Zarqawi Dead?
This is just a rumor, it has not been confirmed, but there is a chance that terrorist leader MAZ is either injured or dead (Militant leader Zarqawi wounded in Iraq - Web - Yahoo! News). It has been suggested that this is disinformation put out to throw the U.S. military off the trail. So, take it for what it's worth. [Rumor of War, Matthew 24:6]

Flu Warnings
The World Health Organization is warning governments to prepare for the next flu pandemic (VOA - WHO Urges Countries to Prepare for Influenza Pandemic). It is, as they say, only a matter of time, and now is the time to prepare. [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Pandemic Fears
Scientists are closely watching developments Indonesia, where bird flu has been found in pigs. As this Voice of America reportnotes, this is dangerous because, "Pigs have genetic similarities to humans, and can carry both human and animal viruses... if a pig became infected with both types of virus at the same time, it could act as a "mixing vessel," creating a new strain that could become a serious threat to humans." The potential exists for a new pandemic similar to the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed between 20 to 40 million people worldwide. Submitted for your files on pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Weekly News Summary
Sorry for not having posted recently. I've been very busy. My original goal was to make at least one post a day and to encourage the other team members to do the same. Unfortunately, it has not worked out that way. Before I offer a list of some of the more interesting news reports of this week, I'd like to make another call for bloggers to join the team. With the phenomenal success of the Left Behind series, I know there are many Christians out there with a newfound interest in following events, and that is why we are here, to offer quick links to news reports of prophetic interest, to do this in real-time with team members standing by, ready to post breaking news. To do this right, we need a bigger team. So, if you share our interest, please consider joining the team. We are especially interested in recruiting those with high bandwidth (like students) and those with lots of free time (like retirees). If you are interested, please see the "about the blog team" link over on the left, and then contact us. Ok, now for an admittedly incomplete list of some of the more interesting news reports for the week of May 2-7, 2005.

Official: N. Korea May Test Nuclear Weapon - Yahoo! News

Four dead, 26 hurt as strong quake jolts western Iran - Yahoo! News

Nearly four million Ethiopians now in urgent need of food aid - Yahoo! News

French Pedophilia Trial Hears Sordid Tales - Yahoo! News

Christianity taking over planet? - World Net Daily

Polio cases in Indonesia raise fears of wider outbreak - Yahoo! News

New Method Predicts Monster Waves - Yahoo! News

Scientists: Earth's Energy Is Imbalanced - Yahoo! News

Clinton: Peace in Mideast a 'Tough Slog' - Yahoo! News

Women's group looks to Temple Mount and Future Jewish Temple - Jerusalem Post

Survey: TV for Mobile Phones Set to Reach Masses - Yahoo! News

Real ID Act edges closer to passage - Yahoo! News

Implanted chip ID tags are getting under the skin - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Japan Steps Up Quest for UN Security Council Seat - Yahoo! News

Putin struggles to allay Israeli fears over Syria, Iran deals - Yahoo! News

Moscow to help Egypt reboot its nuke program - World Tribune

Persecuted Church
If you are looking for news and information on persecution (Matthew 24:8), check out a new site called Christian Monitor. They collect news reports from all over the world and make them easily available to their readers. I'm very impressed with the work they do and encourage you to visit their site and share it with others.

RFID Passport Security Increased
Wired News (Feds Rethinking RFID Passport) reports that in the wake of privacy concerns about the government's new RFID passports, the State Department is reconsidering a plan it previously rejected. The plan would offer privacy protection, including encryption. No, this is not the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18), but new ID technology is always of interest.

Climate Change
According to this report in Sci-Tech Today, "An in-depth study using aerial photographs spanning the past half century of all 244 marine glaciers on the west side of the Antarctic finger-like peninsula pointing up to South America found that 87 percent of them were in retreat -- and the speed was rising. " Now, we don't know if this kind of climate change represents a normal cyclical pattern or a major change, we do know that a lot of people are very worried about global climate change, and recommend the subject for your study of Luke 21:26.

BREAKING: CNN - White smoke, bells signal selection of new pope

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Cardinals Select New Pope

White smoke billows from the stove in the Sistine Chapel, and every bell in Vatican City must be peeling right now. This means only one thing: the College of Cardinals have, in near-record time, selected a pope. Incredibly, they seem to have done this on their third ballot!

We don't yet know who this is. The favorite candidate is Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who holds the post of chief of doctrine at the Vatican.

I see many German flags waving as Fox News Channel breaks to St. Peter's Square. One of the views on display is of the famous balcony where a new Pope appears.

UPDATE: The announcement is now taking place (16:41 UTC; 12:41 p.m. EDT). The Dean of the College of Cardinals has stepped forward to announce the Pope's name, according to a long and involved Latin ritual.

The victor: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger!

The official name he will now take will be Benedict XVI.

Obviously the College has struck a blow for the continuance of church doctrine. As if that weren't enough, for the new Pope to take the name of Benedict, a name associated with one of the most stern and rigorous orders of monks, should stand as further evidence. However, commentators already tell us that Benedict XV, the last Pope to carry that name, served just prior to the First World War...

Flu Fiasco, Cont.
Just a quick update on a news story we have been following (CTV - Deadly influenza virus shipments missing: WHO).Two-thirds of deadly viruses misplaced in analysis kits have now been destroyed, but kits to be shipped to Mexico and Lebanon are missing, and there's been no confirmation of destruction from Saudi Arabia, Bermuda, Brazil, Israel, and Japan. For your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Revelations--and the people who talk about it

Revelations (exec. prod. Gavin Polone; with Bill Pullman, Natascha McElhone, John Rhys-Davis, et al.; Pariah Productions, 2005) is the latest attempt by secular entertainers--in this case, NBC Television--to skim some cash from the current popular fascination with matters apocalyptic. And, as is true of most such efforts, this project manages to get so many things wrong that the blunders overshadow the good that the series might have done. Unfortunately, deciding which is sillier--this project or the opinions of some secular reviewers--is even more difficult than watching the show itself.

