Joel Part V

Joel Rosenberg has part V of his study on the book of Joel:

A Message of Warning to the Nations: Do Not Divide the Land of Israel

The Bible is crystal clear: the Lord Almighty will judge all nations who divide the Land of Israel.

In Joel 3:2, the Lord says:

“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.” (3:2)

God couldn't be more clear. This message is so important in this current age, and we see more below:

Nevertheless, international pressure on Israel to carve up the Holy Land like a Thanksgiving turkey continues to build following President Obama’s May 2011 speech calling for Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders.

Nearly every world leader — and certainly every American president since the Six Day War — has demanded Israel give up significant amounts of territory within Judea, Samaria, and the Golan Heights in order to create a sovereign Palestinian state and make peace with Syria, but never this much territory

The Obama plan would force Israel to give it all up, to divide Jerusalem, and return to indefensible borders. This would be a grave error. It would severely jeopardize Israeli national security. It would do so in direct defiance of the Holy Scriptures. And it would draw the judgment of the Lord Almighty against the United States and all other countries involved in the process.

There is much more in this study, but the most significant parts are below:

The Lord is going to judge the nations for at least six reasons:

1. For scattering Israel and the Jewish people among the nations (Joel 3:2)
2. For dividing up the land of Israel, which the Lord describes as “My land” (3:2)
3. For selling the Jewish people into slavery (3:3,5)
4. For engaging in sex trafficking (3:3)
5. For stealing treasures from the Lord (perhaps from the Temple), and from Israel (3:5)
6. For murdering Jews and shedding Jewish blood (3:19, 21)

The good news is that Joel tells us a day of reckoning is coming….the Day of the Lord is coming….surely it is near.

“I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion.” (Joel 3:21)

Psalm 9:11-12 – “Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; declare among the peoples His deeds. For He who requires (or avenges) blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.”

Amen.

I have to include just a little more from this study of Chapter 3:

“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.” (3:2)

Consider these words carefully and completely….and let the United Nations be warned….let the United States be warned….let the European Union be warned….let the Arab League be warned….let the Palestinian Authority be warned….let Hamas be warned….let the Government of Israel, too, be warned.

It may look like a brilliant idea to divide the City of Jerusalem….to divide Judea and Samaria – a.k.a., the West Bank – away from the State of Israel….to give away the Golan Heights….as it seemed brilliant to some to give away the Gaza Strip in 2005….but let there be no mistake: the Word of God warns us in no uncertain terms that judgment is coming for all who divide Israel….and divide Jerusalem….and scatter, oppress and mistreat the Jewish people.

As I say this, the United Nations is preparing to hold a vote in the next few months to divide Jerusalem and the rest of Jerusalem and unilaterally declare a sovereign Palestinian state. For many, this seems wise and fair and just…..but willfully disobeying the Word of God is never wise….never fair….never just….and it comes with consequences.

For many, these are not easy truths to hear or to hold…..but God in His love and fairness puts us on notice that there are consequences to rejecting these truths.

Yes, the Day of the Lord is coming….Yes, God is going to bless and save the nation of Israel….Yes, the nations are going to be judged for dividing the Land and shedding Jewish blood and for committing atrocities against the Jewish people….These are truths….they are from the Lord….they are just and true….

But we must be careful in how we communicate these truths because they are so difficult for so many to hear…..especially our Arab brothers and sisters….Let us be wise and humble and respectful in how we teach what we teach lest we inadvertently sin with our callousness or insensitivity….lest we cause additional pain or even create a new stumbling block to our listeners being able to hear and truly receive the truth.

Again, this does not mean the Land should be divided…That does not mean a sovereign Palestinian state should be created….It does mean that followers of Jesus Christ should care about justice and mercy – for the Jews and for the Palestinians, and for all of Israel’s neighbors who are suffering in this fallen world….After all, while the Bible clearly explains that the Lord will bring the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel and allow them to reclaim their God-given ownership of the Land

Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ need to not just preach but also to practice sound Bible doctrine regarding Israel and the Palestinians….We need to love both….bless both….pray for both….We need to stand with and encourage our brothers and sisters in the Messiah whether they are Jewish or Arab….The Bible gives us no freedom to ignore, deny, or oppose our brothers and sisters on either side….Jesus said “blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Agenda 21, Population Control and Obama's Rural Council: A New World Order Coming Fast

It is absolutely unbelievable how quickly we are headed into a "New World Order" as led by the globalists, the UN and now the U.S. president. Things are happening very fast now and the Tribulation is almost within reach. There is no doubt about that.

