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Answer to Question on Previous BLOG of November 7, 2005

November 8, 2005

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In the previous BLOG, titled “HELLO – SON OF PERDITION,” I gave an exposition of Daniel 11:38 in the paragraph preceding it. Some have asked me about how 11:36 & 37 tie to Islam, so I will include an extract from Archive Prophecy Update 235B to answer the question.

BEGIN EXTRACT FROM 235B

Antichrist Will Treat Women with Disrespect!

Daniel 11:36 – And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

I, like most expositors, have long referred to this king as the same willful king of II Thessalonians 2:4.

II Thessalonians 2:4 – Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

I have always taught “the indignation,” which was to end his reign, occurred when he would “come to his end” at the battle of Armageddon in Daniel 11:45 to 12:1, the specifics being laid out in Revelation 19:19-21 (See Archive Prophecy Update Number 75).

Daniel 11:45 to 12:1 –And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

[20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

This would fulfill the last two phrases in Daniel 11:36 – “and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

I have read some expositors after 1740 that used Daniel 11:37 to prove he will be gay. I do not believe that will be the case.

Daniel 11:37 – Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

The antichrist will be a descendent of Abraham, but he will have no regard for the God of Abraham through Jacob,

the man Israel.

He will rise out of the Islamic faith through Ishmael, but in the end will claim to be the god of gods, perhaps even Allah incarnate, thereby magnifying himself above all gods.

The phrase I wish primarily to address is “nor the DESIRE of women.” The word DESIRE is “chemdah,” which simply means “delight.” It’s Strong’ s Exhau

stive Concordance Number is 2532, and though it has several derivatives, I could only find four where the exact 2532 variation was used for forms of DESIRE.

They are as follows, and do NOT seem to indicate a preference for being associated with homosexual desire.

Daniel 11:37 – Neither shall he REGARD the God of his fathers, nor the DESIRE (2532) of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

Haggai 2:6,7 – For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; [7] And I will shake all nations, and the DESIRE (2532) of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.

Many equate the object of the DESIRE expressed in the verse to be the desired Messiah, but there are other interpretations of verse seven. However, none of the interpretations associated with it indicated A DESIRE manifesting fleshly lust, but rather a quite acceptable desire.

They all indic

ate a REGARD for the DESIRE of nations that shall come.

I Samuel 9:17-20 – And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of!

this same shall reign over my people. [18] Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is. [19] And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. [20] And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the DESIRE (2532) of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?

This DESIRE would certainly not be an undesirable type of fleshly lust, but rather a good one. It implies that the REGARD of Israel was placed on Saul.

END EXTRACT FROM 235B

The fundamental Islam of Iran and the Taliban of Afghanistan has an inbred religious disrespect for women, having no desire or consideration for their personal rights in a society controlled totally by the desires and aspirations of the males who dominate them.

Daniel 11:37 – Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

The “God of his fathers” before Muhammad created Allah was the God of Abraham, but the antichrist’s god will be Allah. He will have no regard, no respect, for women under the strict code of Shiite Islamic fundamentalism, other than for sex and child bearing. And, just before Armageddon, will not regard any god, because he will declare himself to Allah in t

he flesh.

HELLO – SON OF PERDITION!

Congratulations Europe – You Have a European Union Void of Jesus!

Congratulations Islam – You Have Forsaken the God of Abraham!

Congratulations America – Public Places are separated from Jesus!

Congratulations World – You No Longer Have a Need for God!

November 7, 2005

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Psalm 53:1 – The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

II Timothy 3:1-4 – This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, [3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, [4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

The only good thing about the display of raw human depravity now seen operating in France, is that it is just a part

of the overall deterioration of mankind in the godless society Europe has become, and one of the best indicators that the second coming of Christ is not a far distant future event. Europe has turned the worship of God into meaningless ritual in great buildings void of the Spirit of God where they assemble. And Islam has no use for Christ as the total atonement for individual sin.

