Yahoo News - U.S. resolution would disarm Hezbollah
AP reports, "The United States is planning to introduce a new U.N. resolution on disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, but U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Monday this should not hold up the quick deployment of U.N. peacekeepers."

Yahoo News - Iran denies U.N. inspectors site access
AP reports, "Iran turned away U.N. inspectors from an underground site meant to shelter its uranium enrichment program from attack, diplomats said Monday, while the country's supreme leader insisted Tehran will not give up its contentious nuclear technology." [Persia/Iran, Ezekiel 38:5]

The Australian - RFID to track inmates:

The contract will be awarded this week for the construction of the first prison in Australasia to use radio frequency identification to track prisoners. The ACT government has allocated $128.7 million for the establishment of ACT's first prison, the Alexander Maconochie Centre, named after the 19th century penal reformer. The RFID system will provide real-time tracking of prisoners and prison officers, ACT Corrective Service senior manager Roger Holding says.

MyWay News - Arab Nations Urge New Israeli Peace Plan
AP reports, "Worried the Lebanon war has given a boost to Iran and militants in the region, three U.S. allies in the Mideast are spearheading an Arab effort to present a plan for reviving the stalled peace process and talks with Israel." [Covenant With Many, Ezekiel 38:7-13; Daniel 9:27]

MyWay News - Lebanon Gives Warning After Israeli Raid
AP reports, "Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep inside Lebanon Saturday, sparking a fierce clash with militants that killed one Israeli. Lebanon called the raid a 'flagrant violation' of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire, while Israel said it was aimed at disrupting arms shipments from Iran and Syria."

Yahoo News - U.N. gets 3,500 troops for Mideast force
AP reports, "The United Nations got pledges Thursday of 3,500 troops for an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, but it was unclear whether the soldiers represented the right mix of countries and units and could deploy very quickly."

Yahoo News - Strong earthquake rattles eastern Russia
AP reports, "A strong earthquake shook the eastern Russian province of Sakhalin, rattling parts of northern Japan early Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, Japanese officials said. The Meteorological Agency said the magnitude 6.0 quake posed no fear of tsunami — huge waves caused by undersea disturbances or volcanic activities." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - N.Korea might be preparing nuclear test: media
Reuters reports, "Reclusive North Korea, which last month defied the international community by test-firing missiles, could now be preparing its first test of a nuclear bomb, U.S. media cited U.S. officials as saying." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

In this Washington Post op-ed, former Mideast negotiator Dennis Ross examines the Syrian role in the latest effort at securing Mideast peace. Will Syria go along with disarming Hezbollah? [Doomed Damascus, Isaiah 17:1]

My Way News - Rockets Hit Lebanon Despite Cease-Fire
AP reports:

Tens of thousands of Lebanese jammed bomb-cratered roads Monday as they returned to still-smoldering scenes of destruction after a tenuous cease-fire ended 34 days of vicious combat between Israel and Hezbollah. Highlighting the fragility of the peace, Hezbollah guerrillas fired at least 10 Katyusha rockets that landed in southern Lebanon early Tuesday, the Israeli army said, adding that nobody was injured. The army said that none of the rockets, which were fired over a two-hour period, had crossed the border and so it had not responded.

Good move, if Israel does not respond to such minor provocations it will be clear who is violating the cease-fire.

Asbury Park Press - Iran becomes the latest player in prophecy, end-times speculation
I’m still not used to scanning news headlines for news related to Bible prophecy and finding news reports, like this one from the AP, about Bible prophecy. Weird.

MyWayNews - Israel Suffers Highest 1-Day Toll of War
AP reports, "More Israeli troops surged into southern Lebanon on Saturday, reaching the Litani River and engaging in some of the heaviest combat of the monthlong war just hours after the U.N. Security Council adopted a cease-fire plan. Israel lost 19 soldiers - its highest one-day toll."


MyWayNews - Analysis: for Israel, an Imperfect Deal
AP reports, "For Israel, the U.N. cease-fire deal is far from perfect. A U.N. force deploying in south Lebanon as part of the truce will have trouble keeping Hezbollah at bay for long or prevent the Iranian-supplied guerrillas from rearming, critics said, pointing to past failures of international peacekeepers."

Comment: So this conflict seems to be nearing a conclusion of sorts, one that allows Hezbollah to continue to exist as an armed militia. This can't be what Israel intended. The important thing to note, from a BP standpoint, is that we will now have a large international military force stationed near Jerusalem. We will also now see a renewed international effort to broker a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The covenant with many? Stay tuned.

Yahoo News - U.S. to roll out electronic passports
AP reports, "Despite ongoing privacy concerns and legal disputes involving companies bidding on the project, the U.S. State Department plans to begin issuing smart chip-embedded passports to Americans as planned Monday."

Comment: Again, just a reminder that this is not the mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18), just some interesting tech trends we are watching. The Book of Revelation specifies several conditions that must exist before the mark of the beast is imposed and none of them exist right now, so you should have no fear about getting a chipped passport. Well, have no spiritual fear, there may be ID theft concerns, but that is beyond my area.