Al Gore, Agenda 21 and Population Control

So exactly what is Agenda 21? The following is how the United Nations defines Agenda 21....

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.

When you start doing deep research into Agenda 21, you will find that describing it as a "comprehensive plan" is an understatement. Virtually all forms of human activity impact the environment. The rabid "environmentalists" behind the green agenda intend to take all human activity and put it into a box called "sustainable development".

The following is language from a UN resolution that was adopted by the UN General Assembly that was designed to further the implementation of Agenda 21....

"….population growth rates have been declining globally, largely as a result of expanded basic education and health care. That trend is projected to lead to a stable world population in the middle of the twenty-first century… The current decline in population growth rates must be further promoted through national and international policies that promote economic development, social development, environmental protection, and poverty eradication, particularly the further expansion of basic education, with full and equal access for girls and women, and health care, including reproductive health care, including both family planning and sexual health, consistent with the report of the International Conference on Population and Development."

Most Americans don't grasp it yet, but the truth is that the global elite are absolutely obsessed with population control. In fact, there is a growing consensus among the global elite that they need to get rid of 80 to 90 percent of us.

Sadly, this philosophy is now regularly being reflected in official UN documents. For example, the March 2009 U.N. Population Division policy brief begins with the following shocking statement....

What would it take to accelerate fertility decline in the least developed countries?

If these items weren't in plain English, in "black and white" it would be almost impossible to believe. But the fact is - these items are in plain English, in black and white:

This agenda showed up again when the United Nations Population Fund released its annual State of the World Population Report for 2009 entitled "Facing a Changing World: Women, Population and Climate".

1) "Each birth results not only in the emissions attributable to that person in his or her lifetime, but also the emissions of all his or her descendants. Hence, the emissions savings from intended or planned births multiply with time."

2) "No human is genuinely "carbon neutral," especially when all greenhouse gases are figured into the equation. Therefore, everyone is part of the problem, so everyone must be part of the solution in some way."

3) "Strong family planning programes are in the interests of all countries for greenhouse-gas concerns as well as for broader welfare concerns."

There is much much more contained in this article, but lets move on to this even more ominous article:

Agenda 21 and Obama's Rural Council?

On June 9, 2011, an Executive Order established the White House Rural Council with 25 executive branch departments including Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, National Drug Control, Environmental Quality, Labor, Commerce, Interior, EPA, Housing, Health, Education to name just a few.

The order covers 16% of the American population who lives in rural counties because they “supply our food, fiber, and energy, safeguard our natural resources, and are essential in the development of science and innovation."

Where is this taking us?

Communist “social engineering” confiscated land and homes for agriculture. People were forced to move into many-storied, tiny cinder block apartments without any compensation for the land or homes bulldozed. They were forced to commute by bicycles or public transit.

A handful of environmentalists, the EPA, and the United Nation’s dictators, using faulty debunked data from the University of East Anglia or phony research are trying to separate Americans from their land use, cars, trucks, and the open-wide roads

It is obvious that “smart growth plans” or Agenda 21 designed by United Nations will affect our future choices in how we live and where.

By the time Americans realize the implications of Agenda 21“smart growth,” they will lose their homes and lands with no compensation. At least people who lost property under Eminent Domain have been compensated.

On to Agenda 21:

Agenda 21 sets up the global infrastructure to manage, count, and control assets.

“Social equity” is the new euphemism for “social justice” the Marxists in our government have been using a lot lately. Who gave them the authority and the mandate to initiate such change? I do not remember the American people being asked through a referendum whether we wanted our way of life to be fundamentally changed according to mandates set up by the United Nations. How will population growth control be achieved in order to protect the precious environment.

Along with this, we see the ICLEI as a big part of Agenda 21:

The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is a conglomerate of 600 national, regional, and local government associations who promote “sustainable development” and protection of the environment because of man-made global warming that does not exist.

