POTUS’ party pummelled – a Jerusalem connection

Posted on Thursday, 6 November, 2014 by Richard Barker

Political pundits over the ‘pond’ earned their pay on Tuesday and yesterday! (Potus = President Of The United States)

President Obama’s party – the Democrats – were trounced in mid-term elections by the Republicans (aka GOP, ‘Grand Old Party’). The GOP decisively won majority of seats to seize the Senate and gain full control of both chambers of Congress. CNN reports this empowers the GOP to pin down President Barack Obama during his last two years in office.

However, such swings with a low turn-out of voters aren’t unusual for mid-terms, as had happened for Republican GW Bush’s second term. It makes for a ‘lame-duck’ leader, but I leave it for my American readers to debate over whether that’s new for Obama.

Now I won’t pretend to know anything about USA’s governance, but want to point out later a coincidence of Biblical relevance. (Anyone like me needing to learn more will find this BBC briefing, or a fuller Wikipedia article, are helpful – as well as fictional The West Wing TV series!)

According to The Telegraph’s Washington reporter Raf Sanchez,

“Voters vented their frustration with Mr Obama’s six years in office on his Democrat political allies, giving the Republicans a majority in the Senate for the first time since 2006…In a particular snub to the President, voters in his home state of Illinois cast out their Democrat governor and replaced him with a Republican, despite Mr Obama campaigning on his behalf…

“Although Democrats had been braced for a bad night, the results were even worse than many had feared. The President’s party lost key races in North Carolina, Colorado and Iowa – all states that first propelled Mr Obama to the White House in 2008…”

I’d like to draw your attention to Rick Joyner’s assessment in his Prophetic Bulletin – Hope & Change.

A Jerusalem connection

Students of prophecy are only too aware of the significance of Jerusalem and its pivotal importance in international affairs and events, as in my recent post on William Koenig’s alert, Nations set on collision course with God.

William and John McTernan have followed developments since the mid-1990’s and 1986 respectively. In 1996, William published his work as Koenigs’ International News (now at Watch.org) and in 2001 he became an accredited White House correspondent. With John that year, he co-authored Israel: The Blessing or the Curse. They’ve written other works and their monitoring and correlating of events related to the US governments’ policies toward Israel and its biblical land have empirically tagged causative actions against Israel directly to consequential effects upon America. There’s so many instances I suspect they’d make a scientifically proven case!

Yesterday, John blogged the following observations with links to sources,

“Obama was humiliated as he was totally rejected by the American people at the very time of the statements about Jerusalem before the Supreme Court!” (…New political dynamic)

“The American people repudiate Obama at the very time he is attacking Jerusalem!” (…Smackdown to stop Obama)

He refers to Adam Kredo’s article, Solicitor General: Israel has no claim to Jerusalem, just as Russia has no claim to Crimea, in connecting the voting debacle with the Obama administration’s failure to recognise Jerusalem’s true status…

“…This is the most outrageous article that I ever read about a US president dealing with Israel. I was shocked, and it takes a real lot to shock me!
“God used this Supreme Court case to expose what is in the heart of this man for all to see…”

Adam’s account of both sides of the argument is well written and even-handed. It makes fascinating reading. John quotes Adam’s opening remarks,

“Lawyers for the Obama administration compared Israel’s control of Jerusalem to Russian claims over the Ukrainian territory of Crimea during oral arguments this week before the Supreme Court in a case concerning the rights of U.S. citizens to list Jerusalem as part of Israel on their passports. U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, who is rumored to be in the running to replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder, drew the comparison on Monday while he attempted to convince the Supreme Court that Jerusalem is not officially part of Israel.”

This historic case demonstrates the quandary produced by political ineptness and lack of Godly direction upon a nation.

Parents of a child born in Jerusalem wish to have the birthplace officially stated on the US passport as being in “Israel”. This has been denied because the administration’s policy is to disregard the city as a part of Israel.

Consequently, the appointed Supreme Justice seemed to argue several times it would be a “lie” for the US government to acknowledge on a passport that Jerusalem is in Israel. That is, the executive branch does not believe it to be true as a matter of policy. Therefore, the parents are asking the government to lie. [SEE PS comment below]

What is amusingly fatuous are contentions about POTUS’ foreign policy, viz:

“Obama administration lawyers argue that the case infringes on the president’s executive right to conduct foreign policy. By acknowledging Jerusalem as Israeli territory, the White House would lose its credibility in the peace process, as well as its jurisdiction to manage foreign affairs, the government maintains…”.

To the claim that adding ‘Israel’ to the passport isn’t official recognition and thus doesn’t breach policy announcement, the administration, “countered that such a declaration would harm President Obama’s “credibility” in global affairs. Foreign governments, foreign peoples will not be able to have complete confidence that the position that the president announces on behalf of the United States is, in fact, the position of the United States,”.

Credibility? LOL…Derisory!

Is the Solicitor General and legal team living in cloud-cuckoo land?

POTUS’ popularity has not only plummeted at home but he’s also lost any credibility he had, not only in the supposed ‘peace process’ but also in global affairs! (My blog done in August about attempts to bring a peace deal for the Gaza war was only one of many commentaries on this issue from more expert observers over recent years: eg. see the ‘Sultan Knish’ on Why Obama hates Netanyahu.)

This leader’s defiance of the Lord’s heart toward Jerusalem and intentions thereto have led to his humiliation – he’s only to look to himself!

Also, it may be an example what Neville Johnson said of the Lord shortening the time-lapse between sowing and reaping – see point 3 in Urgent prophetic words about a cut-off time in God’s timeline.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8 NKJV courtesy BibleGateway.com)

PostScript (10.11.14):

Dr Mike Evans writes as follows upon reading the Supreme Court transcript of Justice Sotomayor’s words:

“They’re asking the government to lie,” Sotomayor said. “How could you tell me it’s not a lie?” Sotomayor asked Alyza Lewin, the lawyer representing the Zivotofsky family. “You, the United States, are being asked to put on the passport that you believe the place of birth of this individual is Israel, and the government—and the executive has said, no, we don’t think it was Israel, we think it was Jerusalem.” (emphasis added)

You will never see a better example of the folly of men contrasted with the wisdom of God!!

[US Capitol building by Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee; courtesy Freedigitalphotos.net]

If the Obama team is this hostile to Israel before the elections, how bad will things get after Tuesday?

Posted on Friday, 31 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Obama v. Netanyahu and Israel — what happens after the mid-term elections?

Just days before the mid-term elections, with Democrats poised to suffer serious losses, tensions between the Obama White House and the Netanyahu government remain sky high.

A senior Obama administration official openly used vulgarity with a reporter to mock and disparage the Israeli leader.

And the administration appears set to cave in to Iranian demands over its nuclear program in talks to conclude at the end of November.

If the President and his team feel this comfortable being this hostile to an Israeli leader before an election, imagine how hostile the President could be when he’s a lame duck and not facing the voters again ever.

As I noted yesterday, a train wreck in U.S.-Israel relations is now in motion.

“Very publicly, very nastily, and very worryingly, we are witnessing the collapse of an alliance,”wrote a leading Israeli news editor.

The…

View original post 603 more words

If Palestine becomes a state, will Christians return to Bethlehem? Part 1

Posted on Thursday, 23 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

“In 1992 Bethlehem was 92% Christian, now it is only 8% Christian.” (Mordechai Ben-Menachem 14 October 2014)

That surprising claim led to the header’s question. I’d put the lid down on blogging about the possibility of Palestinian statehood, but both new points need addressing after they cropped up over the weekend.

And another’s important: what’s the proper Christian perspective? This will cover some essential theology which, with my earlier post on the 1967 war, could give my readers, believer or not, some fresh insights.

The Church of the Nativity at Manger Square, the oldest standing church in the Holy Land ; courtesy Obethlehem.com

Bethlehem is, after all, the birth-place of Jesus Christ. His yet-again dispersed followers would need a special reason to take the immense trouble of returning home. Perhaps after a period of complete cessation of hostilities? That would need miraculous changes in human nature – not impossible – plus dismantling of extensive demonic strongholds.

Personal visitations of Jesus to individual Jews and Muslims continue and many more are becoming secret believers since this email of November 2010 about them, for God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh in these latter days.

My answer to my question is, “No, I think not; not until Jesus returns!” – as He himself promised He will do. But as He’s already putting in private supra-natural appearances then one could suggest that, after a fashion, He’s already ‘returning’ (eg. the Emmaus road encounter of Jesus in ‘another form’ – Mark 16.12 and Luke 24:13-35).

I offer no apology for temporarily continuing with the Palestinian issue because it’s closely connected with ‘the apple’ of the Lord’s eye – Jerusalem – as revealed in His Word (see Zecharia 2:8) Also, major events over recent years point inescapably and unequivocally to prophetical scriptures foretelling what’s happening, or soon about to, in this ancient city sacred to three major faiths.

The Christian exodus

The opening quotation is from an in-depth interview with William Koenig, accredited Christian journalist at The White House and published in last week’s ‘Eye-View’ report.

As a scientist technologist, former researcher/lecturer at Ben-Gurion University who is professionally engaged in systems/software engineering, and prolific author of books and professional papers in various areas, Mordechai should be a well-informed person. His reference to Bethlehem was only one point in a wide-ranging conversation covering such topics as 1,400 years of Arab colonisation, ethnicity, Egypt, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Islam.

Nevertheless, his claim needs checking.

Wikipedia refers to 1948 and 1967 censuses showing Christian/Muslim demographic ratios as 85%:13% and dropping to 46%:54%. The Palestinian Authority’s 1997 census doesn’t distinguish between the religions but in 2005 and 2009 the Christian percentage falls to 40% and then 15% (sources uncited).

Referring also to Daniel Pipes’ wealth of knowledge, I found he started a report in 2001 with a specific reference to Bethlehem, viz:

“The ‘Middle East Quarterly’ begins its eighth year with its first issue devoted to a single topic—that of disappearing Christians in the Middle East.

“The transfer of power of Bethlehem from Israel to the Palestinian Authority just before Christmas 1995 inspired a spate of articles on Bethlehem’s diminishing Christian presence. They noted that a place not long ago 80 percent Christian is now but one-third Christian. For the first time in nearly two millennia, the most identifiably Christian town on earth has lost its Christian majority. The same changes have taken place in two other famously Christian towns, Nazareth and Jerusalem….”

His article has several updates to 2012, but perhaps the increasingly frequent news of persecution has made it difficult to incorporate subsequent events. Some posts on this blog tagged ‘persecution’ indicate the enormity of this issue.

