ABC News - Palestinian Bomber Kills Israeli Soldier
AP reports, "A Palestinian suicide bomber trying to enter Israel blew himself up Thursday at a military checkpoint set up to foil attackers, killing an Israeli soldier and two other Palestinians."

Israel: Orthodox Jews Disrupt Messianic Worship Service

I've never seen anything like this. Orthodox Jews in the USA don't do this kind of thing; they do their best to avoid trouble. This incident in the Israeli town of Beer-sheba reminds me forcefully of the riotous greeting of Paul in Ephesus, and especially of the mob that dragged Paul out of the Temple of Jerusalem and beat him about his body before Claudius Lysias, Roman tribune, arrived in force to quell the disturbance and take Paul into custody. Notice also an incident involving someone telling something not to do something because it was a Sabbath break. Jesus heard that kind of talk several times.

Eventually, those Orthodox Jews will wake up and find that all the Messianics have disappeared. What happens to them next--well, it's all foretold, but it doesn't make it any more pleasant.

Reuters AlertNet - Israel immigration marks first jump since uprising
Reuters reports, "Immigration to Israel rose in 2005 for the first time since the start of a five-year-old Palestinian uprising, the Jewish Agency that encourages new immigrants said on Wednesday."

ABC News - Galileo Navigation Satellite Launched
AP reports, "The European Union launched the first satellite in its Galileo navigation program on Wednesday, which European officials expect one day will end the continent's reliance on the U.S. Global Positioning System."

LA Times - Israel Strikes Palestinian Base in Lebanon After Rocket Fire
AP reports, "Israeli jets attacked a Palestinian militant group's training base in southern Lebanon early today, hours after an Israeli border town was hit by rocket fire, the military said."

INN - Terrorists in Lebanon Bombard Northern Israel
Israel National News reports, "Arab-fired katyusha rockets at northern Israel scored direct hits on two civilian homes. IDF Northern Commander: 'Merely the same rockets that we know well.' IDF retaliation wounds 2 terrorists."

Chicago Sun-Times - Pope: Christians persecuted even today
AP reports, "Pope Benedict XVI Monday marked the feast of Christianity's first martyr, noting that Christians still are persecuted for their faith in some parts of the world." [Persecution, Matthew 24:8]

MyWayNews - Mayor: Terrorists Tried to Attack London
AP reports, "Terrorists tried to attack London eight times between the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and last July 7, when suicide bombers killed dozens on the city's transport system, London's mayor said Monday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

WorldNetDaily: Muslim grinches steal Bethlehem Christmas

So much for "religions of peace." File this in your wild man in the desert [Genesis 25] files. Add to it that Muslims claim that Bethlehem is sacred to them, because Muhammad stopped there, and an angel led him to Jerusalem.

Washington Times - Majority in U.S. believes in God
According to this report, "Traditional religion is still the bedrock of America, with 'very large majorities' of the public steadfast in their belief in God and the birth and Resurrection of Jesus Christ -- with belief in astrology, ghosts and other New Age hallmarks lagging behind." [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24:14]

MyWayNews - Bethlehem, Vatican Pilgrims Mark Christmas
AP reports, "Christian pilgrims packed Bethlehem's Manger Square and the Vatican on Christmas Day to pray for a tranquil 2006 and remember those killed in the terrorist attacks and natural disasters that marked the waning year."

Merry Christmas everyone!

MyWayNews - Earthquake Rattles Ecuador's Amazon Jungle
AP reports, "A strong earthquake shook parts of Ecuador's Amazon jungle Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the country's Geophysics Institute said." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Science@NASA - An Explosion on the Moon
NASA reports, "NASA scientists have observed an explosion on the moon. The blast, equal in energy to about 70 kg of TNT, occurred near the edge of Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Rains) on Nov. 7, 2005, when a 12-centimeter-wide meteoroid slammed into the ground traveling 27 km/s." [Signs in the Moon, Luke 21:25]

MyWayNews - Indonesia Deploys Troops After Warnings
AP reports, "Indonesia deployed thousands of troops to guard churches and places where foreigners gather Friday amid warnings that al-Qaida-linked militants were planning Christmas terror attacks in the world's most populous Muslim nation." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

MyWayNews - Israel Threatens Response for Rocket Fire
AP reports, "Israel threatened a harsh response to Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza after five soldiers were hurt and did not rule out a ground attack. Israeli security officials said Thursday that Palestinians will be banned from areas near the border, especially from the ruins of the Jewish settlements."

CNN - Muslim leader calls Holocaust a 'myth'
AP reports, "The leader of Egypt's main Islamic opposition group said Thursday the Holocaust was a 'myth,' and he slammed Western governments for criticizing disclaimers of the Jewish genocide."

