Friday, February 27, 2004

German Retailer Halts Radio Chip Practice
AP reports, "German retail giant Metro Group said Friday it will stop putting 'smart tag' chips inside customer loyalty cards, a practice that sparked protests by privacy advocates who say the cards could allow stores to secretly track consumers as they shop." :: Submitted for your Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) files on ID technology.
Israeli Police Storm Jerusalem Shrine
AP reports, "Israeli police stormed the compound of one of Jerusalem's holiest sites on Friday after hundreds of Palestinian worshippers threw stones at security forces, police said...The compound - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif - is one of the most sensitive spots in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The shrine, site of the biblical Jewish temples, holds the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques." :: Submitted for your files on the Holy Place - Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Indonesian Leader Consoles Dengue Families
AP reports, "President Megawati Sukarnoputri planned to convey her 'shock and concern' over the country's highest-ever death toll from dengue fever during a televised speech, a spokesman said Thursday. The outbreak had killed 260 people as of Thursday in 22 of Indonesia's 32 provinces and sickened more than 14,625 others since the disease was first detected last month, the health ministry said." :: Submitted for your files on Pestilence (Luke 21:11).
Rebels Preparing to Attack Haiti Capital
AP reports, "Haiti's rebel leader said his fighters were advancing on the capital Thursday and awaited an order to attack unless President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns. The United States questioned whether Aristide could 'effectively continue' in office." :: Submitted for your files on Nations in Distress (Luke 21:25).
China Indicts 2 Unofficial Church Leaders
AP/Yahoo News reports, "China has indicted two leaders of the unofficial Protestant church for allegedly obtaining state secrets amid a deepening crackdown on worship outside government controls, an overseas monitoring group said Wednesday." :: Submitted for your files on the Persecution of Believers (Matthew 24:8).

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Thousands Flock to 'Passion' Showing
AP reports, "The people streaming out of the movie theater looked as if they'd just attended a wake - and many said they felt as if they had. Red eyes and muffled crying were common as Christians and the merely curious flocked to theaters nationwide for the Ash Wednesday opening of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ." :: Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files.
Haitian Rebels Won't Attack Capital Yet
AP reports, "The leader of armed rebels who have overrun half of Haiti said Wednesday he wants to "give a chance to peace" and indicated his troops would hold off attacking the capital to see if President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will resign." :: Submitted for your files on Nations in Distress (Luke 21:25).

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

AP Movie Review: 'Passion' Is Brutal
AP reports, "The frightened speculation from religious leaders and frantic banter from 24-hour cable news pundits can end now: The Passion of the Christ is arriving in theaters - about 2,800 of them - in a shrewd marketing move by Mel Gibson to let everyone see and judge the film for themselves." :: Submitted for your files on the sharing of the Gospel with all nations (Matthew 24:14).
Purported al-Qaida Audiotape Taunts Bush
AP reports, "Two audiotapes purportedly of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant were broadcast on Arabic TV stations Tuesday, one taunting President Bush and threatening more attacks on the United States..." :: Submitted for your files on Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).
Earthquake Kills More Than 560 in Morocco
AP reports, "A powerful earthquake devastated an isolated,picturesque region of northern Morocco on Tuesday, killing more than 560 people as they slept, injuring hundreds more and laying ruin to villages that suffered for decades under government neglect." :: Submitted for your Quake (Matthew 24:7) files.
MEMRI: Iranian Government Daily: The U.S. & 'Zionists' have Bribed the IAEA to Fabricate Lies About Iran's Nuclear Progress
That Iran blames Israel for their public-relations woes speaks volumes about their ultimate aim: to attack Israel. Ezekiel [chh. 38-39] tells us that they will participate in a Russian-led coalition to do just that--the Gog-Magog War. Ezekiel also tells us [ch. 39] that they will fail, and miserably so.