If you can imagine spreading peanut butter on a hamburger, or pouring ketchup on a stack of pancakes, you will know why I am disappointed in this project. The producers have many ingredients, any one of which would be ideal for any number of projects. But these particular ingredients make a wretchedly unpalatable recipe.

What works:

• The actors, especially Bill Pullman as a scientist who, though skeptical to the point of bitterness, never forgets that the best thing a scientist can be is curious.
• Little things: An evolutionist holds forth on how a tornado in a junkyard would be more likely to build Buckingham Palace (actually the original metaphor read "to assemble a Boeing 747") than would random factors produce life, yet life exists. And as he insists that random factors were the only things responsible for that, he has no idea that half of what he has just said contradicts the other half. You couldn't ask for a better portrait of modern evolutionists and their clueless pontifications.
• Another little thing: doctors wait for a teen-age girl to die so that they can harvest her organs--looking for all the world like a flock of buzzards circling over a thirsty desert hiker. Imagine their disappointment when Mister Skeptic himself holds the girl's hand--and her EKG goes from asystole to normal sinus rhythm in five seconds! The producers couldn't have known this, but the sad case of Terri Schindler Schiavo cannot fail to make people take note of such a scene--again, a perfect metaphor for our mixed-up medical profession that has slipped its moral moorings completely.
• More little things--like the academic groupie who babbles on and on about how honored he is to meet The Great Professor. I've been in academia, and I've seen those hangers-on. They behave just that way, and that the professors don't tell those rubes to get lives of their own speaks volumes about academic ego.

Unfortunately, that's about all that works. Because the basic premise is not end-times prophecy at all. This is horror masquerading as end-times prophecy. Worse yet, it has every other contemporary myth thrown in--things that aren't in the Bible at all. Put this in your not adding to or taking away from the Bible [Revelation 22:18-19] files: The clinically dead do not "trance-channel" the souls of the departed. Even if they did, as a teen-aged girl struck by lightning does (after walking across a golf course in an electrical storm--how stupid can you get?), they wouldn't quote the Latin Vulgate! They'd far more likely quote John the Revelator, Paul the Apostle, and so on in the language that those men originally spoke, which was Koine Greek, not Latin! Nor will Jesus come back as a baby, which the show hints at with a brief set of sequences involving the rescue of an infant from a shipwreck. (Actually, the show doesn't say what it's hinting at with that one, but I can forgive that because it's the first installment of a series with a continuing mystery story arc.)

Worse than all the extrabiblical elements that the show contains is what is missing. Aside from a few pictures that look as though they were adapted from CNN and BBC footage from the Middle East and elsewhere, where do we hear of the political situation that will obtain, and come to fruition, during this period? Where is the movement crying out for "leadership for a world gone mad" that we saw to such good effect, say, in The Shoes of the Fisherman? And while I can understand not having a portrait of the Rapture, I cannot understand failing to mention the Tribulation.

The producers did borrow one technique from Vic Sarin's film adaptation of Left Behind, namely filming everything in dim light to give you a sense of impending doom. It didn't work then, and it doesn't work now. To illustrate, it made the hospital scenes play out like an episode of Kingdom Hospital, Stephen King's abysmally failed project about a haunted hospital with characters who were weird enough without the strange goings-on.

As bad as this project is, most of the secular reviews are worse. Tom Shales, for example, can't stop talking about how religion is bunk, anyway, and that the real issue about kingdom rising against kingdom involves greedy multinational corporations--private businesses doing things that Mr. Shales no doubt would rather see done in common by government. His characterization of Revelation as "the wackiest...book of the New Testament" speaks volumes about his whole attitude, and makes him no better than that professor boldly asserting that the tornado in the junkyard did build life after all. He was supposed to produce a review of a TV show. What he gave us instead was yet another anti-sermon against religion in general.

Hal Boedeker at The Orlando Sentinel, as quoted in The Houston Chronicle, manages to come closer to the central problem of the project. He actually interviewed Bill Pullman, who told him straight-out what NBC's problem is: "We don't want to offend anybody!" That won't cut it, of course. You can't tell a story about the Bible without offending someone. Jesus Himself could have told them that--and did, too, as they'd have found out if they would but read the Bible before they put together a dramatic project on it.

Mike Duffy at The Detroit Free Press is more typical of those who get some of the point, but not all of it. "Formula paranormal hokum" is his phrase for what the series might wind up being no better than. True as far as it goes--but when he quotes head writer David Seltzer as he talks of mankind playing a positive role in the last things, he shows his own weakness. The trouble is that I doubt that even the religion editor would have known to tell him that David Seltzer cannot be correct about that--because prophecy will work itself out according to a definite plan, and puny man cannot stand in the way.

The bottom line: Don't bother watching the rest of the show. But then again, don't bother relying on secular reviewers, either. Sometimes people come to the right conclusion on faulty premises. This is a prime example.

Flu Fiasco
By now you may have heard that a particularly lethal strain of the flu was sent to medical labs all over the world (Telegraph - Deadly old flu virus sent to labs). By all accounts this was a colossal misunderstanding, the virus was not labeled in a manner that would preclude it from being included in testing kits that are normally sent to labs. However the potential still exists (remote as it may be) that this strain could get out into the general public and cause an epidemic or even a pandemic. Of greater concern in this time of war is that two of the countries that received this virus, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, are known to have al-Qaeda sympathizers. If a technician in one of those labs is able to smuggle out a vial of this virus and turn it over to terrorists then we have a much greater problem than a medical mishap. Submitted for your files on pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Tensions Rise on Temple Mount
Bible prophecy predicts (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4) that at the end of this age the Temple Mount in Jerusalem will become an international flashpoint. The Temple Mount is the location of the ancient Jewish temples, the last one was the temple built by King Solomon and destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The Wailing Wall is the last standing remnant of that temple. Much later, followers of Islam, acting out of a desire for peace and harmony, and hoping against hope that the Jews wouldn't mind, built two mosques (the al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock) on top of the ancient ruins. It is Islam's third holiest site, while it is Judaism's most holy site. This explains why it is off-limits to Jews and Moslems control the site. Ok, not really, but explaining that would take more time than we have right now. The media does not like to call the site the Temple Mount, because that recognizes thousands of years of recorded history and the physical evidence affirming Jewish claims to the site and does not respect the claim of Moslems to control the area. Thus, the site is "disputed" in much the same way your home would be disputed if your neighbor built a sun-deck on the roof while you were away. The minor scuffle that took place today (Swissinfo - Israel seals off shrine, foils Jewish protest march) is nothing compared to events which are to transpire in the future, as the battle for religious, political and military control for the Temple Mount is waged. If you are a skeptic and doubt the veracity of Bible prophecy, then watch as the Temple Mount becomes an issue at the top of the international agenda and a site for events which will shock the entire world.

