In the news:

It is hard to know what this development may mean - we'll have to wait and see:

Mosque Set on Fire in Northern Israel

A mosque in an Arab village in northern Israel was set on fire early Monday in what the police called an arson attack, and an outside wall was defaced with Hebrew graffiti.

The attack followed a series of similar assaults on mosques in the West Bank by arsonists suspected of being radical settlers as part of a campaign known as “price tag,” which seeks to exact a price from local Palestinians for violence against settlers or from Israeli security forces for taking action against illegal construction in Jewish outposts in the West Bank.

The defense minister, Ehud Barak, said that the “criminals” involved wanted to upset Jewish-Arab relations.

Israel Police on high alert as clashes ensue following mosque arson

Several dozen youths clashed with police overnight in a Bedouin village in northern Israel, hours after a local mosque was vandalized allegedly by Jewish extremists, officials said Tuesday.

The Bedouin protesters blocked roads with rocks, set fire to tires and threw stones at the police. Angry youth also torched the local council building, the local community center and a health clinic.

Police are concerned that Israeli Arabs will carry out revenge attacks in the wake of the arson, and also fear acts by Jewish extremists will spark further agitation and violence during the upcoming holidays, particularly in cities with mixed Jewish-Arab populations.

Iranian Pastor Increasingly Likely to Face Death Penalty Under New Charges

Imprisoned Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, originally sentenced to death for apostasy and refusing to renounce Christianity, is now in even greater danger of being put to death in light of reports in state-run media of other charges, including being a Zionist and a threat to national security.

"The charge of being a Zionist and thus a traitor is among the most serious accusations that can be made in Iran," said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, or ACLJ. "Unfortunately, we know that this is the charge Iran levies to justify executing people who were actually arrested, imprisoned and tried on completely different charges."

In a ruling from the Iranian Supreme Court obtained by FoxNews.com, Nadarkhani was sentenced to execution by hanging for breaking Islamic law by conducting Christian worship and baptizing himself and others.

Putin says he wants to build 'Eurasian Union'

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he wants to bring ex-Soviet states into a "Eurasian Union" in an article which outlined his first foreign policy initiative as he prepares to return to the Kremlin as the country's next president.

Putin said the new union would build on an existing Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan which from next year will remove all barriers to trade, capital and labour movement between the three countries.

"We are not going to stop there and are setting an ambitious goal -- to achieve an even higher integration level in the Eurasian Union," Putin wrote in an article which will be published in Izvestia newspaper on Oct. 4.

Putin said he saw the new union as a supra-national body which would coordinate "economic and currency policy" between its members. It would also be open to new members.

And below, we see a very interesting comment, particularly for those who believe that the biblical "10 kings" will consist of 10 world unions:

Putin wrote that he saw the way out of the global crisis through a regional integration, mentioning the European Union, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as examples.

"These 'bricks' can assemble into a more stable global economy," Putin wrote.

Also see:

Putin To Reassemble The Soviet Union

Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he wants to bring ex-Soviet states into a “Eurasian Union” in an article which outlined his first foreign policy initiative as he prepares to return to the Kremlin as the country’s next president.

Putin said the new union would build on an existing Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan which from next year will remove all barriers to trade, capital and labor movement between the three countries.

“We are not going to stop there and are setting an ambitious goal — to achieve an even higher integration level in the Eurasian Union,” Putin wrote in an article which will be published in Izvestia newspaper on October 4.

Putin said he saw the new union as a supra-national body which would coordinate “economic and currency policy” between its members. It would also be open to new members.

Can Israel Survive?

Well, of course they can. And they will. We know that from the prophetic scriptures. But this intriguing title comes from an interesting commentary in the American Thinker and reveals an interesting read:

Can Israel Survive?

There's a great deal of speculation these days on Israel's dire situation, most notably from renowned author and scholar Victor Davis Hanson in the National Review, who prefaces it with a remark that the country has never been in more danger.

We see a listing of the usual threats to Israel:

The Islamist regimes in Egypt and elsewhere brought on by the Arab Spring and their growing hostility to Israel, the genocidal influence of Iran and its missile-armed proxies Hamas and Hezb'allah, Erdoğan's Islamist Turkey, the huge influence of Arab petro-dollars, and the indifference and growing anti-Semitism in much of Europe and the exhaustion and debt of the United States are frequently cited.

