WorldNetDaily: Meet NAFTA on steroids
Funny--this is right out of Left Behind:Tribulation Force. Specifically, such a security arrangement would create a "United States of North America" along the same lines as the straight geographic scheme that Jerry B. Jenkins invented as a possible realization of the ten kings [Revelation 13, 17, and 18].

Miami Herald - Rapture theory source of apocalyptic dispute
This is interesting, the publisher of the Left Behind series is now going to publish a new end times series from an alternative eschatological perspective. This is good news, it means that Bible prophecy will remain a subject of debate and discussion.

CNN - The rise of the machines
Imagine a world in which every person and product is connected in one seamless wireless network. That day is closer now thanks to pervasive computing and radio frequency identification chips. It will take some time for the infrastructure to be put in place, but this is certainly more evidence for a technological fulfillment of the mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18).

Dutch Muslims Dismayed by Anti-Islamic Backlash.

They shouldn't have killed Theo van Gogh--and now their co-religionists are paying the price.

Actually, all of Holland is paying the price for too many years of deciding not to believe in anything, including themselves. This is what post-modernism brings. Post-modernism is the idea that truth is whatever any particular person believes. Even modernism, the idea that reason is the only god anyone need bow to, would be better than this. But another part of post-modernism is not being willing to criticize anything--except for Christianity. Well, the Bible predicted that such annoyances--and even outright persecution--will someday run rampant throughout all the inhabited world, and that Jesus Himself will handle it, not us.

Then a filmmaker named Theo van Gogh broke the rules. From a purely secularistic, we-know-no-God-but-reason viewpoint, he dared criticize Muslim treatment of women. A gang of Muslim men took exception to that, with the result we all know. And suddenly all that post-modernism stuff doesn't have the answers. Tired philosophy takes a back seat if you threaten someone with death. And make no mistake: the murder of Theo van Gogh was itself enough to constitute a threat to all Dutchmen who were not Muslim, even without the threatening note pinned to his body with the knife used to kill him.

The Dutch Muslims are now protesting, "But stuff like that movie doesn't happen in Holland!" Sorry, but that won't cut the ice. A strict reading of the Koran mandates that such shall be the lot of women everywhere.

While all this has been going on, the Dutch government has been facing head-on an issue they have too long neglected: the presence of terrorists in their territory. That, of course, is commendable as far as it goes. But what will Dutch society do next? All that the Muslims can now offer is a belated disavowal of militancy--which, to a Muslim, means a compromise of their faith. Somehow, I'm not sure that this will be trustworthy, or trusted for very long.

Join The Blog Team
This is a team blog and we would like to grow so that we have team members standing by in every time zone and ready to post breaking news. If you are a Christian blogger and a Bible prophecy enthusiast then we need you! We want to make this blog the place to go for breaking prophetic news. If a new battle starts in Iraq (war), or if there is an outbreak of SARS (pestilence), or if a new biometric ID service stars (mark of the beast) we want to be able to post links to news reports as soon as it happens. When you join the team we will place a link to your blog or your e-mail address (your choice) over to the left on the blogroll, which can be a great way to drive traffic to your blog. Once you join the team, you can post links only or add brief commentary, that is also your choice, all we ask is that you be an active poster and post links to breaking news from professional news organizations. If you are interested, e-mail portents2ATaolDOTcom with "Join the Blog Team" in your subject line. Join the team today and help us make this blog a 24/7 source of prophetic news and commentary!

My Way News - U.S. Says Troops Occupy All of Fallujah
Good news, the battle for the city of Fallujah seems to be over, a week after it began. For your War (Matthew 24:6) files.

MSNBC - A Chip in Your Shoulder Should I get an RFID implant?
Chips are fun, chips are trendy, be the first in your neighborhood to get chipped! Ok, not really, or at least, not yet. This is some background info on this chipperific technology that has MOB (Rev 13:16-18) written all over it.

AP - SARS Vaccine May Not Be Available Soon
There won't be a vaccine for the SARS anytime soon, according to this AP report. Why? There is no demand unless there is a major outbreak, and without demand, pharmaceutical companies can't afford to research and produce a vaccine, at least, that is what they say. For more information on SARS, see this FAQ from the CDC. :: For your Pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

My Way News - Palestinian Leader Arafat Dies at 75
AP reports, "Yasser Arafat, who triumphantly forced his people's plight into the world spotlight but failed to achieve his lifelong quest for Palestinian statehood, died Thursday at age 75. He was to the end a man of many mysteries and paradoxes - terrorist, statesman, autocrat and peacemaker." :: I have nothing good to say about Arafat, so I will say no more.

My Way News - Iran Says It Can Mass-Produce Missiles
AP reports, "Iran said Tuesday it can mass produce a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East." :: For your Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6) files.

My Way News - Strong Earthquake Hits Japan; 1 Injured
AP reports, "A powerful earthquake rocked northern Japan early Wednesday in the area still recovering from a stronger tremor last month that killed 39 people. One person was injured in the latest quake." :: For your Quake (Matthew 24:7) files.