They worship a God through Ishmael as the promised seed, rather than the Seed that came through Isaac and, in so doing, do not worship the God of their father Abraham.

Neither will their end time leader worship the true God of his ancestor Abraham. He will worship Allah, the God of forces that destroy, and he will honor him in worship.

In the end he will try to prove to himself and others that he himself is God, and will attempt to destroy the seed of Isaac and Jacob.

His fathers from the wombs of Hagar (Genesis 25:12-16) and Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4) did worship the God of their fathers, who was the God of Abraham, but with the new Islamic religion introduced by the Prophet Muhammad in 622 AD, they turned from Abraham’s God to Allah.

The first fathers of Islamic believers today did not know Allah.

Muhammad claimed to be the messenger of the one true God Allah. His god Allah was indeed a “God of forces” and, following several years of warfare with Mecca, and his victories in the battles of Badr (624) and Uhud (625), he captured Mecca and made it the political and religious capital of Islam. By the time of his death, in 632 AD, Muhammad had unified the entire peninsula of Saudi Arabia, and the worldwide expansion of Islam had begun.

And, within a century, the people of the “God of forces” had conquered their way westward across North Africa into Spain, and eastward to

the western borders of India.

Muhammad II captured Constantinople in 1453, thereafter conquering territories in southeast Europe and around the Black Sea. I am looking for an Islamic leader who will not worship the God of his fathers before 622 AD, but will worship one they never heard of, namely Allah. And, like Muhammad, he will honor Allah as t

he God of forces. He may, shortly before Armageddon, after victories that cause Islam to revere him, think himself to be Allah incardinate in the flesh, and show himself as such, standing on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, between the Mediterranean and Dead Seas, but he will come to his end there, because God will destroy him, and none can help him.

Daniel 11:38 – But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

II Thessalonians 2:4 – Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Daniel 11:45 to 12:1 – And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

The current riots in France are merely a small pinpoint of the character of a godless society being manifested. The falling away from the faith once delivered to the saints in Jerusalem is the surest sign that Messiah will soon return to end man’s godless society, and th at falling away has occurred

at an accelerated pace for the last fifty years.

II Thessalonians 2:3 – Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

I do not believe the unveiling of the man of sin is an event which lies in the far distant future.

I realize that the terrible events that are happening in France are laid in poverty and frustration, but this has largely been the result of political corruption of godless men in a godless society, which is the underlying factor that has created a situation ripe for exploitation by Islamic terror fanatics and drug dealers. The extracts taken from the Jerusalem Post article by Eve Torjaman, which follows, give an excellent account of

the current situation in France.

BEGIN EXTRACTS FROM JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

Eyewitness: Radical Islam Fanning French Riots

By Eve Torjman, THE JERUSALEM POST

November 7, 2005

Azeroual, who was in Aulnay-sous-Bois, Clichy and other sites of recent rioting, said he wasn’t surprised by the outbreak of violence, which he said had been brew ing for years but was fomented by a rise

in radical Islam in France.

“It’s been going on for more than 20 years,” he said. “There are the suburbs and the poverty, the difficulty Muslims are having with being absorbed into France… Now there’s a rise in radical Islamist ideology in these areas.

These kids have no place to go, no job, so they go to the mosque. There, the radical imams tell them that they have different values, that even after three generations they haven’t managed to integrate into French society, and that they should also follow their Muslim values… Instead of telling these kids they’re Frenchmen, they tell them they’re Muslims.”

“Unemployment has reached 30 to 40 percent in the suburbs,” he explained. “There’s no family structure.

The older generation can’t control the young anymore.”

Azeroual said he witnessed the burning of cars of neighborhood residents by the rioters, who he claimed are spurred on by the underworld, mainly by drug dealers. “They want to turn these neighborhoods into places where the police are afraid to go, and they use the youth to distract the police, so that their activities can continue undisturbed,” he said.

The drug dealers, or ka’ids, as they are known, also have a territorial demand and “want to create a space outside the Republic, and to institute their own law,” he said.

