Humanitarian crisis in Syria

Everyday we get horrible picture in our living room brought in from the Syria by the visual media. The so called 'Father of the country' even fires scuds at his own people.
Hafez al-Assad. Taken sometime before April 1987. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The industrialist capitalist countries look at it and do not much against the continued violence taking place. There is no oil to fetch like in Iraq and Syria has not much to offer to the West, so why bother?

How long shall the world allow those atrocities take place?

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At the end of March the Samaritan Fund made a significant donation to an Emergency Appeal by the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help relieve the current humanitarian crisis in Syria. This is in addition to the donation made in January to the UNICEF emergency appeal for children in Syria. The DEC appeal provides a grim summary of life in that troubled country: 

Two years of war have had a devastating impact on many Syrian families and have left more than four million people in need of aid. In many parts of the country the health system has effectively collapsed, water supplies have been cut and food is in short supply. In addition, over one million people have now fled to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. Refugees are arriving at camps which are already stretched to capacity, and many families are living in crude shelters they have built themselves, with host families in overcrowded conditions, or in partially finished buildings.

The Samaritan Fund is also able to forward donations from ecclesias and brethren and sisters wishing to support this appeal. Donations should be sent to our Treasurer, Brother Ken Smith, Westhaven House, Arleston Way, Shirley, Solihull, West Mids., B90 4LH, with a note earmarking it for the DEC Crisis Appeal for Syria.

 Neville Moss (Secretary)

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Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and lightening

Dear Lovers of Truth,

                                This is a bit early to send, but in a week’s time the news will be stale.

      The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has come as a shock to the Vatican and Catholics generally. He has been popular with the laity and most of the clergy He has also placed relations with Israel on a better footing by rejecting “Secessionism” – which denies that Israel is “the chosen race” and therefore has no right to the Promised Land. However, since a conference he called to discuss the Middle East was held in Rome during October 2010, he has had serious opposition to this policy, as shown below: 

English: Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

JERUSALEM POST 23/10/2010 - In a final joint communiqué, the bishops also told Israel it shouldn’t use the Bible to justify “injustices” against the Palestinians.  The bishops issued the statement at the close of their two-week meeting, called by Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the plight of Christians in the Middle East amid a major exodus of the faithful from the region.
The Catholic Church has long been a minority in the largely Muslim region but its presence is shrinking further as a result of war, conflict, discrimination and economic problems.                                                                       .
“The Holy Scriptures cannot be used to justify the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians, to justify the occupation by Israel of Palestinian lands,” Monsignor Cyril Salim Bustros, Greek Melkite archbishop of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Boston, Massachusetts, and president of the “Commission for the Message,” said at Saturday’s Vatican press conference. “We ‘Christians’ cannot speak of the ‘promised land’ as an exclusive right for a privileged Jewish people. This promise was nullified by Christ. There is no longer a chosen people – all men and women of all countries have become the chosen people. “Even if the head of the Israeli state is Jewish, the future is based on democracy. The Palestinian refugees will eventually come back and this problem will have to be solved,” the Lebanese-born Bustros said.

  This brought swift condemnation from both Jewish and Fundamentalist Christian spokesmen.

Mordechay Lewy, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See, told The Jerusalem Post that Bustros, in saying that Jesus nullified God’s covenant with the Jewish people, was “returning to secessionist theology, contradicting Second Vatican Council teaching and Pope Benedict himself – who has welcomed the return of Jews to their ancient homeland.”
“Also,” added the ambassador, “by inviting all Palestinian refugees to return and denying Israel’s right to define itself a Jewish state – the only such in the world – he is regressing to hard-line positions that deny Israel’s right to exist.”

  It would appear that the next pope will have to deal with a rather divided fraternity among the cardinals and other leading clerics when dealing with weighty Middle East policies.

  This is in keeping with Biblical prophecies which indicate the obstinacy that the nations will encounter when endeavouring to solve the problem of Israel - and Jerusalem in particular.

Zechariah 12:2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

  

Media speculation has also centred around the numerous violations by the Roman Catholic clergy perpetrated on their charges and the negative publicity resulting from it must play on the pope’s mind, especially that the investigations are now centred in Bavaria, the pope’s home country.

  The shattering effect this is having on the Roman church seems the likely fulfilment of

Revelation 14: 8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

 This only the beginning of troubles for the R.C.Church as there are three more judgements to follow!