Monday, February 23, 2004

U.N. Warns HIV on Rise in Western Europe
AP reports, "The virus that causes AIDS is spreading again in Western Europe and is rampaging through Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where it infected 250,000 people last year, a United Nations health official said Monday." :: Submitted for your files on Pestilence (Luke 21:11).
Jerry Golden: A Diabolical plan to destroy Israel, and Gaza may be given to Egypt
He asks why Egypt, for example, was not investigated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, as was Libya. He also questions the wisdom of abandoning settlements in the Gaza Strip. One thing that we ought not to miss, however, is that Israel will never be destroyed, but will be a stumblingblock to the nations [Zechariah 12]. Furthermore, even if the Arabs attack Israel militarily, they will fail [Ezekiel 38-9].
Jerry Golden: Islamic Palestinian Terror Strikes Again
In light of the latest suicide bombing in Jerusalem, Jerry Golden reminds us that Islam has declared jihad, or holy war, against all non-Muslims.
If they are successful in Israel and if George Bush and Ariel Sharon has their way they will be, you are next.

More likely, the Western world will see more terror strikes, as it did in the 1980's. When it does, a military leader might arise who will draw millions to follow his lead to crush Islam once and for all. But this leader will then set up the last evil dictatorship, and people will say of him, Who is like unto the Beast? Who can make war against him? [Revelation 13:4]::Submitted also for your Jerusalem as the stumblingblock to the nations [Zechariah 12] files.

Sunday, February 22, 2004

Jerusalem Suicide Bomber Kills Seven
Reuters reports, "A Palestinian suicide bomber killed seven people on a crowded Jerusalem bus Sunday..." :: Submitted for your Battle for Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Luke 21:20) files.

Friday, February 20, 2004

Faithful Get Sneak Peek at 'Passion'
Yahoo News/AP reports, "The release of "The Passion of the Christ" is just days away, but anticipation is so strong that churches from Maine to California have struck deals to see the film in their local theaters ahead of time." :: Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files.

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Mel Gibson's 'Passion' Already Big at Box Office
Religion Today reports, "Mel Gibson, the producer and director of The Passion of the Christ -- a graphic depiction of the final 12 hours of Jesus' life -- defended the film this week during an hour-long interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime Live. Gibson told Sawyer that he simply tried his best to interpret the Gospels. 'Critics who have a problem with me don't really have a problem with me in this film,' he said. 'They have a problem with the four Gospels.'" :: Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files.

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Haiti Uprising Spreads As PM Seeks Help
AP reports, "Haiti's prime minister warned Tuesday of an impending coup and appealed for international help to contend with a bloody uprising that has claimed 57 lives." :: Submitted for your files on Nations in Distress (Luke 21:25).
Video Reveals Chinese Government Destroying Church
Crosswalk Relgion Today reports, "A shocking video of the destruction of an unregistered Chinese church has been smuggled out of China to a persecution watchdog group. The Tu Du Sha Church in Zhejiang Province was bulldozed to the ground June 26. The church, in Hangzhou City, was founded around 1930 by the group launched in the 19th century by famed missionary Hudson Taylor, China Inland Mission." :: Submitted for your Persecution (Matthew 24:8) files.
Bird Flu Death Toll Reaches 22 in Asia
AP reports, "Two 4-year-old boys became the latest victims of the bird flu virus sweeping Asia, bringing the human death toll to 22 on Wednesday." :: For your Pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