New Scientist News - Sony patent takes first step towards real-life Matrix

Hat Tip: The Australian, which put me wise to this article.

I have a problem with the granting of patents for what are known as "prophetic inventions"--which is to say, "vapor inventions" that do not have so much as a working plan. But that's beyond scope here.

The real prophetic significance of this patent (which I could not find, BTW, in the records of the US Patent and Trademark Office; Sony must have filed their patent application in Japan) is that it represents several things that multiple prophets have warned of. First of all, however, this does not represent the Mark of the Beast--though it jmight represent the required worship of the Beast and his image [Revelation 13:15]. The mark, or cattle-brand stamp (Greek charagma, is mostly a mark of loyalty. This invention, if you call it that, goes far beyond a mere mark. In fact, it goes far beyond the mere reading of a person's mind. We deal here with the ability to write onto a person's mind, by means that bypass the classic Five Senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Sony seeks to use ultrasonic impulses to impress on a user the impression of having smelled something, or tasted something, without his actually having smelled or tasted anything.

The Hollywood establishment has toyed with this kind of project before. First came the motion picture Firefox (produced and directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Clint Eastwood; Warner Bros. Pictures, 1982), which followed a US pilot assigned to infiltrate the old Soviet Union and steal a Soviet prototype of a Mach 5/6 fighter-interceptor having a thought-controlled weapons system. This system would read a pilot's thoughts, through undefined "sensors in his helmet" (probably a body-contact electroencephalogram), and translates these thoughts into commands to select, direct, and fire weapons. Then came another motion picture, titled Brainstorm (produced and directed by Douglas Trumbull, with Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson, et al., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1983), describing (in a rather disjointed fashion) the corporate and ethical tribulations surrounding an invention that could first read and record all the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile experiences of a designated recording artist and then write the whole experience directly into the brain of a subject wearing a specially designed helmet or headset!

Firefox was alarming enough, given the military implications. But Sony has now taken a step toward implementing the Brainstorm scenario, and that's worse. (Actually, MGM could probably sue Sony for infringing on their idea, if you accept the premise for a patent on a "prophetic invention", since after all it was MGM's idea for a movie plot device before Sony got the idea of using it for real. But I digress.)

Why is this worse? With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, let me count the ways:

1. When you project program content directly into the brain, you make the experience as close to "real" as is any actual experience. After enough exposures to the technique, whether to one repeated program or several, the user could forget the difference between fact and fiction. This might explain why some of the earliest men in the Calvinist camp condemned fiction, drama, or poetry (other than the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, etc.) as being as wrongheaded as deliberately adding to or subtracting from the BIble--the notion being that life flows according to Divine plan, and fiction is a way of suggesting that God might choose a different plan. If you find that extreme, then you must consider this real-life Brainstorm invention to be the opposite extreme, and one far less healthy--for if you cannot tell fact from fiction, then neither can you tell truth from lies. Put that in your father of lies files.
2. This could turn into the ultimate in pornography. Imagine male (or female) sex actors recording the experience of copulation, or other even more perverse experiences. Now imagine playing back a recording that a person of the opposite sex initially made. Now stop imagining that; that's an obvious Matthew 5:28 violation--and also one for your II Timothy 3:1-5 files.
3. The Sony Brainstorm apparatus could also be an instrument of torture. One of the things that the Brainstorm characters dealth with was the horrifying use of their technique to make torture recordings. They would recruit someone willing to submit to torture and then record his experiences. One character played back a torture tape by accident and went crazy. Just think of the use that the Beast would make of such a technique!
4. Brainstorm would be an even better, and more chilling, military technique than Firefox. Brainstorm could substitute totally for the pilot's own eyes and ears--in which case the pilot would seal himself up in his aircraft, out of sight or contact with the outside, except such contact that Brainstorm would mediate. But Brainstorm could also make a pilot think he's shooting down a truly repulsive enemy when in fact he's vaporizing a city full of innocent people. Behold the ultimate in brainwashing--and without the mass hypnosis that Jerry B. Jenkins predicted. The Beast need only outfit all his soldiers with permanent receivers, through which he could make them believe anything, and break down all their compunctions.

Sony says that the technique is theoretical only, and not even experimental. But as New Scientist pointed out, experts in the field suggest that Sony might have something. If they do, then it's something deadly and chilling--and further evidence that the End of All Things is coming.

BREAKING - My Way News - Pope John Paul II Dies at 84
AP reports this breaking news: "John Paul II, who led the Roman Catholic Church for 26 years and helped topple communism in Europe while becoming the most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment after a long public struggle against debilitating illness. He was 84."

AP - Group Protests Israelis' Plans for Rally
For those of you following events on the Temple Mount, here is an update from the AP via Yahoo News about recent threats by the terrorist group Hamas. According to the report the Hamas leader said, "We voice our protest and condemnation against the continuous Zionist attempt to attack Al Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites...If those criminals carry out the crime we leave this matter to our military wing and there will be no quiet, God willing."

VOA - New Bird Flu Cases Add to Pandemic Fears
Vietnamese medical officials are voicing fears of a pandemic if the bird flu virus mutates to spread easily among humans. Another report for your files on pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Breaking News - My Way News: "Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman whose 15 years connected to a feeding tube sparked an epic legal battle that went all the way to the White House and Congress, died Thursday, 13 days after the tube was removed. She was 41." :: Do you think that this case is something the Bible prophecy community should be concerned with? How is it connected to Bible prophecy? Please use the comments link to share your thoughts with us.