Asked whether France fears terrorism will arise out of the rioting, Azeroual said: “It’s true that there’s radical Islam in France, and that they caught several members of al-Qaida who are Muslim Frenchmen, but unlike what went on in Britain and Spain [before the terror attacks in those countries], the secret services in France have penetrated these organizations.”

END EXTRACTS FROM JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

Fiery Flames of Islamic Jihad Spirit Spreads Across France!

November 6, 2005

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The fiery riots in France

outlined in the Jerusalem Post article, which follows this preamble, should be no great surprise to anyone.

There is good reason to believe this is more than a rebellion against poverty, but rather a terrorist instigated holocaust, perpetrated to get the European Union to back down on its stand against Iranian and Syrian support of terrorist organizations in the Middle East.

More Muslims live in the three European countries of France, Germany, and the U.K. than any other three countries in Europe. Yesterday, an article written by Tom Heneghan in Aulnay-Sous-Bois, France, appeared in a Reuters News Release, which was titled “Paris Seeks “Hidden Hands in Riots.” His leading paragraph in the article reads: “With every night that France’s rundown suburbs burn, officials grow increasingly convinced that drug traffickers and the Islamic militants are using frustrated youths to challenge law and order here.”

For the past 28 years I have, at times in desperation, cried out to those who would listen, that the antichrist would not arise out of Europe, but out of Islam, but, for the most part, my warning has fallen on deaf ears. I am still hopeful that prophetic teachers will soon realize this, and stop riding a dead European horse until it is too late.

The spirit of Islam has long been the spirit of antichrist, and it is out of

Islam he will arise. The spirit of Jihad that arose among the Palestinians in Israel under Yashar Arafat and among the Taliban in Afghanistan under Osama bin Laden, is now being fueled out of Iran, and its flames of 911 are now spreading across Europe.

About 1.5 billion followers of the Prophet Muhammad whose God is Allah, almost one-fourth of earth’s 6.43 billion occupants, are sprinkled across the surface of this planet. Some 54 of the world countries have more than 30 percent Muslim belief, 47 have more than 50 percent, 36 have more than 80 percent, and 14 have 99 to 100 percent.

There are more that 1.64 million followers of Muhammad in the United Kingdom, 3.05 million in Germany, and 4.6 million in France. The world is now witnessing the tenth day of flaming riots in France, and

the major participants in these riots of great destruction are followers of the Islamic faith. These riots will eventually end in France for a while, but rest assured, they will flare up again and again across the earth in the areas of heavy Islamic occupancy.

The old stanza, “There’s a long, long trail a-winding, down the trail of the lonesome pine,” will be paralleled by a long, long trail of Islamic riots and terrorist bombings, a-winding down the trail toward the end of this Gentile age. We are headed toward the end of the age of light for the Gentiles and spiritual blindness for Israel but, before this happens, Israel is going to be blindsided by a lightning Jihad, just when Israelis believe they finally have a completed security barrier, which they can control to bring a “Peace and safety” era to their population.

They will have destruction come on them suddenly from the north like a woman’s birth pains abruptly strike. But this event should not surprise Gentile believers, for they are the children of light.

Romans 11:25 – For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

BEGIN JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

Nursery School Torched in France as Riots Continue

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

November 6, 2005

Youths armed with gasoline bombs fanned out from Paris’ poor, troubled suburbs to shatter the tranquility of leafier towns, torching scores of vehicles, nursery schools and other targets around France in the 10th night of violence Saturday night.

Five classrooms of the Sleeping Beauty Nursery School in Grigny, in the Essonne region south

of Paris, went up in flames as well as two classrooms of another school, police said.

Some 900 vehicles had been torched the previous night in

the worst wave of arson since the urban violence began.

END JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

TROUBLE FROM THE NORTH FOR ISRAEL!