NOT JUST SYRIA!

   Although to slaughter and refugee situation in Syria occupies much of the Television news bulletins, similar situations are developing in most Arab countries from, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, across Northern Africa and down to the Central African countries. The unrest and violence doesn’t stop there but is becoming world-wide.

   Every day we hear of terrorists bombing innocent civilians – women and children – and then proudly owning up as the perpetrators of these horrific murders as if God Himself approved of them! They have some terrifying experiences awaiting them at the hand of the judge of all the earth!

   In Bangladesh, Shri Lanka, and India thousands pour onto the streets in protest for their rights, while Pakistanis plead with their government to stop the slaughter of so many Shi’ites!

   In the Pacific region China and Japan argue over almost bare islands while North Korea threatens their kinsmen in the South with annihilation from atomic bombs!

   You will readily bring to mind the words of our Lord Jesus, most recorded in three of the gospels:

Luke 21:9  But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

  The Gospel in Mark13 has these words as well:

Mark 13:19  For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20  And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

  Well, it is comforting to know that the Lord God is aware of all that is going on – but how can He show us that He knows? Fulfilment of prophecy is His best witness - BUT did you see this?

  This photo of lightning striking the top of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome occurred only hours after the pope’s resignation speech! Was it approval or a warning? Or both?

Job 37: 2 Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. 3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth. 4 After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard. 5 God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

Deut. 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

In the Master’s Service,

Art

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."  Amos 3:7

1. Pope Benedict XVI resigns
2. Pope Benedict will hide
3. Claiming to be the successor to St Peter

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Syrian capital facing total destruction in the coming months

The final chapter of Syria’s bloody civil war may be about to begin, but this is bringing no sense of relief.
There is growing talk of a looming battle-to-the-death in the streets of Damascus. There is growing fear that President Bashar Assad may use chemical weapons in a final desperate effort to remain in power. And there is growing worry in many quarters that this next perilous phase, which may resolve nothing in terms of Syria’s immediate future, could also lead to a dramatic reshaping of the entire Middle East as we know it.

Growing fear that civil war in Syria could unleash the world's first use of chemical weapons in nearly three decades is based on two grim scenarios neither considered likely but both carrying risks of civilian massacre and a major escalation of violence.
The first is that President Bashar Assad, in a last-ditch effort to save his regime, would order chemical attacks either as a limited demonstration to the rebels of his willingness to use the internationally banned weapons, or in a large-scale offensive designed to turn the tide of a conflict that already has killed an estimated 40,000.
The second is that some portion of Assad's arsenal could be moved to Iran or Lebanon or fall into the hands of foreign fighters with ties to terrorist groups who are helping Syrian rebels.

The Syrian capital is “facing total destruction in the coming months”. This is the  remarkable statement in the Daily Telegraph report above. It is remarkable because this is exactly what the Bible says is going to happen to this city. However the scale of the coming destruction on Damascus is greater than anyone realises. It will actually cause Damascus to cease from being a city. How this destruction takes place and what exactly causes it we don’t know…. But we can see it cannot be long before it is fulfilled.
The Bible says that Damascus will cease to be a city, it will be a ruinous heap and all her men of war will be killed in that day. The rebels with their small explosives and light weapons could not bring about this cataclysmic destruction of a capital city. The destruction foretold requires weapons that only nations possess. Possibly even nuclear. We may not have long to wait before we see these things take place…

A respected weekly French magazine called “Le Point” has reported this week that France is preparing its special forces for a mission in war-torn Syria. The mission would only involve a relatively small amount of special forces, and a number of NATO countries — including the UK and the US — would be involved. Debkafile also reports this week that this action is to begin shortly. Whether these reports are true or not we can see how the crisis in Syria is moving towards a conclusion.
Russia we know is adamant that no military action should be taken. America, UK and France are increasingly adamant there must be. In Daniel 11 v 40 we read of the king of the south (America / UK) pushing at the king of the north (Russia). After the push Russia comes down. The word “push” could be seen as a military provocation…

Israel being a prime target as Syria’s arch enemy. Isaiah 17 speaks of Israel being greatly weakened when Damascus falls – Syria may weaken Israel by using chemical weapons against it.