On the other hand, last month in Christian Arab presence in Bethlehem in Crisis, Arab Daily News reported as follows:

“Today, according to Christian activists who are struggling to survive in Bethlehem, the Christian population there has been eclipsed by a growth of both Muslim refugees who are relocating to avoid the persecution by Israel in Hebron and by the increasing number of Israeli Jews who are taking Christian lands to build exclusively jewish-only settlements.”

After remarking about the hostility of Muslim Arabs and their activists and then quoting a Christian activist’s email, the reporter Ray Hanania writes,

“As both Israeli and Muslim activist groups grow, the Christian voice has remained stagnant and almost insignificant. Christian speakers are invited to speak at Muslim and Jewish organization events more as a political statement. Jews invite Christians to their conferences in order to use the Christians as a criticism against Islam while Muslims also invite Christians to their conferences in order to use the Christians as a criticism against Israel and Zionism.”

Ray’s well-balanced article is worth taking the time to read. He examines the issues in some depth, noting that the Christians are manipulated and muted by both Islamist and Jewish factions against their opponents. Also, the troubles and their significant effect upon tourism have made it very hard to sustain a living.

Consequently, he admires the campaign by George Sleibi to encourage support for the Christian community in the Holy Land, “in response to the growing regional Israeli-Palestinian conflict and decline of the Christian minority”. He is affiliated with a group of denominations’ informative website OBethlehem.com, which covers the challenges facing Christians. Ray quotes him as saying,

“The Christian presence in the Holy Land is declining daily. Currently, the Holy Land’s Christians comprise only 2% of the population. The continued emigration of Christians as a result of ongoing instability is having a negative impact on their presence in the land where Jesus was born, crucified and resurrected. Should this trend continue, an important spiritual destination, shared by billions throughout the world, will become nothing more than a museum, as the indigenous Christian community who represent the Christian presence in the Holy Land cease to exist.”

Alarming, yet in the light of a just-published study we appreciate the possibility of Ray being cautiously circumspect (see Study: self-censorship rife among Palestinian reporters).

Here’s one instance of the effect the Israeli-Palestinian troubles had upon the birth-place of Jesus Christ.

Bethlehem hostage crisis

Canon Andrew White was called by Yasser Arafat, and later by the Israeli government, to act as intermediary for the 39-day siege of The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, during April-May 2002. It was the result of homes in the predominantly Christian town of Beit Jala having been forcibly taken by Palestinians for firing rockets and mortars the short distance down and across a valley into the Jewish new town of Gilo.

“As expected”, writes Canon White, “The Israelis responded by sending in helicopters to destroy the homes (the militants’ positions) from which the missiles were fired. Once again Christians were caught in the middle“ (emphasis RB).

The militants then retreated to Manger Square, took control of the Church of the Nativity and took hostage of clergy and worshippers. PM Ariel Sharon and Arafat refused to climb down and international diplomacy was brought to bear in finding countries which would accept 13 leaders into permanent exile and 26 others for trial. (As they went to Gaza no trial was held.)

Again in that November 2010, I referred to this event and quoted Canon Andrew on the difficulties in the three faiths agreeing on the historic Alexandria Declaration, as coming from

“…the Christians who often feel they have to be even more Palestinian than the Muslims, to show they are committed to the cause.”

This declaration was one of the first initiatives to bring together Christians, Jews and Muslims in pursuit of peace in the region and the first major event of 2002 in which Andrew took a leading and pivotal role.

Andrew had no wish to be ordained because he’d qualified and was practising as an anaesthetist, yet felt God was calling him into the Church of England – and it was later confirmed by a prophetic word, as below!

He became very interested in Judaism and rabbinical studies during his theological education. This gave him the opportunity to take further his interest in international affairs, especially in the Middle-East. So he travelled around those parts and became acquainted with various leaders, as well as in Cambridge.

Although ordination in 1990 involved London parish work, his involvement in Jewish-Christian relations continued along with a new interest in Islam. To the surprise of his vicar, Andrew even had regular audiences with the Pope to brief him on his work and contacts in the political and diplomatic areas soon developed.

An aside: I was going to describe Andrew White as Archbishop of Canterbury Carey’s emissary in the Middle-East. But upon checking his biographical The Vicar of Baghdad, I was surprised to find a mutual connection with one of our church leader’s mentors.:

“On a second visit to Jerusalem, between graduation from Cambridge and my ordination, I was instructed by an ultra-Orthodox rabbi to go and see a woman known as Sister Ruth Heflin, who ran a very charismatic and rather American church called the Mount Zion fellowship. She proved to be the most forceful person I have ever met. Indeed I was scared of her. At the end of the first meeting I attended, at her house in East Jerusalem, she came up to me and started to prophesy over me.

“She had never met me before and knew nothing about me, but she declared that my calling in life was, “to seek the peace of Jerusalem and the Middle East”.

“At that stage, I couldn’t make any sense of this (and I certainly had no idea that ‘the Middle East’ might include Iraq) but what I did understand was that her home was filled with the glory of God as I had never experienced before.” (As our local sister can verify!)

To be continued in Part 2 with interesting references to several Palestinian Christians.

The real reason for the Israel-Palestine issue and anti-Semitism

Posted on Thursday, 16 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

Then the Lord will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east. (Zecharia 14:3-4 NKJV)

Only 12 MPs were wise enough to vote in the House of Commons against an opposing 274 (not a full House). As recorded in the Hansard transcript, they voted just before 10pm on 13th October 2014,

“That this House believes that the Government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel, as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”.

That’s fine and all well and good on the face of it BUT it’s utterly farcical. As with many thousands elsewhere, these 274 have been well and truly fooled.

The factual evidence follows below.

This blog’s totally unplanned focus this week is on what’s, in essence, a critical issue.

Few in my opinion know why it’s critical, or the real reason for the prolonged hostility over Israel’s existence and complete lack of a solution to the territorial disputes.

The real reason is; it’s Satan’s objective to thwart God’s purpose, as stated in His above Word given to Zecharia 2,500 years ago. That is, Satan seeks his own self-preservation!

In Zecharia’s prophecy the Lord is to appear in that Middle-Eastern location and thereby bring about the next phase of Satan’s downfall. (The first was when Jesus died and rose from the dead, thereby redeeming humanity from Satan’s authority and thus enabling us to be reconciled to God, our Father.)

The foretold scenario is ‘The Day of The Lord’; the start of which is described in the 12th chapter of the book of Zecharia, as mentioned in Exactly as prophesied….

The Lord foretells in verse 10,

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

In A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days, Messianic rabbi Jonathan Bernis explains how the feast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) relates to Jesus’ return and then exclaims,

The clarity of this prophecy is astounding! It declares in detail the day when Jewish people, and specifically the inhabitants of a Jerusalem under Jewish control, recognise that Jesus, whom they previously understood to be the God of the Christians and whom they denied since the days of their ancestors two thousand years ago, is in fact Yeshua, the promised Messiah of Israel. (Page 215)

That is, the Jewish people will have to have returned to live in as well as have control of Jerusalem and thus be in place for Jesus to visit. Chapter 14 answers any question that this event may be just a supra-natural, spiritual or subjective vision by referring explicitly to an objective, tangible presence. That is, Jesus will have physically descended onto the Mount of Olives.

To avoid this happening Satan must therefore ensure there are no Jews in Jerusalem, or its vicinity. In the absence of Jews, Jesus’ return would be pointless and thus not happen. So Satan could possibly avoid his decreed fate, remain ‘safe and sound’ on earth and not imprisoned to be eventually thrown into the ‘lake of fire’. As Jonathan states,

I cannot reiterate enough that anti-Semitism is nothing more or less than Satan’s attempt at self-preservation.

So, Satan is the source of all Jew-hatred, whether it comes from any biblical or modern nation; or from historic Christian churches, as it has for centuries; or from ancient Islam and its modern terrorists. All have been duped and used by the enemy of mankind.

To show the validity of my thesis we need only to look at the history of anti-Semitism and global hatred of the modern state of Israel; especially the disingenuous tactics of the Palestinian leadership, as indicated in Nick Gray and Joel Rosenberg’s reports here and here. But there’s even more tangible evidence for my claim.:

Map of Palestine

Three years ago, in blogging on PM Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly, I referred to Palestinian leader Abbas’ visit to the UN seeking recognition of Palestine as an observer state to the UN. That post shows the model of the land of Palestine Abbas brought to them. I wrote,

When the PLO were permitted to open up diplomatic missions the map displayed on their flags and literature depicts their proposed state as being the whole territory between the Mediterranean, Lebanon, Egypt and the river Jordan – ie. excluding Israel… (emphasis added)

Now they have official Observer Mission status, its website’s ‘About Palestine’ displays a Declaration of Independence which claims Jerusalem as their capital. Deeper down that menu is the ‘PLO’ entry which shows the map of Palestine and Israel as Palestinian territory.

A few days ago I cited Michel Gurfinkiel’s statement that the Oslo Accords and ‘Road Map’ of 2003 explicitly requested the Palestinian Authority to direct its public education towards a pro-peace attitude. Abbas has never complied with that requirement.

Here’s the latest evidence that Palestinians have not – and will never – change what they teach about their supposed state:

Thank you to Palestine Media Watch for publishing this item from Fatah Facebook that shows children learning “Palestine cannot be divided”. It heads a page of documented examples, PA depicts a world without Israel, and explains this one as follows:

‘The text was accompanied by a photo of a teacher pointing to a map of “Palestine” replacing all of Israel drawn on the blackboard, with the explanatory text rejecting Israeli jurisdiction over Israeli cities: “Acre, Haifa, Jaffa, Ramle, Safed, Beit Shean, were and will remain Palestinian cities”.’

So how can any two-state solution ever be negotiated? Parliament’s motion, therefore, is rendered meaningless and needs flushing down the pan, where it belongs!

France

On Tuesday French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was reported as saying that Paris would recognize a Palestinian state if negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel fail. However, French MP Meir Habib responded by stating France is making a grave mistake,

“Europe and France specifically refuse to recognize the reality and think that if they recognize a Palestinian state, the conflict will end. When will they wake up? The free world must unite and realize that recognizing a Palestinian state without negotiations at this time is a grave mistake that will be costly for Europe”.

Israel

A priest has appealed to the UN and told them to ‘end the witch hunt’ against Israel, as reported by religio-political blogger Archbishop Cranmer,

‘Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox Priest in Yafia, near Nazareth, appealed to the UN Human Rights Council last month, urging them to end their “witch hunt” on Israel: “In the Middle East today, there is one country where Christianity is not only not persecuted, but affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security,” he testified. “It is Israel, the Jewish state. Israel is the only place where Christians in the Middle East are safe.”

