Prophecy Zone Radio News

U.S. and Israel Preparing for 'Biggest Defense Drill Ever'

2012-01-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Israeli military is gearing up together with U.S. forces for a major missile defense exercise, the IDF announced Thursday.
The Associated Press reported that the “Austere Challenge 12” drill is designed to improve defense systems and cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli forces.
While the drill follows a ten-day Iranian naval exercise near the Strait of Hormuz, the IDF told AP the drill with the U.S. was planned long ago and is not tied to recent events.
Israeli and U.S. officials told AP the exercise would be the largest-ever joint drill by the two countries.
A few weeks ago, the Commander of the Third Air Force of the U.S Military, Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, arrived in Israel to prepare for the joint training exercise.
A spokesman for the IDF did not give a date for the drill Thursday, but a senior military official told AP it would be in the next few weeks, adding it would be the biggest missile defense drill ever held.
The Israeli official said thousands of American and Israeli soldiers from different units would take part. He said the drill would test multiple Israeli and U.S. air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets.
The Islamic Republic followed its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz with another earlier this week, when Iranian army chief Ayatollah Salehi warned USS carrier John C Stennis not to return to the Persian Gulf after having left the area through the Straits of Hormuz in a "pre-planned, routine operation."
The U.S. responded to the Iranian threat with a calm statement read by Pentagon spokesman George Little and which warned Iran, "The deployment of U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf region will continue as it has for decades."
On Wednesday, the IDF staged a surprise drill at its base at the port of Haifa as Iran completed its drill.
Haifa base commander Brigadier General Eli Sharvit, ordered the surprise drill to check the readiness of Israel Navy vessels to depart from port and head out to sea to conduct operation, the IDF said. A majority of the Israel Navy's operational strength is based in Haifa, which was bombed several times by Hizbullah terrorists in the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.

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West readies oil plan in case of Iran crisis

2012-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Western countries discuss tapping up to 14 million bdp of oil from emergency stockpiles if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz; action would be five-times larger than any other release from reserves.

Talkbacks (40)

LONDON - Western powers this week readied a contingency plan to tap a record volume from emergency stockpiles to replace nearly all the Gulf oil that would be lost if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, industry sources and diplomats told Reuters.

They said senior executives of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises 28 oil consuming countries, discussed on Thursday an existing plan to release up to 14 million barrels per day (bpd) of government-owned oil stored in the United States, Europe, Japan and other importers.

RELATED:
EU governments consider delay on any Iran oil ban
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Action on this scale would be more than five times the size of the biggest release in the agency's history - made in response to Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The maximum release, some 10 million bpd of crude and about 4 million bpd of refined products, could be sustained during the first month of any coordinated action, the plan says.

"This would form a necessary and sensible response to a closure of the strait," a European diplomat told Reuters. "It wouldn't take long to put in place if it was required ... and would be unlikely to prove controversial amongst the (IEA) membership."

A spokesman for the IEA confirmed that the Paris-based agency has an existing contingency plan that outlines a maximum stock release capability of 14 million bpd for a month. "We're watching the situation carefully," he said of Iran.

Tehran announced plans on Friday for new military exercises in the world's most important oil shipping lane, through which some 16 million barrels of crude pass each day.

Iranian officials have threatened to block the strait if new sanctions, aimed to discourage Iran's nuclear program, harm Tehran's oil exports.

Many oil experts believe the threats are rhetoric aimed at pushing up oil prices in a bid to avert sanctions.

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Panetta: U.S. will not allow Iran to develop nuclear bomb, block Strait of Hormuz

2012-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday that the U.S. would act if Iran were to develop a nuclear weapon or close the Strait of Hormuz.
Panetta, speaking to CBS' Face the Nation, said that if Iran started developing a weapon, the U.S. would act. "I think they need to know that — that if they take that step — that they're going to get stopped."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, appearing with the defense secretary, said that he wanted the Iranians to believe that a U.S. military strike could wipe out their nuclear program.
"I absolutely want them to believe that's the case," he said.
Panetta did not rule out launching a pre-emptive strike.
"But the responsible thing to do right now is to keep putting diplomatic and economic pressure on them to force them to do the right thing," he said. "And to make sure that they do not make the decision to proceed with the development of a nuclear weapon."
Dempsey also said that Iran has the military power to block the Strait of Hormuz "for a period of time" if it decides to do so, but that the U.S. would take action to reopen waterway. "We can defeat that," he said.