It's a gloomy picture, and none of it is to be trivialized. But I think dire predictions of Israel's demise are premature, to say the least.

Exactly.

After listing a variety of strategic and military advantages that Israel possesses, and after pointing out the weak spots in Israel's enemies, we get to the crux of the matter:

The real wild card remains Iran, rapidly approaching status as a nuclear power. Much of Iran's threat comes via its proxies in Gaza and Lebanon and its ability to launch missile attacks, since Iranian conventional forces are too far removed to make a ground war feasible...

Would the ayatollahs risk heavy retaliation by attempting to destroy Israel for Allah? Perhaps.

This is where I would disagree with the author. Replacing "perhaps" with "definitely" seems more appropriate, recognizing M. Ahmadinejad's obsession with the return of the Madhi and his role in this scenario - something the author neglects to recognize.

And he certainly gets this right:

It's certainly correct that Israel faces major challenges, and a combined assault by Iran, Hamas, and Hezb'allah would not be a negligible threat.

Indeed.

In some other news from the region today:

Israel's isolation rooted in US-imposed military inaction

Christian Pastor Faces Final Appeal of Iran Death Sentence

A Christian pastor who was sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy in 2009 faces his final appeal in Iran's Supreme Court next week.

At least one appeal against the "choose Islam or die" sentence has failed thus far.

Nadarkhani, a father of two and member of the Protestant evangelical Church of Iran, was given three opportunities to recant his faith by the appeals court.

But he refused to reconvert back to Islam.

...the death sentence was based on fatwas issued by a senior Islamic cleric who is now deceased. At least three other clerics had challenged the ruling.

A World in Crisis: Just on the Brink

The headlines reveal just how fallen this world is, and just how close to the brink we are:

Eurozone teeters on the verge of a 'euroquake' if Greek default is bungled

No Rise in Home Prices Until 2020: Bankers

No Money for Federal Retirement: Federal Retirement Plans Cost Almost as Much as Social Security

Barroso Calls for More Power for EU Institutions

Turkish warships harass Israeli freighters. Israeli missile boats off Cyprus

Could cyber attackers cut off the power grid? The U.S. says new 'connected' equipment is at risk

"SHe's gonna Blow": Canary Island Evacuated Amid Volcano

El Heirro (The Canary Islands) Earthquake Count Reaches 8850

The Day America Died: The only Future for Americans is a Nightmare

This is just a small sample of today's headlines. There are many many more.

The world is literally on the brink - and desperately searching for answers. Unfortunately, the world is searching in the wrong places.

The answer?

There is only one answer.

Jesus.

See below.

A World Searching...In All The Wrong Places

It now appears that the demonstrations and protests are increasing around the nation, paralleling what we have been seeing for quite some time in Europe.

Americans Are Protesting

More than 700 arrested in Wall Street protests

Occupy Wall Street: Mass Economic Riots Are Now Here And America WIll Never Be The Same

We've been watching the world-wide economic collapse taking shape like a slow-moving train wreck - a collapse that will affect every human on earth to some degree.

We've been watching the EU crumbling under the weight of their massive debt problems, as foreshadowing of what is to come to America. We see continual failure after failure by the EU to create anything more than very brief, temporary fixes.

We watch as the United States economic problems continue to mount, with no end in sight and no tangible solutions offered by the politicians currently in office. Meanwhile, millions foreclose on their homes as food-stamps become the order of the day.

We see the Middle East just on the brink of exploding, as the war-like rhetoric has taken a dramatic turn to the worst case scenario, while Israel's surrounding enemies have become more and more emboldened. We know the epicenter is just on the brink. Meanwhile, we hear the same old political rhetoric from politicians that we have heard for decades as the stalemate continues, yet the violence continues to increase.

We see world-wide pestilences increasing with antibiotic resistance the story of this generation, as man's once promising efforts to fight infection is now met with failures more often than success.

We see earthquakes ravaging nations such as Japan as the aftermath from epic destruction and radiation fears develop from failing nuclear plants, not to mention the massive tsunami damage. New Zealand is still in recovery mode from their major quakes, as is Haiti, Chile, and Indonesia just to name a few. We also see man's helplessness and inability to intervene as the power of the earth is revealed. Man only appears smaller and more inept in the face of the earth's changes.