‘And he testified further, confirming that some 120,000 Christians have been killed in the Middle East every year for the past decade: “That means that every five minutes a Christian is killed because of his faith,” he said. “Those who can escape persecution at the hands of Muslim extremists have fled. Those who remain, exist as second – if not third-class citizens to their Muslim rulers.” And he warned: “It is time the world woke up to the fact that those who want to destroy the Jewish state are signing the death warrant on the last free Christians in the Holy Land”. (Emphasis added)

Anti-Semitism in Church

Hold onto your seat here. I’ll be brief and assume you are aware of the Church’s stance against Jewry, especially since the time of Constantine and the Council of Nicea in 4th Century. This was soon followed by the false doctrine of Replacement Theology which originated in Augustine’s seminal work ‘City of God’. This doctrine assumes the Church has replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people and that He’s turned His back on them. This teaching opened the door for over 1,500 years of harsh persecution from so-called Christians.

Proper recognition of the Jews special relationship with God came from Puritans and Non-conformists of Cromwell’s time in 17th Century. They recognised the importance of the Jews returning to their home land and eventual acceptance of Jesus as Messiah, as foretold in Zecharia.

Today, however, anti-Semitism is continued by the World Council of Churches. It also has a key role in mobilizing the BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) movement in churches. The WCC promotes and works closely with Palestinian Liberation Theology, and it founded the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).

William Koenig’s Eye View From The White House dated 20 June 2016 gives a wealth of detail on this deeply disturbing anti-Semitism within so-called churches:

“By claiming that the Jewish people “occupied” Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem the global Christian organizations have sided with the Islamic worldview”.

Of many indictments, he cites:

EAPPI frequently uses inflammatory and demonizing rhetoric against Israel and engages in (BDS) campaigns. It presents a one-sided Palestinian narrative, promotes the “right of return,” ignores terror attacks against Israelis, and blames Israel entirely for the conflict.
EAPPI is an important resource for pro-Palestinian activists in various denominations worldwide as “sending organizations (several US/UK examples!!)
A number of European governments, plus the US and Canada, provide funds for these church-based efforts to delegitimize Israel. These tax-payer funds are disbursed as grants to church-based humanitarian NGOs, which then transfer these funds to highly politicized pro-Palestinian NGOs — including Christian groups that promote BDS, the one-state solution and, in many cases, anti-Semitic supercessionist, or replacement, theologies within mainline churches worldwide.
The WCC, an ecumenical body, which claims to represent 590 million Christians worldwide and based in Switzerland, sponsored an event supporting the partition and Islamization of Jerusalem. The “World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel” [began] 22 Sept 2013. (See EXPOSE: Christian Fatwa Against Israel).

Thank the Lord that His shaking and sifting of churches will deal with this falsehood.

[Awaken Your Might – credit; James Nesbit www.jamesnart.com]

Exactly as prophesied: nations set on collision course with God

Posted on Tuesday, 14 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

After yesterday’s vote in Parliament recognising Palestine, as in The Independent, it’s time to recall the Lord’s opinion about the heart of that land. Then we’ll consider a news round-up indicative of our whereabouts on His prophetic timetable.

First, here’s what the prophet Zecharia was told about the future ‘Day of the Lord’ – ie. a specific period in which the Lord deals with humanity’s rejection of and rebellion against Him, and its focal locality in and around Jerusalem:

Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In that day”, says the LORD, “I shall strike…

“It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zecharia 12:1-3, 12, NKJV courtesy Blue Letter Bible)

Let me quote examples of relevant current events so we can check this out.

First, the header to Bill Koenig’s World Watch Daily this morning:

The nations of the world are on a collision course with the God of Israel.

Bill’s website provides the following subheads with brief covering comments, followed by some on the conflict with ISIS:

Koenig’s fellow watcher and past co-author, John McTernan, reports on these Biblical issues and unequivocally states his opinion in yesterday’s posting. Under the header The Battle for Jerusalem Has Begun, he quotes Zechariah 14:2 “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle…” and comments:

“The world is now gearing up to force a Palestinian state upon Israel with Jerusalem as its capital. November 16, 2016, is the target date set for this.

“Based on this, there is NO doubt, in my mind, that awesome wars are upon us, and God is about to unleash incredible judgments upon the earth. Look how this threat to Israel is taking place at the exact time Ebola is loose amongst the nations! (Emphasis RB)

“The judgments will match the pressure and attack on Israel. This is not off in the future it is here NOW. The time to judge the nations is about to begin.”

John covers the latest material under As the Nations Have Done to Israel and refers to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call to scrap settlements, plus his claim that the ‘occupation’ of territories led to the recent Gaza war!

He also blogs As the EU Has Done to Israel stating,

“The European Union is aggressive against Israel as Jew hating seems to be in most of the Europeans’ DNA. They are now following the path of the Nazis in the 1930s while this time it is the Hard Left united with the Muslims.

“Europe right now is on the verge of an economic meltdown at the very time the EU is trying to economically destroy Israel.” (Emphasis RB)

To back-up his claims John cites:

Readers keeping abreast of these matters will recall I often quote Elliott Abrams’ take on the Middle-East. He’d supervised US policy there under the Bush administration and served as the president’s deputy advisor on the region.

Elliott’s latest blog, A word from Mr Erekat, ably demonstrates that the top Palestinian negotiator with Israel, Saeb Ereket, cannot get his facts straight – not the first time his integrity has been called into question.

The Independent’s report upon yesterday’s parliamentary vote is well-balanced and covers some important points, but the completely clueless naivety of UK politicians is mind-boggling. It is utter folly!

Sweden

There again, as Michel Gurfinkiel taunts in an article on Sweden’s vote, maybe it’s, “far-fetched to expect most political leaders to be thoroughly knowledgeable of the issues… of international affairs; or to expect them to be particularly rational and ethical”.

Michel is founder and president of a French think-tank, the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute, and his paper came to my attention through the same source as yesterday’s post on Phyllis Chesler’s interview with Ibn Waaraq – Middle-East Forum.

He makes valid points about the nature of this ‘state’ that all parliamentarians should have born in mind (emphases added):

To be recognized, a state needs a clearly defined population, a clearly defined territory, and an effective government that can maintain law and order. None of the above is true of “Palestine,” whatever the current meaning of that word.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) — an autonomous authority established in 1994 according to a Declaration of Principles between the state of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (the Oslo Accords), and the closest thing to a “state of Palestine” – does not effectively rule the West Bank and Gaza, the two distinct territories that pass as “Palestinian territory.” As an effective government, the PA should be able to maintain law and order there. Everybody knows this is not the case in Gaza, which has been controlled by Hamas and Islamic Jihad since 2007. Yet this is hardly the case in the West Bank, either.
One must ask how the two-state solution can work if one of the considered states – the Palestinian state-to-be — is openly opposed to it. Hamas and Islamic Jihad clearly say they will never recognize Israel. The nominal PA government and Fatah say they will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state – implying their strategy is to turn Israel into a bi-national state.
Abbas’ PA has never directed education towards a pro-peace attitude. The PA was explicitly requested to do so by the Oslo Accords and the subsequent road map to peace in 2003.

His short paper also looks at the pivotal effects of an increasing Muslim population in Sweden and he concludes,

“Doubtlessly, similar situations will arise in more EU countries, including major countries like France, bringing about further confusion and further political and geopolitical nonsense.”

The United States

The once world-leading nation has sown its own undoing through the anti-Israel stance of its president Barack Obama. With her adroit analysis Caroline Glick surgically dissects Netanyahu’s statements and policies. After extracting and revealing Obama’s game-plan with Iran as inimical to Israel’s best interests, she looks at Secretary-of-State John Kerry’s continuing treachery.

Machiavellian Kerry, as ever dangerously incompetent, ignores and seeks to scuttle the new Middle-Eastern alliance of Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other anti-jihadist Sunni states established to protect themselves. Deaf to what Netanyahu repeatedly stressed at the UN General Assembly (as here), according to ‘ne-plus ultra’ analyst Caroline,

“…by bringing Qatar, Hamas’s principal Sunni state-sponsor, into the mix. Kerry is reportedly trying to organize a regional peace conference that would coerce Israel into accepting the so-called Saudi Peace Initiative from 2002. That initiative would require Israel to surrender to all the PLO’s territorial demands and accept millions of foreign, hostile Arabs into its shrunken, indefensible territory.

“In light of Obama’s absolute commitment to the anti-Israel, PLO-centric policy model for dealing with the Palestinian rejection of Israel, for the next two years there will be no change in US policy on the issue.”

Readers who are particularly interested in the finer nuances of the Israel-Palestinian issues will find her article is well worth reading.

It will be interesting to see how USA’s plans for the ‘peace process’ will unravel – even so far as the US falling away and being excluded as its authority and power vanishes – for I believe the Lord will bless and encourage the new regional alliance as a means not only of protection from ISIS, but also of peacefully resolving the Palestinian situation.

These events get even more interesting in the light of scripture and the urgency of the words given to Neville Johnson about changes for this new Jewish year over 2014 to 2015 (see point 7 here).

Indubitably, we’re living in Biblical days as they accelerate to fulfil holy prophecy.

Israel’s leader holds another Bible study in his home.

Posted on Thursday, 9 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

Here Joel refers to Bibi Netanyahu’s increasing interest in the Bible. No doubt this has been encouraged by his good friend Dr Mike Evans of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, who recommended him to PM Begin for his first political position, as here. (See prophecies about his premiership here.)

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hosted another Bible study at his official residence on Sunday evening. (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)

The epicenter is on fire. Radical Islamic jihadists are pressing their offensive in Syria and Iraq. Iran continues marching towards nuclear weapons. Hezbollah briefly attacked Israelis on her northern border yesterday. U.S.-Israeli relations are frayed. Anti-Semitism is rising.

And amidst all his national security briefings and strategy sessions, Israel’s premier is studying the Bible.

Indeed, one of the most interesting but least known aspects in the life of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that he has developed quite an interest in studying the Bible in recent years. The premier was not raised in a religious home growing up. But as he has gotten older, he has developed a noticeable curiosity in the ancient Scriptures.

Netanyahu occasionally quotes the Bible in major speeches (such as the time he spoke at Auschwitz and said Ezekiel 37 had come to…

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What did Netanyahu discuss with Obama in the Oval Office? Here’s the latest.