Panetta said closing the strait would draw a U.S. military response. "We made very clear that the United States will not tolerate the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "That's another red line for us and ... we will respond to them."
A number of experts say Iran is unlikely to close the strait, through which Gulf oil flows, because the action could hurt Iran as much as the West.
But an Iranian newspaper, the Khorasan daily, on Sunday quoted a senior commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard force as saying Tehran's leadership has decided to order the closure of the strategic oil route if the country's petroleum exports are blocked.
Iranian politicians have issued similar threats in the past, but this is the strongest statement yet by a top commander in the security establishment.
In a talk at a Brookings Institution forum in December, Panetta said an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would "at best" delay Iran's nuclear program by one or two years. Among the unintended consequences, he said, would be an increase in international support for Iran and the likelihood of Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces and bases in the Mideast.

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'US would take action if Iran closes Hormuz'

2012-01-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

US army chief Dempsey says Iran could block Strait of Hormuz, but US would get it back open.

Iran has the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz “for a period of time,” and the US would take action to reopen it, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey said Sunday.

“They’ve invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a period of time block the Strait of Hormuz,” Dempsey said in an interview airing on the CBS “Face the Nation” program. “We’ve invested in capabilities to ensure that if that happens, we can defeat that.”RELATED:
EU governments consider delay on any Iran oil ban
Ayalon says stiffening sanctions have Iran panicky

Should Iran try to close Hormuz, the US “would take action and reopen” the waterway, said Dempsey, US President Barack Obama’s top military adviser.

Blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping lane linking the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf, would constitute a “red line” for the US, as would Iranian efforts to build a nuclear weapon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on the same program.

Continued pressure, rather than threats of air strikes, is the best way to forestall Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Panetta said.

Panetta: Applying pressure on Iran is the responsible course of action
While the US shouldn’t “take any option off the table,“ Panetta said “the responsible thing to do right now is to keep putting diplomatic and economic pressure on them to force them to do the right thing and to make sure that they do not make the decision to proceed with the development of a nuclear weapon.”

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said January 1 on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would use air strikes against Iran unless the country dismantled its nuclear program or allowed inspectors to verify that the work isn’t aimed at making a weapon.

Thousands of US troops land in Israel. Aircraft carrier coming soon

2012-01-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Thousands of US troops began descending on Israel this week. Senior US military sources told debkafile Friday, Jan. 6 that many would be staying up to the end of the year as part of the US-IDF deployment in readiness for a military engagement with Iran and its possible escalation into a regional conflict. They will be joined by a US aircraft carrier. The warplanes on its decks will fly missions with Israeli Air Force jets. The 9,000 US servicemen gathering in Israel in the coming weeks are mostly airmen, missile interceptor teams, marines, seamen, technicians and intelligence officers.

The incoming American soldiers are officially categorized as participants in Austere Challenge 12, the biggest joint US-Israeli war game ever held.

The maneuver was originally designated Juniper Stallion 2012. However, the altered name plus the comment heard from the exercise's commander, US Third Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, during his visit two weeks ago, that the coming event is more a "deployment" than an "exercise," confirmed that Washington has expanded its mission. The joint force will now be in place ready for a decision to attack Iran's nuclear installations or any war emergency.

Our sources disclose that it was decided at the last minute in Washington and Jerusalem to announce the forthcoming Austere Challenge 12 on Thursday night, Jan. 5, ahead of the bulletin released by Tehran about another Iranian naval exercise at the Strait of Hormuz to take place in February, although its 10-day drill in the same arena only ended Monday, Jan. 2.

The early release was decided in consultations among US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the two army chiefs, US Gen. Martin Dempsey and Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.

British Defense Minister Phillip Hammond, on a visit to Washington, was brought into the discussion.

The handout circulated to US correspondents from Hammond's talks in the US capital affirmed that Britain stands ready to strike Iran if the Strait of Hormuz is closed.

However, that phrase was omitted from the British minister's remarks at a news conference, following a last-minute request from Panetta, signifying the Obama administration's interest of keeping a low profile on plans for attacking Iran.

Tehran too is walking a taut tightrope. It is staging military's maneuvers every few days to assuring the Iranian people that its leaders are fully prepared to defend the country against an American or Israeli strike on its national nuclear program. By this stratagem, Iran's ground, sea and air forces are maintained constantly at top war readiness to thwart any surprise attack.