Yahoo News - Analysis: Plot may have been 9/11 sequel
AP reports, "The plot had been in the works for months, and its goal was horrific. One after another, planes would have exploded in the sky, sending hundreds of men, women and children to their deaths. Counterterrorism officials said Thursday the plan thwarted in London appears to bear the fingerprints of al-Qaida, and may even have been 'the Big One' they have been dreading since Sept. 11, 2001, particularly as the five-year anniversary of the attacks on the United States approaches." [Wars and Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Half million flee as super typhoon approaches China
Reuters reports, "A super typhoon, gathering strength all the time, was heading directly for east China on Thursday and was expected to hit within hours after forcing the evacuation of nearly half a million people." [Roaring Seas, Luke 21:25]

Increase in dengue fever among U.S. travelers
AP reports, "Dengue fever has increased among U.S. travelers, with 96 cases reported in 2005, compared to 98 cases in the previous five years combined, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

WorldNetDaily: Stockpiling Jews for Jesus

Columnist Vox Day replies to non-Christians who somehow think that we Christians are trying to accelerate the Tribulation. He points out--from Scripture, no less--that the date of the Final Battle is already fixed.

Yahoo News - Afghanistan deports Christian Koreans
AP reports, "Afghanistan ordered hundreds of South Korean Christians to leave the country, accusing them Thursday of seeking to undermine its Islamic culture." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

Yahoo News/AP - Ahmadinejad: Destroy Israel, end crisis: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday the solution to the Middle East crisis is to destroy Israel.

Yahoo News - Church members detained in China
AP reports, "Police scuffled with members of an underground Catholic church in northern China who were protesting the detention of two clergymen, seriously injuring at least two people, a U.S. group said Thursday. [...] China permits worship only in such official churches. Millions more Catholics worship in unauthorized 'house churches.' The government frequently harasses and arrests followers and clergy of the underground church." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

UPI - Police bar Jews from Temple Mount: In spite of a court order, police in Jerusalem have barred non-Muslims from the Temple Mount during the holiday marking the destruction of the Temple.

Jerusalem Post - Court allow Temple Mount Faithful to enter Mount
J Post reports, "The High Court of Justice ruled Monday that members of the fringe Temple Mount Faithful can enter the Temple Mount on Thursday during a Jewish fast day, but barred the group's leader from even approaching the Jerusalem holy site, police and the group said." [Temple Mount/Holy Place, Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4]

Yahoo News - Sirens part of Indonesian warning system
AP reports, "The Indonesian government will install 500 sirens on cellular phone towers this year as part of a tsunami warning system for coastal residents, a senior official said Tuesday.[...] The December 2004 Asian tsunami killed more than 213,000 people — some 130,000 in Indonesia." [Roaring Seas, Luke 21:25]

Yahoo News - China church demolition leads to clash
AP reports, "Police clashed with 3,000 Christians protesting the forced demolition of a partially built church in eastern China, leaving four people with serious injuries, a human rights group said Monday. [...] The clash appears to have been one of the largest-scale confrontations in recent years between police and Christian worshippers." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

Jerusalem Post - IDF prepared for attack by Syria
JPost reports, "While Israel is not interested in opening a front against Syria, the IDF will respond harshly and with its full might if President Bashar Assad decides to attack Israel, a high-raking IDF officer in the Northern Command told The Jerusalem Post Sunday." [Doomed Damascus, Isaiah 17:1]

Al-Qaida's No. 2 Leader Threatens Attacks
AP reports, "Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader called Thursday for Muslims to unite in a holy war against Israel and to join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from `Spain to Iraq.'[...] Addressing the world's `downtrodden,' al-Zawahri said non-Muslims should join Islamic militants in the battle against `tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America.'" [Wars and Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Bird flu kills Thai youth amid new outbreaks
Reuters reports, "A 17-year-old Thai has died of the H5N1 bird flu virus, the country's 15th death since the virus swept across parts of Asia in late 2003, a senior health official said on Wednesday." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Oxfam: Emergency food aid failing Africa
AP reports, "Governments and aid groups are failing Africa by giving emergency food donations instead of addressing the causes of hunger crises, Oxfam said in a report released Monday.[...] This year, a prolonged drought in East Africa is causing millions to go hungry." [Famine, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - U.S. missionaries ministered to captors
AP reports, "Two U.S. missionaries held hostage for five days in Haiti spent their captivity in a sweltering makeshift cell praying and even ministering to their kidnappers, one of the men said Friday." [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24:14]

3,000 Americans emigrate--to Israel!

Any other people would be fleeing a war-torn country like Israel. But 3,000 American Jews are perfoming the exercise known as making aliyah, which literally means "going up" in Hebrew. Add to it that casualties from the rocket barrages have been miraculously light (yes, it is indeed a miracle) and you have yet another sign that the Final Week of Daniel will soon begin.

Yahoo News - Israel preparing Lebanon ground offensive
AP reports, "Israel has decided air power alone will not be enough to drive Hezbollah back from the Israeli-Lebanon border and that a ground force will be needed to establish a zone that is at least 20 miles deep, senior military officials said Thursday."

Yahoo News - Syria isolated but busy with refugees
AP reports on the latest from Damascus (Isaiah 17:1):

Damascus ignored President Bush's expression of disgust with its regime — overheard by accident at the G-8 summit. The quiet masks Syria's role at the heart of the flare-up in Mideast violence. Its alliance with Iran and both countries' strong backing for Hezbollah pit them sharply against much of the West and also their Arab neighbors.

If you are looking for a quick update on the situation in the Middle East, I suggest Mideast Conflict Full Coverage on Yahoo! News for a great list of links to news, commentary and analysis.