Posted on Thursday, 2 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

Bill Koenig of World Watch Daily writes: “Netanyahu had a 2-hour visit at the White House today, which I attended. It was originally scheduled only for an hour and a quarter. He likely had some intelligence on the Islamic State (IS) that he shared… Netanyahu is a true statesman, who once again warned the world about the threats from Iran and now IS. He also re-emphasized the danger posed to the entire world by Hamas. Sadly, I really sense the world is not responding to his warnings. Every year he has to come up with a different approach to warn about the seriousness of the threats. It is as if his warnings are playing to deaf ears”.

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

President Obama talks to Israeli PM Netanyahu during an Oval Office meeting on October 1st. (Credit: YouTube/The White House)

Many issues have complicated the U.S.-Israeli relationship — and particularly the personal relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu — in recent years. The Palestinian issue. The future of Jerusalem. Settlements. Hamas and Gaza. But none have divided the two leaders more than how to deal with Iran.

Obama and Netanyahu have deeply divergent views of the urgency of the nuclear threat, and how best to stop Iran from building nuclear warheads and the missiles to deliver them. Now we are rapidly approaching the end game with the P5+1 talks with Iran. It is crunch time, and Netanyahu is worried that Obama is not worried enough. The Israeli premier is concerned that the President is too willing to make too many concessions to Iran, concessions that could make it easier for Iran to quickly…

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PM Netanyahu at UN: Israel’s fight is the world’s fight against militant Islam

Posted on Tuesday, 30 September, 2014 by Richard Barker

“Distinguished delegates, I come here from Jerusalem to speak on behalf of my people – the people of Israel – I’ve come here to speak about the dangers we face and about the opportunities we see.

“I’ve come here to expose the brazen lies spoken from this very podium against my country and against the brave soldiers who defend it. Ladies and Gentlemen, The people of Israel pray for peace. But our hopes and the world’s hope for peace are in danger. Because everywhere we look, militant Islam is on the march. It’s not militants. It’s not Islam. It’s militant Islam.

“Typically, its first victims are other Muslims, but it spares no one. Christians, Jews, Yazidis, Kurds – no creed, no faith, no ethnic group is beyond its sights. And it’s rapidly spreading in every part of the world…”

At yesterday’s 69th UN General Assembly Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered to a wide-ranging speech that touched on the scourge of radical Islam, the dangers of a nuclear Iran and a new paradigm for peace with the Palestinians. He also presented a logical case to convince the world that what Israel faces today, it will face in the near future. Furthermore, he accused many UN delegates of at best, sheer ignorance or at worst, rank hypocrisy:

“Last week, many of the countries represented here rightly applauded President Obama for leading the effort to confront ISIS. And yet weeks before, some of these same countries, the same countries that now support confronting ISIS, opposed Israel for confronting Hamas. They evidently don’t understand that ISIS and Hamas are branches of the same poisonous tree. ISIS and Hamas share a fanatical creed, which they both seek to impose well beyond the territory under their control.

Reporting on the last day for speeches at the UNGA’s general debate, Herb Keinon writes in The Jerusalem Post,

‘Netanyahu also cautioned against focusing world efforts on battling Islamic State at the expense of ignoring Iran’s nuclear aspirations, saying that “to defeat ISIS [Islamic State] and leave Iran as a threshold nuclear power is to win the battle and lose the war”. ‘Netanyahu broke up his address into five main parts: The first dealt with the challenge of Islamic radicalism, as embodied by Islamic State. The second part dealt with the danger of an already existing Islamic state – Iran – getting nuclear capabilities. The third dealt with the summer’s Gaza operation; the fourth with rising anti-Semitism; and the fifth with a comprehensive regional peace…’ (click to read full article).

In Netanyahu at UN warns “militant Islam is on the march”; from Hamas to Isis but greatest threat is Iran, Joel Rosenberg provides a useful summary of the speech:

“To defeat ISIS & leave Iran as a threshold nuclear power would be to win the battle & lose the war.”
“ISIS & Hamas are branches of the same poisonous tree. They share the same fanatical creed.”
“The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islamists believe in a master faith.”
“Militant Islam is on the march. It’s not militants. It’s not Islam. It’s militant Islam.”
“What would your countries do if thousands of rockets were fired at your cities?”
“You wouldn’t let terrorists fire rockets at your cities with impunity.”
“Hamas deliberately put its rockets in hundreds of residential areas.”
“Israel was using its missiles to protect its children. Hamas was using its children to protect its missiles.”
“No other country and no other army in history has gone to greater lengths to avoid casualties among the civilian population of their enemy.”
“Hamas cynically used Palestinian civilians as human shields. Israel did everything to minimize Palestinian casualties.”
“Allowing Iran to reach nuclear capabilities will pose the greatest threat to us all.”
“A broader rapprochement between Israel and the Arab world may help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace.”
“Israel is prepared to work with Arab partners to confront dangers and seize opportunities.”
“There is a new Middle East. It presents new dangers but also new opportunities.”
“In any peace agreement I will always insist that Israel be able to defend itself by itself.”
“The UNHCR has betrayed its noble mission to protect the innocent. The Human Rights Council has become the Terrorist Rights Council.”
Quoting Scripture: “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent. For the sake of Jerusalem, I will not be still.”

Click to watch and/or click to read this PM’s straight-talking, no-nonsense speech. In presenting a balanced report let me state that this speech was followed by the usual clueless or duplicitous claptrap from the US State Dept, the PA and Israeli left-wing, as reported by the ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem).

PostScript: Continue reading →

Tale of 2 speeches: at UN Palestinian leader accuses Israel of “genocide”, “war crimes” – Jordanian king gives moderate, peaceful address.

Posted on Monday, 29 September, 2014 by Richard Barker

As well as Joel’s attached analysis, Dror Eydar’s frank Israel Hayom Newsletter opens, “We watched as he stood up and lied in the worst speech of incitement a Palestinian representative has ever made to Westerners, using the verified accusations made against the Palestinian Authority and turning them against Israel without batting an eye. Not a word about the reason for the war this past summer; not a word about the putsch Hamas planned against him. And we’re expected to trust him?” Also see Elliott Abrams’ brief examination why Abbas made it yet ‘another lost opportunity’.

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of “genocide” during speech to the UN General Assembly this week.

UPDATED: This week in New York City, leaders from around the world are addressing the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently flying to New York to meet with President Obama and address the GA. His speech is scheduled for Monday. I will provide the full text and analysis at that time.

So far, speeches by two Arab leaders have drawn my attention. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas both addressed the GA in recent days. I would strongly encourage you to read both texts. The contrast between the two was stark.

Here are key excerpts from the speeches and a bit of…

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The Year 5775: The Year of Advance

Posted on Thursday, 25 September, 2014 by Richard Barker

Thank you Melissa for another excellent explanation, and to Victoria Heard for a prompt to visit her site – and Ephesians 1 once again turns up! This is well timed for what I was about to blog but got delayed!

Defining Words

ayinhey [For returning readers, the first part of this post is a rehearsal of prior research.]

Sundown on Wednesday, September 24 marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah or Jewish New Year. For the Jewish community, this is a time of reflection, purification and hopeful contemplation of the future. Not unlike our Western New Year’s celebrations, Rosh Hashanah is a time of recapping or regrouping in order to strategically move forward.

For the past month, I’ve heard the following declaration in my spirit. “God is on the advance.” Knowing this was somehow relative to the word for the year 5775, I could not wait to delve into the research you are about to read. While synthesizing the information, crystal clarity came on just how He will move in the days ahead. Prepare yourself for what will be a year of reorientation and permutation.

Shall we begin?

Remember, the Hebrew alphabet doubles as…

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Urgent prophetic words about a cut-off date in God’s timeline

Posted on Friday, 19 September, 2014 by Richard Barker

Prophesying into Time was a topic I started blogging about in the first weeks of the New Year. Now I can cover it again, not in analysis but in what’s being revealed about the Lord’s imminent action plans.

The last mention of timing, albeit very brief, was in Paul Keith Davis’ opening remarks at last month’s gathering in Cardiff (as here). In passing, he referred to getting “things and structures such as apostolic hubs and communities in place” between the Days of Atonement 2014 and 2015. That was all, nothing more, nothing less, as it was followed by other matters.

Whilst Paul Keith was in Wales, Australian prophetic seer Neville Johnson was in Lancaster, California. (His website is at The Academy of Light.)

Neville had spoken 18 hours earlier, in a conference’s first session, in detail about prophetic words on what’s in, or scheduled for, the same time frame that Paul Keith had mentioned, ie. after this October’s Day of Atonement.

Upon our return from Wales, our pastor produced notes for our group’s consideration of what Neville had delivered. We all recognised it’s of the Lord and its great import. For example, in view of her wish to change how we ‘do church’, we’d already discussed how to start the Lord’s first point.

Therefore, I’m including a video of the session and his notes of what the Lord gave him for your careful consideration and edification. The notes have been slightly modified for ease of reading and, additional to Neville’s use of upper case, I’ve emboldened points that spoke to me and trust this won’t detract from your study. It’s better, however, to first take time to watch and weigh:

Neville opens by referring to the importance of setting our hearts on things above and the change he senses in the conference atmosphere since last year. Upon standing outside the airport after landing, he’d sensed a gusty ‘whoosh’ go by him and asked himself,

“What’s going on in this nation? Everything is stood up in the spirit realm; both good and bad!

“You know, there’s something going down and we really need to be aware of it because the times and the seasons are very, very important.”

He continues as in the following notes published with the YouTube video:

“We have come to a critical time in our relationship and walk with the Lord. This nation (USA) has come to a critical time in the purposes of God. It’s not ‘business as usual’ – we’ve come to a critical time!

“This year I’ve had more encounters with the Lord than any other year in my life – things have become critical. It is the season of change.

“Hebrews 4 – God limited a certain day – Today if you hear my voice, harden not your heart. He limited a day – a timing factor is involved.

“The time now is limited for an adequate response before all hell breaks loose over this nation; also heaven will come, but the time is limited. When Israel came to Kadesh Barnea and spies went into the land, ten of them came back with the wrong message. There are a lot of wrong messages out there. And they died because of it. God limited the time and said, “No more!”.

“Today, if you hear His voice”…we are on the brink of something great and something terrible.

“Time is running out for us and we have to be prepared for what is coming, particularly this nation (USA), but there are ramifications for other nations around the world as well. We are on the brink of something great.