We turn on the TV and listen to the news and hear of more violence, more killings, more rape, more murder, gang violence - more bloodshed every day, and also come to terms of the failure of modern society to combat these issues.

We watch the growing persecution taking place around the world - persecution of our brothers and sisters - with helplessness as we can do very little to stop it - exemplified most recently in Iran, as we helplessly watch our brother about to be put to death simply because of his faith in Jesus - yet he stands firm in his faith.

And what are "the nations" trying to do to solve these unsolvable problems?

They seek answers through man and man's government. And to this day - as we watch the various protests, riots, carnage and violence, man continues to seek answers via other humans and through human government.

How has that worked out so far on planet earth?

When will mankind learn?

As we have become more and more technologically advanced, we have deteriorated in every sense. We have deteriorated morally, spiritually, and in every other way imaginable.

We have created weapons of mass destruction. We have created more bloodshed than any other time in history. We have seen more violence than any time in the past. We have more depression, more abortions, more war, more divorce, more homeless, more destruction and more helplessness.

And as man seeks solutions through mankind, we see a world also turning away from God.

What does the Bible tell us?

Man does not have the answers. Man will never have the answers.

The world is seeking solutions to these massive problems through more and more of what has already failed miserably:

Mankind.

Human government.

Humans have never had the answers nor the solutions.

Watching the current state of affairs on this earth is tragic, but almost comical at the same time.

Man continues to seek the answers to these massive problems through the very cause of these problems: Human government.

If it weren't so sad and heartbreaking it would be humorous. One has to wonder what God is thinking as He watches man's feeble efforts to fix these problems without HIm.

The world will continue to deteriorate until Jesus returns to the earth to establish His reign.

It is that simple.

The demonstrations, the riots, the elections, the border wars, the UN, the so-called "leaders" of the nations, the protestors, the pundits, the political operatives, the corporate CEOs etc. No one from this earth will have the solutions. The efforts that we see today are destined for failure. All of them.

Only Jesus.

There will be no solutions without Jesus.

There will be no peace without Jesus.

We who are in Christ know this.

We also know that we are in this world, but we are not of this world.

We have a very different destination that awaits us - and all of the hope and optimism that goes along with that faith.

It is impossible for me to imagine being on this earth - at this moment in time - without such hope. The hope that is offered by a personal relationship with Christ Jesus.

And it gets even better for us. Jesus has made for us an even better plan - a plan that He has given us on multiple occasions with multiple reassurances. A plan that includes His gathering up of His bride: those who have accepted His gift of salvation.

Before this tribulation period begins on the earth - He has promised to deliver His people - and to take His people to His father's house. A place that has been extensively described in the last two chapters of the Holy Bible.

He stated this case clearly many times in many passages, but perhaps most clearly here:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God; trust also in me.

In my Father's house there are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go there to prepare a place for you,
I will come back and take you to be with me
that you will also be where I am."

(John 14:1-3)

You see, this is a reference to the "gathering up" of the Church - also known as the Bride of Christ. Also known as the Rapture of the Church. This is not a Second Coming reference. At the time of the Second Coming Jesus will remain on earth to establish His earthly reign for 1,000 years. This scripture clearly identifies that Jesus will be taking His bride to the Father's house.

We know this is entirely consistent with the promise given in 1 Thessalonians 4:16

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

And 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."

So what do we do while we watch the world crumble and as we watch the nations seek solutions via mankind and man's government?

We look for Jesus:

The only way to find peace.
The only solution to the world's problems.
Jesus and only Jesus.

And Jesus said to not let our hearts be troubled.

He knew exactly what we would be seeing on earth in these last days.

As the song says

There is no one else for me. None But Jesus

Upcoming U.S. Elections: Will They Be Suspended?

As hard as it is to believe, there seems to be some merit to the possibility that an effort to thwart the upcoming elections is quietly underway.

Again, it is worth repeating - it is very very hard to believe that something like this could ever take place in America, but it is most definitely worth watching. Just in case.

'Suspended Election Revolution" Does it Play?

Presented for you now, an exercise in considering the incredible: that Barack Obama, et. conspiratorial al. would plan to suspend elections in an orchestrated national emergency, perhaps a false flag operation blamed on his opposition.

I do not say this will happen, nor am I selling the idea.