“Sustainable development” is the United Nations effort to contain and limit economic development in developed countries and thus control population growth. It is “sustainable de-growth,” plain and simple. The focus is “low-income agriculture” and to set limits on the developed world

Unfortunately, this (below) is conveniently being ignored:

Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution states clearly, “No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation, ...No State shall,... enter into an Agreement or Compact with another State or with a foreign power…” The counties and cities that are members of ICLEI in the U.S. through its national organization are attempting to implement foreign policy, which our Constitution forbids. What mayors and municipal governments are doing is plain unconstitutional.

Also see:

Alert! New Executive Order - Agenda 21 Obama's Rural Council

Obama is surrendering our Sovereignty, our country to the UN.

On June 9, 2011, an Executive Order established the White House Rural Council with 25 executive branch departments including Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, National Drug Control, Environmental Quality, Labor, Commerce, Interior, EPA, Housing, Health, Education to name just a few.

It ensures Rural America will participate in Agenda 21 goals of Globalization. The ICLEI non-governmental UN organization gets a partner to reach into Rural America.

1. Federal Control of Rural American Resources (Food, Health, Energy, Education/Schools, Property, Water and Lives).

2. Increased Federal Regulation through Executive Order (Legislation from the Oval Office)

3. More Regulation of Food production

4. More Regulation of Land use

5. Agenda 21 implementation accelerates in Rural America

6. Implementation of Cap and Trade

7. No definitions of what “Rural America” is. Matter of fact, no definitions at all.

8. More Lawmaking through Regulation (State and Local levels)

9. More State/County Control over your city/town due to grant money distribution

10. Less Local participation due to Regionalization

11. More Federal Jobs funded at Tax Payer Expense

Also see this:

Obama Signs Agenda 21-Related Executive Order

President Obama signed his 86th executive order (13575) on June 9, which established the White House Rural Council (WHRC). According to The Blaze, the Executive Order seems to be in line with the United Nations radical Agenda 21, as it is designed “to begin taking control over almost all aspects of the lives of 16 percent of the American people.”

As the Executive Order references “sustainable rural communities,” it raises a few eyebrows, since that is one of the key phrases found in the UN plan for sustainable development known as Agenda 21. The order admits that it intends to seize greater power over “food, fiber, and energy,” items that are key to human sustenance.

The order also states that the WHRC will “coordinate and increase the effectiveness of Federal engagement with rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, education and training institutions, healthcare providers, telecommunications services providers, research and land grant institutions, law enforcement, State, local, and tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations regarding the needs of rural America.”

In other words, the federal government will seemingly control every aspect of rural America.

The connections to Agenda 21 are obvious:

Even more notable than the levels of power being achieved by the creation of this new council is the various connections to Agenda 21.

For example, Valerie Jarrett served as a member on the board of the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), which uses the language of Agenda 21 and ICLEI [International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives] as their webpage descriptively explains the organization’s work to build “sustainable communities.”

Likewise, Melody Barnes is the former Vice President of the George Soros-funded Center for American Progress. Soros is a prime advocate of Agenda 21 and in fact, his Open Society provided $2,147,415 to ICLEI.

Fortunately, Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the radical agenda being pushed by the U.N. and supported by this government, and have hosted a number of anti-ICLEI rallies this week, with more planned in the future.

Obama complies with Agenda 21 and expands federal power

This is not only unbelievable, but the fact that the MSM is keeping this hidden is even more amazing. We are losing our freedoms in leaps and bounds, and no one barely notices. Not only in America, but we are watching the EU countries losing their sovereignty nation by nation, with Greece leading the charge.

We are rapidly evolving into a one world government - a concept that seemed absurd only a couple of decades ago. But we are almost there.

The Tribulation is hauntingly close.

But we all know the good news about that don't we? Indeed we do. We know that Jesus will collect His Bride prior to the beginning of the Tribulation - and as we see the Tribulation approaching like a freight train, we can also hear the quiet footsteps of our Messiah approaching.

In the midst of all of these terrifying news we must always remember this, first and foremost:

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

AND SO WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER.

Therefore encourage each other with these words."
(I Thessalonians 4:16. Emphasis mine)

When will He come for His Bride?