CNN - China's military a danger: Japan
AP reports, "China's expanding military budget represents a danger and is fueling suspicion among other nations, Kyodo News agency quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso as saying Thursday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

CNN - Bird flu shows resistance to Tamiflu
AP reports, "In a development health experts are calling alarming, two bird flu patients in Vietnam died after developing resistance to Tamiflu, the key drug that governments are stockpiling in case of a large-scale outbreak." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Science Daily - Jesus is taboo for U.S. military chaplains
UPI reports, "A U.S. Navy chaplain has begun a hunger strike in Washington to protest a military policy that bans mentioning Jesus in Christian prayer."

Yahoo News - Russia Test-Launches Ballistic Missile
AP reports, "Russia successfully test-launched a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday for the first time under water, the navy said...Russia's navy is to get two newly equipped nuclear submarines in 2006, armed with the new Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, the navy commander said in April. The missiles have a range of 5,000 miles." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Judge: Pa. Intelligent Design Mandate Unconstitutional

HARRISBURG, Pa. — "Intelligent design" cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.

EU Observer - EU ministers ditch sensitive Israel report
The EU Observer reports, "EU foreign ministers have shelved a confidential and critical report on the Israeli Jerusalem policy due to its highly sensitive nature."

Israel National News - MK Dr. Eldad: Sharon Physically Unfit to Run State
"Someone who is 78, overweight, short of breath and had a stroke cannot run a country." So says MK Aryeh Eldad, the former IDF Chief Physician. Hadassah Hospital doctors say Sharon is OK. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a TIA (transient ischemic attack) last night, was rushed to Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital, and is expected to remain hospitalized until at least tomorrow. A TIA, sometimes called a mini-stroke, involves a brief deprivation of adequate oxygen to part of the brain.

Chron.com | Israel's Sharon rushed to hospital

JERUSALEM %u2014 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed to the hospital today after feeling ill while working in his office, and a hospital official said he was awake and undergoing medical tests.

BREAKING NEWS - Israel's Sharon taken to hospital
BBC reports, "Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been taken to hospital, local media have reported, without giving further details on the cause or his condition."

SpaceWar - US Ignores Chinese Military Advances At Their Peril
AFP reports, "The United States must prepare an effective strategy to face China's rising military power and not freeze at the Asian giant 'like a deer in the proverbial headlights,' a new study warned Wednesday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Kings of the East, Rev 16:12]

Yahoo News - Top Science Stories of 2005: A Year of Incredible Impact
Space.Com reports, "Rarely have science and nature dominated daily life and generated so much debate as in 2005. It was a year of clashes, between nature and man, science and religion, and sometimes even between scientists. Along the way, some important and amazing discoveries were made." [Knowledge Increases, Daniel 12:4]

Commentary: This is a comprehensive summary of the top science news of the year, including record breaking catastrophic weather, cloning, astronomical discoveries, nonotech breakthroughs and the global warming debate.

Yahoo News - Iran Could Be Sanctioned for Riling Israel
AP reports, "Iran could face sanctions if it keeps provoking Israel and the West, European leaders warned Saturday, even as the Tehran regime's interior minister said the Iranian president's remarks had been 'misunderstood.' " [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Commentary: Any clues from BP regarding the status of Iran? Zeke suggests that Iran will remain confident and aggressive right up to the point at which they invade Israel. Of course, at that point, Iran's fate is sealed.

Yahoo News - 6.2-Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Japan
AP reports, "An undersea earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 shook northern Japan early Saturday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - Half of Israelis favor deal on Jerusalem: poll
Reuters reports, "Nearly half of Israelis would support giving up parts of Arab East Jerusalem under any eventual peace deal with the Palestinians, a poll published on Friday showed." [Status of Jerusalem, Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Zechariah 14; Luke 21:20]

Commentary: I'm not surprised at these poll results, the illusion of peace can be quite appealing, and there will be peace, for a time. The barrier wall will be torn down, Israel will appear to be secure...appearances can be deceiving.

Yahoo News - China Reports Sixth Human Case of Bird Flu
AP reports, "China on Thursday reported its sixth human case of bird flu and a new outbreak in a flock of ducks. The latest human infection is a 35-year-old man in Suichuan County in the eastern province of Jiangxi, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing a Health Ministry statement. It didn't give any other details." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

And some good news:
Yahoo News - Pandemic Flu-Vaccine Prototype Promising

Yahoo News - Bethlehem Mayor Asks Pilgrims to Visit
AP reports, "The mayor of Jesus' traditional birthplace on Wednesday asked pilgrims to visit in large numbers during Christmas and help pressure Israel to dismantle the barrier that separates the city from Jerusalem." [Status of Jerusalem, Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Zechariah 14; Luke 21:20]

Commentary: Perhaps it would be good for Christians to visit and then express their support for the barrier in general and Jerusalem in particular?