VOA News - Angola Imposes Travel Restrictions to Stop Spread of Virus
According to this Voice of America report, "Angola has imposed travel restrictions on people who have visited an area hit hard by an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus." A scary report for your research on pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Indonesia Quake
Yet another large earthquake has struck Indonesia, killing thousands of people (AP - Indonesian VP: Quake May Kill Up to 2,000). Earthquakes are one of the Olivet Signs, things that Jesus said would happen in with increasing frequency and intensity in the normal course of history as the end times approached. Fortunately, this time, there was no tsunami, which is also a prophetic sign found in Luke 21:25. It's interesting to note that popular Bible prophecy commentators in the late 20th Century dismissed Luke 21:25 as merely a symbol of unrest and not a literal depiction of wave damage. Steeped in the social upheaval of their time, they thought that roaring waves represented the unrest of nations and peoples, protests, riots, revolutions and the like. Now, at the dawn of the 21st Century, we find that nations are filled with fear and perplexity at the roaring waves shattering their coasts.

WorldNetDaily: 10,000 Jews to ascend Temple Mount

The goal: to force Israel's government, and all the world's meddlers, to face squarely the issue of who ought to be in charge of the site.

In case anyone doubts either the authenticity or the details of this story, let me observe that WorldNetDaily is one of the most scrupulous news organs in any medium today, and that Aaron Klein, head of WND's Jerusalem Bureau, is one of the finest and bravest journalists in the world today.

This is, of course, not really the place to debate the merits of a geopolitical issue that

1. is already foretold to become critical, and
2. in any case, won't matter anymore once the Tribulation begins in ernest.

That said, the entire Temple Mount situation is the UN's doing--and the prophet Daniel clearly said that the prince who shall come will be the one to offer what will at first seem a remedy for the situation [Daniel 9:27] but will in fact be a set-up to an even worse insult.

Links to Prophetic News
Long time between posts. Perhaps when I have more free time I will be able to resume daily posts and offer some commentary on these extraordinary news events and why they are important from a BP/ET perspective. Until then, here is another list of links in no particular order:

Yahoo! News AP - Art Experts Hold Mock Trial for 'Code'

Yahoo! News AP - Russia to Cooperate on Iran Nuke Program

Yahoo! News Reuters - Bush Demands Syria Withdraw Forces from Lebanon

Yahoo! News AP - Iran Urges Alliance Against U.S. 'Plots'

Yahoo! News Reuters - Strong Quake Causes Panic in Indonesia's East


Yahoo! News Space - Brightest Galactic Flash Ever Detected Hits Earth

Yahoo! News AP - Plague Kills Scores in Congo Outbreak

Yahoo! News Reuters - It's a Warmer World, But Does That Mean Armageddon?

WND - Revived Sanhedrin Discusses Temple

Yahoo! News PC World - Vodafone Shows Mobile TV

Yahoo! News AFP - Bush: US to back Israel against Iranian threat

Yahoo! News AP - Iran, Syria to Unite to Counter Threats

I've been incredibly busy of late and have considered abandoning this blog, but I still have faith in the idea of a group blog, so here are some assorted link of interest, in no particular order, without context, and hopefully I will have time in the near future to devote more time to this blog:

AllAfrica.com - Famine Threatens 700,000 in Coast

Arutz Sheva - Rabbinical Dispute on Ascent to Temple Mount

CBS News - U.S. Rejoins Mideast Peace Quest

Arabic News - Syria & Russia statement on al-Assad's visit to Moscow

Silicon.com - U.S. to slap tourists with RFID

ISN - N Korea cuts food rations, sparking famine fears

Washington Times - EU vies for a seat on Security Council

East African Standard - Kenya warned of looming famine

CNN - U.S. bids to jump-start Mideast peace process

Jerusalem Post - US politician hopes to speed building of third temple

VOA - US Denies Report on Secret Military Operations in Iran
There was an extraordinary rumor of war(Matthew 24:6) today about U.S. military intentions towards Iran (Ezekiel 38:5). It is rumored that the U.S. has been conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran in advance of a military strike later this year to take out Iran's nuclear capability. Given that Iran, and their Russian sponsor, have yet to fulfill an important prophetic role, a near-term military defeat is not likely, and an American attack is unwise. Still, this is only a rumor.

My Way News - Malaria Threat Emerges in Tsunami Zone
According to this AP report, "Health officials plan to go door to door and tent to tent with mosquito-killing spray guns beginning Friday to head off a looming threat that one expert says could kill 100,000 more people around the tsunami disaster zone: malaria." For your files on pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Guardian - Ridge Seeks Fingerprints on Passports
Fingerprints are so 20th Century, but still, this is another example of the power of government to mandate a certain kind of ID. For your files on Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) tech and trends.

AFP - Rights Group Accuses Vietnam of Persecuting Christians
According to this AFP report, "Human Rights Watch accused Vietnam of carrying out mass arrests, persecution and torture of ethnic minority Christians in the troubled Central Highlands, a hotbed of anti-government unrest." Submitted for your files on persecution (Matthew 24:8).

WND - Has U.S. Threatened to Vaporize Mecca?
Here is a rumor of war (Matthew 24:6), submitted for your discernment. How credible is the rumor? While I have no doubt that the U.S. has the capability to take the action that is rumored, I wonder if there really exists lines of communication between the Bush White House and OBL such that the threat could really be made? Think about it.

AP - New Quake Rocks Devastated Sumatra Island
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that another earthquake (Matthew 24:7) has struck Indonesia, this one measuring 6.2 in magnitude, no injuries or damage were reported.

All Africa - 23 African Countries Face Famine
As international relief efforts focus on the tsunami victims in Asia, Africa is haunted by the specter of famine (Matthew 24:7).

CNN - G7 'to back nation debt freeze'
The Group of Seven countries has announced a deal to immediately freeze debt repayments from countries afflicted by the Asian tsunami disaster. The G7 remains one possible fulfillment of the Ten Kings (Rev 17:12-14) prophecy, along with the UNSC, the EU and/or the WEU. Unlike those organizations, the G7 is not a formal treaty organization, merely an informal alliance of wealthy countries, but many of their ministerial meetings and annual summits include one representative from Russia and two representatives from the EU, which makes them a de facto G10 already.