Across the world lots of messages do remind people about sayings concerning times which people should warn that something serious was going to happen.
In the meantime nearly 300 people shed their clothes at Papamoa, New Zeeland,  to take part in a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest collective skinny dip and in Rotorua quite a crowd has been looking for a place to safely and comfortably socialise in the nude.
Rotorua's lakes are bursting with water with water levels across the region reaching all-time highs.

Further in the news:

A one-metre high tsunami wave has struck the city of Ishinomaki in northeastern Japan after a strong earthquake off the coast.  Buildings shook as far away as Tokyo following the tremor which took place in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 23 miles, with the epicentre 285 miles from the capital. Japan's NHK television urged people in coastal areas likely to be affected to head to safety.

An unusually destructive tornado swept through neighbourhoods around New Zealand's largest city Thursday, killing three people and forcing 250 more to evacuate damaged and powerless homes. The small tornado hit Hobsonville and Whenuapai, western suburbs of Auckland, during a midday storm that also uprooted trees, damaged buildings and caused flooding that closed roads. Thursday's tornado was the deadliest in New Zealand in more than 60 years. 

What do the lunar landings, the Kim Dotcom saga, flying saucers and UFO sightings, the Mt Tongariro eruption, the Holy Grail, the 9/11 attacks and the war on terror, the Urewera raids and the Mayan calendar have in common?

 

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” (Daniel 11:40 KJBPNV)

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1 KJBPNV)

 “24 Damascus has grown feeble, and turns herself to flee, and fear has seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in labor. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy! 26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, says Yahweh of hosts.” (Jeremiah 49:24-26 KJBPNV)

“3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, says Yahweh of hosts. 4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall become lean.” (Isaiah 17:3-4 KJBPNV)

 “Consider you not what these people have spoken, saying, The two families which Yahweh has chosen, he has even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.” (Jeremiah 33:24 KJBPNV)

“25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26 KJBPNV)



 > CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS WWW

Please do find:

Burman: If Syria splits apart, so might the entire region 

Syria's chemical weapons risk

 

New articles for October 2011

While in September war was imminent according to Israeli commander and hundreds of thousands had come on the streets in Israel the Unites States and Europe found also many hundreds of people who were undignified whith todays situation.
In September Israel had attacked and Egypt had entered a severe crisis but the common people showed their anger and dislikes.

This month in the Ecclesia we gave attention on the Name of God and looked at its use in several languages and Bibletranslations.

Also the economic troubles and Bank tribulations could not escape our attention. After the American debacle, the Lehman Brothers brought a lot of Belgian people in a position where they lost all their savings. On top of that the Belgian Banks burned their soup as well.
Dexia-debacle met venijnig staartje.
Politically Belgium saw some light and got somewhere on the good way in the worst political crisis since it short existance. Doorbraak in grootste regeringscrisis van België

We discussed how a Christian has to behave him or herself in such a situation and which responsibility we do have to take about our environment.

We spoke about the many diversions people looked for and what sort of entertainment got him away from our real purpose and essence of life. We could see that also today we still have A god between many gods and that a lot of people still keep choosing for the wrong hero.

We showed that it has become more important today to know the importance of the Creator of heaven and earth and everything aroundיהוה. When we look at the world and see what human beings try to do with the creation we know that no mater what the world may be thinking we should honour always only The Only One Elohim who creates and gives all, but we should also dare to speak to Him using His Name. Though when we do hear many Christians speak, we hear them using strange words for a believer in the Most High and we do not often hear Gods real Name, but often we hear His titles used in a strange way, not really honouring the Elohim Hashem. Lots of Christians are afraid to utter their opinnion when it goes against the general contemporary attitude. they are afraid not going to be accepted by the community and fear to fail. Faal beter
Faal beter #2 Jij en de ander

We can wonder What is your greatest fear? not to use Gods Name?
Some one or something to fear #2 Attitude and Reactions
Some one or something to fear #3 Cases, folks and outing
Some one or something to fear #4 Families and Competition
Some one or something to fear #5 Not afraid
Some one or something to fear #6 Faith in the Most High
Some one or something to fear #7 Not afraid for Gods Name

In Flanders the population of the poor is growing fast and we can find more families where there is no possibility to consume three meals a day:Geen drie maaltijden voor kind. Several parents have no possibility to buy the necessary products for their children anymore. With the growing population some people are afraid that we shall not be able to feed all those mouths. From the several articles you shall be able to find out that God has foreseen in His Plan that we all shall be able to live nicely. So it can be interesting to look at the World Population Watch - see http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ - where a magic figure of 7 Billion  is brining a reality of acute awareness to take care of each other (- purely for interest not a doomsday prediction.)

