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Update to our Archive BLOG of January 11, 2005

363 TRAMPLED IN EXIT STAMPEDE ON LAST DAY OF HAJ!

January 14, 2006

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According to News 24.com the latest death count, in the Haj stampede we reported earlier this week, has now reached 363, which is the highest Haj death count for the annual event since 1990, when 1,426 died In the closing ceremony that symbolizes the stoning of the devil.

Also, according to News 24.com, Interior Minister Spokesman Mansur al-Turki said, ‘In many cases the rush of the masses overtakes security forces.’

Before this he said, ‘Nearly 70% of the same three million pilgrims amassed in Mina before the stampede wanted to leave after the stoning ritual.’ And he added, ‘that almost 600,000 alone had gathered at the entrance of the bridge hours before the countdown to the stoning.’ He said, ‘The real reason for the stampede can be linked to the dynamics of the masses involved in the Haj.’ I suppose this could be understood in plain Arkansas terminology by saying they were super anxious to leave the worship service and head for home.

The stoning is conducted from the Jamarat bridge from which stones are cast at three stone pillars that represent the devil, and there has not been sufficient room at times in the past for those jamming in to get on the bridge.

Turki said the Jamarat bridge will be torn down next week to pave the way for a major renovation that will eventually create four levels by 2008.

Having almost been trampled in chaotic mad stampedes by the congregation to get out of

the Sunday morning worship service to get home to football and the pot roast, I suppose creating four levels would be equivalent to enlarging the church foyer and lobby entrance area.

I am thankful there are no stones available in our pews or parking lot!

Ariel Sharon’s Kadima Party Looking Good!

January 14, 2006

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As I have repeatedly stated in numerous Prophecy Updates and Blogs, I certainly do not claim to be an authority in predicting the final outcome of Israeli

elections, but I must say, with tongue in cheek, thus far things do seem to be progressing along the path I predicted on the day Sharon suffered his massive stroke. The Kadima Party did show a slight dip at first, as I said they would, but have also climbed again as I predicted, in fact, quicker than I thought.

The following quote is from our January 4th BLOG:

BEGIN QUOTE

“As to Ariel Sharon – As the situation appears today, I do not believe he will continue as Prime Minister.

As to Sharon’s newly formed Kadima (Forward) Party – I believe it will receive m ore votes than any other party at the March elections, and will f

orm a government with one or two other parties. As of this morning’s latest Israeli polls, the Kadima had drawn 42 potential seats for March in the Knesset (61 is required for a majority). Their support is likely to erode at first w ithout Sharon, but

it will increase again by March.

As to right now – Sharon has transferred power to his Deputy, Ehud Olmert, who will probably serve as acting Prime Minister until the next elections, and stands a chance to become Prime Minister after March elections.”

END QUOTE

Things are certainly looking good for the Kadima and acting Prime Minister as of January 14th. I extracted the following seven paragraphs from a lengthy January 13th article in the Jerusalem Post. They picture the current electoral situation in Israel.

BEGIN SELECTED SEVEN PARAGRAPH EXTRACT

Ehud Olmert Earns 71% Public Approval Rating!

THE JERUSALEM POST

January 13, 2006

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert scored a whopping 71 percent approval rating after his first week as acting prime minister, seemingly defying initial predictions that Sharon’s political camp, including his new Kadima Party, would disintegrate after his massive stroke.

Two polls published Friday indicated that support for Kadima keeps growing, and that Olmert is the overwhelming favorite to become prime minister in a March 28 general election. In the surveys, Kadima won 42 and 43 seats, respectively, in the 120-member parliament, meaning it would form the next government.

The results appeared to be a testament to Olmert’s deft handling of the transition at a time of uncertainty, but also signaled continued backing in Israel for a unilateral separation from the Palestinians,

by unloading much of the West Bank, regardless of who carries out the plan.

“He is going to be prime minister after the election, unless something incredible happens,” said political scientist Abraham Diskin.

“This first week was crucial and he passed it (the test).”

Olmert offered Sharon protege Tzipi Livni, a possible rival for Kadima leadership, the prestigious post of foreign minister.

He reportedly promised elder statesman Shimon Peres, a breakaway from the center-left Labor Party, the number two spot on Kadima’ s parliament li

st.

Earlier this week, Olmert, the former mayor of Jerusalem, defused a possible dispute with Washington by agreeing to the participation of Arab residents of the city in the Palestinian parliament election. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had said he would call off the election if Israel were to ban voting in Jerusalem, claimed by Israel and the Palestinians as a capital.

The US has said it wants to see the election go ahead.

In Friday’s opinion polls in the Hebrew-language dailies, Olmert far outscored his two main competitors for prime minister former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud and ex-union boss Amir Peretz of Labor, getting more than 50 percent voter support in each. Both polls gave him an approval rating of 71 percent. The surveys, with just over 500 respondents each, had error margins of 4.4 and 4.5 percentage points, respectively.