Yahoo News - Iran's Hizbollah says ready to attack US, Israel
Reuters reports:

Iran's Hizbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide. [...] Iran's Hizbollah (Party of God) says it is spiritually bound to Shi'ite Muslim guerrillas in Lebanon but its command structure and funding are unclear. [Iran/Persia, Ezekiel 38:5; Wars and Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - Tsunami kills at least 86 on Java island
AP reports that an earthquake (Matthew 24:6) unleashed a tsunami (Luke 21:25) in Indonesia today that killed over 80 people:

A tsunami crashed into beach resorts and fishing villages on Java island Monday, killing at least 86 people and leaving scores missing after bulletins failed to reach the region because no warning system was in place. The coastal area was spared by the devastating Asian tsunami of 2004, but many residents recognized the danger when they saw the sea recede.

Yahoo News - Israel tightens noose around Lebanon
AP reports on the latest developments in the Hezbollah War:

Waves of warplanes thundering through the darkness bombed Beirut's southern suburbs for hours early Sunday, a day after Israel stepped up its air strikes and tightened a noose around this reeling nation.The Israeli air force on Saturday hit strongholds of the Hezbollah Shiite Muslim guerrilla group, bombed central Beirut for the first time, and pounded seaports and a key bridge. Then, after midnight and until 2:30 a.m., about 18 powerful explosions rocked southern Beirut, where Hezbollah is headquartered and much of the air assault has been aimed since cross-border hostilities erupted Wednesday.

Israeli airstrikes were followed by more rockets attacks by Hezbollah, no doubt a cycle that will become increaasingly familiar over the next few days and weeks. Rockets hit as far south as Tiberias near the Sea of Galilee, much farther south than most expected and an ominous development.

Yahoo News - Indonesian man dies from bird flu
AP reports, "A 44-year-old man died of bird flu in Indonesia, a senior health official said Sunday, putting the country on the cusp of being the world's hardest hit by the disease." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News/Reuters - Syria says fully backs Hizbollah against Israel:

Syria will support Hizbollah and Lebanon against Israel's attacks on the country, the ruling Baath Party said on Friday, defying the Jewish state and its chief ally Washington. "The Syrian people are ready to extend full support to the Lebanese people and their heroic resistance to remain steadfast and confront the barbaric Israeli aggression and its crimes," said a communiqué from the party's national command issued after a meeting.

Let's keep a close eye on Damascus (Isaiah 17:1). Syria and Iran have a mutual defense pact and Iran seems to be offering a lot of encouragement to Syria, this could well prompt Syria to make a costly mistake.

Yahoo News/ AFP - Hezbollah declares open war on Israel:

Israel is keeping up its blistering offensive against Lebanon after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared open war in a conflict that appears to be spiralling dangerously out of control despite international calls for restraint. Combat jets bombarded Lebanon in a series of dawn raids, slamming missiles into bridges and petrol stations and killing four people on the fourth day of fighting that has so far claimed the lives of around 90 people on both sides. Emerging unscathed after Israeli air strikes late Friday on his home and office in Hezbollah's southern suburbs, Nasrallah warned: "You wanted an open war, you will get an open war." And in a dramatic new development, Nasrallah boasted that Hezbollah struck an Israeli warship patrolling off the coast of Lebanon, telling his supporters to "watch it burning."

Missile Tech
Given all the talk about missiles raining down on Israel from Lebanon, you may be wondering what kind of missiles they are, what their range is, and what kind of payload they can carry. Check out the Federation of American Scientists website for an overview of the many different kinds of missiles that are out there.

Yahoo News - Iran warns Israel against extending conflict
AFP reports, "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasted that Israel is not powerful enough to take on Iran after warning the Jewish state not to attack regional ally Syria. [...] He was speaking as Israel continued its offensive in Lebanon sparked by the capture Wednesday by Iran- and Syria-backed Hezbollah militiamen of two Israeli soldiers and the killing of eight others." [Iran/Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Wars and Rumors of wars....

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Report: Syrians shoot at Israel
Lebanese sources predict provocation from Damascus
Posted: July 14, 20061:35 p.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein© 2006
WorldNetDaily.com http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51058
AL-ZAURA REGION, Golan Heights – While Israeli military sources in the Golan Heights are reporting Syrian military gunfire directed inside the Jewish state, Lebanese political sources are telling WND they expect a provocation of some kind from Damascus.
Israeli Defense Forces are attempting to determine the exact source of the gunfire. If the source cannot be determined, sources say, Israel may choose to ignore or officially deny it occurred in an effort to avoid widening what is rapidly becoming a regional conflict.

Yahoo News - Iran warns Israel not to attack Syria
Reuters reports, "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday an Israeli strike on Syria would be considered an attack on the whole Islamic world that would bring a 'fierce response,' state television reported." [Doomed Damascus, Isaiah 17:1]

Yahoo News - Israel blasts Beirut's airport,highways
AP reports, "Israel unleashed a furious military campaign on Lebanon's main airport, highways, military bases and other targets Thursday, retaliating for scores of Hezbollah guerrilla rockets that rained down on Israel and reached as far as Haifa, its third-largest city, for the first time."

European Missile Shield?
The EUobserver reports, "NATO headquarters have been warming up to the idea of a Europe-wide missile defence system, with the alliance's ambassadors set to debate a report arguing in favour of such a scheme."