The joint US-Israeli drill will test multiple Israeli and US air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets, according to the official communiqué.

debkafile's military sources add that they will also practice intercepting missiles and rockets coming in from Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It will not be the first time a US aircraft carrier docks in Israel for joint operations with the Israeli Air Force. On June 9, 2010, the USS Truman dropped anchor opposite Israel to test a joint deployment against Iran and its allies. The carrier and its air and naval strike force then staged joint firing practices with the Israeli Air Force over the Negev in the South.

Washington and Jerusalem are doing their utmost to present a perfectly synchronized military front against Iran: American officers are stationed at IDF command centers and Israeli officers posted at the US European Command-EUCOM. At the same time, debkafile's military sources disclose that full consensus has not been reached on every last particular of shared operation against Iran, should one go forward.

http://www.debka.com/article/21629/

US Calls for North Korean Restraint

2012-01-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Just weeks after North Korea announced the death of its leader, Kim Jong Il, diplomatic activity has resumed on how to engage Pyongyang. A high-level American diplomat is holding talks this week in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo. And, South Korea's president is set to discuss North Korea during a state visit to China's capital next week.
Diplomats in Seoul acknowledge there is a dearth of information about what is really going on in Pyongyang, amid the leadership transition.

During this time of uncertainty, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell says all elements of the U.S. government, including the military and national security advisors, are on the same page and in constant touch with Washington's allies in the region.

"We are continuously monitoring the situation, regularly sharing perspectives and assessments, consulting closely and actively coordinating our responses," said Campbell.

The United States is hoping China, considered the country most able to exert any influence on Pyongyang, will make clear to the new North Korean leadership what Campbell calls "the importance of restraint.”

Among those Campbell met with Thursday was South Korean Foreign Minister, Kim Sung-hwan.

Kim told reporters that Seoul is ready to resume one-on-one talks with Pyongyang, but it is up to North Korea to initiate such talks.

However, Kim says it is unclear after Kim Jong Il's death who is actually running North Korea. He notes that Kim Jong Un, the third son of the deceased leader, has been bestowed a number of titles, such as supreme commander of the military and vice chairman of the country's only political party. But, the South Korean foreign minister adds it is not known whether Kim - who is under 30 years of age - is now also the actual head of government.

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Is a super-volcano just 390 miles from London about to erupt? Read more

2012-01-03T23:41:00.001-08:00

It's similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which in 1991 gave us the biggest eruption of the 20th century

Billions of tons of ash and magma would be ejected

Southern England would be covered in ash
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2081219/Is-super-volcano-Laacher-See-lake-Germany-blow.html#ixzz1iTNNgykf

A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up.

It's lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma.

This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time.

Monster: The Laacher See volcano is similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which caused a 0.5C drop in global temperatures when it erupted in 1991

A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up. It's lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma. This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time. It covered 620 square miles of land with ash and rocks and several small earthquakes in the region last year indicate that it could be awakening from its deep sleep. Experts believe that if it did go off, it could lead to widespread...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2081219/Is-super-volcano-Laacher-See-lake-Germany-blow.html?ITO=1490

Persian Gulf tensions mount as U.S. engages Israel on Iran

2012-01-03T21:22:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Obama administration is engaged in a full-court press to persuade Israel that Iran’s nuclear threat can be contained short of war.

The U.S. lobbying has received a mixed reception from Israel, where the Netanyahu government has not ruled out a unilateral strike on Iran.

Iran, meanwhile, is taking an aggressive stance in response to mounting sanctions.

Last week the Iranian naval chief, Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if Western sanctions intensified. The threat to close the strait -- the passageway for oil from the Persian Gulf states -- could presage a war, experts said.

“We may be further along the road to war than most people believe,” said Michael Adler, an Iran scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Experts are divided as to the seriousness of the threat to cut off the strait and whether it will lead to war.

Adler said that a direct confrontation between the U.S. and Iran may be inevitable, and that the two countries are headed down that road in “slow motion.”

“Don’t underestimate what the Americans have been saying,” he said, referring to the longstanding U.S. line that all options for dealing with Iran are on the table.

Stephen Rademaker, a former top nuclear arms negotiator in the administration of President George W. Bush, said the blowback Iran would suffer for shutting down the strait suggests that Sayyari was bluffing.