German Airport Testing Iris Scan
AP reports, "Travelers at Frankfurt airport, continental Europe's busiest, can now enter Germany with a three-second scan of their eyes, providing they sign up for a test project for iris recognition technology." :: Submitted for your Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) files on biometric ID technology.
Iraq May Be Slipping Into Civil War
AP reports, "Sunni politicians speak angrily of U.S. bias toward their Shiite rivals. Kurds are more outspoken in demanding self rule - if not independence. And someone - perhaps al-Qaida, perhaps Saddam Hussein loyalists - killed more than 100 people in recent suicide bombings. Rivalry and resentment among Iraq's ethnic and religious groups have become much more pronounced since Saddam's ouster in April. And those tensions are rising as various groups jockey for position with the approaching June 30 deadline for Iraqis to retake power The fault lines are emerging for a possible civil war." :: Submitted for your Wars & Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6) files.
Farthest Known Object From Earth Detected
AP reports, In a discovery that offers a rare glimpse back to when the universe was just 750 million years old, a team of astrophysicists said they have detected a tiny galaxy that is the farthest known object from Earth." :: Submitted for your files on Signs and Wonders in the Heavens (Luke 21:11).
MEMRI: The Mufti of Australia Calls for Jihad; 'Australia was Discovered by Afghan Muslims'
Sheikh Taj Al-Din Hamed Abdallah Al-Hilali trots out the old Muslim play book of holy war against Israel. While he's at it, he makes certain claims about Australian history that rival, in their absurdity, the claims of black supremacist Leonard Jeffries (USA) concerning Egyptian history.

However, much of what the sheikh says about "permissive Western culture" is correct, in that he picks up on things that I, as a Christian, question about contemporary society. This is why I do not believe that the Beast from the Sea can be a caliph or mufti of the world. Islam will, however, be the perfect foil for the Beast.::Submitted for your who can make war against the Beast [Revelation 13] and your they repented not of their murders, drug abuse, sex-capades, and thefts [Revelation 9:21] files.

Sunday, February 15, 2004

Two Quakes Kill 20 in Northern Pakistan
AP reports, "Authorities were sending tents, blankets and food to a remote northern area of Pakistan on Sunday, a day after two strong earthquakes triggered landslides and toppled walls that killed at least 20 people and injured about 30 others, officials said." :: Submitted for your Quake (Matthew 24:7) files.
Storm Drops 2 Feet of Snow on Mideast
AP reports, "In Jerusalem, heavy snow caused an old wall to collapse on the ramp leading to the Temple Mount, a site holy to Jews and Muslims. No one was injured. Prayers in the adjacent women's section at the Western Wall were canceled."

Thursday, February 12, 2004

Top U.S. Commander Escapes Attack in Iraq
AP reports, "The top U.S. commander in the Middle East came under a bold attack Thursday by gunmen in the turbulent Iraqi city of Fallujah. No Americans were hurt, but a local police official said two Iraqis were killed in the shooting." :: For your Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6) files.

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Moderate Quake Hits Israel; No Injuries
AP reports, "A moderate earthquake rumbled through the Middle East early Wednesday, sending jitters throughout the region and causing minor damage to Israel's parliament. No serious injuries were reported." :: Submitted for your Quake (Matthew 24:7) files.
Peres Suggests Incentives for Mideast
AP reports, "Europe should provide incentives for the Palestinians and Israelis to make peace, including offering them membership in the European Union, opposition leader Shimon Peres said Wednesday." :: Submitted for your Covenant With Many (Daniel 9:27) files on the search for Mideast peace. :: This plan has it all, security and border guarantees by the U.S. and E.U., membership for Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians in the E.U. (thus completing the imperial scope of the once and future empire), and a charter (or covenant) to combat terrorism at the regional level. Thank you Mr. Peres, this will make a fine postwar settlement for all parties.
Silicon Discovery Could Speed Up PCs
AP reports, "In an advance that could inexpensively speed up corporate data centers and eventually personal computers, researchers used everyday silicon to build a device that converts data into light beams...could help make the Internet run faster, build much faster high-performance computers and enable high bandwidth applications like ultra-high-definition displays or vision recognition systems." :: Submitted for your Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) files on pervasive computing, as well as your files on the Increase in Knowledge (Daniel 12:4).
Gaza Clash Leaves 15 Palestinians Dead -
AP reports, "An Israeli crackdown on Palestinian militants erupted Wednesday into the bloodiest fighting in the Gaza Strip in 16 months, killing 15 Palestinians and wounding more than 50. Hamas, the militant Islamic group, responded with an ominous vow of retaliation, urging all its cells throughout Gaza and the West Bank to attack." :: Submitted for your Battle for Jerusalem files.