“A number of things the Lord has given me:

THE LORD HAS LAID A CORNERSTONE FOR A NEW KIND OF CHURCH. It is time for the Philadelphian church to come into manifestation in the earth and fruition in the earth. (The Faithful Church Rev 3:7-13)
YEARS OF PROMISES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR LIFE ARE INTERSECTING NOW. It is time to take hold of them and bring them into fruition.
THE ISSUE OF SOWING AND REAPING IS BECOMING CRITICAL. Everything is speeding up. The process of sowing and reaping is being shortened over recent times; scary because we don’t always sow the right things, and it is coming back quicker.
WE NEED TO BUILD A KINGDOM (NOT CHURCH) CULTURE. We are heading into the goodness and the severity of the Lord. This year they will begin.
WE MUST MOVE FROM PRAYING FROM THE OUTER COURT IN OUR PRAYERS (“ME, ME, ME”) – WE HAVE TO PRAY AT ANOTHER LEVEL.
INTERCESSION MUST BE TARGETTED – prophets must speak into the target, and intercession must bring forth the purposes of God.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST? Israel is setting itself up for a major war – the big one. There will be some skirmishes on the way, but the big one is coming, and the ramifications on the church are enormous.
THE LORD WILL RELEASE THE GIFT OF FAITH IN THIS SEASON. This gift will release the most incredible miracles that we have hardly dreamt of. There is not much spoken of about this gift.
WE MUST SYNC WITH WHAT IS GOD IS DOING.

Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement 2014 is a Cut-Off Point

[Yom Kippur 2014 is from sunset 3rd October to sunset 4th October – read about Its Christian perspective.]

“From the time of the last blood moon to the Day of Atonement is coming – it is a cut off point, something ends. Something is coming. Yom Kippur this coming year – the curtain is drawn on many things. There is no more time. God has delayed out of His kindness some things.

“He is visiting heads of state all over the world and giving them time. God took me to Europe to speak to a queen in her bedroom. God told me to give her a specific word of what she must do and what she mustn’t do…people high up in the financial realm, giving them time to repent, many of them.

“Something is happening God is visiting people right now because time is running out and they have to make decisions. Because the world is going to change next year. Once we pass Yom Kippur things will escalate and change. It will be a different world. Stuff will be released, good and bad.

“There is a definite cut-off point that is going to happen. A lot of things have been held up because God in His mercy has waited and waited and waited (like before the flood came – Methuselah had to die first. So Methuselah became the oldest man ever on this planet because God kept extending His grace and mercy); and God has given us more time and more time. But he spoke to me,

“Neville, it is over. There is no more extension of time!”

“He is visiting people the world over, in the financial sector especially. Most of them will not repent, but He is giving them opportunity. Things are going to get really, really difficult.”

The rest of Neville’s teaching is most instructive, especially about how cultivating the Kingdom’s culture will help us during the coming dangers. He explains the powerful effect of the imagination and how its unsanctified use allows evil that he’s ‘seen’ going on behind the scenes to manipulate it, eg. violent video games. He also covers time travel…!

So, be mightily blessed as you watch and read subsequent connected visions here.

(Readers unfamiliar with Christian prophecy will find this Introduction useful.)

Cont’d in Why September 2015 is special & Last blood moon ushers in new era.

See Fulfilled prophecies: 4 on how this message applies to November 2015 attacks in Paris, France.

Personal Note:

Last weekend I was amazed to receive a personal word at the end of a guest teacher’s message at Dr Stone’s mentoring day. It was, as with Joshua and Caleb, a 40 years-old promise will come to fruition. Also, I’d forgotten – Neville’s remarks on the Israelite spies who returned with a wrong message, except Joshua and Caleb – and point #2 above!

On Scottish First Minister’s possible Islamist stance

Posted on Thursday, 18 September, 2014 by Richard Barker

In re-blogging Gillan’s Scott’s thoughts on the Scottish referendum (here) I referred to the Almighty’s personal promise to Abram, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you”.

This plumb-line standard of Genesis 12:3 means Scotland’s future could well be bleak because, and I emphasised, the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) leader, ‘Alex Salmond is not only in favour of boycotting Israel but his party also funded a Scottish affiliate to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood‘, and linked to its source, Labour Party blogger Rob Marchant’s SNP and Gaza: why Salmond is Not a Statesman.

I’d discovered this by ‘googling’ salmond israel and also found that Salmond supports sanctions against Israel, as reported by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment &.Sanctions) movement. Salmond’s support for bellicose Turkey over the Mavi Marmara incident is as plain as a pikestaff.

Then there’s detailed journals on Alex Salmond and the SNP’s Support for Terrorists by anti-BBC researcher, ‘Highland Rebel’, and on noticeable Anti-Israel sentiment and fears of a ‘Yes’ vote by Daphne Anson, as well as her blog SNP-led Scottish council bans Israeli books!

Furthermore, last month Salmond wanted an arms embargo on Israel because of the Gaza war, as reported by The Independent and Huffington Post.

And I missed the denials over whether or not he equated Israel to ISIS on a TV show over the weekend, see Commentary Magazine.

On top of that lot are reports of threats, intimidation and abuse, as well as a possible NHS budgetary deception.

With such notoriety, Alex Salmond appears too undesirable to be in charge of our sister nation beyond the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall. [Was this a prophetic decree?]

UPDATE 19/9: As a result of his failed ‘Yes’ for independence campaign, Alex Salmond has resigned as First Minister of Scotland and as leader of the SNP (BBC news).

Personal background

The above remarks may generate questions over my knowledge of Islam. An outline to this may be gained from my comments appended to God has used Britain to do great things…, which are as follows:

“United we stand – divided we fall”!

Our UK issue reminds a South African pastor of SA’s difficulties changing government. Chinese and Russian triads took advantage of the situation and infiltrated her nation.

Nick wants to know about spiritual elements at work in this. I agree. We need to be alert to the spiritual dimensions and opposition that’s demonstrated its evil prowess globally. And we need to understand the principles involved (eg territorial footholds), none of which is hardly ever taught in ‘Churchianity’.

Whilst our focus has been on ISIS overseas we have a blind spot to home defences and an Islamic flag has been flown officially over Glasgow council offices. Surely that’s an open invitation and ‘welcome’ to undesirable elements? None of us are ignorant of the advances made in the UK since the demand for a muslim parliament in Britain was announced on 6th Jan 1992. [NB: am not anti-muslim, but am also not blind.] This link refers.

So, maybe Scotland should be separate after all?

> Fellow contributor ‘Sarky’, with whom I’ve developed a dialogue through several posts on God and Politics UK, responded as follows.:

Richard, you may not be anti muslim, but there is definately a bit of muslim paranoia creeping in on your post. Hinting that scotland should seperate because of a perceived muslim influence?? Really??
listen,the percentage of muslims in the uk is roughly equivalent to the percentage of practicing christians, at around 4%. I think any real influence by christisns/muslims is greatly exaggerated and is really just a product of the media. It makes me laugh that you fear the goals of muslims, yet they are your goals, a country/population living under the rules/influence of your god.

Thankfully the majority of votes tomorrow will be cast with god/religion left firmly on the back seat.

> In replying I referred to my decades-long background on the subject.:

Sarky, I was being sarcastic about it being a reason for national separation. But thanks for proving my point about general ignorance of spiritual principles.

Your ardent atheism doesn’t equip you with a grid for that dimension. Not surprising you’re uninformed too. So too are many clueless politicians who fool themselves that ISIS/L isn’t Islamic. It simply copies the founder’s life-style and strategies after he was thrown out of Mecca – so it IS the real deal. [Added for blog: ISIS-ISIL difference and ISIS not Islamic?, see also this Investigative Report on Terrorism. Also see the Home Secretary’s incompetent claim about the Quran]

No, I don’t fear Muslims at all but love them. My quoted date hints how long I’ve been watching/studying this phenomenon. First as a ‘new ager’ 40 years ago, then in ‘84 a perspicacious writer on the Middle-East pointed out,

“We’re about to witness a mighty and almost unbelievable upsurge in Islam. Although we see the first signs of that revival (it) has a long way to go, but it’s going to go that ‘long way‘ very quickly”! [‘The Invisible Hand’ page198, Victor Dunstan, 1984]

So the outrages of 9/11 and 7/7 were not really surprising. [Link on latter here. Also, I could add the barbaric murders of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich on 22 May 2013 and humanitarian worker David Haines last weekend – plus other internationals]

Also, you and I are far too young to recall Churchill’s prophetic warning of 1899 in his honestly critical ‘The River War’ (vol 2 pp 248-50, per Wikipedia).

Therefore, we do need to be well-informed on what’s going on.

> The discussion continued…

ISIS is islamic in name only, like the uk is a christian country in name only. you cannot judge people on the actions of a few idoits!! Or are we to judge christians on those who gun down doctors at abortion clinics?? Or those far right christians who want to bring about the end of the world so jesus returns?? You have to be so careful with labels, or you run the risk of alienating moderate voices within communities, and you dont have to have supernatural ‘superpowers’ to see that.

> Therefore, I provided more information:

Well I’m glad we can agree about labels! And I accept your point Sarky, and assure you I know only too well about judging. But you’re wrong about the IS as they do have solid grounds for using the term ‘Islamic’. A ‘few idiots’? Maybe you’re unaware of what’s gone on outside Syria/Iraq/Nigeria etc etc – that is, in Australia? [Almost 24,000 globally since 9/11, thousands so far in 2014, and click here and here re Australia.]

At long, long last many leading Muslims are voicing their objections about ultra-extremists. But the fact remains that Islam started off peaceful but became savage during the lifetime of its founder because of his example and purported private instructions from his ‘god’. So they savagely plundered their neighbours, killed those who refused to convert, and after he died they divided, argued and started fighting one another! (Compare with early Christianity – not churchianity, please.) [Oct 5th, a brave Catholic professor writes, ‘Islamic State is not heresy; “model is Muhammad himself”.]

Also, I do know different kinds of Islam are practised, and some like the Ahmadiya and Grand Mufti of Syria preach and practise peace, who was targeted for assassination but his son got killed instead. Read this ex-Muslim [Dr Patrick Sookhdeo] on it and his remarks on ISIS at [link provided: Barnabas Fund editorial ‘The Two Faces of Islam’].

Also, this non-judgemental expert who warned about 9/11 answers ‘ISIS not Islamic?’ [link provided: Daniel Pipes ‘ISIS Is Not Islamic?’]