We are firmly instructed to:

"...wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."
(1 Thessalonians 1:10)

And:

"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world..." (Revelation 3:10)

There is no doubt about either fact. There will be a gathering up of the Church Saints, and it will happen before the Tribulation.

Maranatha!

Jesus has given us hope in this time of distress!

Quakes, Floods and the Yellowstone Supervolcano

Earthquakes trigger tsunami warning for Alaska

A tsunami warning has been issued for coastal Alaska, after two earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean.

Both of the 7.4 magnitude tremors happened at a depth of 40 kilometres about 170 kilometres away from the island of Atka – the largest of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

All people living by the coast or in low-lying areas have been advised to stay away from harbours and move to higher ground.

Strong quake sparks brief Alaska tsunami warning

A magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook a large swath of Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Thursday evening, sending residents of small coastal towns to higher ground as officials issued a tsunami warning in the temblor's wake.

The quake was centered about 122 miles east of Atka, about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage. It was recorded at a depth of 26 miles, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center said.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center posted a tsunami warning for some coastal areas of Alaska, but canceled the warning about an hour after the quake. The warning covered an area from 80 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor to about 125 miles west of Adak.

Jones said it appeared all of the town's 61 residents took to higher ground when they heard the tsunami warning, which he heard issued over CB radio. The townspeople gathered on a high hill for about an hour, near the city's new water tank.

Officials monitoring rising floodwaters at Nebraska nuclear plants

The Fort Calhoun plant, about 20 miles north of Omaha, was shut down for refueling in April. Parts of the grounds are already under two feet of water as the swollen Missouri overflows its banks. But the Omaha Public Power District, which owns the plant, has built flood walls around the reactor, transformers and the plant's electrical switchyard, the NRC said.

An 8-foot-tall, water-filled berm, 16 feet wide at its base, surrounds the reactor containment structure and auxiliary buildings, the NRC says. The plant has brought in an additional emergency diesel generator, water pumps, sandbags and firefighting equipment as well, according to regulators.

Heavy rainfall in Montana and North Dakota, combined with melting snow from the Rocky Mountains, have sent the Missouri urging downstream this summer. The river washed over and punched through levees in nearby northwestern Missouri over the weekend, spurring authorities to urge about 250 nearby residents to leave their homes.

And CNN affiliate KETV reported Wednesday that, as a precautionary move, the Cooper facility is keeping dozens of staff members onsite around the clock. The station reported that about 60 people are sleeping on cots at the plant and that the staffers are being rotated out every two days

Are things at this nuclear facility worse than we are being told?

Media Blackout: Was There A Nuclear Incident At Fort Calhoun Nebraska

Since flooding began on June 6th, there has been a disturbingly low level of media attention given to the crisis at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Facility near Omaha, Nebraska. But available evidence strongly suggests that something very serious could have happened there.

Unfortunately for members of the public, there is no shortage of proof that serious nuclear incidents and radiation releases have happened in America, and have been covered up each and every time.

First accounts tell us that on June 7th, there was a fire reported at Fort Calhoun. The official story is that the fire was in an electrical switchgear room at the plant. The apparently facility lost power to a pump that cools the spent fuel rod pool, allegedly for a duration of approximately 90 minutes.

As was declared at Fort Calhoun on June 7th, another “Notification of Unusual Event” was declared at Cooper Nuclear Station on June 20th. This notification was issued because the Missouri River’s water level reached an alarming 42.5 feet. Apparently, Cooper Station is advising that it is unable to discharge sludge into the Missouri River due to flooding, and therefore “overtopped” its sludge pond.

Not surprisingly, and completely ignored by the Mainstream Media, these two nuclear power facilities in Nebraska were designated temporary restricted NO FLY ZONES by the FAA in early June. The FAA restrictions were reportedly down to “hazards” and were ‘effectively immediately’, and ‘until further notice’. Yet, according to the NRC, there’s no cause for the public to panic.

“On June 6, 2011, the Federal Aviation Administration put into effect ‘temporary flying restrictions’or a NO FLY ZONE – until further notice over the area around Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant in Blaine, Nebraska.”