I wonder if they might cover Israel under their missile shield under certain circumstances?

Yahoo News - Agency hacking said to originate in Asia
AP reports on a rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) or rather, cyber-war: Computer break-ins at the State Department that caused broad disruptions in recent weeks apparently originated in the East Asia-Pacific region, a department spokesman said Wednesday.

WaPo - Cyber-Savvy Pastors Blog When the Spirit Moves Them
The Washington Post reports on how some churches and pastors are using the latest internet technology to share the gospel (Matthew 24:14):

Reaching out to younger generations has long been one of the major challenges for ministers, but hundreds think they have found an answer in blogging. A growing number are taking the Gospel to the Web hoping to get people thinking daily about faith. Many pastors say blogging has become an increasingly integral part of their ministry as they attempt to reverse the decline in church attendance by people in their twenties and thirties.

Pajamas blog offers a great roundup of links related to events in the Mideast.

CNN - Israel sends tanks into Lebanon after Hezbollah attack:

Hezbollah guerrillas killed seven Israeli soldiers and captured two more Wednesday, prompting Israeli airstrikes and military raids inside southern Lebanon, Israeli officials said [...] Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by the United States and Israel but is a significant player in Lebanon's fractious politics.

This is a very serious matter, when one state attacks another, I hope Lebanon is prepared for the consequences of this attack. Labanon was only recently freed from the yoke of Syrian occupation, it would be a shame for them to lose lives or territory because of the work of terrorist agents operating from within their country.

Russia & Bible Prophecy
As Russia assumes a leadership role at the upcoming G8 Summit, UPI takes a look at the enigma of Russian power (SpaceWar - Is Russia Strong Or Weak?):

"Russia is never as strong as she looks; Russia is never as weak as she looks." This quotation, or ones similar to it, have been attributed to Talleyrand, Metternich, and Churchill. In May 2002, Putin pronounced a modified version of it (which he attributed to Churchill): "Russia was never so strong as it wants to be and never so weak as it is thought to be."

Our interest in Russia stems from the popular identification of Russia as the King of the North found in Ezekiel 38:3 and Daniel 11:40. Students of military history and more recent history will note that Russia is not in a position to invade Chechnya, much less Israel, so we expect these prophecies to be fulfilled at some future date after the fortunes of Russia have been revived. For this reason I place the Ezekiel invasion at some point after the middle of the Tribulation and not at the start, which is another popular scenario you may already be familiar with. Of course, we could all be wrong about Russia, so it remains wise to monitor any military developments to the north of Jerusalem.

CBS News - Billy Graham's Final Sermon?
AP reports:

The Rev. Billy Graham preached his final crusade in New York a year ago, but he made a rare appearance in Baltimore on Sunday at a revival hosted by his son, the Rev. Franklin Graham [...] The 87-year-old evangelist said it may be the last time he has an opportunity to preach the gospel to such a large audience.

Comment: I really admire Billy Graham, he is probably the greatest living Christian evangelist. I think the secret to his success is that he never strayed from presenting the simple message of the gospel (Matthew 24:14). Times changed greatly over the course of his career, politics alternated between liberal and conservative extremes and culture wars raged, but he never allowed himself to get tripped up by any of that, he stayed on message and that message was always salvation through faith in Jesus.

Yahoo News - Israel rejects Hamas' bid for cease-fire
AP reports, "The head of the Hamas-led Palestinian government called Saturday for a truce to halt the Israeli offensive in Gaza, but Israel demanded that Hamas first free a captured Israeli soldier and halt rocket attacks on its southern towns."

Yahoo News - Iran president criticizes Israeli offensive
AP reports, "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital, Tehran, to condemn the strikes in the Gaza Strip that Israel's backers could be the target of revenge by Muslims." [Persia/Iran, Ezekiel 38:5]

Comment: Another rant by the Iranian leader against Israel and the West, I know this will surprise no one.

Yahoo News - No G-8 seat for China, other big economies
AP reports, "The G-8 summit that President Bush and seven other world leaders are attending next weekend in Russia is often billed as a gathering of the world's leading economic powers. It is not. Consider: China, now the world's fourth-largest economy and the nation with the most influence over renegade North Korea, is not a member." [ Rev 17:12-14]

Comment: Most Bible prophecy commentators view the ten kings of Rev 17 as a representation of the political power base of the first beast of Revelation and the consensus seems to be (based on Daniel) that this group arises from within the European Union as the latter day Roman Empire. However, I'm open to the possiblity that the ten could be a representation of some other political or economic alliance, and so I also pay attention to efforts to expand the G8 as well as the U.N. Security Council. I am the first to admit that I don't know how this prophecy will be fulfilled, only that after the fact we will be able to look back and find that it was fulfilled to the letter of prophetic scripture. Finally, note in your study of Rev 17 that the first beast does not have power (or kingship) in his own right but is given power by the ten and that this power is global in scope. This tells us that we are looking for a group that already has global power that they can then legitimately give to another.