I study eschatology but only crackpots would do what you suppose. (If meaning GW Bush, his ‘theology’ was unsound.) What you describe is actually part of ‘Twelver’ Shiite doctrine. They’re keen to usher in the end of the world by military means so that ‘Hidden 12th Imam’ can appear and bring Jesus with him! Those are more dangerous than the barbarians.

PS. Missed Dr Sookhdeo’s apocalyptic bit about Sunni ISIS’ ultimate goal. Perhaps this is where Sunni and Shiite may agree with one another, as they do over capturing Jerusalem.

Israel, Palestine, Egypt 1; USA, Europe, Hamas 0

Posted on Monday, 18 August, 2014 by Richard Barker

Readers might like to know that last night, after hearing John Kilpatrick’s detailed teaching upon Russia’s possible intentions according to Ezekiel 38-39 and his declaration to national leaders on Israel, I checked out the latest ‘before the media’ headlines. What I found had been published perhaps less than an hour before, according to its time-stamp.

In view of what we’d just heard, this headline was most interesting: Netanyahu-Sisi-Abbas line-up tells Hamas: “Accept an extra month’s truce – or Ramallah will” (click for full report). This ‘exclusive’ opens as follows,

“The Egyptian and Palestinian Authority delegations slapped down an ultimatum for Hamas when negotiations for a durable Gaza truce resumed in Cairo, Sunday, Aug. 17. Debkafile’s intelligence report that Hamas was given the option of declaring a 1-month extension of the 5-day ceasefire which runs out Monday midnight, (emphasis added) or else the announcement would be made from Ramallah Monday in the name of the Palestinian national unity government. This was the first joint action taken by the triple bloc formed by Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh El-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for pushing the Islamist Hamas-Islamic Jihad duo up against a wall…”

It continues by referring to the bloc’s backers, namely Saudi king Abdullah and Russian president Putin!

More sensational, but definitely not surprising to those who follow closely, is the bloc’s agreement to keep the Obama-Kerry duo and administration, as well as the Europeans, from the trio’s dealings with the Palestinian Islamist factions.

“The proposition the three partners have formulated puts Hamas and Jihad on the spot. The Arab world has abandoned them and their only source of funding is Tehran. So their choices are grim: Face an escalated war that Israel will fight until the bitter end, or swallow hard and accept the only proposition on the table which is tantamount to disarmament and capitulation.

“Their isolation is complete. The Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have managed to cut Hamas away from any backing in Washington, Qatar and Turkey as well as blocking its path to Moscow….

“Mahmoud Abbas, who appeared to be sitting on the sidelines of the Gaza conflict during Israel’s month-long military operation, finally threw in his lot with Sisi and Netanyahu when it came to the crunch…”

Thus, they’ve put the USA out in the cold, and their playmates Turkey and Qatar, as a result of the outrageous shenanigans that were a serious affront to sensible discourse, as Joel Rosenberg reported here. At least Abbas may now be cooperating with Israel – and without American involvement!

These actions confirm long-held suspicions of Obama’s preference to support terrorists, especially where connected with the Muslim Brotherhood. I voiced my own sceptical reservations of his 2009 overtures in Cairo to the Muslim nations, as well as to claims to his being a committed Christian. Obama’s own and his administration’s lack of concern for the butchery of fellow believers in Nigeria, Syria and Iraq are common knowledge.

[Respected analyst Caroline Glick’s insights on his change of direction in Obama’s new plan for Hamas point out there’s never been anything real to differentiate Fatah from Hamas. So Sisi’s gameplan may come undone, or actually prove effective in driving a wedge between the two Palestinian factions, as reported here. Update 19/8: see Abbas orders probe into Hamas coup plot revealed by Israel. Also, my comments on Obama in Cairo reinforced by US Army Lt Col (Ret’d) Allen West on how he’s enabled Islamist causes.]

Additionally, this decision by Israel’s supporters demonstrates Obama’s incompetence and strategic blunders in foreign policy has lost America all credibility and respect in the Middle East.

This fresh Gaza conflict instigated by Hamas has served to bring out into the open the new geo-political reality of America’s only democratic ally in the region now working with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia (as well as Jordan).

It demonstrates the truth of what the Lord promised Abraham that whomsoever blesses him and his descendants through Isaac will be blessed by Him and, conversely, those who curse them will fall outside that blessing and be open to living a cursed life, as it is written in Genesis 12.

Calls to pray for Obama appeared to result in a temporary change in his attitude to Israel. However, hostility seems to remain, as shown by his dealings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and halting further arms supplies. Anyway, this unrighteous gentile has the dubious distinction of being C-in-C and evangelist for changes in the definition of marriage; again defying scripture…

UPDATES:

19/8 truce extended by another 24 hours (possible Israeli concessions).
20/8 Hamas violates 11th ceasefire – rocket barrage on Jerusalem, Tel Aviv
for those whose main news is from BBC, its misreporting is corrected here!
Qatar threatened to expel protected Hamas leader if it agreed to Cairo truce
21/8 Hamas admits to murder of 3 teenagers; last straw that brought retaliation
In answering question about targeting Hamas leaders Netanyahu referred to the Israeli alignment with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority. There is no crisis with the US as relations are excellent. Obama administration backs Israel in its fight and includes support for Gaza’s demilitarization. (Debka)
Hamas chiefs hammered to death for their war of attrition in breaking ceasefires
BBC sticks to inaccurate statements despite Hamas’ admission on kidnappings
26/8 Jerusalem Post: Hamas official: language of Egyptian cease-fire proposal ‘acceptable’, but their political chief Khaled Meshaal is reported as still being against any truce and continues rocket attacks.
Breaking news 17:30 IDT: Jerusalem has not commented on the claim by Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials fighting in Gaza of a deal with Israel to end their 50-day war. Egypt plans an announcement at 6 pm, followed an hour later by a possible statement by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Debkafile: In the course of the Gaza campaign, truces have repeatedly fallen by the wayside before implement-tation, or else they were violated by Palestinian terrorist groups before they took hold. Israel is therefore treating the Palestinian announcements with extreme caution.

A call for clarity on Israel and Gaza

Posted on Tuesday, 29 July, 2014 by Richard Barker

[Publ 29 June 2014] Let’s take a trip in my time machine. Hop in and hold tight, it’s just a short hop to go back 47 years.

All done! We open the door and step into a college library. Being a sunny evening in early June, its tables are packed as everyone’s preparing for end-of-year exams or finals. Continue reading →

Gaza War Update, Day #21: Obama calls Netanyahu to demand “immediate” cease-fire. Kerry angers Israeli, Palestinian & Egyptian leaders.

Posted on Monday, 28 July, 2014 by Richard Barker

Of Joel’s many updates I’m reblogging this because it covers the latest incompetence of messers Obama and Kerry (now persona non grata?). American influence in the Middle-East is likely to disappear in this rapidly changing geo-political situation.

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

UPDATED AT 10:30PM EASTERN SUNDAY:(Washington, D.C.) — The most dramatic developments of the weekend in the Gaza war were these:

President Obama’s call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to demand an “immediate” ceasefire, even though Israeli leaders don’t feel they are yet finished neutralizing the terrorist threat posed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
The U.N. Security council demand on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire, even though this will most help the terrorists.
Secretary John Kerry’s disastrous efforts at negotiating a ceasefire, in which he actually managed to anger Palestinian, Egyptian and Israeli leaders all at once — as one regional commentator put it: “We are witnessing a grave strategic error by the Americans, who are succeeding in infuriating serious and strong allies like Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia in favor of a deception in the form of Qatar and Turkey, which has managed to quarrel with all of its neighbors.”

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Middle-East events and fulfilment of Bible prophecy – 1

Posted on Friday, 11 July, 2014 by Richard Barker

Last August, in Events indicate the Bible’s relevance for today, I referred to what was happening in several Middle Eastern countries.

Although my subsequent coverage has been occasional, changes in the geo-political reality have continued to accelerate. It demonstrates how amazingly scripture has foretold what is unfolding before the world’s eyes.

It’s important for everyone, Christian or not, to appreciate the significance of these times and events.

There is an increasing likelihood of an internecine Sunni v Shite war. However, ulterior, religious goals may make them overcome their differences. This happened in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war when elite units from enemy camps rehearsed the storming of Jerusalem, thereby kick-starting my interest in the prophetic when I wasn’t a Christian! (Details in Welcome.)

The following overview of a couple of experts’ reports will help you understand these developments, especially if you follow the links for more details. Also, a newer slant on interpreting scripture will be briefly considered.

Declaration of an Islamic Caliphate

The Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs has published an informative document, What does an ‘Islamic Caliphate’ in Iraq Mean? and notes a coincidence that’s of no surprise to Bible students:

On the first day of the month of Ramadan (29 June 2014), the day on which World Pride Day was celebrated as a marker of social and cultural progress, the reestablishment of the Islamic caliphate (state) was declared in Iraq and a caliph was appointed to lead it.

The Centre’s analysis looks at the historical and current state-of-play:

The Islamic State is trying to reinforce its battlefield achievements in Syria and Iraq by creating a new Sunni Muslim religious entity that threatens to overturn the prevailing regional political order rooted in the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) which set the borders and carved up the Middle East into European spheres of influence. The rule of the caliphate is applied to the territory under its control….

The declaration of the caliphate poses a challenge to the rival Islamic organizations and particularly to the Muslim Brotherhood, which has tried to promote the concept of a “political Islam” that combines Islam and democracy (according to the Islamic interpretation) and is aimed at achieving the ultimate goal of global Islamic rule in stages.

The stated objectives of the declaration are not surprising to those who understand Islamic doctrine in depth, unlike Western politicians. The objectives are headed; Establishment of an Islamic caliphate…Implementation of Islamic law (sharia)… Fortification of the rule of the Islamic caliphate…The supremacy of the Muslims over the peoples of the world and the goal of an Islamic takeover of the world…Representation of the Muslims all over the world…The rejection of democracy, secularism, and nationalism…On-going jihad everywhere…

Note the goal of totalitarian, global supremacy, violence and inhuman suppression of freedom is no different to 1,500 years ago. That is, a caliphate is a backward step into the barbarism of the Dark Ages.

Providing a thorough overview and warning “The danger of regional instability is greater than ever”, the JCPA document is therefore worth careful study:

Commentaries

John McTernan:

Opinion: ‘The establishment of an Islamic caliphate has the potential to be the most important fulfillment of Bible prophecy since Israel became a state in 1948 and Jerusalem’s unification in 1967. A caliphate would unite all the Arabs and perhaps even all of Islam against Israel. This is exactly what the Bible states is going to happen just prior to Armageddon. What this caliphate needs to succeed and expand is a mass public uprising in its support. A war between Israel and the Palestinians could be this catalyst. It is easy to see Jordan fall to ISIS during a war with Israel and then Egypt. I have said all along that Syria is doomed and when ISIS consolidates power, they will turn on Syria. Syria is going to fall, there is no doubt about this. It appears from here on out that incredible prophetic events will unfold before our eyes.’