Britain changes rules to the act of settlement. What does this mean and why is it significant? > CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS WWW 23rd - 29th Oct 2011‏

In > Niet winkelend we show how certain evolution in the belief of people made that we do came in a situation which is not worth for a civilised population to live in. In November we shall go deeper into that because professor Verhaeghe does not agree with what I am saying that a lot of what happens today in the financial and work market happens because of the loss of values and morals. We look also on what others think about The origins of Occupy Wall Street and about the Complex Equality. We also looked at the metaphor for the lost generation. >Metafoor over een generatie but also dare to say we to the great indignation question the incident in the university buildings in Brussels > Verontwaardigd over Indignados. (The photographs of the damage say enough about the attitude of certain people today.)
This outrage or outcry we hear today may be understandable, but how should we behave as Christians? To know how we best can react we also should try to understand all the parties and look at the historical and political situation.
Anti-Crisis anger calling out
Op straat voor waardigheid #1 Zieke broertje
Op straat voor waardigheid #2 Grote broer
Op straat voor waardigheid #3 de Rest van de Familie
Op straat voor waardigheid #4 de Erfenis

The economical crisis also showed that there is some division in Europe and questions the position of each individual in the system.Verdeeldheid bijgelegd.

Europe has enjoyed many decades of growth in wealth and well-being, based on intensive use of resources. But today it faces the dual challenge of stimulating the growth needed to provide jobs and well-being to its citizens, and of ensuring that the quality of this growth leads to a sustainable future. Humanity should be aware that it has become high time to take care of our neighbours, humans but also plants and animals around us. If we would like to have something to eat in a few years time, we shall have to do something against the pollution and about the greediness of certain people.

We have come to a position where we have many fragile creatures pushed in a corner of extinction. the stronger ones should come up for the weaker ones we discussed in the European Parliament:Kwetsbare mens in het Europa van morgen #1 Colloquium
Some think Christians may not rise their voice or may not interfere with politics, but we should be aware that we cannot let certain things happen. Also we do have to come up for the Creation of our beloved Most High Elohim. Therefore several believers came together to share their ideas of how to continue as a nation and to discuss which measures we all should take or how we can stand up as one nation to protect mother earth and show the world that it has to respect the Creation of the Most High Creator, though some humans themselves want to play for god creator. >Sense or nonsense of “Human Fragility”

In the mean time several protesters went on to the streets to show their indignation. But in Brussels and Rome some of those los Indignados showed how we as humans really should not behave. Los Indignados occpyed New York and other cities: Van Evere naar Occupy Antwerp. We are reminded of the Anarchy on the streets a few months ago. What can be learned from the August riots?

We did not only see violance against buildings, cars and parcs. Lots of damage is done to those who are very fragile in our community.

Violence against disabled children while we have to find four-in-10 disabled young ‘poor’.
We wonder what the prospects can be for our children and look at the position we as believers do have to take. We also should dare to call on the governments to recognise the urgency of the situation and take immediate steps to reduce child poverty. We should not think it is just an Aziatic, African, South-American and Flemish situation. There is also a Bleak forecasts for children in the UK .

How can we let it happen that in Belgium 1 in 6 children lives in poverty today?
Is there a hungerweapon? >Hongerwapen
Lappendeken als uithangbord? What can we offer those kids? Droevig vooruitzicht voor jonge kinderen. Therefore we looked also at the International Day for 
the Eradication of Poverty and dared to asked what you would do and think of your life when you would die today >Indien u nu zou sterven. If Today Was Your Last Day On Earth?
would you be settled with what you think today? Would you be scared? > If Today Was Your Last Day On Earth?