Yahoo News - FBI thwarts terrorist plot against New York
AP reports, "A terrorist plot to flood lower Manhattan by attacking train tunnels under the Hudson River used by tens of thousands of commuters was thwarted before the conspirators could travel to the United States, authorities said Friday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - Spain Confirms Its First Case of Bird Flu
AP reports, "Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The deadly strain was found in a water fowl in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Video: 2 London bombers al-Qaida trained
AP reports, "Two of the four suicide bombers who attacked London last July 7 spent time at an al-Qaida camp to prepare themselves for a suicide mission, the deputy leader of the terror network claimed in a video Friday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - EU Tones Down Criticism of Israel
AP reports, "The shift is subtle but unmistakable. European governments - long accused of being pro-Arab - have toned down criticism of Israel, left in shock by the rise to power of Islamic Hamas which they consider a terrorist outfit."

This is a positive trend, let's hope it continues. If it does, perhaps it's part of the Covenant With Many of Daniel 9:27.

My Way News - N. Korea Threatens to Fire More Missiles
AP reports, "North Korea angrily mocked international criticism of its multiple missile tests, threatening on Thursday to fire off more rockets." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

I don't want to hype this at all, this is nothing more than a dictator throwing a tantrum, it's not a serious "rumor of war" or a real international crisis, so please don't be alarmed by other reports that seek to sensationalize this. Keep your attention focused on Jerusalem and Damascus.

Global News In Brief:
Israel To Try Captured Hamas
Friday, 30 June 2006, 11:58 am

Israel: Hamas Members Will Be Tried Israel intends to try the Hamas activists, government ministers and parliament members captured during an early-morning incursion into the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Defense Forces said June 29. The Palestinians will be tried for involvement with terrorist activities.
Israeli troops took 64 Hamas officials into custody during early morning raids in the Palestinian territories on wednesday. The detainees include seven members of the Hamas Cabinet and 20 parliamentarians. Israeli officials say the detainees will be questioned and eventually indicted on charges stemming from the June 25 abduction of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit in Gaza.

My Way News - Israel Hits Ministry; Hamas Offers Soldier
AP reports, "Israeli warplanes struck the Palestinian Interior Ministry early Friday, setting it ablaze as Arab leaders tried to forge a deal that would halt the Israeli offensive and free a 19-year-old soldier held by gunmen allied with the ruling Islamic Hamas."

Pestilence

Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:07 pm (PST)
<http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/060627/x062730.html> Dangerous superbug taking off in Canada, moving beyond high-risk groups
18:51:59 EDT Jun 27, 2006
HELEN BRANSWELLTORONTO (CP) - A dangerous strain of a superbug that can be caught outside hospital settings has moved beyond the boundaries of the high-risk groups it first plagued in Canada, causing illness in healthy adults and children in a number of provinces across the country, researchers reported Tuesday. In a special series of articles, rushed to print by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, they reported on the spread of the strain ofmethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus called USA300, which can cause severe illness and occasionally even death in previously healthy individuals. "It's sweeping across the nation, no doubt about it," said Dr. John Conly,senior author of one of the papers and a leading researcher on the scope of Canada's problem with community-acquired MRSA. "I think this is a pan-Canadian problem." Historically, antibiotic-resistant strains of Staph aureus were infections caught in hospitals, where the heavy use of antibiotics has allowed a variety of drug-resistant bacteria to flourish. But over the last decade or so, U.S. researchers have reported the troubling emergence of a couple of strains of MRSA that seem to have developed in the community, in people who hadn't been hospitalized. Often the superbugs cause only hard-to-treat skin and soft-tissue infections, weeping wounds that will not heal. But in some cases, the bugs invade the lungs, causing life-threatening pneumonias. Some groups in the community have been known to be at high risk - the homeless or residents of homeless shelters, intravenous drug users, crack cocaine smokers and prison inmates. But in the United States, where the problem is more advanced than it has been to date in Canada, infections have been cropping up in day-care centres and on sports teams, both professional and amateur. Conly, chair of the Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance, said Calgary has already seen 300-plus cases of community-acquired MRSA,including four or five deaths. And while that city's outbreak seemed to predate others in the country,communities in southwestern British Columbia, Saskatchewan and beyond are seeing an upswing in cases, he said. But Conly worries Canadian physicians may still not recognize the problem,believing community-acquired MRSA is still rare in Canada. "I think it's under-recognized and hopefully this series of articles will actually help to bring it to the fore for all the 60,000-plus Canadian physicians," he said from Calgary, where he teaches medicine at theUniversity of Calgary. "It's here, it's upon us now and it's sweeping the country."

My Way News - Israeli Planes Buzz Home of Syria Leader
AP is reporting the latest developments in the latest Mideast crisis:

Israel said its warplanes buzzed the summer residence of President Bashar Assad Wednesday in a bold warning to the country that shelters the political leader of Hamas, the Islamic militant group holding an Israeli soldier captive in the Gaza Strip. [...] The United States accuses Damascus of harboring groups Washington labels "terrorist" including Hezbollah, Hamas and other radical Palestinian factions.

Israel appears to be taking a very restrained and calculated swipe at Syria in an effort to prod Assad into ordering the release of the hostage soldier. As host to the militant Palestinian factions, Assad is in a position to either end the hostage crisis or escalate tensions. Bible prophecy students see Damascus as a tripwire, it has the distinction of being the subject of one of the most explicit and yet to be fulfilled prophecies of the Bible (Isaiah 17:1). Those who doubt the accuracy of Bible prophecy should take careful note of the fate of Damascus. If you doubt, then doubt, but revisit your skepticism when Damascus is destroyed.