Yahoo News - Iranian President Calls Holocaust a 'Myth'
AP reports, "Iran's hard-line president lashed out with a new outburst at Israel on Wednesday, calling the Nazi Holocaust a 'myth' used as a pretext for carving out a Jewish state in the heart of the Muslim world." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Commentary: The new leader of Iran wants to relocate Israel to Europe or Alaska. I wonder if that is his final solution?

Yahoo News - Nobel Winner ElBaradei: Nuke Risk Remains
AP reports, "Fifteen years after the end of the Cold War, the risk of nuclear disaster is as great as ever with terrorists zealously pursuing atomic weapons, chief U.N. nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei said Saturday in accepting the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Fear and Apprehension for the Future, Luke 21:11]

Commentary: There is one country in the world that I bet he is most eager to help rid of those dangerous nuclear weapons, care to guess which one?

Yahoo News - Government Tests Readiness for Pandemic
AP reports, "After role-playing an outbreak of pandemic flu, federal officials said Saturday that saving lives and containing the economic damage will require more planning in local communities and increased production of vaccines and medications." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Commentary: Let's hope their role-playing is better than that done before Hurricane Katrina.

WorldNetDaily: Israel plans strike on nuclear Iran

For your wars and rumors of wars files.

Yahoo News - Iranian President Jabs at Israel Again
AP reports, "Iran's hard-line president, who once called for Israel to be 'wiped off the map,' again sparked a barrage of international criticism Thursday, saying the Jewish state should be moved to Europe and questioning whether the Holocaust took place." [Rumors of War/Persia, Matthew 24:6/Ezekiel 38:5]

Yahoo News - China Confirms New Human Case of Bird Flu
AP reports, "A 10-year-old girl in southern China has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus, the government said Tuesday, making her the country's fourth human bird flu case." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Netanyahu Backs Pre-Emptive Strike on Iran
AP reports, "Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in remarks published Monday that he would support a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear program." [Rumors of War & Persia, Matthew 24:6 & Ezekiel 38:5]

Yahoo News - Iran confident in nuclear row with West
Reuters reports, "Iran is confident enough of its diplomatic position to risk a major confrontation with the United States and Europe over its nuclear program, a U.S. report said. The report, by the government-funded but independent United States Institute of Peace, said the outcome of the standoff would depend on whether Washington and its allies could remain united, including on the issue of possible sanctions." [Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Yahoo News - Islamic Jihad Suicide Bomber Kills Five
AP reports, "A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up among shoppers outside a mall Monday, killing at least five people and putting pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for a tough response ahead of a fierce election campaign."

Yahoo News - Quake Buries Children in Rubble in Congo
AP reports, "A powerful earthquake Monday toppled dozens of homes and buried children in rubble in eastern Congo, killing at least two people in a region already beset by chronic violence and grinding poverty. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, struck at 2:20 p.m. (7:20 a.m. EST) and was centered beneath Lake Tanganyika on the Congo-Tanzania border, about 600 miles southwest of Nairobi, Kenya, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

My Way News - Zimbabwe Signs U.N. Food Aid Agreement

AP reports, "Zimbabwe signed an agreement Thursday with the United Nations food agency to feed at least 3 million people after previously denying major shortages in the troubled southern African country." [Famine, Matthew 24:7]

My Way News - U.N. Official Appeals for Quake Aid Funds

AP reports, "The World Food Program chief appealed Saturday for urgent funds to keep an airlift flying to quake-ravaged areas through the winter, calling it 'the most difficult' logistical task the U.N. agency has ever faced." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

My Way News - Pope and Abbas Discuss Middle East Peace
AP reports, "Pope Benedict XVI met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday and stressed the need to integrate all Palestinians in the peace process, the Vatican said - an apparent reference to extremist elements blamed for recent violence." [Covenant With Many, Daniel 9:27]

My Way News - Russia: Weapons to Iran for Defense Only

AP reports, "Russia's weapons sales to Iran are purely for defensive purposes, a government spokesman said Saturday, in response to reports that Russia was selling $1 billion worth of weapons to Iran."

My Way News - Iran Moves Closer to Blocking Inspections

AP reports, "Iran's hard-line constitutional watchdog approved a bill Saturday blocking international inspections of atomic facilities if the nation is referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, state-run television reported."