Those children who live in poverty have a bleaker forecast because they cannot have a social formation in youth clubs or extra tuition in music, word or movement theatre. they also have more chances to be bullied at at school. this has really become something that happens more and more and we see it spreading in the work units of adults, where several people are already driven to take their own life.
Onbesef van pesten op school

Ecological economics in the stomach #1 Alarmbell
Ecological economics in the stomach #2 Resources
Ecological economics in the stomach #3 Food and Populace

The world had to loose one of those persons who recognised who is behind all the things we see around us. For many years she tried to get some damage undone which humans had caused to the Creation of the Most High. She tried to save humans by saving trees. > Tree Planter Maathai died

The world lost also a dictator and international terrorist. What are the implications for the Middle East now Gaddafi is dead? CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS WWW 16th - 22nd Oct 2011‏
His dead brought freedom for many. So also in Israel and Gaza people were happy for newly liberated friends. What is the significance of Israel releasing 270 murderers for one Israeli soldier? Could it be a prelude to conflict? What does the Bible say about this? > CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS WWW 9th - 15th Oct 2011‏

Going a little-bit further in the past: The Palestinians had voted at the Security Council and the UN General Assembly.  You can read what brother Andy Walton thought what might happen? > CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS WWW 11th - 17th September 2011‏

In summer the Bible Exhibition at Tewkesbury was blessed with well over 500 visitors in just 4 days! They have also had around 20 people sign up to the seminars. It shows that there are still people interested in hearing about God's word and his plan and purpose - even in these last and very dark days.

Perhaps in our writings we bring not such nice tidings, looking at all this misery, political difficulties, economical and other crimes, but we show also that we can have better prospects as well, but are ourselves also responsible for a lot of things which happen today and shall happen in the near future. Next month, going on about our stance in the Fragile environment I shall dare you to confront with the disastrous figures the scientist brought forwards at the congress in the European Parliament about Fragility. We then shall look with Dr.E. Herr at the relation between the Bible and the Cosmos and with Dr. Le Bichon how we shall be able to work for a better humane community when we try to bring others also over the border of our mysterious feeling and get as many as possible to see how we have to honour our Only One God by giving full honour also to His Creation.

Egypt in the picture

Egypt had also been a mighty power in the Middle East. The period of its greatness was about 1600 BC, when the armies of the conquering Pharaohs pressed southwards into the Sudan, westwards along the north African coast, and northwards through the land of Canaan (later Israel) and into Syria.
The land invaded by Nebuchadnezzar who overran Israel, sacked Jerusalem and burnt its temple, and carried thousands away captive to Babylon is now back in the picture with an opposite wealth. For 2500 years Egypt has remained, as Ezekiel prophesied it would, "a lowly kingdom", always dominated by others. But Egypt and the Egyptians did not disappear. They still exist, and though many claim that they have even recovered a measure of independence in recent times, thanks to massive financial support from the U.S.A. and Saudi Arabia, not many people got something from this economic funding.  Lots of the people have not enough to eat and no work. There were no prospects but now thousands have put their hope in a new peaceful revolution.

Egypt has been one of the United States' closest allies in the region but this governments’ reign now looks increasingly likely to fail.  This crisis follows the toppling of the Tunisian president a few weeks ago who fled the country after widespread protests forced him from office. Surely we see distress of nations and the sea and waves roaring. The sea and waves are symbolic of people raging against each other.

George W. Bush had previously pushed Hosni  Mubarak for democratic reforms but the head of state has perhaps promised a lot to his people and to the outside world, but kept 'his country' good in chains.

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, with 600,000 members, stands for the re-establishment of the Islamic Empire (Caliphate), the takeover, spiritually or otherwise, of the entire world, and jihad and martyrdom. It has front organizations in the UK, France, and the United States. The danger exist that they are going to exploit the situation and the figure like Mohammed ElBaradei in order to hijack the Egyptian revolution at a later stage. We may not forget that that ever since the Brotherhood was founded over 80 years ago, it has engaged in political terrorism, assassinating Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Nuqrashi Pasha in 1948, trying to kill President Abdul Nasser several years later, supports Hamas, and more.
The Egyptians should well be aware what it could implicate if the Moslim Brotherhood comes into the governement. A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt told the Arabic-language Iranian news network Al-Alam on Monday that he would like to see the Egyptian people prepare for war against Israel.

No casualties yet recorded by our brothers and sisters in Egypt. Our brothers and sisters seek seeing "(God's) righteousness" and find it important to try to develop a love of God's character, which means that we want to be worthy Christians showing our love for God His creation, our neighbours, and our love in God's Kingdom because righteousness will be glorified there.