Nor am I. It seems to incredible and too outrageous to even consider. However, it is also worth remembering the strange times that we are living in these days, particularly considering the nearness of the hour of the approaching Tribulation. In that context anything is possible and in an effort not to have "head in the sand", it may be worth keeping one eye on this remote possibility.

It isn't like politicians haven't raised the issue:

The point is, this should be scrutinized and in principle when such things are fully sounded out, their probability — that is, the opportunity for them, lessens.

And the objective in this: with an open mind, to gain the situational awareness necessary to keep from being duped by normality bias (what we are accustomed to, what we think we know) and by agitprop.

“Forewarned is forearmed.” If you would embark upon such a war-gaming journey of the mind, we suggest six initial steps, given below.

Indeed.

Make sure you are familiar with North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue’s “joke” that by sober evaluation was not a joke, but a flatly put suggestion called by some a “trial balloon”: that congressional elections should perhaps be suspended.

You can hear the quote in the link contained within the article. There was no joke attempted here,

What a coincidence! Gov. Perdue, it is time to recall, is one of ten appointed by Barack Obama to serve on a very NWO-ish sounding Council of State Governors, arrayed around the country, purposed to handle responses militaristic and otherwise, to national emergencies.

That might seem to be just the kind of council (and remember the Russian word for governing council is “soviet”) that would deal with the suspension of our Constitutional governance and the imposition of something instead which would lay in a spectrum between that and dictatorial, martial law.

We also cannot forget about the newly formed Council of Governors and the role it may play in the future:

Connecting the dots on Obama's Council of Governors

As stated, the idea of any attempt to thwart elections seems too outrageous to even contemplate.

The uprising that such action would create is also impossible to contemplate, regardless of whatever "crisis" was occurring at the time, whether real or contrived.

However, in these last days, all possibilities should be considered and at a minimum, watched closely for further developments.

These are strange days as we approach the Tribulation and it is hard to know just how bizarre and surreal things will become - on this side of the "gathering up" of the Church.

Tensions Continuing To Increase In Mediterranean

Turkey takes things up a notch:

Turkish warships harass Israeli freighters. Israeli missile boats off Cyprus

Increasingly assertive Turkey is setting the scene for clashes in the eastern Mediterranean. Since Thursday, Sept. 29, Turkish warships have been harassing Israeli merchant vessels in waters off Cyprus.

They come close enough to establish wireless communication and caution the Israeli vessels they are in contravention of international law and ordering them to change course.

But the situation is getting explosive enough to spark a major incident.

This is very true. We all realize that the region is a powder keg and it will take very little to ignite it. Turkey is playing a dangerous game of brinksmanship right now.

Over the weekend, Israeli Air Force planes circled near the sites of the incidents...

At the same time Israeli missile ships sailed close to Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone waters, where the Houston-based Noble Energy began drilling for natural gas on Sept. 19 in the face of Turkish threats. The rig is situated 160 kilometers south of Cyprus adjacent to Israel's Leviathan gas field.

"Outside" observers are also watching this situation:

Western naval sources tracking the new Turkish and Israeli deployments reported Saturday, Oct. 1: "Turkey and Israel are in a constant muscle-flexing contest in the eastern Mediterranean. They are metaphorically shaking fists in each other's faces and raising the risk of a confrontation that could quickly veer out of control."

Cyprus is also under direct threat from Turkey:

Also Saturday, Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias had this message for Ankara: "I wish to underline to all those who attempt to question this right of the Republic of Cyprus: our sovereign rights are non-negotiable."

And below we see another indication that this entire scenario is intended to increase tensions:

Five days ago, the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey, George Papandreou and Tayyip Erdogan talked by phone. And four days ago, Adm. James Stavridis, Commander of NATO forces in Europe, flew to Ankara directly from Israel for talks with Turkish leaders.

Turkish harassment of Israeli cargo vessels began after those interchanges, indicating that the Erdogan government has no intention of meeting exasperated US and NATO efforts to cool rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

One has to wonder what Turkey's end game is.

Certainly, as seen in previous reports they want to be seen in a leadership role for Islamic goals in the Middle East, and the primary goal, in general terms, is the destruction of Israel.

How this brinksmanship - now taking place in the Mediterranean - plays into the bigger picture is anyone's guess.