My Way News - Key al-Qaida Leader Killed in Pakistan

AP reports, "One of al-Qaida's top five leaders, said to be responsible for planning overseas strikes, was killed by Pakistani security forces in a rocket attack near the Afghan border with U.S. help, American and Pakistani officials said Saturday." [Wars and Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - Russia Reportedly to Sell Missiles to Iran
AP reports, "Russia has agreed to sell more than $1 billion worth of missiles and other defense systems to Iran, Russian news media reported Friday, a move expected to draw a heated reaction from the United States....On Friday, Israel carried out a successful test of its Arrow missile defense system, intercepting and destroying a missile similar to Iran's long-range Shahab-3." [Persia/Iran, Ezekiel 38:5]

Yahoo News - Nations Promote Awareness on AIDS Day
AP reports, "About 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 3 million of them are expected to die of AIDS this year. Africa, with only 10 percent of the world's population, suffers over half of its HIV infections." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - A Decade of Discovery: Sun-Watching SOHO Turns Ten
Space.com reports, "The Sun-watching SOHO spacecraft turns 10 this Friday, Dec. 10, having survived a trio of near-death experiences and outlasted its original mission timeline by eight years." :: Humans now have the technology to monitor changes in solar activity and predict changes to the Earth, a capability relatively new to the species. We are poised to observe major signs in the sun. [Signs in the Sun, Luke 21:25]

Yahoo News - Busy hurricane season ends, but get used to it
Reuters reports, "The busiest and costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record finally ends on Wednesday but meteorologists cautioned that it may be years before the tropical Atlantic settles down." [Roaring Seas, Luke 21:25]

My Way News - Strong Earthquake Rattles Iran, Killing 10

AP reports, "An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 5.9 shook a sparsely populated area of southern Iran on Sunday, flattening seven villages, killing 10 people and injuring 70, officials and state-run television said. The temblor was felt as far away as Oman and the United Arab Emirates." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

My Way News - Smooth Debut for Palestinian-Run Border
AP reports, "It was a smooth debut Saturday for the first Palestinian-run border. Hundreds of travelers zipped through passport control without having to submit to Israeli security checks, savoring their new freedom after 38 years of military occupation."

CBS News - Earthquake in Central China Kills 14
AP reports, "An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 5.5 shook part of central China on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and injuring nearly 400." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

My Way News - U.N. Says Some HIV Rates Are Decreasing
AP reports, "HIV infection rates are starting to decrease consistently in some countries for the first time, indicating that prevention programs set up over the last five years are finally yielding results, the United Nations said. However, the AIDS virus continues to expand its reach, with the estimated number of people living with the virus now passing 40 million, according to this year's AIDS epidemic update report, published Monday by the United Nations." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

ABC News - Sharon Quits Likud to Pursue Peacemaking
AP reports, "Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he gambled and broke away from his hardline Likud Party because he did not want to squander peacemaking opportunities created by Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip or waste time with political wrangling." This is an event with far-reaching implications for prospects for Mideast peace. [Covenant with Many, Daniel 9:27]

My Way News - Quake Off Indonesia Triggers Tsunami Alert
AP is reporting, "An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.2 struck off the coast of Sumatra on Saturday, triggering a tsunami alert, officials said. There were no immediate reports of a tsunami, damages or casualties." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - Report: China Arrests Priests, Seminarians
AP is reporting that, "Chinese authorities have arrested a priest and 10 seminarians from that nation's underground Roman Catholic Church, a Vatican-affiliated news agency said Friday." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

Agape Press - Gospel for Asia Responds To Unbiblical Teaching
Preparations are being made for next year's launch of an evangelical Christian television network based in India. The network, called Yathra TV or "Spiritual Journey," is being spearheaded by Gospel for Asia (GFA), a ministry that trains and equips native missionaries to share the gospel... throughout India as well as other Asian countries. [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24: 14]

SpaceWeather - Big Sunspot
SpaceWeather.Com reports that, "An impressive sunspot, "NOAA 822," has appeared on the Earth-facing side of the sun. Measured from end to end, it is wider than Jupiter, and it is crackling with M-class (medium-sized) solar flares. So far none of the explosions has hurled a coronal mass ejection toward Earth. Geomagnetic storms and auroras are possible, however, if this 'spot unleashes a major flare in the days ahead." [Signs in the Sun, Luke 21:25]

Yahoo News - China Confirms First Human Bird-Flu Cases
AP reports, "China reported its first human cases of bird flu on the mainland Wednesday, including at least one fatality, as health workers armed with vaccine and disinfectant raced to inoculate billions of chickens and other poultry in a massive campaign to contain the virus." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Panel: No Religious Freedom in N. Korea
AP reports, "There is no freedom of religion in North Korea although there are four churches in the capital of Pyongyang, where some elderly people worship, an independent federal commission reported Tuesday. All religion was suppressed a half-century ago by founding ruler Kim Il Sung, whose son and successor, Kim Jong Il, has made worshipping his father a quasi-religious cult, said David Hawk, a human rights advocate and author of the report." [Persecution, Matthew 24:8; False Christs Matthew 24:4]