END SELECTED SEVEN PARAGRAPH EXTRACT

The nice thing about the coming election from my point of view is this: No matter which party wins the election, Kadima, Likud, or Labor, and no matter who ends up as the next Prime Minister, Olmert, Netanyahu, or Peretz, I promise you that the security barrier/wall/fence will be completed and a disengagement plan of some sort will continue.

The completed security barrier will mark the internal border of Israel.

Perez would direct the path of the wall to give a “bunch” of territory to the Palestinians. Olmert would direct its path to give a reasonable amount of territory to the Palestinians.

Netanyahu would give them very little.

But all three of them would secure the terrorists inside the wall, and access into Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be tighter than a lock nut.

Years of Unfruitful Negotiations with Iran Equals Zero!

January 13, 2006

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According to DEBKAfile exclusive Ir ani

an sources, “Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa warned the Gulf oil emirates in what was described as exceptionally aggressive terms to beware of Iran’s great strength, and not to place its trust in the American navy.”

The DEBKAfile Report said that Mostafa “threatened major action against any party assaulting Gulf security. The Report went on to say that Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani declared “Iran’s absolute resolve to continue its nuclear development,” adding “we shall reach our desired goal!” He concluded by saying, “We are determined to ignore all prohibitions.

Iran will not tolerate colonial policies practiced by any nation or institution in the world.”

The presence of Allied Forces along Iran’s western border is a very real burr under Iran’s saddle. Instituting sanctions against Iran, after years of fruitless, deliberate, delaying negotiation tactics employed by Iran against the West, will not stop Iran.

Iran is hell-bent on developing its own atomic warhead to mount on its Shihab-3 and Shihab-4 missiles.

As long as American troops are in Iraq there is no possibility of an Islamic holy Jihad being launched against Israel.

But, by the same token, due to worldwide international reaction, America is not going to launch any precision air strikes against Iran to knock out its nuclear facilities.

However, since the European Union is starting to sweat a Shihab series missile reaching their cities, they would not violently react to an Israeli air strike against Iran’ s nuclear facilitie

s. If U.N. sanctions do not stop Iran’s insane race to produce a nuclear warhead, I can envision Israel being able to launch a behind-the-scenes approved strike against Iran facilities following the March elections, perhaps during the summer or fall months, but I doubt that it will.

Now, back to reality, I do not expect Russia or China to allow effective sanctions

involving oil to be put on Iran because of the economic loss they would suffer in doing so. So I look for a veto in the NATO Security Council to stop any effective sanctions.

And, if I had to go one way or the other, while I can envision an air strike, I seriously doubt we will see one. As I have stated in several pervious updates, I do expect Iran to get a nuclear warhead for its Shihab missile series, but I do not believe they would dare to launch it against Israel or Europe.

They are led by men who are religious fanatics, but they are not fools.

Iranian leaders are fully aware that a launch against Israel or Europe would be the end of Iran as a country – all that would remain would be a nuclear hole in the ground.

I certainly believe all the Western powers are aware of this fact, and

therefore are not ne

arly as concerned as if they thought Iran might be crazy enough to carry out such a launch. However, in this world of illogical acts and religious fanaticism, nothing would surprise me. I suspect that America and the European Union’s main concern is the creation of portable nuclear weapons from Iran being supplied to the terrorist groups under Osama bin Laden, which would be smuggled into Western power territories for local terrorist use.

I do believe that American troop withdrawals will be accelerated later this year, primarily by not sending replacements for those returning home by normal rotation, but there will still be troops there in sufficient number to stop Iran from launching a Jihad against Israel until possibly late 2007 at the earliest, and 2012 at the latest.

The Coming War of Islam against Judaism and Christianity!

January 12, 2006

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I have listened with great interest to foreign and American leaders and commentators constantly refer to moderate Islam as representing true Islam. One rarely hears, if ever, of such a thing as liberal Islam, and for good reason, it simply does not exist. Islam is a highly emotional, flesh-

driven religion based on disdain for all who do not accept it. I have seen parades in the Middle East of men marching and beating the flesh on their backs with whips to show repentance for their sins.

I have viewed on television their actions of the flesh in slashing off heads of innocent victims.

But I am constantly assured that does not represent the main body of Islam, that is, the normal Islamic-man-in-the-street. However, if all those of the Islamic faith scattered across the earth were to be free to practice such actions in the countries where they currently abide, the majority would favor emotionally charged religious fanaticism based on purging their sins by their own actions as an appeasement to their God Allah.

The coming Holy Jihad war in the Middle East is going to be a religious war – A war characterized by Islamic armies charging into battle truly believing they will assure themselves entrance into Allah’s heaven by their actions, and martyrdom in the flesh will clinch their entrance. In the coming horrific war in the Middle East there will be no moderate Muslims.