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Tests Confirm Bird Flu on 2nd Del. Farm
AP reports, "Tests confirmed avian flu on a second central Delaware farm, a surprise that creates a 'serious situation' for the region's poultry industry, state agriculture officials announced Tuesday." :: Submitted for your Pestilence (Luke 21:11) files on bird flu.
Russia Tests Measures Vs. Missile Defense
AP reports, "Russia is in the midst of a strategic military exercise motivated in part by Moscow's concerns about U.S. plans to develop new types of nuclear weapons, a top general said Tuesday." :: Submitted for your Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6) files.
Palestinian, Irish PMs seek rapid "quartet" meeting on Mideast Peace
EU Business reports, "Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei on Monday called for an urgent top-level meeting of the international "quartet" which sponsored the Middle East roadmap for peace." :: Submitted for your Covenant With Many (Danil 9:27) files on the search for Mideast peace.

Sunday, February 08, 2004

Israeli Official Urges Muslim Conversions
AP reports, "A hawkish Israeli Cabinet minister has asked Christian missionaries to try to convert Islamic militants, an aide to the minister confirmed Sunday. Tourism Minister Benny Elon made the suggestion during a meeting last Wednesday with visiting Christian leaders from Europe..." Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files.
Pilot Promotes Christianity on Flight
Miami Herald and AP report that, "An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on his flight to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians discuss the faith with them...American's Flight 34 was headed from Los Angeles to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday when the pilot asked Christians on board to raise their hands...The pilot...then suggested the other passengers use the flight time to talk to the Christians about their faith...The pilot also told passengers he would be available for discussion at the end of the flight... the pilot had just returned to work from a weeklong mission trip to Costa Rica." :: Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files. :: If you were on a plane and suddenly asked to share your faith, would you be prepared?

Saturday, February 07, 2004

The Passion of The Christ' more than a movie
Dallas Baptist Standard suggests that the movie, "is not the altar call, but it can be the start of a spiritual journey whereby people turn their lives to faith in Jesus [the] Christ..." :: Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files.
'The Passion' depicts important 12 hours
Another report on the blockbuster movie of 2004, from the Mansfield News Journal.

Friday, February 06, 2004

Iraq boosts Mideast peace hopes-Israel's Peres
Reuters reports, "Israeli opposition leader Shimon Peres said Friday he sensed a change in the Middle East that could foster peace in the region, helped by the U.S.-led ousting of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein." :: Submitted for your Covenant With Many (Daniel 9:26) files.
MEMRI: New Muslim Brotherhood Leader: Resistance in Iraq and Palestine is Legitimate; America is Satan; Islam Will Invade America and Europe
The "invasion" whereof Muhammad Mahdi Othman 'Akef is pleased to boast is a planned invasion of America and Europe. He is careful mainly to speak of the spread of Islam by conversion--though I would urge him to"dream on" if he thinks that large numbers of people in secular Europe (and an increasingly secularizing USA) will convert to Islam. However, I put it together with other statements he makes in the below article and have to suspect that any invasion of Europe and America will be a real, blood-and-flames invasion--spearheaded perhaps by an Air France or British Airways plane that does not get held on the tarmac and denied take-off clearance at the last minute!

Some people actually think that the real Beast from the Sea will be a restored Muslim caliph. Maybe this man think he can be that caliph. I still think that Islam will be the foil that the real Beast will use as an excuse to (a) establish a one-world government over the entire habitable earth, and (b) label any "religious fundamentalist" as a traitor. That, unfortunately, will include Christians as well--and many commentators in America already suggest that Christians are no better than Muslims when it comes to "wanting to foist their morality on everybody else," et cetera ad nauseam.::Submitted for your ride a red horse [Revelation 6:3-4] and who can make war on the Beast [Revelation 13:4] files.