CNN - Japan quake prompts tsunami alert
AP reports, "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 has struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan's main island, the US Geological Survey says." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Seattle Post - Muslim Crowd Burns Two Pakistan Churches
AP is reporting that churches are being burned in Pakistan, "Hundreds of Muslims attacked and burned two churches in Pakistan on Saturday after reports that a Christian man had desecrated Islam's holy book. No one was injured in the blazes. A school, student hostel and the home of a priest were also torched by the crowd of about 1,500 Muslims near the town of Sangla Hill, about 80 miles northeast of Lahore..." :: Let's pray for believers in Pakistan. [Persecution, Matthew 24:8]

My Way News - Amman Long Viewed As Prime Terror Target

AP reports, "Jordan's capital has long been a prime target for al-Qaida terror strikes, both because it serves as a gateway to Iraq for U.S. workers and because terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi holds strong hatred for his homeland's rulers." [War & Aman, Matthew 24:6 & Daniel 11:41]

My Way News - Suicide Bombers Kill 57 at Jordan Hotels

AP reports, "Suicide bombers carried out nearly simultaneous attacks on three U.S.-based hotels in the Jordanian capital Wednesday night, killing at least 57 people and wounding 115 in what appeared to be an al-Qaida assault on an Arab kingdom with close ties to the United States." [War & Aman, Matthew 24:6 & Daniel 11:41]

Guardian Unlimited - State Dept. Cites Saudi Arabia on Rights
A report on the release of the annual U.S. State Department report on religious freedom:

The State Department cited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for denying religious freedom to non-Muslims and found fault to a lesser degree with other allies including Israel, Belgium, France, Germany and Pakistan...Burma was accused of severe violations of religious freedom. China was
faulted for showing insufficient respect for freedom of religion, Cuba for controlling and monitoring religious activities, and North Korea for not permitting religious freedom at all. Listed as hostile toward minority or nonapproved religions were Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, as well as Saudi Arabia. The State Department said that in Iran, Sunni Muslims, Bahais, Jews and Christians reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation and discrimination based on religious belief.Burma was accused of severe violations of religious freedom. China was faulted for showing insufficient respect for freedom of religion, Cuba for
controlling and monitoring religious activities, and North Korea for not permitting religious freedom at all. Listed as hostile toward minority or nonapproved religions were Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, as well as Saudi Arabia. The State Department said that in Iran, Sunni Muslims, Bahais, Jews and
Christians reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation and discrimination based on religious belief.

More info can be found on the State Department website. Let's agree to pray for the persecuted church in these countries, that they will persevere and continue to shine the light of hope amid dark oppression. [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

My Way News - Archaeologists Unveil Ancient Church Site
AP reports, "The discovery of the church in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, was hailed by experts as an important discovery that could reveal details about the development of the early church in the region. Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century, decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire."

Yahoo News - Big Meteor Shower Puts on Show in Alaska
AP reports, "A spectacular sky show is playing over Alaska this month as Earth passes through the fiery remnants of a comet. Fireballs and bright streaks of light seen in the sky around Anchorage Thursday were part of the Taurid meteor shower, the annual spray of comet dust over the Earth's upper atmosphere, according to a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist." [Signs and Wonders in the Heavens, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - U.S. Launches Major Offensive in Iraq
AP is reporting, "American and Iraqi forces launched a major offensive Saturday near the porous Syrian border aimed at destroying al-Qaida in Iraq's ability to smuggle foreign fighters, money and equipment through the region." [Wars and Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Prophecy News Open Line
Prophecy News Open Line is a blog devoted to posting links to news reports relating to the unfolding of Bible prophecy. Our parent blog, Prophecy News, has a team of members who are dedicated to doing this, but the difference here is that the Open Line is available for public posting, anyone can make a post.

I invite the regular readers of Prophecy News to take advantage of this open invitation to participate in tracking news events and discussion how they relate to Bible prophecy. We are interesting in links to breaking news from professional mainstream and Christian news sources on the following: wars and rumors of war; famine; pestilence; signs in the heavens, sun, moon and stars; false prophets and false christs; religious persecution; Mideast peace; identity verification technology and commerce technology; global government; and the status of Jerusalem.

Frequent posters to the Open Line who demonstrate high standards and quality posts will be invited to join the established team at Prophecy News. To post to the Open Line, sign in to Blogger using "apoc2012" as your user ID and "pnbnews" as your password. It goes without saying (but I will anyway) that this is a Christian forum and all inappropriate posts will be deleted without comment. Don't forget to sign your posts since you will be using the same user ID as everyone else. Let the Open Line experiment begin!