“It would be extremely difficult for them to close the strait for more than a brief period of time,” said Rademaker, now a principal at the Podesta Group, a lobbying shop and think tank. “The U.S. Navy knows how to keep waterways open.”

The resultant war also would give the U.S. a pretext to attack suspected Iranian nuclear sites, he said.

Anthony Cordesman, a former senior U.S. defense intelligence analyst who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote that the real threat was not the shutting of the strait -- itself an act of war -- but of “much lower level attacks which could sharply raise the risk to Gulf shipping.”

Edwin Black, a historian who has written extensively on the Gulf and oil supplies, said the effects of any action in the vicinity of the strait would be far reaching.

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Muslim Brotherhood vows not to recognize Israel

2012-01-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

Egyptian party's deputy leader tells 'al-Hayat' that they won't negotiate with Israel, will seek to cancel peace treaty.

Talkbacks (100)

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel “under any circumstance,” the party’s deputy leader Dr. Rashad Bayoumi told Arabic daily al-Hayat in an interview published on Sunday.
In recent Egyptian elections the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won 36.3 percent of the list vote, while the ultra-conservative Salafi al-Nour Party took 28.8%.

When asked whether it is a requirement for the government in Egypt to recognize Israel, Bayoumi responded by saying: “This is not an option, whatever the circumstances, we do not recognize Israel at all. It’s an occupying criminal enemy.”
The deputy leader stressed during the interview that no Muslim Brotherhood members would ever meet with Israelis for negotiations.“I will not allow myself to sit down with criminals.”
Bayoumi went on to say that the Muslim Brotherhood would take legal procedures towards canceling the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel that was signed in 1979.
“The Brotherhood respects international conventions, but we will take legal action against the peace treaty with the Zionist entity,” he told the paper.
At the beginning of December, Egypt’s two leading Islamist parties won about two-thirds of votes for party lists in the second round of polling for a parliament that will help draft a new constitution after decades of autocratic rule.
The vote, staged over six weeks, is the first free election Egypt has held after the 30-year rule of president Hosni Mubarak, who routinely rigged polls before he was overthrown by a popular uprising in February.
The West long looked to Mubarak and other strongmen in the region to help combat Islamist militants, and has watched warily as Islamist parties have topped votes in Tunisia, Morocco and now Egypt.

The Egyptian Parliament’s prime job will be appointing a 100-man assembly to write a new constitution which will define the president’s powers and parliament’s clout in the new Egypt.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=251732

Dream of Universal Currency Just Won’t Die

2012-01-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

The euro zone maelstrom refuses to end. Thanks to the debt crisis, some Greek officials are contemplating dumping the common currency for the drachma. Meanwhile, Italy and Spain teeter. A decade after the shared currency was heralded as a 21st-century tool for peace and prosperity, it turns out that currency unions aren’t such a hot idea.

Not so fast, though. This is undeniably a period of epic turmoil, and many economists will tell you that sovereign states need sovereign currencies—full stop. But this notion ignores a fundamental truth: Countries with their own currency may have monetary independence, but in reality—as gun battles in Libya, CDOs in the US, and tsunamis in Japan have taught us—we are only becoming more economically intertwined, regardless of what our coins look like.

Step back from the current crisis to consider the long view, and currency unions—or even a single global currency—have a fair share of appeal. A universal medium of exchange could eliminate currency risk and jack up trade. It would mean speculators couldn’t short an individual country’s currency. Exporters wouldn’t have to fret over the gap between a price on a contract and the value of the payment. A single currency could halt spastic swings in prices and end conversion fees, leaving more of the pie for little stuff like R&D and employee health insurance. Oh—and it could put an end to international disputes over currency manipulation. Hello? China?

True, sovereign currencies afford the ability to manipulate the money supply, jiggle the handle of interest rates, and buy up piles of toxic assets. When a boom goes bust, devaluing currency is the least bad way for governments to rein in wages and prices that are suddenly too high. But if you use the same currency as another country that isn’t in dire straits, good luck convincing them to accept devaluation on your nation’s behalf. (This is part of the reason for the euro zone impasse.)

But does this mean we don’t see a global currency in our future? For many, the answer is no. A recent Pew Research poll reveals that 41 percent of Americans expect it by 2050. Maybe the idea has been planted in our heads by leftist utopians and science fiction authors: a system of “credits” is used in everything from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Babylon 5 to the Foundation book series. Yet the idea has also been touted by economics titans like John Maynard Keynes.