To date, it is unknown to members of the public whether or not the incident at Ft Calhoun Nuclear is actually a Level 4 emergency (on a US regulatory scale). A Level 4 emergency would constitute an “actual or imminent substantial core damage or melting of reactor fuel with the potential for loss of containment integrity.”

If there was any core damage, there is no guarantee that officials would allow such information to be made public for fear of public panic and loss of confidence.

There is much more in this article and it is worth reading. Just take a look at these facts:

As with the critical event in Fukushima, in Ft Calhoun circulatin g water is required at all times to keep the new fuel and more importantl y the spent radioactive material cool. The Nebraska facility houses around 600,000 – 800,000 pounds of spent fuel that must be constantly cooled to prevent it from starting to boil, so the reported 90 minute gap in service should raise alarm bells.

In addition, there are eyewitness reports of odd military movements, including unmarked vehicles and soldier movements throughout the region. Should a radiation accident occur, most certainly extreme public controls would be enacted by the military, not least because this region contains some of the country’s key environmental, transportation and military assets.

This evolving situation is worth watching closely. Unfortunately, the government isn't allowing any "watching".

Also see these videos which reveal information not reported by the MSM and an apparent news blackout:

Video Link 1

Video Link 2

Keeping an eye on Yellowstone's supervolcano

It's no mere doomsday pseudoscience: The Yellowstone supervolcano really could be the end of us all. When the Yellowstone Caldera — the name of the national park's geographic structure, which roughly translates as "caldron" — blows its lid, much of the continental United States will get covered in a blanket of ash. That ash will clog the atmosphere enough to block out the sun, disrupting the global climate enough to cause mass extinctions.

At the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), an outpost run by the U.S. Geological Survey in conjunction with Yellowstone National Park and the University of Utah, a team of volcanologists continuously monitors the sleeping giant's tectonic activity. They listen to its rumblings (which are streamed online in real time) for clues as to what's brewing below the surface. Jacob Lowenstern, scientist-in-charge at YVO, told us what they're listening for and what they know so far about the next "big one."

The EU and Border Control

As mentioned before on this site, I believe it is very possible that the "confirming" of the covenant in Daniel 9:27 could be a reference which describes the manner in which a peace covenant is literally confirmed (admittedly, this is just one possibility for interpreting this scripture but I believe it is a strong possibility).

There have been many "covenants" which have been signed, the most recent being the Oslo Peace Accord which was signed during the Clinton administration. This was never "confirmed" as violence broke out almost immediately. It seems obvious that whenever "The" covenant is agreed upon, there will have to be some sort of border control (and ground troops in the region beyond border control), in order to maintain peace in the region - thus, "confirming" the covenant.

For this reason, we have been watching the EU and their building of an infrastructure under Catherine Ashton (see "EEAS": European External Action Service). Today, we see yet more progress towards this ultimate goal:

EU agrees to boost border agency's powers

On the eve of a two-day summit covering migration issues as well as the Greek crisis, the EU's main institutions have agreed to give extra powers to the bloc's border agency Frontex on human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

The deal reached on Wednesday (22 June) by EU governments, the European Parliament and the European Commission will allow Frontex to buy or lease its own equipment - such as helicopters and terrain vehicles, so as to make it less dependant on assets lent by member states.

Pending formal approval by the European Parliament in September, the agreement will also make it more binding for member states to stick to their commitments when pledging border guards to the Warsaw-based agency, who will now be deployed as "European border guard teams" whenever a country is struggling to secure the EU frontier.

In a bid to stem irregular migration, Frontex will also be allowed to launch technical assistance projects and deploy liaison officers in countries of origin and transit and play a bigger role in return operations.

On the human rights side - always a matter of concern when it comes to border guards dealing with refugees and paper-less migrants - Frontex will now have a "fundamental rights officer" and be part of a "consultative forum on fundamental rights."

The new powers are likely to be welcomed by EU leaders, as a latest draft of conclusions to be adopted on Friday reads.

One senior EU official noted that it is the first time that EU leaders will discuss migration, border controls and the enlargement of Schengen at the same meeting, for a long time considered "too difficult to talk about."