We know that there is a fascinating prophecy in Isaiah 19 that speaks of God setting Egyptian against Egyptian. (Isaiah 19:2,4) As with all prophecies this has both a latter and future fulfilment. As we see Egyptian being set against Egyptian we see a latter day fulfilment now. In verse 4 of that chapter it speaks of a “fierce king” ruling over them. In fact Daniel 8:23 speaks of this fierce king. He is none other than the king of the north who will invade Egypt.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus describes the nations (multitudes) rising up against nations (multitudes). This month we got reverberations from the mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt to be felt around the Arab world. Is it the woe of the multitude of people? US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Middle East is facing a "perfect storm" of unrest and nations must embrace democratic change. Democracy (Liberty or freedom of the people from monarchies)  is one of the froglike spirits spoken of in Revelation 16 which gather all nations to battle. Brother Andy Walton agrees with Hilary Clinton:" We can see before our eyes how this spirit of people power will indeed bring war and conflict.... – the status quo is simply not sustainable. There is a day in which God will judge the earth by that man who he has appointed – even Jesus Christ."

Hamas the modern Philistines

The retaliation of Israel against Hamas in Gaza has opened a "can of worms" as far as the United Nations is concerned, but it has reinforced the expectations of those who understand the Plan and Purpose of God Almighty that we are living in what is scripturally termed "the Last Days." The attention of the world has now centred on that tiny country and, in the near future, that attention will focus on Jerusalem, for God has decreed He will draw all nations against it to battle. The god of the world, Money, has proved powerless to save.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

and a light unto my path”. Ps 119:105 SIGNS OF OUR TIMES
Isaiah 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward
the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their
hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

Sings of our Times Vol. 20 No. 2
February 2009

HAMAS - THE MODERN PHILISTINES

The above passage from Isaiah is found in the context of a prophecy which foretells the return of the Jews to Israel.
Isaiah 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

However, the earlier section of the chapter contains the well-known passage
“6 And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them,” so it is difficult to know if the attack on the Philistine territory now known as Gaza refers to the present or the future when Christ (“a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” [v.1]) is ruling in Jerusalem.

Certainly the Israelis are dwelling together amicably and the old divided nation consisting of two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, has been replaced by “the nation of Israel” in fulfilment of the latter part of v.13 “..... Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” However, the earlier part of that verse reads: “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off:”

Perhaps we are witnessing this prophecy in progress, but the following extract from an article from TIME
Magazine, January 19, 2009 itemizes the difficulties.

AS ISRAELI TROOPS ENCIRCLE Gaza City, their commanders are faced with a painful dilemma: How far must they advance into the deadly labyrinth of slums and refugee camps where Hamas militants await with booby trapped houses and snipers? With each passing day, Israel's war against Hamas grows riskier and more punishing, with the gains appearing to diminish compared to the spiralling costs - to Israel's moral stature, to the lives of Palestinian civilians and to the world's hopes that an ancient conflict can ever be resolved. Ideally, in a war shaped by television images, Israelis would like a tableau of surrender: grimy Hamas commanders crawling from underground bunkers with their hands up. Instead, the deaths of at least 40 civilians taking shelter at a United Nations-run school north of Gaza City are more likely to become the dominant image of the war. Israeli politicians and generals know that the total elimination of Hamas' entrenched military command could take weeks; it might be altogether impossible.

The more realistic outcome is an unsatisfactory, brokered truce that leaves Hamas wounded but alive and able to regenerate - and Israel only temporarily safe from attack. Israel's Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, has promised a "war to the bitter end." But after 60 years of struggle to defend their existence against foreign threats and enemies within, many Israelis may be wondering, Where does that end lie?

The threat posed by Hamas is only the most immediate of the many interlocking challenges facing Israel, some of which cast dark shadows over the long-term viability of a democratic Jewish state. The offensive in Gaza may degrade Hamas' ability to menace southern Israel with rocket fire, but, as with Israel's 2006 war against Hizballah, the application of force won't extinguish the militants' ideological fervour. The anti-Israeli anger swelling in the region has made it more difficult for Arab governments to join Israel in its efforts to deal with Iran, the patron of both Hamas and Hizballah and a state whose leaders have sworn to eliminate Israel and appear determined to acquire nuclear weapons. Just as ominous for many Israelis is a ticking demographic time bomb: the likelihood that Arabs will vastly outnumber Jews in the land stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean is a catastrophic prospect for a nation that defines itself by its faith.