Yahoo News - Huge Asteroid to Fly Past Earth July 3
Space.Com reports, “An asteroid possibly as large as a half-mile or more in diameter is rapidly approaching the Earth. There is no need for concern, for no collision is in the offing, but the space rock will make an exceptionally close approach to our planet early on Monday, July 3, passing just beyond the Moon's average distance from Earth.” [Signs & Wonders in the Heavens, Luke 21:11]

Breaking News - Israeli Planes Attack Two Gaza Bridges
MyWay News/AP is reporting:

Israeli planes attacked two bridges and a power station, knocking out electricity in most of the Gaza Strip early Wednesday and stepping up the pressure on Palestinian militants holding captive a 19-year-old Israeli soldier.

It's not clear if this is part of a rescue operation or a wider military operation to hit back at the terrorist leadership of Hamas. I also wonder if Israel will seek to punish the Palestinian militant leader who ordered the initial attack earlier in the week, he is currently under the protection of Syria and believed to be living in Damascus.

*Perilous Times, Witchcraft and The Occult
Couple held over human sacrifice
*From: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in New Delhi
June 25, 2006
A COUPLE have been arrested in southern India for sacrificing a seven-year-old boy on the advice of a mystic faith healer who said it would ensure the marriages of their five sons.The boy was strangled to death by the faith healer and the couple and their son in Tamil Nadu state, the Press Trust of India said quoting police officials. All four were arrested.The faith healer had recommended the human sacrifice to the couple to ward off "evil spirits" which were making it difficult for them to find marriage partners for their five sons, the news agency said.The pair found the boy alone at his house, put him in a steel box and took him to a temple where the healer joined them in killing him, the news agency said.The boy's blood was then sprinkled at their house, the news agency said.Human sacrifices are reported occasionally in rural India where many people put faith in occult practices to ward off evil or gain prosperity.
Robyn Cavalera
robyajesusfreak@bellsouth.net

My Way News - N.Korea may have fuel for 13 nuclear weapons: study
AP reports, "During President George W. Bush's administration, North Korea has gone from having enough plutonium for one or two nuclear weapons to having enough for as many as 13, a study released on Monday said." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - Israeli Leader Vows 'Broad' Gaza Offensive
AP reports, "With troops poised to invade Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday ruled out bargaining with the captors of an Israeli soldier and promised a 'broad and ongoing' military offensive."

SFGate - The Last Days of Privacy
The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Within the next four months, a major Bay Area supermarket chain plans to introduce a payment system that uses biometric fingerprint authentication to verify customers' identities. Under this system, shoppers in checkout lines won't need to use cash, checks, debit cards or credit cards. Instead, they can place their fingers on scanners that read fingerprints, and once the device links to their bank or credit card accounts, they can buy groceries, get cash back and do everything else shoppers do.

This report is about a biometric payment technology called Pay By Touch and it also discusses ID theft and the trade-off between privacy and convenience. While this system is not the Biblical "mark of the beast" (Rev 13:16-18) it is a reflection of the wider trend in making payments and identity verification more secure.

My Way News - Japan to Get U.S. PAC-3 Missiles
AP reports, "Japan has agreed to a U.S. deployment of advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on American bases by the end of the year, officials said Monday, amid concerns that North Korea may be about to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - Israel Blames Hamas in Deadly Sneak Attack
AP reports, "Palestinian militants sneaked into Israel underneath a Gaza border crossing Sunday, killed two Israeli soldiers and captured another, raising the threat of an all-out conflict in the Gaza Strip just a year after Israel's pullout."

Comment: This will be followed by the usual spectacle of the Palestinian leader deploring the attack perpetrated by other Palestinians and finding some way to blame Israel for the entire thing.

My Way News - Slight Mutation Found in Bird Flu Virus
AP reports, "The World Health Organization has detailed the first evidence that a person likely caught the bird flu virus from a human, then passed a slightly mutated version to another person. But experts said Friday the genetic change does not increase the threat of a pandemic." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - U.S., Japan Expand Missile-Defense Plan
AP reports, "The United States and Japan agreed Friday to strengthen cooperation on missile defense amid concerns of a possible long-range rocket launch by North Korea." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - U.S. Finishes War Games in the Pacific
AP reports, "The largest U.S. military exercise in the Pacific in decades ended Friday after showing North Korea and other nations that the United States can swiftly muster a huge combat force in the region, officials said." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

LA Times - 'End Times' Religious Groups Want Apocalypse Soon
The LA TImes reports, "For thousands of years, prophets have predicted the end of the world. Today, various religious groups, using the latest technology, are trying to hasten it. Their endgame is to speed the promised arrival of a messiah."

Comment: This was an interesting article that mostly gets it right, except for focusing on the role of human agency in bringing about the Second Coming. God has a timetable and it will not be rushed by anything humans do. We are called to be watchful, but don't be under the impression that these future events are under our control.

My Way News - Earth Hottest It's Been in 2,000 Years
AP reports, "The Earth is running a slight fever from greenhouse gases, after enjoying relatively stable temperatures for 2,000 years. The National Academy of Sciences, after reconstructing global average surface temperatures for the past two millennia, said Thursday the data are 'additional supporting evidence ... that human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.'" [Fear for the Future, Luke 21:26]

Comment: The scientific community has reached a consensus that global warming caused or accelerated by human activities is indeed taking place. Consequences of global warming include rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and severe storms. Watch out for those roaring waves (Luke 21:11).