Yahoo News - Deadly bomb technology enters Iraq from Iran
AP reports, "Sophisticated technology and explosives to make improvised bombs killing U.S. and other troops in Iraq are apparently entering the country virtually unhindered from Iran, a senior British general said on Friday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

NASA - Fireball Sightings
According to NASA, "Earth is orbiting through a swarm of space debris that may be producing an unusual number of nighttime fireballs." [Signs in the Heavens, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Asian Quake Death Toll Jumps Past 73,000
AP reports, "Pakistan's official earthquake death toll jumped by 16,000, and officials warned Wednesday that it is likely to rise further as relief supplies fail to reach thousands of victims stranded in remote parts of the Himalayas." :: The scale of this disaster is just incredible. [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - China Tightens Monitoring for Bird Flu
AP reports, "China ordered tighter monitoring for bird flu and more aggressive vaccine research Wednesday while a U.S. envoy urged caution in banning poultry imports, saying excessive steps could discourage nations from reporting outbreaks." :: It is encouraging to see the international community taking this threat seriously. [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Nokia Launches 3 New Multimedia Handsets
AP reports, "Nokia Corp., the world's top mobile phone maker, launched three new multimedia handsets Wednesday that let users watch TV, play music and swap content between electronic devices at home." :: What we are anticipating here is a future in which people can witness global news events happen no matter where they are, even if they are not in front of a TV. In the future, you will be able to receive and send audio, text and video using your mobile media device. [Interactive Global Community, Rev 11:9]

My Way News - Syrian Government Quietly Weighs Next Move
AP reports, "President Bashar Assad's regime, facing a last chance to cooperate in the probe of a former Lebanese prime minister's assassination, quietly weighed its next moves Tuesday as the chief U.N. investigator returned to the Middle East, where he is expected to demand that the Syrian leader and some close relatives submit to questioning." [Damascus & Rumors of War, Isaiah 17:1 & Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - Australia Receives Threat of Terror Attack
AP reports, "Australian authorities have received specific intelligence that terrorists are planning an attack on the country, Prime Minister John Howard said Wednesday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - Bush Outlines $7.1B Flu-Fighting Strategy
How would the U.S. deal with a bird flu pandemic? Here is the answer, from the AP: "President Bush outlined a $7.1 billion strategy Tuesday to prepare for a possible worldwide super-flu outbreak, aiming to overhaul the vaccine industry so eventually every American could be inoculated within six months of a pandemic's beginning." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - U.N. Council Divided Over Syria Resolution
AP reports, "The United States, France and Britain remained at odds with Russia and China Sunday on a tough U.N. resolution demanding that Syria cooperate with a probe into the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister or face possible sanctions." [Damascus & Rumors of War, Isaiah 17:1 & Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - Israelis, Palestinians to Cease Fighting
AP reports, "Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to halt nearly a week of fighting after militant groups pledged to halt rocket fire on southern Israeli towns, Palestinian officials said Sunday."

My Way News - Three School Girls Beheaded in Indonesia
AP reports, "Unidentified assailants attacked a group of high school girls on Saturday in Indonesia's tense province of Central Sulawesi, beheading three and seriously wounding another, police said. The students from a private Christian high school were ambushed while walking...to class...the heads of three victims were found several miles from their bodies. Two were left near a police station and another in front of a newly built Christian church." [Persecution, Matthew 24:8]

Yahoo News - Iran Leader Reiterates Anti-Israel Stance
AP reports, "Iran's ultraconservative president — spurning international outrage over his remarks about Israel — joined more than a million demonstrators who flooded the streets of the capital and other major cities Friday to back his call for the destruction of the Jewish state." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]"

Miami Herald - 'Left Behind' screened in 3,200 churches
The latest installment in the film version of the blockbuster Left Behind book series is being screened in churches and will soon be available to consumers. Don't be left behind, see it today.

Yahoo News - Israel Wants Iran Expelled From U.N.
AP reports, "Israel's vice prime minister said Iran should be expelled from the United Nations after its new president said Israel should be "wiped off the map," and Britain summoned an Iranian diplomat Thursday to protest the remarks."

Yahoo News - Arab States Mum on Iran's Israel Remarks
AP reports, "Arab governments remained silent Thursday as international condemnation grew over a call by Iran's new president for Israel to be destroyed." :: I guess they are not so keen on the two-state solution after all. [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Yahoo News - New Passports Will Have High-Tech Features
AP reports, "The State Department said Tuesday that it's adding two security features to the new electronic passports that it will start issuing in December...all new U.S. passports issued by the end of this year are supposed to have a microchip containing the holders' name, nationality, sex, birth date, place of birth, issuing office and a biometric identifier — a digital photograph." :: Ok, so this is not the MOTB (Rev 13:16-18), but mandatory identification is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Yahoo News - Blast Kills 5 Israelis, Erodes Peace Hopes
AP reports, "A 20-year-old Palestinian blacksmith blew himself up at a falafel stand in an open-air market Wednesday, killing five Israelis and wounding more than 30 in the deadliest attack in the country in more than three months." [Battle for Jerusalem, Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Zechariah 14; Luke 21:2]