Israelis will have to choose between living with an independent Palestinian state or watching Jews become a minority in their own land.

As much as any other nation on earth, Israel is based on a dream: the aspiration to establish a home for the Jews in the birth-place of their ancestors. To a remarkable extent, that dream has been fulfilled, as Israel has grown into the most modern and democratic country in the Middle East. A strong, confident Israel ... is one that can find peace with its neighbours, cooperate with the Arabs to contain common threats and, most important, reach a just and lasting solution with the Palestinians. But how do you make peace with those who don't seem to want it? How do you win a war when the other side believes time is on its side? And what would true security, in a hostile neighbourhood populated with enemies, actually look like? As is always true in the Middle East, there are no easy answers.

How to Deal with Hamas

THE MOST IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE facing Israel is that posed by Hamas. Gaza's tragedy has for days been playing out on the world's TV sets. By Jan. 7, more than 700 Palestinians, many of them non-combatants, had been killed. But there's something tragic, too, in Israel's predicament: in any confrontation with its enemies, it is damned if it does and doomed if it doesn't.

Across Israel's political spectrum there seems to be a consensus that Hamas' provocative rocket barrages could not go unanswered - though whether Israel's response has been proportional to the threat is, at the least, questionable .Perhaps more threatening than the rockets themselves was the doubt they cast over Israel's vaunted power of deterrence, which is key to keeping its hostile neighbours at bay. That power was badly eroded in 2006, when Hizballah was able to withstand the Israeli onslaught, force a cease-fire and claim victory in the process. That surely emboldened Hamas, which intermittently sent rockets into southern Israel and finally prompted Israel to respond in force. As respected Israeli columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, "A country that is afraid to deal with Hamas won't be able either to  deter Iran or to safeguard its interests in dealing with Syria, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority."

-WITH REPORTING BY TAMIL HAMAD/RAMALLAH, AARON J.
KLEIN/GAZA BORDER AND SCOTT MACLEOD/CAIRO ? (Abridged)


GOD’S ANSWER TO ISRAEL’S DILEMMA

We have seen in Isaiah 11 that God will have an input into what seems to be, in human terms, Israel’s  dilemma.

Surrounded by enemies on every side with the vowed intention of eliminating that tiny State - which, with the
backing of Iran and Russia, seems quite feasible, Israel appears to have a limited existence.
However, God has decreed that Israel will survive after going through “a time of trouble such as never was.”

Below are a number of verses taken from the prophecies of Jeremiah. They are being fulfilled in this generation.

Jeremiah 30:3 [NKJ] ‘For behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’"
4 Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 "For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all
faces turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.

The present retaliation by Israel against the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas into Israel over the past year has roused the ire of hordes of protesters world-wide.
Throughout Eastern and Western Europe, the UK, and all the Islamic countries down to Indonesia and even in Australia. Synagogues have been torched and antisemitic feelings have manifest themselves in vandalous actions.

The Scriptures indicate a united Arabic conglomerate that will attack Israel prior to the Return of Christ.

Psalm 83 gives the ancient names of all the nations that surround Israel today. The prophecy of Joel 1, 2 &3
describe a huge “locust horde” of nations conducting a “holy war’ (jihad) against Israel. Zechariah 12 & 14
includes “all the nations round about” in a siege against Jerusalem that results in “the city ..... taken ..... and half the city shall go into captivity.”

God’s solution to this event is outlined in the same Scriptures already referred to:

Zechariah 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Joel 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Perhaps the clearest record of Israel’s present and future condition is to be found in Jeremiah 30:
11 For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’12 "For thus says the LORD: ‘Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe.13 There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines. 14 All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. 15 Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. 16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; 
Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."’

ISRAEL’S FUTURE

Some time in the near future, Israel will find herself without a friend in the world “All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you” [v.14]. In other SOTs we have shown from Revelation 9 & 16 that
the nations east of the Euphrates will rise against the West. Perhaps this will prevent the US from assisting
Israel; or the economic situation will be too severe; or ecological calamities wreck all communication and
travel - what ever it is - Israel will stand alone!
Israel will cry to God for help - and it will come!

Jeremiah 31:10  "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ 11 For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. 12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD––For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well–watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. 13 "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.
35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): 36 "If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever."

Let us turn finally to Daniel 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people [Israel]: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

“Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.”

 YBIC, Arthur Wright