Yahoo News - TV May Soon Beam From Cell Phone Screens
In the future, it will be possible for people to view televised breaking news on their cell phones. You would be walking down the street and then your cell phone rings to give you a news alert from CNN, not a text message, but full video feed of breaking news from Jerusalem (Rev 11:9). Now that's progress.

Financial Times - The black hole that cannot stop eating
According to this report, "Astronomers have recorded the most powerful eruption of energy yet observed in the universe. It comes from a gigantic black hole, a billion times more massive than our sun...," which makes it one amazing Sign in the Stars (Luke 21:25).

VNUNet.com - Radio Frequency ID enters second phase
Those of you looking for some information on how RFID tags are being introduced will find lots of background info here. Submitted for your files on Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) type technology.

Wired - British ID Card Gains Ground
ID cards are neither here nor there, they have nothing to do with the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18), but they serve as an example of the power of government to compel citizens to carry a certain kind of identification.

Yahoo! News Reuters - Quake May Have Made Earth Wobble--US Scientists
More details are emerging about the power of the recent Sumatra earthquake, submitted for your Quake (Matthew 24:7) files.

Reuters - eBay to Drop Support for Microsoft's Passport
A few years ago some commentators suggested that Microsoft's attempt to control e-commerce would lay the info-infrastructure for the mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18) by providing a secure method of identity verification. It appears that for now at least, that will not happen.

San Diego Union Tribune - Germany leaves Security Council with hopes of return
This report notes that as various countries continue to jockey for position on an expanded Security Council, Germany would like to have a permanent seat. :: Submitted for your files on the rise of Ten Kings (Rev 17:12-14).

Ha'aretz - Israel, PA in talks over Abbas campaign visit to Temple Mount
This report reveals that Arafat's likely replacement would like to visit the Temple Mount as part of his election campaign. Remember that Ariel Sharon's September 2000 visit to the Temple Mount sparked Palestinian rioting and the second Intifada. It appears that when an Israeli leader visits the Temple Mount it sparks violence, but when a Palestinian leader visits the Temple Mount it is merely a photo op. :: Submitted for your files on the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Religion Today - Groups Mobilize Disaster Aid
The above link to Religion Today cites a Charisma News Service report on how Christian groups are responding to the SE Asian disaster. The scope of this disaster is truly hard to comprehend, but we can be certain of the spiritual response that is required of us: pray for those in need, provide for those in need, and witness (Matthew 24:14) to those in need.

WorldNetDaily: Quake, roaring sea, ... now pestilences And where, you ask? In the Indian Ocean, and along the shores of eleven different countries that felt the effects of the gigantic wave, called a tsunami, that swept over those shores over the weekend. Other accounts tell us that the count of the dead has reached 68,000 (that's six myriads and eight chilioi for my fellow Greek scholars) and will likely rise to ten myriads before it's all over.

Jesus warned us that such things would happen. More to the point, John the Revelator warned that war, economic depression (translated as "famine"), and pestilence (the pale horse; Greek chloros a sickly pale green, whence "chlorine") would kill off twenty-five percent of the people then living when the second, third, and fourth Seals break [Revelation 6:3-8]. Nor is this all, of course: recall the Sixth Trumpet, that will in its time kill one-third of the people remaining alive at that time.

And consider this: some commentators have already compared the death toll to the Flood of Noah [Genesis 6-8]. That's an exaggeration, of course, because that Flood killed all but eight people. In fact, the late tsunami is a taste--just a taste--of what is to come.

WorldNetDaily: Bishop: 'Israel is a terrorist state'. The bishop involved is that of the Pakistan Presbyterian Church.

The background: Someone calling himself a Pakistani Presbyterian pastor--whose name is given merely as "Reverend Boiz" and has no further reliable identification--called for the church to recognize Israel. Today the bishop refused, and even went so far as to call Israel "a terrorist state." Then he said:

I wish to make it clear that my statement is based on principles and I am not trying to please the Muslim majority of Pakistan. What we see every day is enough to condemn this demand.

Well, you could have fooled me. I don't know what The Right Reverend T. Nasir "sees every day," but I fail to see anything that would make Israel morally equivalent to Taliban Afghanistan, for example. I have heard that Israel recruited a spy in the United States--which spy is still cooling his heels in an American prison, and whose case is still an occasional sore point in our own relations with Israel. I have heard that an Israeli bulldozer operator ran over a protester who had the bad sense to stand in front of the bulldozer and then fall out of view. But nowhere have I heard that Israel, or any of its agencies:

1. Arrested Christian missionaries, held them without a proper trial in conditions that fostered a gastrointestinal parasite infestation, and then threatened to kill them and would have done so were it not for American military intervention, or
2. hosted a gang of irregulars who then flew airliners into American commercial and government buildings.

Both of which Taliban Afghanistan did, and that is why Taliban Afghanistan is no more.

And as far as I'm concerned, Bishop Nasir is "trying to please the Muslim majority of Pakistan." That he would have to deny this specifically speaks volumes about his attitude. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "the gentleman doth protest too much, methinks."

Nasir goes on:

We have seen more than enough blood and deaths of unfortunate and forgotten Palestinians at the hands of Ariel Sharon, and as such we do not support this demand. We will go to visit the holy places only after the Palestinians get their right to establish their own homeland and start living in peace. Nothing less will be accepted by us.

Then the Bishop will wait until hell freezes over, mostly because the Palestinians are not a peaceful people. If they get their own state, it will be more of a terrorist base than it already is.

The prophet Zechariah predicted all this folderol. He said that Jerusalem would be the stumbling-block (Greek skandalon, whence "scandal") of the nations. How true this is turning out to be.