Space Weather - Solar Activity, Aurora Watch Extended
Many people are witnessing some spectacular auroras, these are due to solar flares interacting with our atmosphere. The website SpaceWeather has the details: Big sunspot 696 unleashed an X-class solar flare on Sunday, Nov. 7th, and probably hurled another coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. Solar wind conditions are favorable for a geomagnetic storm now (late Nov. 7th) and may become even more so when the CME arrives. Sky watchers: be alert for auroras on Nov. 7th, 8th and 9th. The best time to look is usually around local midnight. :: Submitted for your files on Signs in the Sun (Luke 21:25) and Signs in the Heavens (Luke 21:11).

My Way News - U.S. GIs Push Into Rebel Haven of Fallujah
The Battle for Fallujah continues, submitted for your War (Matthew 24:6) files.

AP - Arafat Wants to Be Buried in Jerusalem
Arafat, not dead yet, and no decision yet on where to bury him once he dies. There is the potential here for a crisis centered on the Temple Mount, as Israel is as determined to prevent his burial there as the Palestinians are to force the issue. This AP report details the controversy. Submitted for your files on the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

My Way News - U.S. Forces Storm Into Western Fallujah
AP reports, "U.S. forces stormed into western districts of Fallujah early Monday, seizing the main city hospital and securing two key bridges over the Euphrates river in what appeared to be the first stage of the long-expected assault on the insurgent stronghold.":: Most observers see this battle as crucial for the development of Iraq. Some, like Secretary General Annan, want to leave the insurgents alone, presumably because they are so eager to join the political process, but most informed people understand that the insurgents must be dealt with before the political process can begin to function on a national scale. :: For your War (Matthew 24:6) files.

Join The Blog Team
This is a team blog and we would like to grow so that we have team members standing by in every time zone and ready to post breaking news. If you are a Christian blogger and a Bible prophecy enthusiast then we need you! We want to make this blog the place to go for breaking prophetic news. If a new battle starts in Iraq (war), or if there is an outbreak of SARS (pestilence), or if a new biometric ID service stars (mark of the beast) we want to be able to post links to news reports as soon as it happens. When you join the team we will place a link to your home blog or your e-mail address (your choice) over to the left on the blogroll, which can be a great way to drive traffic to your blog. Once you join the team, you can post links only or add brief commentary, that is also your choice, all we ask is that you be an active poster and post links to professional news organizations. If you are interested, e-mail portents2ATaolDOTcom with "Join the Blog Team" in your subject line. Join the team today and help us make this blog a 24/7 source of prophetic news and commentary!

My Way News - French Troops Battle Ivory Coast Forces:
AP reports, "French troops clashed with soldiers and angry mobs Saturday after Ivory Coast warplanes killed at least nine French peacekeepers and an American civilian in an airstrike - mayhem that threatened to draw foreign troops deeper into the West African country's escalating civil war." :: Even as our attention has been focused on Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Jerusalem, it's worth noting that there are indeed other hot spots in the world and several civil wars in progress. :: Submitted for your files on Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6) and Nations in Distress (Luke 21:25).

WorldNetDaily: School daypack features satellite tracking.

In the Mark of the Beast [Revelation 13:16-18] department: The prime issue is, of course, crime, and specifically the kidnap-murder of children. The Japanese-made school packs come with a GPS transceiver that at least allows parents to track the bag. Of course, we all know what the chickenhawks will do--they'll toss the bags out by the side of the road when they snatch the kids. So the next thing that the parents will do is have their children chipped. And this is exactly the sort of technology that the Beast and the False Prophet will use.

BBC - Seamen sail into biometric future
A trial of biometric identification technology is underway aboard cruise ships in the Caribbean. This is of interest because these biometric ID cards are meant to be international, not specifically national, as most ID cards and passports are now. The tests, "are designed to ensure that new cards and their machine readers, produced by different companies in different countries, are working to interoperable standards." A common standard for identity verification and/or access control is a natural requirement for a future technological fulfillment to the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18).

MEMRI offers this gem: A Palestinian Account of the Four Years of the Intifada. Well, duh! I could have told those people long ago that they were harming no cause but their own. Had they spent as much energy in basic governance as they did in killing innocent people, they might be in a far stronger position. Yet God has told us repeatedly that He hardens hearts and basically causes people to do stupid and crazy things. We saw it from Pharaoh Merenptah in his confrontation with Moses, and we saw it again from the ancient Sanhedrin during the trial of Jesus and the preliminary hearing of Paul. And we will go on seeing it, especially in the Holy Land--because that land, after all, contains the Valley of Megiddo, which Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest of the Western European emperors, once described as the perfect battlefield.

My Way News: "Palestinian Official Says Arafat in Coma"

AFP - Iranians chant "Death to America" on hostage anniversary
As the American president won a second term in office his next foreign policy challenge was signaled by death threats from Iran and a sad reminder of the price of weakness. Submitted for your files on Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6) and Persia/Iran (Ezekiel 38:5).

AP - China Bans Slaughter, Cooking of Civets
China has learned from the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak and is taking precautions to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. For your Pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Homicide Attack in Israel
Apparently it doesn't matter where Arafat (the leader of the political wing of the Palestinians) is located, attacks against Israeli civilians continue. First, there was an attack (AP - Suicide Bomber Kills Three in Tel Aviv) and then Israel strikes back (AP - Israel Destroys Home of Suicide Bomber).