But one thing is certain - tensions are rapidly escalating in the epicenter and with all parties on edge - armed to the teeth - that cannot be a good thing.

Stay tuned, as this situation is evolving on a daily basis, if not hourly.

News From The Epicenter: The Option Now Is War

Well, this development was inevitable.

There will be no peace plan and no two-state solution. The only option left is war. We suspected this all along:

Hamas: 'Resistance' against Israel is only option left for Palestinians

Hamas leader Khaled Meshal addresses Tehran conference 'in support of the Palestinian Intifada'; Iranian supreme leader tells conference that UN bid for statehood will fail.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshal told an international conference in Iran on Saturday that "resistance" was the only option left for the Palestinians.

Meshal was addressing the "5th International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada" in Iran’s capital Tehran.

It was never about statehood. We need to bold the statement below. At least it is being openly discussed (again) - the true intent:

"Palestinians must resort to resistance no matter how costly it is, until Palestine is free and Israel is destroyed," Meshal said.

The bottom line. The biblical version. Cutting through the rhetoric; cutting through the political correct deceptions. The real agenda has now been officially stated and it is found in one word: WAR.

Not only that - we see the puppet master, Iran coming out with the same:

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who also spoke at the conference on Saturday, assailed a two state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, saying the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations is doomed to fail.

Iran is calling the shots in the region and now their true intent is being publicly stated.

Khamenei told the conference, which was attended by other by senior Palestinian militant leaders as well as Mashaal, that the Palestinians should not limit themselves to seeking a country based on the pre-1967 borders because "all land belongs to Palestinians."

"Our claim is freedom of Palestine, not part of Palestine. Any plan that partitions Palestine is totally rejected," Khamenei told the conference.

"Palestine spans from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean), nothing less."

Below we see another quote that must be bolded:

Khamenei also called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that should be removed.

The Jerusalem Post also carries the story (lets see if the MSM in the U.S. carries any of this):

Khamenei rejects two states, calls Israel 'cancerous'

At "Intifada Conference," Iranian leader says two-state solution "is nothing but a capitulation to demands of Zionists"; Mashaal claims "resistance is the only option left for the Palestinians."

As leader of a country under a long-standing threat of military action from Israel and the United States, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the Jewish state and its allies to expect "paralyzing blows" that a NATO missile shield could not prevent.

"Any plan that seeks to divide Palestine is totally rejected," Khamenei told a conference commemorating the Palestinian Intifada.

"The two-state scheme, which has been clad in the self-righteousness of the acceptance of the Palestinian government and membership at the United Nations, is nothing but a capitulation to the demands of the Zionists or the recognition of the Zionist regime on Palestinian land," he declared.

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said at the conference that "resistance is the only remaining option" for the Palestinians, adding that "all others have failed. "

While Washington seeks to accelerate a return to Israel-Palestinian talks in order to avoid a vote on statehood, Khamenei mocked Barack Obama's support for Israel as a cynical ploy to retain the US presidency at next year's election.

He said a NATO early-warning radar system being deployed to protect the Western alliance from attacks by countries including Iran would be ineffective.

Make no mistake about it - this is a call for war.

Meanwhile, we see that the U.S. continues to provide support and military assistance for Turkey - a key figure in the Gog-MaGog alliance who will attack Israel in the future:

US to provide Turkey with attack helicopters

US Ambassador to Ankara Francis Ricciardone announced Friday that the US will provide Turkey with three new attack helicopters, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported.

According to the report, which quotes Turkey's TGRT news network, Ankara asked Washington for SuperCobra attack helicopters to replace those it lost in the campaign against Kurdish rebels.

It is important to keep in mind the fact that Iran is not a casual observer in the region. Iran is firmly in control of both Hezbollah and Hamas, which control Lebanon and Gaza along with most of the West Bank. Additionally, Iran is now well rooted in Egypt and Syria.

These alliances look a lot like the expected battles described in the Psalm 83 prayer and the Isaiah 17 scenario. Many of us have expected this first battle/war to be a proxy war for Iran.

Today's news brings us hauntingly close to this scenario.

This writer believes that the above proxy war will rapidly lead to the Gog-MaGog conflict.

We seem to be on the verge of this entire scenario unfolding precisely as biblical prophecy would dictate.