The Iran-E.U. Agreement on Iran's Nuclear Activity

From MEMRI. The bottom line: Iran has bamboozled the European Union into essentially endorsing its nuclear research program--or perhaps, just perhaps, the European Union found a way to endorse Iran's program "under the table," as it were. Everyone should read about Ezekiel's War [Ezekiel 38-9], and especially the names of the participants. One of them is Persia, the real name of which is--Iran. And among the sideline cheerleaders of this Russo-Muslim coalition are "the merchants of Tarshish and their young lions." which could represent Europe. (Sheba and Dedan likely represent oil-rich Arab lands--which ones, I can't be dogmatic about, though Ussher, in his Annals of the World, suggests the regions now known as Saudi Arabia and Yemen.)

AP - Conservatives Take on Christmas Cause
This Yahoo News report details efforts by Christians in the U.S. to keep the "Christ" in Christmas. Not only is it important to balance the reason for the season amid all the commercialism, it is also an excellent opportunity to share the Good News of salvation (Matthew 24:14).

AP - Report: China Detains Leader of Church
There are two churches in China, there is the official government recognized church comprising various Christian denominations, and there is the unofficial underground church. Members of the underground church meet in private homes and try to stay one step ahead of government agents, and when they fail, they are arrested and sent to labor camps. Submitted for your files on persecution (Matthew 24:8).

CSM - Passports go electronic with new microchip
Thanks to the war on terrorism, identification technology has made great strides. This CSM report describes how ID chips will soon be required in U.S. passports. For your mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18) files.

AP - Ambassador Wary of Peace Conference Idea
The search for Mideast peace continues, this time an idea for an international peace conference has been put forth by Egypt. Israel is talking down the idea, but this does indeed sound like a something that could become a Covenant With Many (Daniel 9:27).

AP - Militants Bomb Two Churches in Mosul
We should not be terribly surprised that Islamic terrorists attack churches, but it doesn't make it any less heinous for followers of an alleged "religion of peace." For your Persecution (Matthew 24:8) files.

Reuters - At Least Nine Killed in Attack on U.S. Mission in Saudi
The war on Islamic totalitarianism took a turn today as terrorists struck in the heart of the country that gave birth to the movement. For your War (Matthew 24:6) files.

Yahoo News - AIDS Day Is Observed Around the Globe
Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've been very busy, and to you Christian bloggers who may be reading this, please consider this a standing invitation to join the blog team. Ok, on to the news of the week. Perhaps the most significant event of the week was the commemoration of Word AIDS Day. The pestilence prophecy of Luke 21:11 leads us to consider many different types of infections diseases but none of have been as destructive as HIV/AIDS. Those of us living in the developed West tend to think of HIV/AIDS as a manageable disease, but to many people in the developing world it is a true pandemic, a scourge that is eroding hopes for economic development by decimating entire generations of workers and at the same time increasing demands on states for healthcare and social services. While the medical community warns of the potential for a new strain of the flu to become the next pandemic, most of the world continues to struggle in the face of the existing HIV/AIDS crisis.

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).

AP - WHO Calls Summit to Address Flu Pandemic
According to this AP report, "The World Health Organization has called an unprecedented summit meeting next week of flu vaccine makers and nations to expand plans for dealing with the growing threat of a flu pandemic." :: Submitted for your Pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Jerusalem Post - Israel won't allow Arafat burial on Mount
As Arafat clings to life, his followers face an uncertain future and Israel is left to plan for the chaos that is sure to follow his death. It has been rumored for some time that his followers are planning to bury him at the mosque located on the Temple Mount. Israel will not allow this. Riots will ensue, possibly very violent riots. There are those who doubt that another Jewish temple will be built on the holy site or that the area has any prophetic significance, having spiritualized away all those scriptures that suggest (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4) otherwise. However, I'm confident that events in the near future will demonstrate that the Temple Mount remains a focal point for spiritual and physical battles and that the prophetic importance of the site will be evident to all.

AP - Disaster Toll Tripled in 2003 Amid Quakes, Heatwave
The prophecy in Luke 21:11 that there will be fearsome events is an interesting prophecy. It doesn't really say what events will happen, it just says there will be fearsome events. So what is the purpose or role of fearsome events that they should be important from a Bible prophecy perspective? Fearsome events like natural disasters shake people out of thier complacency, they cause people to take a hard look at life and what is important. A disaster can be a wake-up call, a chance to get real with God. The good news is that you don't have to survive an earthquake or a hurricane to do that, you can do it right now. Why wait?

AP - Earth to See Total Eclipse of the Moon
This AP report is interesting, though I'm not sure I would say it was extremely relevant in terms of the Signs in the Moon (Luke 21:25) prophecy. What are signs in the moon? That is a good question and I'm not sure there is a good answer for that at this time. I've always thought that the Signs in the Moon represented a future discoloration of the moon caused by cataclysmic events on Earth. We already know that volcanic ash in the atmosphere can contribute to the red moon phenomenon, even smoke from forest fires can do that, to say nothing of the standard pollution or light reflection that causes the phenomenon in its most standard form. At this stage, we can only speculate what a global war with modern weapons would do to the atmosphere and our view of the moon, or if nuclear winter would cause the moon to disappear from view all together. All we can do is take encouragement from the fact that those things have not happened and keep watching the heavens for those signs in the moon, sun and stars.

AP - Europe May Start Digital Fingerprinting
One of the more interesting aspects of the Mark of the Beast prophecy of Rev 13:16-18 is the idea that any government could require something so drastic and get away with it. Yet today we accept the idea that governments routinely require certain forms of identification for access to borders, facilities and services. In the past, identification took the form of paper, as in, "your papers, please." Now it is starting to take the form of biometric data, identity verification keyed specifically to your body, either your fingerprint, your eyes, or your face. It's really not that much of a leap to say that the next stage of identity verification would be something artificial placed on or in your body.

MercuryNews.com | 10/16/2004 | Ramadan begins in peace with 90,000 at sacred siteThus, the much-feared collapse of the Temple Mount did not happen after all. Apprently the Waqf agreed at the last minute to cordon off the weakest areas of the site.

Many commentators will no doubt make much of the "compromise" that the Israeli Police and the Waqf managed to reach this week. But some day, something drastic will happen to the Temple Mount site. When it does, the talk will be, not of peace, but of war.