The fact is, the modern economy and monetary system are too damn precarious for us not to examine every possible way to protect against future shocks—including going all in on a universal currency. It’s a bit like geoengineering: radical and outrageous at first blush but, given humanity’s current predicament, not as outrageous as dismissing it out of hand.

Some pundits insist that gold could do the trick or that we could achieve many of the benefits of a global currency by tying the value of national ones to a set amount of the shiny stuff. But most economists view a return to gold as anachronistic, absurd, and even hazardous. Maybe, but it’s possible they’re saying so because reviving the gold standard is so incongruous with the present and not necessarily because reordaining gold would result in a system inferior to today’s tumultuous one.

Of course, the universal currency could be the US dollar, and in some ways that’s already the case. The greenback is what central banks hold the most of on reserve, and it’s the currency used for the vast majority of international transactions. But the dollar’s special status seems less stable than ever—and will worsen if Washington can’t overcome its paralysis to deal with the debt.

Perhaps the seed for that universal currency has already been planted. The International Monetary Fund uses something called Special Drawing Rights, a crossbreed of four of the world’s key currencies, to make certain kinds of settlements between IMF members. Could SDR someday morph into the One Coin to Rule Them All? If so, some lucky designer will have a field day mashing up $, ¥, £, and, yes, €.

A global currency may indeed prove to be a vision best left in the realm of fantasy. But it would behoove us to seriously analyze the pros and cons before ditching the idea in favor of today’s smorgasbord of euros, pesos, yuan, and Malawi kwacha.

http://tinyurl.com/72bqxll

Israel, PA agree to meet again next week

2012-01-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

Before meeting in Jordan, Abbas warns of "hard measures" if Israel doesn't accept the PA's demands; Marwan Barghouti pens letter saying the peace process has failed, calls on leadership to stop "exporting illusions."
Talkbacks (4)

Israel and Palestinian negotiators meeting in Amman Tuesday for the first direct talks in 16 months agreed to continuing talking, with another round of talks scheduled in Jordan next week, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who hosted the talks, said in a press conference after the meeting that the Palestinian delegation submitted proposals on border and security issues to Israel, and that the Israeli team took the proposals and said they would respond and present their own ideas in a future meeting. One principle that Israel is expected to put forward is the need for an Israeli security presence along the Jordan River in any future agreement.

RELATED:
Israeli, Palestinian negotiators to meet in Amman
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The talks, which where characterized as having taken place in a "positive" atmosphere, were divided into two parts and lasted a total of three hours.

The first part was a meeting that included Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's envoy Yitzhak Molcho, PA negotiator Saeb Erekat, Judeh, Quartet envoy Tony Blair, and a representative from each of the Quartet's members – the US, EU, Russia and the UN.

This meeting was then followed by a direct meeting between Molcho and Erekat in the presence of the Jordanian hosts.

Judeh said afterward that while the there was no breakthrough in the talks, the importance of sitting down and conducting a direct dialogue was not insignificant.

The talks were held without preconditions, and Judeh said that an agreement on borders and security would end the whole issue of settlement construction.

The sides agreed that they would not issue a statement following the meeting, and that the Jordanians would serve as the spokesmen for the talks.

The relatively upbeat atmosphere presented by Judeh contrasted with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' warning before the talks that Israel's failure to accept the Palestinian demands for resuming the peace process would prompt him to take "hard measures."

Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Abbas said that the peace process would not be revived unless Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction and accepted the pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution.

In this New Years Day prophecy update, pastor JD lists five prophecy "biggies" to watch in 2012.

2012-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

2012-01-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Syrian rebel leader threatens to escalate attacks

The commander of Syria's armed rebels threatened on Tuesday to step up attacks on President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying he was frustrated with Arab League monitors' lack of progress in ending a government crackdown on protests.