My Way News - Official: 7 Arrested in Sears Tower Plot
AP reports, "Seven people were arrested Thursday in connection with the early stages of a plot to attack Chicago's Sears Tower and other buildings in the U.S., including the FBI office here, a federal law enforcement official said." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

News.com - Facing biometrics' limits
CNET reports, "It may be championed as the highest level of security, but biometrics isn't ready for wide deployment as a consumer application, a new report says. According to Financial Insights, a subsidiary of research company IDC, biometric deployment will grow significantly over the coming years, but its upward climb will be limited for use within a bank's internal security network." [Mark of the Beast/ID tech news, Rev 13:16-18]

Comment: I'm the first to admit that I don't know what the mark of the beast will be, I only know on faith that at some point in the future there will be a mark that will be required for commerce. Many of us in the Bible prophecy community have focused on the rise of biometric identification technology as one possible fulfillment of the mark prophecy. The above report tells us that biometrics is not yet at the stage where it could be easily implemented on a national level, much less on a global level. Things could change, of course, so keep watching.

CNN - Strong waves slam Central American coast
AP reports, "Big waves generated by a storm 2,000 miles away battered a long stretch of the Pacific coast, wrecking homes, hotels and restaurants from Peru to Central America, civil defense officials said Tuesday." [Roaring Waves, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Norway to house seeds in doomsday vault
AP reports, "It sounds like something from a science fiction film — a doomsday vault carved into a frozen mountainside on a secluded Arctic island ready to serve as a Noah's Ark for seeds in case of a global catastrophe. But Norway's ambitious project is on its way to becoming reality Monday when construction begins on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, designed to house as many as 3 million of the world's crop seeds." [Fear for the Future, Luke 21:26]

Comment: It has been said that every generation finds reason to fear the future, Bible prophecy says that one generation will have more reason that those that came before, they will fear for the fate of the entire planet. Luke 21:26 is a prophecy about such fear given in the context of cosmic signs, but the sentiment is that a future generation will look at the things that are happening in the world and in the heavens and fear for the future. This news report is interesting because it reflects a real fear that the world may suffer a major catastrophe and therefore steps are needed to prepare for such an eventuality.

New US church leader says homosexuality no sin

This new Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America is a woman--and a prime example of why Paul said that he "never allowed a woman to teach or to exercise un-gainsayable authority over a man." [I Timothy 2:12] As far as I can tell, she is not a homosexual herself. But her blithe dismissal of the clear text of the Bible against homosexuality bespeaks, at best, a profound ignorance of a subject on which she is supposed to be an expert; and at worst, a reprobate mind similar to that against which Jesus warned the Church in Thyatira [Revelation 2].

The message must now be quite clear: "Come out of her, My people!" [Revelation 18:4-5ff]

Godcasting
USA Today reports ('Godcasting:' Love that new-time religion) on churches using the latest technology, including HD broadcasting and podcasting, to share the gospel. With the internet, the world is your pulpit. [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24:14]

My Way News - International Sponsors OK Palestinian Aid
AP reports, "International sponsors of a stalled Mideast peace plan agreed Saturday to channel aid to cash-starved Palestinians for health care, utilities and social services, while continuing a boycott of the militant-led Palestinian government."

Yahoo News - Report: N.Korea preparing for missile test
AP reports, "North Korea loaded booster rockets onto a launch pad and moved about 10 fuel tanks to a launch site in preparation to test-fire a long-range missile that could reach as far as the U.S. mainland, a newspaper reported Saturday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - Protestant rally draws 3 million in Brazil
AP reports, "About 3 million evangelical Protestants staged a huge rally Thursday in the heart of Brazil's biggest city, demonstrating their growing influence in the world's largest Roman Catholic country. Crowding next to sound trucks blasting religious music, marchers wore T-shirts in the green and yellow colors of Brazil's flag advertising their annual 'March for Jesus.'" [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24:14]

SPI - Ahmadinejad Seeks Chinese, Russian Support
AP reports, "Iran's hard-line president is doing more than just attending an Asian security summit in China: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks to gain Russian and Chinese support at a critical moment for his country's nuclear program." [Gog Alliance, Ezekiel 38; Kings of the East, Rev 16:12]]

Comment: The alliance of Ezekiel 38 is taking shape, and it's all about securing energy resources. The U.S. and EU may think they are handing out carrots to Iran, but Iran is holding the black gold, and they are using that to win friends. Meanwhile, in Central Asia, the Great Game is once again afoot, energized by the new competition for energy and the influence it brings. As for Libya and North Africa, let's see how far north the fires of jihad spread. Libya recently resumed full diplomatic relations with the U.S. after abandoning plans to acquire weapons of mass destruction and helping America in the war against terrorism. The jihadists will probably consider Qaddafi an enemy now.

WorldNetDaily: Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed

Well, any serious student of the Bible could have taught him that. And even when he makes this admission, this former official (who asked that his name be withheld) insists that Islam is the "third and last religion" and the truth path to revelation. But he is forced to admit that the preponderance of the evidence says that two Jewish temples (Solomon's Temple, 1015-586 BC, and Herod's Temple, 515 BC-70 AD) definitely existed and definitely were built under the very spot where the Dome of the Rock now stands.

