is incarnated by Satan. But, that leaves us with the problem of Satan incarnating the beast (antichrist) and Gog also. So, (unless Gog IS the beast/antichrist) we have Satan incarnating two people. If Gog IS the beast/antichrist, then, we have the remaining problems we cited earlier that the destruction of Gog is at a different time and at a different place than that of the antichrist.

Now, concerning Abaddon - I notice you make Abaddon a demonic being who incarnates the beast/antichrist. There is only one mention of Abaddon in the entire Bible, Rev 9:11. The verse refers to the angel of the bottomless pit. Though this could be Satan, there is nothing in the verse that says he is Satan. Furthermore, there is no direct connection to the beast/antichrist in Rev 9:11. The verse says Abaddon is in charge of the creatures who leave the bottomless pit as "locusts." The angel who opened the pit is not Abaddon either, but the angel appears mightier than Abaddon in that he left the heavenly scene to open the pit. Would you then be saying that Abaddon [Satan] has been confined to the bottomless pit until the 5th angel sounds and lets him out? Most believe that Satan is cast out of heaven (Rev 12:9), not let out of the bottomless pit.

...............................................................benny

Not-So-Distant Hoofbeats
One doesn’t have to listen too hard to hear the distant hoofbeats if attuned to issues and events of our time in a biblically prophetic way. The horsemen of apocalypse outlined in Revelation chapter 6 are mounted. The world can’t yet see them upon looking across terrain littered with the hills and valleys of everyday life. But the spiritual ear can hear them rumbling beyond the immediacy of these quickly waning days of the age.

The first horseman is riding forward and will be in position to dismount and take over the reins of world government sometime after the disappearance of those who are living at the time of rapture. He will step from his white steed of prestige and promise to sign the covenant of peace that apparently will already be in place. Israel will believe this “prince that shall come,” and sign on to the covenant with the thought that now there will be peace and safety.

The rider on the second horse canters not far behind the self-aggrandizing prince on the first. This rider, on his red horse, will await his time for only a brief moment. Already, he makes noisome saber-rattling that tells us he and his war horse are chomping at the bits to inflict violence upon the earth like that which was present in Noah’s day, during the antediluvian era leading up to the worldwide flood.

Behind the second rider is a skeletal rider beneath a black hood, his fleshless grin foreshadowing his plans for the inhabitants of Planet Earth. The black horse of famine snorts its determination to carry his balances-and-scales-wielding rider to his destination. That destination is the last seven years of human history leading up to the second advent of Jesus Christ. The rider is called famine; his intention is to destroy through starvation.

The not-so-distant hoofbeats are heard coming at this generation as an agglomerate rumble of portentous news. We will try to isolate one particular set of thundering, pounding hooves--that of this third rider. Actually, this horse of the apocalypse has within the last few weeks been rather easy to detect. Some of us who watch and analyze issues and events we think might have prophetic relevance have for years believed that petroleum–particularly oil in the Middle East—might be the catalyst that will bring the world powers to conflict at Armageddon. God himself has said He would put hooks in the jaws of one leader to draw him into the Middle East. He will then, prophecy tells us, bring all nations into the region for the final battle of man’s most horrendous war: “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:2).

Petroleum is in the news as never before, as we know. The price per barrel has topped anything even the most pessimistic economists might have projected. The gas pump prices reflect the price-per-barrel rises in America, with more than $4 per gallon not far distant as the national average. Some are predicting much worse.

Within the past weeks, the skyrocketing oil prices have brought home the troubling reality that is already affecting the most basic need of man: food supply. Regions of the world such as the Sudan, Ethiopia, and many others have long since heard the rider of the third horse of apocalypse approaching. But, the most blessed nation on earth--in terms of material goods, which includes hosting the breadbasket of the world—can, without listening too carefully, here the black horse’s hoofbeats. The beast that will carry its deadly rider of starvation, it seems, has broken from its cantering gait into a gallop.