John’s Commentary for 8th July then summarises several news sources on that topic.

Following on from the re-blog on Saudi Arabia and ISIS, here’s an analysis from someone with good knowledge of and well-informed contacts in the region…

Walid Shobat:

This ex-radical PLO militant, now a Christian (see bio), brings an interesting viewpoint on the identity of ‘The Whore of Babylon’ as being connected with Saudi Arabia.

Writing about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s entrance to announce his intentions in the grand mosque in Mosul on 29th June, Walid notes that, ‘Everything, statements, attire, setting and message comes from the Inaugural address to the first Muslim Caliph Abu Bakr and is why Al-Baghdadi chose the name Abu Bakr and even used the same statements of the historic Abu Bakr:

In analysing the recent event, he goes on to state that Saudi Arabia knows it is this man’s main target and Walid offers this scriptural opinion:

‘The Harlot of Babylon, Saudi Arabia is realizing finally that funding the Syrian revolution created a curse, that the same Jihdist fighters in Syria are now about to terrorize Arabia – the nation that allowed the Islamist boogeyman (sic) out of the box is now trying to shove it back in. After all it was Arabia—which Islam emanates from and its harlot religion is spread throughout the entire region. It was Arabia which produced Muhammad, Arabia’s prophet.

‘From a prophetic perspective, we see the impending destruction of Saudi Arabia. The kings stagger in their vomit as a drunkard not knowing what to do. Shoebat.com takes the position that Revelation 17 referenced Arabia as a prostitute “Whore of Babylon”.’

His full analysis in New Muslim Caliph’s eyes are on destruction of Saudi Arabia, relates how the highest authority in Islam, The Haditha, discusses the Ka’ba in Mecca as Babel “The Gate to God”, which is its Arabic term. He claims it’s also depicted as a woman!

This is explained further in ISIS vowed to destroy Mecca along with photographs from which we can see better how that centre of Mohammedanism may be regarded as a Babylon.

Another important aspect for understanding what’s happening and likely to come next is Islamic disagreement over recognition of this caliphate through strong opposition from the Muslim Brotherhood. And all of this centers around Turkey.

In Top Muslim scholar says Caliphate in Iraq is VOID because it doesn’t fit the Ottoman model, Walid reveals this scholar is none other than the MB’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Yususf al-Qaradawi. After quoting his words, Walid reminds his readers:

‘The Turkish based Ottoman Empire is something the Western media and leaders simply refuse to call attention to. Perhaps more noteworthy than al-Baghdadi’s declaration or even al-Qaradawi’s rebuke of that declaration is the admission by al-Qaradawi that the Muslim Brotherhood desires its resurrection. (Emphasis added)

‘This is something we have been maintaining for decades now. Once one understands how prominent al-Qaradawi is within the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s much easier to see what the group’s plans are…’

In Only Turkey can establish the Caliphate, he outlines the reasons for this:

‘As we stated previously, The Caliph must (be) Sufi Muslim, someone who will succeed in reviving the Ottoman glory days, unite Sunni and Shiite and only Turkey has such a model and a major regional presence with significant global standing and respect. The Iraqi model of the Caliphate has set the stage for a Caliphate competition. This is why Al-Qaradawi finally had to declare what he declared.

‘In Istanbul, Turkey a Caliphate nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire has been on the rise as of late. The Ottoman Sultan’s seal can be found on T-shirts, advertisements, and jewelry everywhere in its old imperial capital of Istanbul. More alarmingly, the jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are now proclaiming a new Islamic caliphate in former Ottoman provinces.

‘As we have always stated, Turkey and Iran will unite, soon.’

Walid then considers how this may affect Egypt and relates it all to Biblical prophecy. That is, major developments in the Gog-Magog alliance prophesied by Ezekiel.

It is noteworthy this ex-PLO activist’s insights tally with Mark Davidson’s analysis based upon in-depth news reports in Parallels to 1914 Europe. Readers especially interested in the prophetic will find Mark offers fresh food for thought at The Four Signposts.

Daniel Pipes:

Let’s consider the opinion of a secular expert on Turkey, who warned in advance of the 9/11 attacks. In Turkish Support for ISIS Daniel Pipes states,

‘The battle in Iraq consists of “Turkish-backed Sunni jihadis rebelling against an Iranian-backed Shi’ite-oriented central government,” (as) I wrote in a recent article.

‘Some readers question that the Republic of Turkey has supported the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” the main Sunni group fighting in Iraq. They point to ISIS attacks on Turkish interests, within Turkey, along its border with Syria, and in Mosul and a successful recent meeting of the Turkish and Iranian presidents. Good points, but they can be explained….’

He presents several substantiations and concludes,

‘Turkish leaders are finding Syria a double quagmire, what with Assad still in power and the Kurdish entity growing stronger. In reaction, they have cooperated with even the most extreme, retrograde and vicious elements, such as ISIS. But this support opened a second front in Iraq which, in turn, brings the clash of the Middle East’s two titans, Turkey and Iran, closer to realization.’ (Emphasis added)

The version of that article published in Washington Times used the title: “Turkey’s support for ISIS Islamist terrorists. Aiding jihadists could put Ankara at odds with Iran”. Daniel offers nine more proofs that AKP government of Prime Minister Erdoğan stands behind the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in an updated article.

(Note: Faced with threats, Mr Pipes issued an apology under duress in the Washington Times.)

Not withstanding the present bombardment and defensive action against Hamas by Israel, Daniel also reflects upon Benjamin Netanyahu’s important speech to a security institute. He too refers to the Sykes-Picot secret agreement and notes four great challenges posed by Islamic fanaticism; border protection, stability west of the Jordan River, building regional cooperation and especially to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear threshold state. (See Netanyahu’s Steady Hand).

Daniel admiringly concludes:

‘Going back to 1999, I have often criticized Netanyahu but the excellent analysis in this speech suggests a steady hand at the helm. (Secondly) All the more important to have an American ally that understands security concerns when the Obama administration is clueless.’

‘[Update: A number of readers have protested my describing the Obama administration as “clueless,” insisting that it is malign more than ignorant or incompetent. But this misunderstands what I meant by clueless: I meant mistaken, wrong-headed, foolish, ineffectual; I did not mean to ascribe reasons, whether malign or incapable.]‘

Conclusion

In my opinion, we may be about to witness major upheavals that will affect not only the ancient world’s centres of civilisation but also the modern world’s global petro-economy.

Furthermore, Walid Shoebat’s conclusion is most telling:

As Shoebat.com first reported, al-Qaradawi espouses the Sunni version of taqiyya [religiously directed deception.RB], otherwise known as Muruna. He has written extensively on the subject and until westerners understand this technique, they will fail to understand their enemies.

So, we should expect Turkey and Iran to be at loggerheads, even at war, but behind the scenes they will become allied against Israel and all non-Moslems, thereby manifesting the Ezekiel 37 ‘alliance’ of Gog and Magog.

Keep looking up for, “our redemption draws nigh”.

With prophetic implications, the Kurds, known as the Medes in the Bible, seize oil-rich region of Iraq. What does it mean?

Posted on Wednesday, 25 June, 2014 by Richard Barker

UPDATE: Yes, it’s all about oil – what a surprise! The newly launched trans-Israel part of the export oil route from Kirkuk via Turkey is the real target of increased rocket fire from Gaza (details here). Also, instead of making straight for Baghdad, ISIS units are reported as having made a 2-pronged advance aiming for Amman, Jordan, and the Saudi border (details here).

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

(Washington, D.C.) — Could recent developments in Iraq have prophetic implications? Actually, the answer may be yes — especially with regards to the Kurdish people who live in northern Iraq. Let me explain.

As we’ve been seeing in recent weeks, the Radical jihadist forces of the “Islamic State of Iraq & al-Sham” (ISIS) are on the move towards Baghdad. They are leaving a trail of bloodshed and carnage in their wake.

The objective of the ISIS leaders is to topple the Iraqi government, seize control of all of Iraq, establish a jihadist state under Sharia law, and use Iraq to begin a regional — and eventually global — Islamic caliphate, or kingdom.

Now, the Kurdish leaders have taken advantage of the chaos of this moment to seize control of the oil-rich region of Kirkuk for themselves. (see AP story below)

The oil fields of Kirkuk have been a long-standing issue of controversy in Iraq…

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The Year 5774: Ayin Dalet

Posted on Tuesday, 17 June, 2014 by Richard Barker

Am re-blogging this excellent article by Melissa Flores for my readers to have a good background for my next post on the ‘Open Doorway’. Thank you again Melissa

Defining Words

Sundown on Wednesday, September 4 marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah or Jewish New Year. For the Jewish community, this is a time of reflection, purification and hopeful contemplation of the future. Not unlike our Western New Year’s celebrations, Rosh Hashanah is a time of recapping or regrouping in order to advance. The word I shared on Ayin Gimel is still being fulfilled in the lives of God’s people, both now and in the days ahead. What Father releases in any year does not expire at the close of the calendar year. Think of these timely revelations as layers of flavors added to the dispensational brew that Heaven is distilling in the earth. Each ingredient flavors the whole and affects the end-result. I encourage you to read what God has been doing thus far in the decade, here, here, and here. It’s quite impossible for a desiring…

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500th post: brief review and ‘blood moons’ cont’d

Posted on Thursday, 17 April, 2014 by Richard Barker

A very special ‘Thank you’ to all my several friends who kindly put up with my first reports and thoughts in early 2009 along with subsequent emails, and then subscribed to my blog after its launch in November 2011.

As those who’ve read Why I’m Writing will know, a book was inside me – it wanted out! And I found that blogging was like watching a book develop and grow. So email updates on Biblically related events in the Middle East got translated from the domain of a few dozen friends and contacts into the realm of cyber-space and a larger circle of public readers.

Also, blogging has the advantage over a book in being able to target topics at liberty rather than being constrained by a books’ title and themes. And blogs are published and ready for worldwide reading right away!

So, my thanks also go to every single visitor as well as to regular subscribers.

Brief Personal Review

In the 2nd anniversary post I recalled the reason for being driven to write regularly. In February 2009 I checked the parable of the wheat and tares but, upon opening my Bible, an excitement exploded within as I heard, “This is ALL about to be fulfilled!”