November 5, 2005

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Last week Lebanon’s Shiite Led Army of Terrorists said it would stand by Syria, and blasted the UN for turn ing

the world against Syria in a political move against Syria over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. They held a parade in the capital city of Beirut to show their hatred for both the little devil Israel and the big devil America. There were tens of thousands who came to watch the parade. About 6,000 of the Hizbullah terrorist soldiers wearing military attire marched in regimented formation in front of the cheering masses, crying repeatedly – “DEATH TO ISRAEL, DEATH TO AMERICA,” and “OH JERUSALEM, WE ARE COMING.”

The sad part of this scenario is that they will one day surge southward as part of a 10 toed coalition identified in Daniel 2. I do not think th is event

is in the far distant future. In my opinion, it could happen as early as 2007 or as late as 2012.

Daniel 2:41,42 – And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. (See Archive Prophecy Updates 54 & 78).

And, even sadder, they will be a part of a 10 Arab nation coalition that kills some two-thirds of the Jewish population in Israel during their southward surge, conquers the city of Jerusalem, and then drives Israel into the Negev Wilderness south of Beersheba.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

(See Archive Prophecy Update 70).

Zechariah 14:1,2 – Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

(See Archive Prophecy Update 132).

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (See Archive Prophecy Updates 5 to 9).

But the story does have a happy ending – after some three and one half years in the Negev, Israel will come out after the return of their Messiah, who will be their peace for a thousand years – He will the one who finally brings them lasting peace.

They will drive the Islamic hoards out of their land, going as far north as Hamath in Syria, to the River of Egypt in the west, to Kadesh-Barnea in the south, and then all the way to the Eurphates River.

Luke 21:27,28 – And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Micah 5:5-9 – And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. [6] And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. [7] And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. [8] And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. [9] Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. (See Whole Numbered Archive Prophecy Updates 62 to 69)

Genesis 15:18 – In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: (See Archive Prophecy Update 67).

Ezekiel 47:17 – And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. (See Archive Prophecy Update 67)

Ezekiel 47:19 – And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea.

And this is the south side southward. (See Archive Prophecy Update 67).

Hizbullah is much more than a terrorist group – It is a terrorist army, under the direction of imported Shiite Republic Guards from Iran. The two terrorist supporting countries of terrorism, Iran and Syria, are her political and financial supporters, with Iran being the one with more directive power.

The following article by the JPost.com Staff is a typical example of their constant thorn activity along the northern border of Israel.

BEGIN JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

IDF Raises Alert Level on Northern Border

JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST

November 4, 2005

Hizbullah is trying to carry out a significant terrorist attack along the northern border according to senior officers from OC Northern Command, Army Radio reported Thursday night.

The officers said that their main concern was that Hizbullah would attempt to kidnap soldiers and civilians in the vicinity of the northern border with Lebanon.

Following the warnings, the IDF evacuated all nonessential military personnel from border outposts in the Mount Dov region.

Civilian traffic in certain areas west of Mount Dov have been placed on heightened alert.

The goal of the radical Shi’ite group, according to security sources, was to gain legitimacy to renew its actions along the northern border.

The officers added that the IDF sees the Lebanese government as the responsible body for any deterioration – were any to occur – of the status quo on the border.

Over the past few days farmers on the northern border were also placed on heightened alert. The farmers were asked by authorities to refrain from going near the border fence and from working their fields near the border.

Last week, the Lebanese government rejected UN calls to disarm Hizbullah, insisting the matter was subject to national dialogue.
Lebanon regards Hizbullah as a legitimate resistance group opposing Israeli occupation of Arab lands.

Disarming such groups should also be handled internally through dialogue among the country’s various factions, Lebanon maintains.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1559 of September 2004 dem ands Lebanese

and non-Lebanese militias disarm, the Lebanese army deploy in southern Lebanon and Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon and stop interfering in its affairs.

But Hizbullah, which has representation in Parliament and in Cabinet, has refused to disarm, saying the weapons are needed to liberate remaining Lebanese territory and to guard against any possible Israeli attack in the future.

Hizbullah has almost complete control in southern Lebanon where it clashes frequently with the IDF on the two countries’ border.
With AP.

END JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

An Unpredictable Syrian Assad Family Soap Opera!

November 4, 2005

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“The world is a stage, and we are but the players thereon” is an oft quoted phrase. And the gigantic Middle East stage is covered by actors playing a great game of deceit. The terrorist offices are supposedly in the process of being scattered here and there, but as I mentioned in the previous BLOG, the heart of their offices will remain sprinkled across Syria in apartments and houses until hell freezes. The current stage play is in response to the international heat Syria is taking over the well known assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. The terrorist groups may announce they are shifting their headquarters to Egypt, the Sinai, Iran, or Truth-Or-Consequences, New Mexico, but I assure you their strategic location next to Hizballah Shiite terrorists in Lebanon is far too valuable to abandon.

They will maintain the centers of command in Syria, attempting to keep them as concealed as possible.

The future Islamic Jihad attack against Israel will not come directly from the east, south, or west – it will definitely come from the north, and that is why they will maintain the terror

ist group headquarters there, even if they take an oath they have removed them. (Please consult our Archive Prophecy Updates 71 through 75).

It might be in order to discuss the “big four” that govern in Syria today. Hafez al-Assad, the strong man dictator over Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, had four children: three sons, Basil, Bashar, and Maher; and one daughter, Bushra. The soap opera begins with Bushra falling in love with a divorced man with five children, one Asef Shawkat.

The plot thickens as both her father Hafez and older brother Basil violently oppose her marrying Asef. The serial saddens as Basil dies in a vehicle accident linked to drug traffic in Lebanon.

And, after his death in 1994, Bushra and Asef elope, and Hafez does not have him killed.

He may be the only man who ever stood up to Hafez and was not thrown into prison or killed. The couple stayed together, and Asef Shawket became second in power only to Hafez. When the soap opera patriarch Hafez died in 1971, the power shifting began among the star players, and developed into the tight little circle of the four Assad guild players Bashar, Asef, Bushra, and Maher. There is a growing question in Syria as to who really makes most of the decisions in government, Bashar or his brother-in-law Asef.

The introduction of assassination, into the latest stage play episode of the Syrian soap opera, introduced the former Lebanese Prime Minister, whose assassination is now the subject of a major UN investigation.

The investigators have a witness who claims Shawkat helped plan the killing and held the final planning session in his Damascus home.

The latest episode in this saga is continuing, and we may not be far away from a curtain call. The real question is this – can or will Bashar deliver his brother-in-law Shawkat to be questioned by investigators, and can or will he deliver him to an international court if the investigators find he was involved in the assassination

? Shawkat is an Alawite, the religious minority that has held power since Hafez rose to power in 1967, and he has been the head of Syrian military intelligence since last February. If Bashar were assassinated by persons unknown, I have little doubt that Shawkat would immediately take control of the governmental structure in Syria.

How long could he hold off the Sunnis and Shiites? Probably not very long!

Most Sunnis and Shiites do not consider the Alawites to be a part of the Islamic faith. And the Alawites compose less than 13 percent of the Syrian population.

Bashar is now facing a UN Security Council Resolution ordering Syria to fully cooperate in the continuing investigation. Bashar will have to decide if he will send Shawkat abroad for questioning, with anticipation of him being tried if the evidence supports it.

Even though Bashar’s younger brother Maher Assad is the head of the Presidential Guard, Shawkat’s intelligence forces daily contact the life of Bashar, and they are loyal to Shawkat. It is a time of plotting, maneuvering, and political intrigue in Syria.

I am not sure which way, and in how many directions, the winds of change will blow, but I do know it is an explosive situation, which cannot go on in its present status quo – something has to change! Shawkat is the strong man of strong men in Syria, and certainly worth watching. The next 14 months may see the replacement of Bashar Assad by a new leader. He in turn may be replaced by another ris

ing star. Once the 35 year old dam built by Hafez Assad develops a crack it will break, and suddenly flood Syria with mass confusion.

The last strongman who finally ends the time of confusion may be the antichrist.