"If we feel they (the monitors) are still not serious in a few days, or at most within a week, we will take a decision which will surprise the regime and the whole world," the head of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Colonel Riad al-Asaad, told Reuters in an interview.
The Arab League said on Monday its monitors in Syria were helping to stem bloodshed, 10 months into a popular uprising against Syria's longtime ruling family, and asked for more time to do their job.
But since the team's arrival last week, security forces have killed more than 132 people, according to a Reuters tally. Other activist groups say 390 has been killed.
Eighteen security force personnel were killed in the southern town of Deraa as dozens of deserting soldiers returned fire on a police station that shot at them as they fled their posts, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Security forces also opened fire and killed two people at a protest in the central city of Hama, the same day that activists met monitors and said the team seemed powerless to help them.
The monitors are checking whether Syria is implementing an Arab League peace plan by pulling troops from flashpoint cities and releasing thousands detained in the revolt, among a series of Arab uprisings that have toppled four leaders in a year.
Rebel leader Asaad, whose FSA is an umbrella group of armed factions, said he was waiting for the League's report on its first week before deciding whether to make a "transformative shift" that he said would mark a major escalation against the president's security forces.
"Since they (the monitors) entered we had many more martyrs," he said, speaking by telephone from his safe haven in southern Turkey. "Is it in the Syrian people's interest to allow the massacre to continue?"
A committee of Arab ministers will discuss the monitors' preliminary report on Saturday, Arab League sources said.

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Turkey Syria

2011-08-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Turkey revives military threat as Syrian tanks storm Deir al-Zour

the northern town of Hama in a bloody military assault, Syrian President Bashar Assad Sunday, Aug. 7, sent a whole division of 200 tanks and dozens of armored vehicles to blast their way into another rebellious city, Syria's oil center of Deir el-Zour in the Euphrates Valley, a town of half a million inhabitants. At least 60 people were reported dead in one day.
debkafile's military sources report that while Hama is a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold, Deir el-Zour is the urban center of some 2.1 million members of assorted nomadic Bedouin tribes. They too are Sunni Muslims though of different sects. The Baqqara tribal federation is the largest, numbering 1.2 million, followed by the Fadan Walad and the Fadan Kharsa of the Euphrates Valley and the al Shammar Karsah of Deir al Zour and its environs.
Unlike the protesters of Hama, these tribesmen lack anti-tank weapons for battling Syrian armor and so their town may not hold out against the Syrian onslaught beyond two or three days. The tribesmen have meanwhile run for cover to the dense papyrus groves of the river bank and the narrow wadis of the Iraqi al Anbar province just across the border. From these hiding places, our military sources expect them refugees to organize protracted guerrilla warfare against the Assad regime and Syrian army.

"The Final Great Awakening - An Endtime Revival".: Shocking! "Chrislam"Heresy Sweeping Churches in 26 States!!

2011-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

"The Final Great Awakening - An Endtime Revival".

Great Spiritual Awakenings have swept the world over the centuries. They have changed lives and the very culture in which we live. An Awakening is a special time when God comes down and saturates a place and a people with His presence. There is a final Great Awakening coming.

Shocking! "Chrislam"Heresy Sweeping Churches in 26 States!!

Shocking! "Chrislam" Heresy Sweeping Churches in 26 States!!

Bill Wilson made the following comment on the rise of "Chrislam" in the United States:

"During the weekend of November 13, 2010, many Christian churches across the United States began a series of sermons aimed at bringing about reconciliation between Muslims and Christians. These misguided Presbyterian ministers are trying to focus on a relationship between the Holy Bible and the Koran they call "Chrislam." They are saying that because the Koran mentions Jesus that there is common ground with Christianity. To prove their point, they are placing Korans along side the Holy Bible in their pews. And they are teaching that you can be a follower of Christ without necessarily believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins offering the gift of eternal salvation.

Writes commentator Paul Williams: "The Chrislam movement has gained impetus by statements from President George W. Bush and that Christians, Jews, and l John 2:22 warns us "Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son."

Muslims all worship the same God and by Rick Warren's reference to Isa (the Muslim name for Jesus) in his prayer at the inauguration of President Barack Obama."

Williams points out that Jesus in the Koran is not the only-begotten Son of God nor the Messiah. Williams says, "He is rather viewed as a prophet who was appointed by Allah to prepare mankind for the coming of Mohammad." Islam denies that Jesus is the Son

of God and also denies His deity.

The Koran has many verses that command the followers of allah to kill Christians and Jews if they do not convert to Islam. There is absolutely no common ground between the Holy Scriptures and the Koran when these are the mandates of the prophet Mohammed, who wrote the Koran.

SHOCKING HERESY!