From our Holy Land friends at Arutz-7 comes this bombshell: Sanhedrin Launched In Tiberias. Here is a key excerpt:

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who heads the Temple institute in Jerusalem, is one of the participating rabbis. He told Arutz-7 today, "Whether this will be the actual Sanhedrin that we await, is a question of time - just like the establishment of the State; we rejoiced in it, but we are still awaiting something much more ideal. It's a process. Today's ceremony is really the continuation of the renewal of the Ordination process in Israel, which we marked several months ago. Our Talmudic Sages describe the ten stages of exile of the Sanhedrin from Jerusalem to other locations, until it ended in Tiberias - and this is the place where it was foretold that it would be renewed, and from here it will be relocated to Jerusalem."

Prophecy students, this is awesome. The last time we ever heard of the Sanhedrin, apart from the 1600-year-old attempt to restart it, was during the Roman era, and specifically during the Principate of Nero, and more specifically at the trial of Paul of Tarsus [Acts 23]. There, you'll remember, the Sanhedrin split down the middle between Pharisees and Sadducees over the question of the Resurrection from the Dead. The controversy was so violent then that the Roman garrison commander, Tribune Lucius Claudius (rendered "Claudius Lysias" by Saint Luke), had to hustle Paul away and, in the end, send him to Caesaria, which had become the seat of Roman authority after Pilate's disastrous procuratorship during the Principate of Tiberius.

Interestingly, the Sanhedrin tried to convene 1600 years ago, but failed for lack of support. Now it's coming back.

Who says that the Temple will not be rebuilt? [Revelation 11:1-2ff]. Watch closely--and also keep watching for the next few hours. If you hear of a collapse of the Temple Mount during the start of Ramadan, look out.

AP My Way News - FDA Approves Use of Chip in Patients
This is an important development for a technology many prophecy students have been following for some time: the implantable biochip. When the VeriChip was first approved for human use it was not approved for medical use, and that has now changed. This is an exciting step forward for the commercial applications available to the company that makes it and it makes the implanted chip that much more attractive as a potential fulfillment of Rev 13:16-18. I'm not saying that the mark of the beast will be a chip, it is just one of many possible fulfillments of that prophecy, and a technology that we should watch closely.

From the Associated Press: Oil Prices Hit $53 a Barrel Then Retreats. True enough, this sort of thing is as old as the economy of man, as once-plentiful commodities grow scarce. The usual solution is that man finds something else to use instead.

But in this case the supply of the commodity involved, which is petroleum, is under the control of the same people who hate the people of Israel worst of all. Even before Western man finds another source of energy, war may come--and with it, the perfect excuse that the Beast from the Sea [Revelation 13] needs.

Get ready for the Black Horse of the Apocalypse [Revelation 6:5-6] and eventually for Armageddon [Revelation 16].

TerraDaily has this, through Agence France-Presse: Strongest typhoon in decade set to strike Tokyo. Here's the gist:

Typhoon Ma-on, packing winds of up to 162 kilometres (100 miles), slammed into the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka around 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) and was on course to hit the capital, the Meteorological Agency warned.

A 74-year-old newspaper deliveryman went missing in the town of Onjuku in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, local police said.

"He is feared to have been washed away in a swollen river," a police official said, adding his motorbike had been found turning over on its side near the river.

A gust of 243.4 kilometres (151 miles) per hour was recorded at a Shizuoka cape of Irozaki, some 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Tokyo.

More than 3,800 households in central and eastern Japan were ordered or recommended to evacuate, public network Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) said.

"Shinkansen" bullet trains ground to a halt in central and eastern Japan, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. Train station officials with loudspeakers were seen urging holidaymakers to cancel their schedules.

Express roads were partially closed while nearly 200 domestic and international flights were cancelled.

As you can see, a great storm like that can have effects far beyond its immediate center. This is a mere taste of the sort of disasters (which is actually ancient Greek for "evil stars") that await us as prophecy gallops toward fulfillment.

Pat Robertson interviews General Benny Ganz, aka Israel's Watchman on the Northern Front. Specifically, Ganz is the commander-in-chief in the northern theater for the Israel Defense Forces. All prophecy students should watch this area--because it is a likely route for Ezekiel's War [chh. 38-39].

A judge--a JUDGE!--has just told two parents that a "severely ill baby ought to be allowed to die". I don't know what outrages me more--that a team of doctors would actually argue in favor of a "do-not-resuscitate" order against the wishes of the parents, or that a judge would accede to it. But I've met cold-hearted doctors before, one of whom once told me with a straight face that even a patient willing to pay for a quadruple coronary artery bypass operation ought never be allowed to receive it if he's beyond a certain age. Did I just say, below, that life was now becoming cheap, and that murder was rapidly becoming the order of the day?

Steven J. Ertelt over at Lifenews.com has this needed perspective on a recent US Presidential campaign ad: New Michael J. Fox Stem Cell Research Ad for John Kerry Distorts Science. You'd think that after several reputable scientists already dismissed the idea that Alzheimer's Disease would ever lend itself to therapy with embryonic stem cells, even a dishonest politician like John F. Kerry would stop beating that dead horse--or donkey, as the case may be. (And as Steve points out, even Ronald P. Reagan--who, BTW, is not a "junior"--admits that.) But no-o-o-o! (or as the Greeks used to say, me genoito.)

Of course, this is bigger even than the selection of the next President of the USA, as big as that might seem today. As all of us good prophecy students know, a time will come when even a Presidential election will look like a summary relief-of-command aboard the Titanic. No, this stem-cell debate is about regarding human life so cheap that people will think nothing of killing one person to benefit another. In other words, murder, as John the Revelator [ch. 9:22] says in detail, will become the order of the day.

The follow-up from the Aussie Anglicans' compromise on women in the clergy continues to amaze. The Anglicans' oppressed majority, indeed! I don't suppose it would help to remind Dr. Muriel Porter that Paul said in his first letter to Timothy that he did not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man [ch. 2:12].

In case you're wondering what this has to do with prophecy, I remind you that the Tribulation to come will be a period of flat-out rebellion against all of God's standards, including God's plain teaching on the roles of men and women. Watch Muriel Porter closely, dear readers--her name might appear on the report of some Ecumenical Conclave of Peace and Unity or some such thing, right next to that of the eventual False Prophet [Revelation 13].