Bear this in mind as you study Revelation 11:1-2]

MEMRI: Iranian Presidential Advisor Mohammad Ali Ramin: 'The Resolution of the Holocaust Issue Will End in the Destruction of Israel'

In fact, this so-called advisor repeats many historical canards against the Jews--including the old chestnut saying that they unleashed the Black Death on Europe. (The real reason why they were suspect is that their kasrut or "kosher" dietary practices made them partially immune to the plague, so that they suffered far fewer deaths.) And as the title says, he reiterates the premise that the Holocaust is a myth and says that when the Holocaust "myth" is thus exposed, those who support Israel will lose all moral basis for that support.

Sadly, stranger things have happened than that Americans and Europeans alike would forget why they fought such a bloody war that killed millions of their own people--fifty million Allied and twelve million Axis, counting military and civilian casualties. But I wouldn't count on Israel's destruction. God has something else to say about that [Ezekiel 38-39].

Yahoo News - U.S. House Condemns China Over Religious Persecution Charges
AFP reports, "The US House of Representatives, in resolutions adopted overwhelmingly, has condemned China for what it called escalating levels of religious persecution and unauthorized ordination of Catholic bishops." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

NASA Science News reports that a meteoroid crashed into the Moon last month, and they have the video of the event. [Signs in the Moon, Luke 21:25]

Yahoo News - Israel: Final peace talks unrealistic
AP reports, "Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday that Israel wants to negotiate with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas but insisted it's 'not realistic' to pursue a final peace deal with him while the Hamas militants controlling the Palestinian government refuse to moderate." [Covenant With Many, Daniel 9:27]

My Way News - Iran Accepts Parts of Western Nuke Offer
AP reports, "Iran said Sunday that it accepted some parts of a Western offer aimed at getting Tehran to drop its nuclear program, but it rejected others while calling the central point ambiguous."

Yahoo News - Strong quake shakes southern Japan
AP reports, "A strong earthquake rattled southern Japan early Monday followed by a milder temblor in the north, but there was no danger of a tsunami from either, the nation's meteorological agency said." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - KKK stages rally at Civil War battlefield
AP reports, "Members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups rallied Saturday at the Antietam National Battlefield, believed to be the first time a group was given permission to demonstrate at the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War." [Wickedness Increases, Matthew 24:12]

My Way News - China's Thirst for Oil Rattles Old Order
AP reports, "The shifting pattern of energy consumption is rattling Washington and aggravating an already intense rivalry with neighboring Japan over access to oil and gas supplies, adding to tensions in an already volatile region."

My Way News - Abbas Sets Date for Referendum on Israel
AP reports, "Moderate President Mahmoud Abbas, defying the Hamas militants who run the government, said Saturday that Palestinians would vote next month on whether to establish a state alongside Israel, effectively recognizing the Jewish nation."

Yahoo News - Hamas Military Wing Calls Off Israel Truce
AP reports, "Hamas militants called off a truce with Israel on Friday after a barrage of Israeli artillery shells tore into Palestinians at a beachside picnic in the Gaza Strip, killing seven dcivilians."

Yahoo News - Banking on credit cards at the ballpark
AP reports, "The Texas Rangers hope to boost hot dog and beer sales this summer not only with a better team but with an innovation at the concession stands — swipe-free credit-card terminals." [Mark of the Beast/commerce tech, Rev 13:16-18]

Comment: No, not the mark, but we do follow commerce tech, and this is an innovative use of contactless card tech, let's see if it catches on.

Yahoo News - Curiosity, humor surround June 6, 2006
AP reports, "There's a devilishly odd nexus of theology, mathematics and commercialism on the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year." [Mark of the Beast, Rev 13:16-18]

Comment: This news report is noteworthy because it contains a helpful primer on the history and interpretations of the Biblical "mark of the beast." There is much that the report leaves out, so here are a few questions you may wish to consider in your study of this important prophecy: Who imposes the mark of the beast? What happens to people who do not accept the mark of the beast? What happens to people who do accept the mark?

WorldNetDaily: Physicist: Cell-like structures could be microbes from space

The cells--if indeed that be what they are--are extremophiles, or microbes that thrive under extreme conditions--in this case, tremendous heat and pressure, or "superheating" (to 600 degrees Fahrenheit). Godfrey Louis, their putative discoverer, claims that they are not just extremophilic but are in fact extraterrestrial in origin. His main basis for that claim is that they have no DNA--a finding which itself is in dispute.

Of greater interest to prophecy students is that Dr. Louis has found a collaborator: Dr. Chandra Wickramasing, professor of astronomy at Cardiff University in Wales. He is a proponent of a theory called panspermia, the notion that life can be found all over the universe, that something (a comet's tail, perhaps?) somehow seeded the earth with life, and that something else might re-seed the earth from time to time. Dr. Wickramasing evidently believes that Dr. Louis' extremophiles are such a re-seed.

This is not the same as the theory of directed panspermia (that life was deposited on earth by a guided missile) proposed by Francis Crick and Leslie H. Orgel. But it's close. And it illustrates a trend: forced to abandon evolution as an untenable theory of life's origins, the enemies of God turn to ever-wilder theories, including some that would suggest that the salvation of mankind will come from a natural, physical entity beyond the earth. (Perhaps this would include the Star Trek concept of the "Progenitors"--begging the question of who "generated" that fictional race.)

What's next? Will the government itself tell people to watch the skies? After the Rapture occurs [I Thess. 4:16-18], it just might.