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston along with Christian communities in Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit were to initiate a series of sermons that have been designed to produce an ecumenical reconciliation between Christianity and Islam. In addition to the sermons, the Sunday School lessons would center on the inspired teachings of the Prophet Mohammad. Qurans were to be placed in the pews next to the Bibles. The concept of Chrislam, now embraced by such preachers as Rick Warren and Robert Schuller, says Sanderson, appears to have emerged from a program on the meaning of “love your neighbor” at Grace Fellowship Church in Atlanta, Ga.

Just recently, Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Orange County California, addressed the convention of the Islamic Society of North America. Warren stated that Muslims and Christians must work together to combat stereotypes, promote peace and freedom, and solve global problems. Christians and Moslems – faith mates, soul mates and now work mates! On June 26, 2011, churches in 26 states will be involved in joint services with Muslims and other sects. One of the Signs of the Times is the "Great Falling Away" of many professing Christians."

"SIGNS OF THE TIMES"

The Apostle Paul foretold that day when he wrote, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first..." (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The term 'falling away', or as it is called in some texts, 'apostasy' means; to depart from revealed truth, to lead away, seduce, mislead; to defect, to blind the eyes of the people by manipulating the truth; to turn one from the truth by lying signs and wonders. This is what is taking place in America today!

"PERSECUTION OF TRUE CHRISTIANS"

Well known prophecy teacher, Rev. Jack Van Impe has been speaking out against the great apostasy of "Chrislam." For twenty years, his program has been aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network. Recently, Matt Crouch of TBN informed Van Impe that they would not run his program exposing "Chrislam." The reason Crouch gave was that Van Impe specifically mentioned Rick Warren and Robert Schuller and that it is TBN’s policy that broadcasters are not allowed to rebuke other ministries. Van Impe has vowed not to be silenced. He stated, "I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot preach. When I see heretical teaching leading to apostasy, I will speak out. The Bible says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (II Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Paul also gives instructions in Titus 1:9 – 11, 13 “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers…Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake…Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.”

Jesus said in John 14:6,

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." This is the central doctrine of Christianity. There is instruction by the Holy Scriptures to not fellowship with those who do not recognize the truth in this doctrine. St. Paul warned us with these words, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4:1 - 2). This is a powerful sign that Jesus IS coming soon!! Are you ready??

"The Final Great Awakening - An Endtime Revival".: Shocking! "Chrislam"Heresy Sweeping Churches in 26 States!!

2011-06-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

False Prophets, False Teachers, and Real Trouble: The Case of Harold Camping

By Dr. Albert Mohler

AlbertMohler.com

Andy Warhol was wrong. Fame doesn’t last just fifteen minutes. After all, Harold Camping is still in the news, more than a week after his prophecy that the world would end on May 21 at 6:00 p.m. turned out — as expected — to be false.

Camping’s end-of-the-world prophecy and the related publicity circus gained international attention. It was virtually inevitable that his claims would become a matter of global interest, followed by international derision. After all, Camping had claimed to have discovered a secret code within the Bible that allowed him to predict the precise day that Christ would appear and judgment would begin. As he told the press, he was certain that the end of the world was “absolutely going to happen without any question at all.”

In anticipation of May 2, Camping and his followers purchased thousands of billboard advertisements and sent the message across America painted on recreational vehicles. Some of his followers emptied their bank accounts and gave away their possessions, expecting no longer to need them.

When May 21 came and went, and the end of the world clearly did not happen, Camping did not apologize or even concede the fact that his prophecy was false. Instead, he said that the May 21 date was actually a “spiritual” judgment day, and that the actual day, signaled by cataclysmic earthquakes, would come on October 21.

The derision and laughter from the secular community was loud and entirely predictable. An atheist group offered to take care of the pets of those who were raptured, but for a fee. Late night comedians have yet to let go of the affair, and Harold Camping is, at least for the moment, a famous man.

Harold Camping is not, however, a trained Bible scholar or a pastor. He holds an undergraduate engineering degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He was for years an elder in the Christian Reformed Church, but the major platform for his teachings emerged when he joined with others to purchase an FM radio station in 1958 — long before FM was a major player in the broadcast world. All that would change, of course, and Camping’s expanding radio ministry, known as Family Radio, grew with the new medium.