At the same time, we see this interesting article:

Ashton's secret diplomacy upsets EU states

EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton has annoyed some member states by taking part in a secretive meeting about the Middle East peace process.

Luxembourg's openly pro-Palestinian foreign minister Jean Asselborn hosted the informal dinner about the Arab-Israeli conflict at the Senningen castle in the grand duchy on Sunday (19 June), on the eve of an EU foreign ministers' meeting.

The event was attended by British foreign minister William Hague, German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt and the high representative.

A number of Arab diplomats also came. The list reportedly includes the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Elaraby, a delegate from Jordan, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and a delegate from Saudi Arabia.

There was no Israeli participation and no guests from staunchly pro-Israeli EU countries such as the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

The one guest who made a public remark was Bildt, who wrote in his blog that the event was "devoted [to] possibilities of a peace process in the Middle East".

Whatever was said at the dinner, Ashton's participation upset some EU countries.

"Member states meet in many formats, some of which are regional ones. But it raised eyebrows. If it's an ad hoc thing, it's OK. But if this kind of event becomes normal behaviour, then it could be a problem," a diplomat from one of the excluded EU countries said.

A diplomat from another excluded member state said it fortified Ashton's image of being pro-Palestinian rather than a neutral broker.

So to summarize today's news, we see a strengthening of the EU's capabilities for military use of border control and at the same time secretive meetings are being held regarding 'Middle East Peace' which exclude Israel and any representatives who are considered as "pro-Israel".

Yep. It looks like things are right on schedule.

Only Jesus: Jack Van Impe Speaks the Truth

This link contains a video that is a must see.

Michigan televangelist speaks the truth: "storms" off network

Michigan televangelist Jack Van Impe has preached the End Times for decades. Last week, his time ended at the Trinity Broadcast Network because of a dustup over two fellow televangelists.

The Rochester Hills-based host of "Jack Van Impe Presents" left the network because it yanked a show that was supposed to air June 6 that featured criticism of nationally known pastors Rick Warren and Robert H. Schuller.

Van Impe accused the two of trying to combine Christian and Muslim beliefs into a new movement called "Chrislam."

"Wherever Chrislam or its equivalent are promoted, Christians should run for their spiritual lives," Van Impe said in a copy of the show on YouTube.

Van Impe decided last week to end the network affiliation, saying "I will not be silenced. I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot preach."

Van Impe spokesman Ken Vancil said "we would not be able to minister effectively if we had to look over our shoulder."

We know that following the "gathering up" of the Church, the world will see a false, world-religion for the first half of the Tribulation (before the antichrist forces worship of him, exclusively) and many believe that somehow it will be a blend of pseudo-christianity and Islam. We're already beginning to see such movements - and this is what Mr Van Impe is speaking against.

The video tells the whole story. In this case Mr Van Impe needs to be heard as he is speaking the truth.

Rumors of War

The Middle east continues to heat up, and the rumors of war are becoming more and more prominent in the news:

Hizbullah May Attack Israel to Take Spotlight off Syria

Lebanese terror organization and political force Hizbullah is preparing for a possible war with Israel as a means of shifting Western pressure away from the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, the Lebanon Daily Star reported Wednesday.

Citing sources close to the radical Shiite terror organization, which has a powerful militia armed by Damascus and Iran, the Star said Hizbullah is watching the unrest in Syria with alarm and is determined to prevent Assad, their ally and protector, from being ousted from power.

...officials close to the movement say it will not stand idly by as international pressure mounts on Assad to yield to protesters.

"If the situation in Syria collapses it will have repercussions that will go beyond Syria," the Lebanese official said. "None of Syria's allies would accept the fall of Syria even if it led to turning the table upside down -- war with Israel could be one of the options."

Analysis: Hezbollah may fight Israel to relieve Syria

Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group is preparing for a possible war with Israel to relieve perceived Western pressure to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its guardian ally, sources close to the movement say.

"If the situation in Syria collapses it will have repercussions that will go beyond Syria," the Arab official said. "None of Syria's allies would accept the fall of Syria even if it led to turning the table upside down -- war (with Israel) could be one of the options."

The Lebanese official said: "All options are open including opening the fronts in Golan (Heights) and in south Lebanon."