Space War - Iranian's 'Wipe Israel Off Map' Words Prompt Sharp World Response
AFP reports, "Widespread condemnation greeted remarks Wednesday by Iran's president that Israel should be wiped of the map, with Jerusalem seeing Teheran as a "clear and present danger" and Washington renewing concern about the Islamic Republic's nuclear aims." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Remote Control Works on Humans

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20051025163809990030&ncid=NWS00010000000001

By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP

ATSUGI, Japan (Oct. 26) - We wield remote controls to turn things on and off, make them advance, make them halt. Ground-bound pilots use remotes to fly drone airplanes, soldiers to maneuver battlefield robots.

But manipulating humans?

Prepare to be remotely controlled. I was.

Just imagine being rendered the rough equivalent of a radio-controlled toy car.

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp., Japans top telephone company, says it is developing the technology to perhaps make video games more realistic. But more sinister applications also come to mind.

I can envision it being added to militaries' arsenals of so-called "non-lethal'' weapons.

A special headset was placed on my cranium by my hosts during a recent demonstration at an NTT research center. It sent a very low voltage electric current from the back of my ears through my head - either from left to right or right to left, depending on which way the joystick on a remote-control was moved...

...Timothy Hullar, assistant professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., believes finding the right way to deliver an electromagnetic field to the ear at a distance could turn the technology into a weapon for situations where "killing isn't the best solution.''

"This would be the most logical situation for a nonlethal weapon that presumably would make your opponent dizzy,'' he said via e-mail. "If you find just the right frequency, energy, duration of application, you would hope to find something that doesn't permanently injure someone but would allow you to make someone temporarily off-balance.''

Indeed, a small defense contractor in Texas, Invocon Inc., is exploring whether precisely tuned electromagnetic pulses could be safely fired into people's ears to temporarily subdue them...

Yahoo News - Egypt Police Guard Churches After Riots
"Thousands of police manned barricades around Christian churches in Egypt's second largest city Saturday, a day after Muslim rioters attacked churches and shops, leaving four people dead in the country's worst religious violence in five years." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

Yahoo News - Bush Confident of Arab-Israeli Peace
According to this AP report, President Bush has conceded that a comprehensive Middle East peace agreement may not take place on his watch, but he will keep working toward that goal. [Covenant With Many, Daniel 9:27]

My Way News -
Bush Calls for U.N. Action Against Syria
"President Bush on Friday said the U.N. should deal quickly and seriously with a report implicating Syria in the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, a killing that led to protests and withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after nearly 30 years as overlord...In Damascus, Syrian leaders dismissed the findings, and the government of President Bashar Assad prepared to fight growing Western sentiment to punish it with economic sanctions." [Damascus & Rumors of War, Isaiah 17:1 & Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - Starbucks stirs things up with a God quote on cups
This USA Today report reveals the many surprising ways that Christian owned and operated businesses are adding a Bible based message with their products. Praise the Lord and pass the latte! [Gospel Preached to all Nations, Matthew 24:14]

Yahoo News - 'God Bloggers' Head to National Conference
Christians are finding news ways to share the Good News: blogging. Yes, using blogs (just like this one) Christians have found yet another tool to present the message of salvation. This AP news report talks about the first national conference for "God bloggers" being held now at Biola University. More information on the conference can be found on the official "GodBlogCon 2005" website. [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24:14]

Haaretz - Israel News - The Bible - a foreign language:
"The Bible - a foreign language

By Avirama GolanWhat a humiliating ping-pong High School Bible studies have undergone. First they were reduced, then they were turned into an optional subject, and this week, after protests erupted from all those appalled by the prospective disengagement between Jewish students and their culture's founding text, they were restored to the mandatory curriculum. Just as has happened with literature and other humanities...

...Now, in their time of crisis, the settlers are moving closer to ultra-Orthodoxy and abandoning the entire Israeli canon. The Bible, along with Natan Alterman, are giving way to the Talmud, and "faith-based" Hebrew is replacing the rich, multilayered Biblical tongue."