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http://tinyurl.com/3wkaoj2

2011-06-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

Assad is set to declare victory over Syria's uprising

Damascus is humming in anticipation of the victory speech Syrian President Bashar Assad is about to deliver in the coming hours with the announcement that the 10-week popular uprising against his regime has been defeated, debkafile's military sources report. In advance of the speech, Assad Tuesday, May 31 declared a general amnesty "for all members of political movements including the Muslim Brotherhood" (membership of which is punishable by death in Syria.)

It is not clear how many of the 10,000 protesters impirsoned will benefit from the amnesty - or how genuine it is. The Syrian ruler may only be pretending to release all political prisoners to show he is meeting one of the protesters' key demands without meaning to carry out his promise.

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz reported Tuesday to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that according to his information the death toll from Assad's brutal crackdown had shot up to 1,200.

Also Tuesday, ruling Baath party sources reported that shortly before the speech, a national dialogue commission would be established representing political and economic interests in the country. They were careful to avoid saying "political parties" would be included in this forum.

Read Full Story At

http://www.debka.com/article/20986/

The Purpose Driven Life EXPOSED!

2011-06-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Purpose Driven Life EXPOSED!

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and a false prophet. Mr. Warren has made millions of dollars selling books, including The Purpose Driven Church, and now The Purpose Driven Life, which has become a #1 New York Times Bestseller. There is much good material in Rick Warren's book, as with John MacArthur's books; BUT, they are misleading. If someone were to place one drop of sewer water into a gallon of milk, would you drink any? No way! Rick Warren is part of the Ecumenical Movement, that is preparing the apostate world to receive the coming beast system of Antichrist. Modern evangelicals replace love for truth, and compromise for holiness. God deliver us from deadbeat neoevangelicals.

On the back of Mr. Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, it states...

"This book will help you understand why you are alive and God's amazing plan for you--both here and now, and for eternity... This is a book of hope and challenge that you will read and re-read, and it will be a classic treasured by generations to come...The Purpose-Driven Life is a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century..."

SOURCE: Zondervan Publishers, 'The Purpose Driven Life,' by Rick Warren, ISBN: 0-310-21074-7

Did not God give us the Bible, His Word, to answer these questions? Yes, God did! You don't need to read Rick Warren's book, just look at Revelation 4:11...

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

We were created to PLEASE GOD! The Bible tells us how to please God--by faith (Hebrews 11:6). The Bible is our blueprint, not Rick Warren's book. No bestseller book can replace our need for the Word of God. It appears that everyone is publishing books these days on HOW TO live the Christian life; BUT, all we need is the Bible. God's Word is sufficient by Itself to guide us...

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2nd Timothy 3:16,17)

Rick Warren Avoids the Subjects of Repentance, Sin, Guilt, Judgment, Hellfire, and Damnation

No methodology, or level of religious commitment, can substitute for repentance towards God (Acts 20:21). Rick Warren's book is filled with oodles of religious jibber-jabber that would appease any heathen. To no surprise, the back cover of the book quotes Mr. apostasy himself, Billy Graham, as saying...

"The Purpose-Driven Life will guide you to greatness--through living the Great Commandment and the Great Commission."
It would be nice if preachers today would say the same thing about the Word of God. Cannot God's Word guide us to greatness? I would rather seek greatness in the inspired Word of God, than from a flawed book written by a sinful man. Who are you going to trust--God or Rick Warren? Rick Warren claims to guide people into the purposes of God, but he butchers the truth by leaving out judgment, Hell, condemnation, repentance, the blood of Jesus, et cetera. God's Word is the answer my friend. If you want to find purpose in life, then you'd be wise to go straight to the source--the Bible!

Rick Warren's Book Perverts the Gospel Message

Rick Warren speaks of the Great Commission, but he never explains or defines the "Great Commission." In fact, he doesn't even explain the Gospel in his book. On page 58, in the chapter, The Reason For Everything, Mr. Warren gives his lame version of how to have a relationship with God (notice that he refrains from using such terms as being "born-again," or "saved"). He states...

"Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ."

Blasphemy! You cannot show me one Scripture from the Bible that requires a person to make a commitment to Christ to be saved. In sharp contrast, Romans 4:5 states...

"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

Real life begins by coming to Jesus Christ as a guilty, condemned, sinner. Romans 3:19 states, "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Galatians 3:24 states, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." There can be NO salvation without the Law of God. Rick Warren has his doctrinal priorities backwards.

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http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/rick_warren.htm