'Frantic' Arms Race in Middle East

"The Middle East is in the throes of a frantic arms race, both in numbers of weapons and unbelievable financial costs", Maj. Gen. Ido Nehoshtan, the commander of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), told IsraelDefense this week.

"The race is going on in almost every country in the region, including organizations like Hamas and Hizbullah. Whoever can buy [weapons] – buys [them], and invests all his efforts in force building. It's just about being equipped with smart weapons, but also with inexpensive devices that we learned can be extremely threatening. Syria, for example, is getting new armament from Russia while it also invests in air power and anti-aircraft missiles,” added Nehoshtan.

Hezbollah is now admitting that they are ready to go to war in order to take some of the pressure off of Syria - and to attempt to reunite warring factions within Syria in a mutual hatred of Israel. This has been speculated for months, and now it is being openly discussed. One has to wonder if some kind of warfare is on the horizon.

Also see this:

Israel served as 'main course' at EU dinner, official says

According to the official, the concern was that the EU is pushing for the adoption of US President Barack Obama’s formula of restarting negotiations using the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps as a baseline, but without pressing the Palestinians to elaborate on security arrangements of any future accord with Israel.

The official also said the Palestinians wouldn’t be pressed to acknowledge Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people as a baseline for negotiations.

So once again only Israel is being asked to make concessions. Under the threat of the "Palestinians" going directly to the UN for the creation of their state, and a division of Israel - now Israel is being asked to return to the indefensible borders of 1967 and in the process, Israel wouldn't even be acknowledged as having a right to exist as a sovereign nation. What a deal.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Headlines for a day

There are a lot of interesting stories in the news today; I'll try to keep it brief:

IAF strikes Gaza following rocket fire at western Negev

An Israel Air Force helicopter gunship attacked a smuggling tunnel in the central Gaza Strip overnight Tuesday.

The strike was in response to earlier rocket and mortar fire at the Eshkol regional council, the IDF added.
The tunnel was used by terrorists to enter Israeli territory and carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, according to the IDF Spokesman.

IAF Strikes Gaza Tunnel After Mortar And Qassam Land In Israel

The Israel Defense Forces said that the tunnel was being used by terror groups in the Strip to infiltrate Israel and to carry out terror attacks against soldiers and Israeli citizens. The IDF reiterated that they hold Hamas responsible for keeping the quiet in Gaza.

The next series of articles comes under the category of "What the heck?"

French, Russian, UK sailors in Norfolk for training

Ships from Russia, France and the United Kingdom arrived Monday to participate in a two-week exercise with the U.S. Navy off the coast of Virginia.

FRUKUS 2011 – named for the participating countries – is an exercise to improve maritime security through open dialogue and increased training between the participating navies, a news release from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman said.

Marines Conduct 5-State Air, Land Exercise

North Carolina's 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing is taking part in a major exercise over a five-state area that will result in increased air and ground activity over the coming week.

Marine Corps spokesman Staff Sgt. Roman Yurek says residents near military sites in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Florida may notice increased landings and takeoffs amid other activity.
Yurek says more than 40 aircraft from seven military squadrons will take part, assisted by thousands of Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force men and women.

Warnings grow over the future of food prices

For the vast majority of the world’s population eating is not a problem. But for some, around 15 percent, it is a daily struggle. And it gets worse during periods of high food prices. Commodities, staple food, have been soaring in value for months; the UN Food Price Index is at an all-time high. Experts are sounding the alarm.

It is a difficult situation that affects everyone from America to Asia, through Europe and Africa but, almost inevitably, those worst affected are the poorest. In affluent countries where people spend just a small percentage of their income on food, the price rises have not gone unnoticed but are not a cause for panic. However the world’s poorer populations, which can spend more than half their household income on putting food on the table, are feeling the pinch much more acutely.

Major Earthquake Hits Northern Chile

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile Monday, shaking a sparsely populated region without inflicting casualties or damage to infrastructure.

Earthquakes Hit India, Chile, Vanuatu and Myanmar

North Dakota's fourth largest city faces flood evacuations

Officials ordered the evacuation of more than a quarter of the residents of North Dakota's fourth largest city of Minot, where massive flooding is expected to overwhelm barriers, authorities said on Tuesday.