Las Vegas SUN: Vatican Moves to Oversee Gay Priests
: "Vatican Moves to Oversee Gay Priests


By BRIAN MURPHY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

For more than four decades, the Roman Catholic Church has followed both the rules and reality concerning gay priests.
The Vatican - as far back as 1961 - has made it clear they are not wanted. But many seminaries continued to tolerate what one conservative theologian calls a 'lavender subculture' that's brought perhaps thousands of homosexual men to ordination.
Now those parallel worlds are coming under new and uncomfortable scrutiny.
The Vatican is putting the finishing touches on a document that strengthens its view that gay orientation and the priesthood are essentially incompatible. But the text - which could be released as early as next month - reportedly will not impose a blanket ban on gay priests. Instead, it may demand years of chastity before entering seminary and prohibit any public acts deemed to support the sexually active gay community.
If true, the Congregation for Catholic Education will be mostly bolstering existing Vatican positions rather than shutting the door completely on gay clerics as many liberal Catholics have feared. The question then becomes: What message is the Vatican hoping to send?"

BREITBART.COM - Just The News: "Exorcism Course Continues at Vatican
Oct 14 11:20 AM US/Eastern

ROME

A Vatican-recognized university is offering a course in exorcism and demonic possession for a second year, concerned about the devil's lure _ particularly among young Italians. Standing in solemn prayer, around 120 priests, lay people and theology students began the course that is intended to clear up misconceptions and understand what makes people turn to the occult. The opening class of the 'Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation' on Thursday at the Pontifical Academy Regina Apostolorum featured lectures about liturgical and spiritual aspects of Satanism and problems related to exorcism. 'The aim of this course is to express a clear vision of the phenomenon,' said Italian Bishop Andrea Gemma, a leading exorcist who delivered the opening lecture. 'Exorcism ... is an important prayer of the church to help those who believe to be, or who really are suffering from a diabolic infestation,' he told his audience. Lectures, which will be broadcast via video to other pontifical institutes, focus on subjects that range from theological and historical aspects of Satanism to legal and medical issues. The course is being offered for the second year, after an introductory session was held on February. Pope Benedict XVI welcomed a large group of Italian exorcists who visited the Vatican on Sept. 14 and encouraged them to carry on in their work 'in the service of the church.' Exorcism, the Roman Catholic rite in which demons are expelled from 'possessed' persons, is usually administered by priests with the permission of a bishop. 'Devil's action is much more common than people may think,' Gemma said, adding that he performs at least four exorcisms a week. He also said that youngsters were particularly at risk. A former papal aide, the late Cardinal Jacques Martin, wrote in his memoirs that Pope John Paul II performed the exorcism rite in 1982, on an Italian woman who was screaming and writhing. When the first course opened in February, Italy was gripped by a gruesome case in which members of a Satanic sect being investigated in the deaths of three people. Two people were later convicted in the murders, which occurred in woods near Milan. In recent years, police have discovered sites in the Castelli hill towns outside Rome where they say Satanic cult followers hold black Masses. The Rev. Gabriele Nanni, an exorcist and lecturer of the course, told The Associated Press that there are four widely accepted signs of possession, such as 'speaking in unknown languages, showing a disproportionate physical strength beyond one's natural capacity, the repulsion to sacred things such as crucifix and prayers and knowledge of events that have happened far away, in terms of times and places.' Some of the signs were depicted in the 1973 movie, 'The Exorcist.' Students received a paper detailing a 10-point guide to recognize and prevent interest in the occult. It included a suggestion to parents to monitor whether their children were wearing strange pendants or T- shirts, if they listen to loud music on their home stereos, or watch too many horror movies. "

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/12/rfid_protest

Texans battle RFID-driven black helicopters

Anti-RFID protestors will on Saturday descend on a Dallas Wal-Mart to protest against the company's use of RFID chips and alleged corporate plans to use the technology to secretly track consumers.

Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) reckons that, contrary to business claims that RFID is simply a way of improving stock control and warehousing procedures, 'companies like Procter & Gamble, BellSouth, NCR, Phillips, Intel, Accenture, Texas Instruments, and IBM have blueprinted ways to track consumers and their purchases through 'spychips' in everyday objects slated for the shelves of retailers like Wal-Mart'."

Good Lord. That, at least, is according to CASPIAN founder and director Katherine Albrecht, whose snappily-titled book, Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID, issues dire warnings over potential abuses of RFID.

Albrecht explains: "This technology poses serious risks to privacy and civil liberties. We have evidence that major corporations have developed ways to register products to individuals and secretly track them after purchase. Businesses have dismissed consumer concerns by characterizing RFID as an 'improved bar code,' but RFID is far more dangerous.

"These RFID spychips can be read silently from a distance, right through your clothes, wallet, backpack or purse by anyone with the right reader device. Already these companies have developed ways to use RFID tags embedded in credit cards and sewn into clothing to identify and track people."

My Way News - Tests Confirm Deadly Bird Flu in Romania
"Tests have confirmed a link between the bird flu found in Romania and the deadly virus that has devastated flocks in Asia and turned up in Turkey, the European Commission said Saturday." :: I think it's important to stress that no one has died from bird flu in Romania, they are just following the progress of the outbreak in birds. [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]