So I circulated a two-part email The End-Game is now in play, and followed up with occasional brief reports on current events seemingly connected to Biblical prophecies.

Some unusual dreams in Autumn 2011 proved to be ‘game-changers’. The first plugged directly into what I was later to learn of Bill Johnson’s prophetical sensing, on the same date, of a Kingdom change in the UK. So I circulated an email about the Acceleration in Kingdom activity. It was becoming clear such news and related developments needed to be circulated more widely, and that I was being directed towards blogging.

By then, contemporary prophecies were being regularly included. Although the Biblical kind is canonical and sacrosanct, and words brought by today’s prophets secondary to and to be weighed with Holy Writ, both forms of prophecy do seem related – as though they are ‘two witnesses’ to what the Lord is doing today.

The increasing coverage of current prophetic words generated a larger readership and was complied into a Library. This resource now holds over 100 prophetic words and is regularly viewed by visitors.

The blog was launched with brief reasons for watching events and with my personal testimony, the timing of which was soon confirmed. Thus, I was assured that moving from private to public writing was right. In considering those changes from old into new year I introduced readers to the predictive aspect of time cycles, as outlined by William Koenig.

Very soon, and unexpectedly, I challenged politically motivated action against praying in public, as undertaken by Healing On The Streets. Thus another collection was created as a hub of healing testimonials and augmented by regular posts on The Bay Revival. Also in 2012, a long trail of ‘God-incidences’ brought me to focus upon the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations as well as many prophetic words about a ‘New Season’, or new era for the Church, all enhanced the blog’s content.

Also over these past 5 years we’ve seen significant development proving the relevance of the Bible today in the establishment of the Middle-Eastern coalition, as foreseen by Ezekiel. The term I first used for this was ‘Ezekiel 38 Alliance’ but it’s now taken its Biblical description of ‘Gog-Magog’. Events on this are now proceeding so rapidly there’s no time for me to keep up with them! Readers who are particularly interested, however, can keep up to date with the sources quoted in most articles or by using links listed down the Home Page, which has expanded upon their introduction in Not on The 10 o’clock News.

My focus so far this year has been on prophecy and time, as may be evident in timings of inspiration and the immense vista beyond the ‘Open Door’ – can we see the invisible becoming tangible?

It’s fascinating that, 5 years later, the original name for the blog of Invisible Jigsaw is coming into play and how, along with this 500th post, it’s coinciding with the back-to-back sequence of blood moons.

Blood Moons and Israel

‘Blood moon’ is a recently coined term for a prophetic description made over 2,800 years ago. Only when the moon is totally eclipsed by the cone of the earth’s shadow (umbra) does it become red. This is because any light arriving has been refracted through the earth’s atmosphere, rather like why sunsets are red.

[EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd provides a graphic explanation here and reports upon the new terminology of ‘tetrad’ and ‘blood moon’ here. Image credit Joshua Valcarcel, Wikimedia Commons.]

In Passover and blood-red moons I considered a couple of objections to citing previous tetrads of blood moons on Jewish major feast days. We need to be clear about what we’re talking about, the facts and their statistical implications. In view of the huge frequency of lunar eclipses as shown on NASA’s data their occurrence on festivals specifically set on dates of, or close to, full moons is not surprising. Therefore, we should expect them on several Passovers.

But the importance of a tetrad is upon this happening upon two consecutive Passovers and the associated Sukkot (Tabernacles); ie, on one year’s first and last feast and then the same in the next year – and not occurring on any in-between dates. Total eclipses on four sequential occasions have been termed ‘a tetrad’. Bill Koenig let his friend Mark Biltz see his investigations done in 2007 and reported as follows (my emphases):

‘Mark said he had found my blood-red moon work and website postings in 2007 interesting and began looking into possible connection to past and future Jewish Feasts at which time he found very significant connections. I provided blood-red moon information, and information on the coming total solar eclipses of 2008, 2009 and 2010—which all fall on the 1st of Av.

‘Seven back-to-back, blood-red moons have fallen on the first day of Passover and Sukkot, with the eighth time coming in 2014 and 2015

‘Mark found that we have had blood-red moons on the first day of Passover and the first day of Sukkot on back-to-back years seven times since 1 A.D. Three of these occurrences were connected to 1492 (the final year of the Spanish Inquisition), 1948 (statehood for Israel and the War of Independence), and 1967 (the Six-Day War) — some of the most significant days in Jewish history.

‘The others were in 162/163 A.D., 795/796 A.D., 842/843 A.D. and 860/861 A.D. We don’t have any historical connections for these years at this time, but we do know of significant Jewish persecution during the eighth and ninth centuries.

‘In all eight examples, the eclipses have fallen or will fall on the first day of Passover and Sukkot. The eighth occurrence of back-to-back, blood-red moons will be in 2014–2015. So what does the period of time from 2013 to 2015 portend for Israel and the world?’

Oh that a mathematician would calculate the odds for such events happening. But do we need one to comprehend that, although eclipses may happen variably, this ‘tetrad’ sequence cannot possibly be by chance? For two eclipses to fall on consecutive feast dates, if astro-dynamically possible, there would be reasonable odds – but for dates at each end of a 5-6 month period, and not on any other feast date between them, there’d be a very much smaller chance. Yet for that to happen again in the next year then the odds are astronomical – no/yes?

It’s as though the Maker of heaven and earth is pointing His finger and saying, “LOOK!”

Do the Tetrads Point to Jerusalem?

In Passover and blood-red moons I questioned a critic’s assumption that tetrads did not relate to the Spanish Inquisition or to the birth of the state of Israel and its immediate War of Independence. His claim was that the ominous warning attributed to the blood moons came after those facts – I answered with other facts, “It ain’t necessarily so”.

Also, Koenig and Biltz were not contriving to twist the facts but simply stating there were events that seem directly related to the Talmudic teaching about blood moons. Yet one could argue that all pre-20th Century blood moon tetrads may actually be irrelevant!

That is, any meaning attributable to earlier tetrads may not be applicable because the Jewish state of Israel had not been created. And when it was, the Jews were fighting for their survival against all surrounding nations. Hence the notion of these tetrads applying only after 1948. We can check this out with three lots of tetrads:

1. The first point of the 1949-50 tetrad (Passover 13 April 1949) occurred during the 15 month War of Independence, AND its was only 10 days after the signing of the Israel-Jordan Armistice affecting Jerusalem. Thus, that tetrad may indicate a warning that the Lord is specifically watching out for Jerusalem, on the grounds of Zecharia 2:8.:

‘…he who touches you (Zion) touches the apple of His eye.’

2. Also why does that critic ignore the existence of the tetrad covering the Six-Day War of June 1967! (Click for Background & Overview.) Then, Jerusalem was liberated and came fully into Israeli hands, supporting my contention about the city being relevant to the theory of blood moon prophecy.

3. The present tetrad is well-timed about Jerusalem. Months of useless, protracted US-led ‘peace talks’ between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed last week. One of the last days’ issues was over dividing Jerusalem, as though both future states could share the same city as capital. Also, preparations continue for setting up the Third Temple in Jerusalem. So a great deal continues to happen of significance in Israel…

Therefore, perhaps the four lunar eclipses schedule for Passover and Sukkot 15 April and 8 October 2014, and next year’s Passover and Sukkot on 4 April and 28 September 2015 will cover some extremely critical developments on Jerusalem?

After all, the principal unfulfilled Biblical prophecies are about ‘the apple of G-d’s eye’!

UPDATES:

Click images to parts 1 (L) and 2 (R) of John Kilpatrick’s teaching on Blood Moons (ignoring brief introductory blurb).

British PM Cameron on 1st state visit to Israel warns of Iran’s “despotic regime” with “nuclear intentions.” UPDATE: Read the full text of the PM’s address.

Posted on Thursday, 13 March, 2014 by Richard Barker

This most welcome news is highly relevant in connection with recent prophetic words for Britain, as those who recognise these Biblically critical days will appreciate. Joel links into the full text of the PM’s speech, as published by The Times of Israel, which makes interesting reading. For Interntnl Christian Embassy Jerusalem report click photo > The PM’s incorrect reference, however, to the origin of the modern state of Israel requires correction, as herein.

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

UK Prime Minister David Cameron addresses the Knesset (photo credit: Knesset spokesperson/Times of Israel)

>> Read full text of PM Cameron’s address to the Knesset

On his first state visit to Israel, British Prime Minister David Cameron today told the Knesset he has Jewish roots, including a relative who wrote the first Yiddish novel, and vowed that Britain would always stand as a friend to Israel and the Jewish people.

He spoke out strongly against international efforts to delegitimize Israel, and warned that Iran’s government is a “despotic regime” with “nuclear intentions.” He vowed to work with all in the region to help make peace while standing firmly behind Israel’s right and need for security.

“You have a British prime minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock-solid,” Cameron said.

Speaking of the IDF’s intercept of an Iranian ship offensive arms to Gaza, Cameron

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Category Archives: Israel

POTUS’ party pummelled – a Jerusalem connection

If the Obama team is this hostile to Israel before the elections, how bad will things get after Tuesday?

If Palestine becomes a state, will Christians return to Bethlehem? Part 1

The real reason for the Israel-Palestine issue and anti-Semitism

Exactly as prophesied: nations set on collision course with God

Israel’s leader holds another Bible study in his home.

What did Netanyahu discuss with Obama in the Oval Office? Here’s the latest.

PM Netanyahu at UN: Israel’s fight is the world’s fight against militant Islam

Tale of 2 speeches: at UN Palestinian leader accuses Israel of “genocide”, “war crimes” – Jordanian king gives moderate, peaceful address.

The Year 5775: The Year of Advance

Urgent prophetic words about a cut-off date in God’s timeline

On Scottish First Minister’s possible Islamist stance

Israel, Palestine, Egypt 1; USA, Europe, Hamas 0

A call for clarity on Israel and Gaza

Gaza War Update, Day #21: Obama calls Netanyahu to demand “immediate” cease-fire. Kerry angers Israeli, Palestinian & Egyptian leaders.

Middle-East events and fulfilment of Bible prophecy – 1

With prophetic implications, the Kurds, known as the Medes in the Bible, seize oil-rich region of Iraq. What does it mean?

The Year 5774: Ayin Dalet

500th post: brief review and ‘blood moons’ cont’d

British PM Cameron on 1st state visit to Israel warns of Iran’s “despotic regime” with “nuclear intentions.” UPDATE: Read the full text of the PM’s address.

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