About 12,000 residents were ordered to be out of Minot's flood threatened areas by 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the second evacuation for those neighborhoods this year, said Cecily Fong, the North Dakota Emergency Services department spokeswoman

Minot residents evacuate as historic rise on Souris River approaches

Flood risk prompts evacuations

Greek Streets 'Explosive' as PM Faces Confidence Vote

The new Greek government faces a vote of confidence on Tuesday night, with the outcome critical to the survival of the government, and to the disbursal of loans from the 'Troika' of the European Union (EU), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB).

Persistent protests in Athens' Syntagma Square show that the Greek people feel increasingly disenfranchised with their political system and analysts told CNBC that the growing separation between the government and the population over austerity could prove 'explosive'.

Second night of sectarian violence in Belfast

Sectarian clashes took place for a second night in Northern Ireland’s capital, with police estimating as many as 700 people being involved. In an area of east Belfast, where loyalist Protestants and Catholics are separated by ‘peace walls’, petrol bombs, missiles and fireworks were thrown at authorities.

The violence comes at the start of Northern Ireland’s marching season, a time of annual parades by Protestants, which has triggered violent protests by Catholics in the past. Despite the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which was meant to signal an end to the hostilities, tension has continued in east Belfast

Police are blaming this fighting on the Ulster Volunteer Force – one of the deadliest pro-British paramilitary groups, who claim to have decommisioned their weapons two years ago.

Libya: Italy calls for immediate halt to hostilities

Italy has called for an immediate halt to hostilities in Libya to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, in what is the first sign of a fracture in the Nato coalition.

Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, warned on Tuesday that Nato's credibility was "at risk" following the civilian casualties, and urged it to ensure it was not providing ammunition to Gaddafi's propaganda war.

"We cannot run the risk of killing civilians. This is not good at all," Frattini said at a meeting of European foreign ministers.

Senior Israeli source: Iran actively helping Syria squash demonstrations

Not only is Iran supplying equipment to the Syrian army, the source says, Iran's Revolutionary Guard also organized demonstrations against Israel on Nakba and Naksa Day.

A senior Israeli source says Iran is involved in the suppressing of the anti-regime demonstrations in Syria. Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the Al-Quds force, commanded by Gen. Qassem Suleimani, are operating throughout the country, the source says.

The source told Haaretz there is clear information on Iran's involvement in the crushing of the protests, as well as the participation of Hezbollah. Their role is not limited to shootings; Iran has also supplied equipment to the Syrian army, including sniper rifles and communications systems for disrupting the Internet in the country, the source said.

Sirens go off around Israel as security drill goes national

Sirens went off on Wednesday throughout the country, at 11 a.m. as part of a national emergency drill that began Sunday and is to last through Thursday.

The exercise, which has been dubbed Turning Point 5, involves the Home Front Command, the National Emergency Authority, national and local government and emergency services.

One drill, to test readiness for a chemical warhead attack on Rishon Letzion, will involve Assaf Harofeh Hospital, which will practice taking in hundreds of casualties. Other chemical weapons response drills will be held in Upper Nazareth, the Haifa port, Haifa, and the Ramat Hovav industrial zone in the Negev.

And below are two very interesting commentaries on topics of great interest these days:

The Muslim Brotherhood

This article presents a comprehensive review of the Muslim Brotherhood and their ultimate goals - a very good read.

The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamic mass movement whose worldview is based on the belief that “Islam is the solution” and on the stated aim of establishing a world order based on Islamic religious law (a caliphate) on the ruins of Western liberalism. With extensive support networks in Arab countries and, to a lesser extent, in the West, the movement views the recent events in Egypt as a historic opportunity.

Basic Freedoms: A Relic of the Past

The following text is adapted from remarks delivered by the author in Montreal on June 20 at a pro-free-speech event organized by the group ACT Now for Canada.

For far too long, many of us in the West have taken our basic freedoms for granted. These rights include freedom of individual conscience, the right to assemble peaceably, and the right to practice our religion freely, or to have no religion at all. Perhaps most importantly of all, they include the right to voice our opinions freely and to publish them without hindrance.

Nowhere is this attack on free speech more evident than in Europe...