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Gibson Film Gets Huge Marketing Effort
AP. "Churches are reserving entire theaters for opening day. A national evangelical organization is helping sell tickets from its Web site. Pastors are planning sermons timed to the movie's Ash Wednesday release. Mel Gibson's epic, The Passion of the Christ, is the subject of an unprecedented marketing effort that has inspired everyday Christians and their spiritual leaders to sell the film and its message - both to other faithful and the nonreligious." :: Submitted for your Gospel Preached to All (Matthew 24:14) files.
MEMRI: Egyptian Government Daily: Suicide Bombings are Legitimate Even if Children Are Killed
MEMRI has seen a lot of this kind of "yellow journalism" in Egyptian government organs lately. Note: "the Zionist entity" is the Republic of Israel, and the "deadly weapons" reference is to an allegation that Israel possesses a nuclear weapon or weapons which they are prepared to detonate if an Arab army overruns their country.::Submitted for your struggle for Jerusalem [Zechariah 12] and Gog-Magog War [Ezekiel 38-9] files.

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Arafat Adviser Accuses U.S. of Blackmail
AP reports that, "Israeli and Palestinian officials, meanwhile, failed again Wednesday to reach agreement on a date for a meeting between their two leaders. Such a summit is seen as vital for reviving the U.S.-backed 'road map' peace plan." :: Submitted for your Covenant With Many (Daniel 9:26) files on the search for Mideast peace.
Experts Worry Terrorists Have Nuke Plans
AP reports, "The nuclear black market that let Iran, Libya and North Korea acquire weapons technology from Pakistan under the noses of international monitors raised suspicions that terror groups also acquired bomb components or plans, experts told The Associated Press." :: Submitted for your Fear for the Future (Luke 21:26) files.
Microsoft Spells Out RFID Strategy
RFID Journal reports, "Microsoft plans to be a major player in the RFID market." :: Submitted for your Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) files on ID tech.
Authors of alternative Mideast peace plan win EU backing
EU Business reports that, "European Union officials gave their backing Monday to an unofficial Middle East peace plan, the Geneva Initiative, designed to unblock the bloody stalemate." :: Submitted for your Covenant With Many (Daniel 9:27) files on the search for Mideast peace.
Video reveals neglect of Temple remains
Jerusalem Post reports that, "heaps of garbage on the Temple Mount along with two tractors and piles of new slabs of stone are seen in a video taken secretly at the Jerusalem holy site..." :: Submitted for your files on the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Archaeologist: Jewish Relics Endangered
AP reports, "An Israeli archaeologist charged that Muslim authorities are excavating a disputed holy site in Jerusalem in a way that endangers what she says may be remains of the biblical Jewish Temples...The sacred hilltop in the Old City of Jerusalem is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Today, it houses the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site. Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary.":: Submitted for your Holy Place (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4) files on the Temple Mount.
Space militarization looms as threat of 21st century
Space War reports, "The 20th century added a new dimension to warfare with the nuclear bomb, and the 21st could well be remembered for bringing the arms race into space, a French weapons expert said Thursday." :: Submitted for your War (Matthew 24:6) files.

Monday, February 02, 2004

The Golden Report: The promotion of Islam on CNN & BBC
In the face of the latest suicide bombing, all that the BBC or CNN want to talk about is the Hajj.::Submitted for your struggle for Jerusalem [Zechariah 14] and your stumblingblock for the nations [Zechariah 12] files.

Sunday, February 01, 2004

MEMRI: Saudi Princess Fahda bint Saud ibn Abd Al-Aziz: Conspiracy Theories and Other Writings
This alleged daughter of the Saudi King shows once again that the Saudis are playing the world for fools. Now she says that neo-conservative conspirators are responsible for recent terrorist operations within Saudi borders. The rest of what she says is a collection of anti-Semitic rants.::Submitted for your wild man in the desert [Genesis 25] and struggle for Jerusalem [Zechariah 14] files.