The stories of the petroleum-based food problems are anywhere one cares to look. An example involves some quite familiar names that have contributed to America’s lifestyle of relative luxury, compared to the rest of the world: “Top retailer Wal-Mart's Sam's Club unit said Wednesday it is limiting the amount of rice individual shoppers could buy at one time, as rice prices hit new records around the world” ("Wal-Mart unit limits rice purchases," Breitbart.tv, April 23, 2008).

Wal-Mart sources assured that other commodities were “currently” in no danger of being affected. Despite the attempt at reassurance, this is a most profound matter. Only in war time has food been rationed to any extent. Rumbling from the hooves of the black horse of apocalypse might be detectable in the following:

The U.N. chief warned Sunday that the world must urgently increase food production to ease skyrocketing prices and pledged to set up a task force on a crisis threatening to destabilize developing nations. The cost of food has increased by around 40 percent since mid-2007 worldwide, and the strain has caused riots and protests in countries like Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Haiti and Egypt. "We must make no mistake, the problem is big. If we offer the right aid, the solutions will come," U.N. Secretary-General Ban K-Moon said at the opening of a five-day U.N. conference on trade and development in Ghana's capital, Accra. "One thing is certain, the world has consumed more than it has produced over the last three years," he said. Ban blamed a host of causes for the soaring cost of food, including rising oil prices, the fall of the U.S. dollar and natural disasters ("U.N. chief warns world must urgently increase food production," www.news.yahoo.com, April 25, 2008).

The secretary general mentioned, but didn’t dwell specifically upon, the rise in oil prices, but blamed, in large part, the dollar’s falling value. Make no mistake, however, that devaluation is linked inextricably to oil in the Middle East.

The black horse and its rider with the balances and scales in his hand will one day be at full gallop upon an incorrigibly wicked world of earth dwellers. From the tide of events inundating the news today, that time cannot be far distant.

***Prayer request: I ask my Rapture Ready Brothers and Sisters to pray for Eric. Thanks much.***

--Terry


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------benny

Ten North Koreans possibly killed in Syria air strike - Tokyo
April 28, 2008, 11:21 AM (GMT+02:00)


Top Korean and Syrian nuclear officials caught on camera
Ten North Koreans may have been killed in an Israeli air strike on Syria in September, NHK-the Japanese Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site, citing unidentified South Korean intelligence officials.

The 10 people, whose remains were cremated and returned to North Korea in October, had been helping with the construction of a nuclear reactor in Syria, the Japanese broadcaster said. Some North Koreans probably survived the air attack.

The US last week released undated photos showing the head of the North Korean reactor fuel plant with the head of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission in Syria and the same official attending the Six-Party Talks.

Thursday night, the White House in Washington broke its silence on Israel’s Sept. 6, 2007 attack on a nuclear site in northern Syria. Spokeswoman Dana Perino stated its conviction that North Korea helped Syria build a secret nuclear reactor. She spoke after intelligence officials briefed US lawmakers about the Syrian nuclear facility that was destroyed by Israel last year

Perino's statement did not mention Israel. It said Syria was building a "covert nuclear reactor" in its eastern desert that was capable of producing plutonium.

That development underscored the international community was right to be concerned about the nuclear activities of Iran and "must take further steps" to confront that challenge, she said.

............................................................benny

Benny,

One must understand the dimension of Satan and the fallen angelics and his ambition to usurp the Lord and to rule as god in order to get the complete picture of what is going to take place at the time of the end. This understanding is not a fantisy. It is a Biblical truth.

There is a war going on between Satan and the Lord

Gog is not a human, he is Satan who rules over human habitations

Abaddon - Apollyon is not Satan

The dragon and the beast are two different fallen angelics

Revelation makes this very clear

Abaddon-Apollyon is the beast fom the abyss

Read Revelation 9:11, 11:7, 16:13, 17:8,

Satan does not ride horses

He does not