Well, the Anglican Church in Australia redeemed itself today: Anglicans close the door on gay reforms. Their opponents are already howling about "intolerance" and so on, but all I see is that the Aussies haven't totally gone overboard on the subject of secular culture--yet. This situation bears further watching, in light of this prediction from Revelation: "Neither repented they of their murders, their [abuse of drugs], their sexual immoralities, or their thefts." [Revelation 9:22]

Infowars.com is a jet-setting liberal site where discretion and discernment ought to be the order of the day. Among other things, they seem to accuse George W. Bush of engineering the Manhattan Incident. But every now and again they serve up a piece of good prophetic news, in spite of themselves. Today's article is one example: Microchip Implantation of Club Going Trendies Expands to More Nations Shades of the mark of the Beast [Revelation 13:16-18]! These clubs are using the chips to stop gate crashers--but a time will come when a world-ruling dictator will use chips like these to stop people from "crashing" a grocery-store checkout counter. Somehow I'm not dead sure that these "trendies" have that use of the chip in mind....

As a follow-up to the last post, the CDC has some more practical advice here about infection-control methods designed to stop the flu in your travels or your workplace.

From the Associated Press comes the straight skinny on the loss of half our supply of vaccines against influenza: Adults, Kids Urged to Skip Flu Shot.

The article says that "Health care workers can't legally bar insistent, lower-risk patients from getting shots but will try to persuade them to do otherwise." But when yours truly tried (in Essex County, NJ) to get in line for a flu shot, he was practically thrown out of line and even threatened with arrest, fine, imprisonment, or a combination of the three if he attempted to get a shot by any form of subterfuge.

Of course, this looks forward to a day when something far more dire than influenza will kill one-fourth of the people then inhabiting the planet [Revelation 6:7-8]. As a practical matter, all I can suggest is to carry a canister of pre-treated hand wipes with you when you travel, and talk to your employers or supervisors about some simple, common-sense infection-control policies. The specific recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control can be found here.

CBN News has this very alarming article: A Contentious Battle for the Temple Mount's Survival. Here's the most salient thing that Pat Robertson says:

I am here in Jerusalem, and yesterday I was on the Temple Mount, and went over extensively what is being done there. You cannot believe what the Muslims have done in violation of a treaty. They have carved underneath the floor of the land adjoining the al-Aqsa mosque, a mosque that will hold 10,000 people -- huge steps leading down to it. And in the process, they have excavated enough fill material to imperil the wall structure. The wall is bulging out, and the people of Israel are warning that during Ramadan, if thousands and thousands of people come in there, that the entire structure could collapse. It is very serious.

And this:

I am simply appalled at the desecration of holy sites that are holy to Jews and Christians. What is happening here...is a cultural Intifada, an attempt to erase all knowledge that the Jews were in the holy land, and to try to make believe that they had no right to be here at all. There is a desecration of the tomb of Joseph, and the tombs of Abraham and Sarah, etc. The whole situation is terribly fragile.

And in the process, the Muslims have so weakened the foundation of their own property that it might collapse under their own feet next week.

Prophecy students will remember that Daniel and John the Revelator, among other prophets, make repeated references to various events taking place inside a physical Temple. Of course, no Temple exists right now. But if the Al-Aqsa mosque collapses, two things will happen:

1. Anti-Semitic riots will break out in Jerusalem, in all Arab quarters in Israel, and possibly in all Arab lands.
2. The collapse will be one necessary step in paving the way for the rebuilding of an actual Jewish Temple--but probably under the administration, or at least the "protection", of the Beast from the Sea [Revelation 13].

From the Sydney Morning Herald comes this gem: Assistant bishop role for women. Oh, great--another attempt to find a loophole in the Bible to compromise with popular culture. That never works, of course--the secular culture continues to invade and trash the Bible in other ways. But God predicted this, did He not? It's the Church in Laodicea all over again.

From Ha'aretz comes the latest on Israel and our relationship to it: Robertson: If Bush 'touches' Jerusalem, we'll form 3rd party. I'm not sure that even Pat Robertson knows whether evangelical Christians really feel that way, but it would make sense. Indeed, the prophet Zechariah said specifically that Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, would be a stumblingblock to the nations. Frankly, Israel might become a stumblingblock to this nation as well, and that might explain why America bears no mention either in Revelation or in any other prophetic book of the Bible.

Newsday, NY - Graham Said to Plan Crusade in New York
One of the greatest living preachers is planning another (and perhaps last) crusade to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus. Submitted for your files on the spread of the Gospel (Matthew 24:14).

My Way News AP - U.S. Flu Vaccine Supply Cut in Half
According to this report, "Americans' supply of flu vaccine was abruptly cut in half Tuesday, prompting the government to ask most healthy adults to delay or skip flu shots so that the elderly and others most at risk from influenza can get scarce supplies." At this point, the only thing we can do is pray that this is not a bad flu season. Submitted for your Pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Reuters - Defying Army Offensive, Hamas Rockets Hit Israel
Reuters reports,"Palestinian militants fired rockets into an Israeli border town on Monday despite Israel's vow to stop such attacks from the Gaza Strip with a massive military offensive that has killed 64 Palestinians." Also today, Arab states went to the UN to depict the Palestinians as the victim of Israeli aggression. I think we are all wise to the game they are playing. Submitted for your files on the Battle for Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Luke 21:20).

My Way News - U.S., Iraqi Forces Take Charge in Samarra
AP reports, "Iraqi security forces patrolled the streets, and U.S. troops went door to door searching for weapons and fighters Sunday after the military claimed success in wresting control of Samarra from Sunni insurgents in fierce fighting." :: A War (Matthew 24:6) update for you.

Yahoo! News AP - Mount St. Helens Erupts After 18 Years
A series of earthquakes preceded the latest eruption of Mt. St. Helens and apparently more eruptions are on the way. Geologic activity and earthquakes are something BP enthusiasts watch, mostly as a low-level sign (Matthew 24:7), but there are major Earth changes in store for much later, towards the end of this age (Rev 16:18).