Even those we classify now as moderate will be inflamed with the spirit of Jihad, which is the spirit of antichrist.

While most prophetic teachers of the Bible today keep pointing toward Europe for the rise of antichrist, who they say will lead 10 European nations in an attack against Israel, those 10 nations are already in place where the southern half of the old Roman Empire once stretched from Morocco eastward to Iran.

I have tried to warn those who would listen for more than 30 years that the 10 toes and 10 horns in Daniel, and the 10 horns in Revelation are not European horns, but Islamic horns, and the antichrist will not come out of Europe, but out of where the old Assyrian Empire had extended when Micah and Isaiah wrote in the general time frame of 700 B.C. (See Archive whole numbered Prophecy Updates 62 to 69).

The United States and Israel are not dealing with believers in the true God, but with fanatical believers whose rituals of beating themselves for their sins, beheading their enemies, and throwing literal stones at their version of the devil, marks their inability to deal rationally and honestly with any sort of a true peace arrangement with non-believers.

This year the annual celebration of Haj or Hajj drew some two million followers of Allah to Mecca.

The fleshly devotion and dedication to the God of Islam by his followers cannot be questioned, and is the major reason their coming attack against Israel will initially be successful.

We are not facing an enemy that lacks in purpose driven motivation, and it is the most dangerous and zealous motivation – it is a motivation based on religious fanaticism of the flesh.

One of the rituals at Haj is practiced at al-Jamarat, which consists of three pillars that represent the devil (Incidentally, the U.S. is known as the “big devil” and Israel is referred to as the “little devil”). Millions of Muslims file past the three pillars and cast stones at them, believing it will purge them from their sins.

Stampedes have broken out several times in the past during the ritual.

One such stampede killed 1,426 in 1990, and another killed 244 in 2004.

Yesterday, during the ritual, another stampede occurred, and a number of people died in it, some estimates as high as 50 were given.

The United States, Israel, and the Western world is not facing a highly regimented, well structured, reasoning enemy like we faced in World War II. We are facing a highly religious faith of great dedication which takes no prisoners and will give no quarter or mercy.

We are facing an enemy whose eventual leader will speak great blasphemy against the God of Christianity and Judaism, wear Israel out by driving it into the Negev wilderness, try to change the times and laws of the Bible to those of the Koran, and keep Israel confined in the Negev for three and one half prophetic years (a time and times and the dividing of times or 1260 days).

Daniel 7:25 – And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they sh

all be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

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.

Zechariah 13:8,9 – 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.

[9] And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Why the Wall is the Only Way to a False Peace!

January 11, 2006

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The reason for the Palestinian failures to establish a non-corrupt, non-violent, non-hating functional government, with even a tinge of a type of democratic flavor to it, has been blamed on Israel and

the West over and over again, but few ever blame it on the Palestinians themselves.

Outside governments worldwide have pumped billions into the effort to establish a stable state government of Palestinians in Israel, but to no avail. While western powers are pumping money in to promote a stable Palestinian government to make peace with Israel, Islamic nations are pouring even more into Palestinian terror groups in and around

Israel to make war against Israel, and the Palestinian man-in-the-street simply watches it all happen, constantly trying to survive and to end up in the camp that will supply him the best deal on food and shelter.

Please forgive me for my practicality, but I am a realist, and, as such, I know the only way that even a limited situation of peace and safety in Israel can be even temporarily maintained, is by separation of the Jews and Palestinians by a dependable security barrier with a series of rigid check points to screen out the Palestinian terrorist elements. Sure, the terrorists can still launch missiles and rockets over

the wall, but after a time of vicious retaliation by Israel aircraft and artillery, the Palestinian man-in-the-street will react against the terrorists to insure his personal safety.

The following article by Patrick Bishop, which first appeared in the UK Telegraph, came from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Daily Alert. The article contrasts the pre-disengagement situation in

the Gaza Strip with the post-disengagement state of affairs.

BEGIN DAILY ALERT ARTICLE FROM JERUSALEM CENTER

Gaza Was Going to Show the World – Patrick Bishop

January 10, 2005

I have always been reluctant to accept the Israeli statesman Abba Eban’s observation that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, but arriving in Gaza Monday, it had to be admitted that

the man had a point.

Four months ago, when I was last here, the place sparkled with optimism. With the Israelis gone, Gaza was going to show the world what Palestinians could do when left

to their own devices.

Now it felt more like the Wild West.

Our regular driver, Ashraf, was not there to meet us.

He has the bad luck to belong to the Masri clan, who are currently engaged in a blood feud with their rivals, the Kafarnehs. The toll so far is five dead and 70-odd wounded.

As we passed through the town of Khan Yunis, the main road was blocked by what I took at first to be an election rally. Wrong. The Masri boys were at it again, this time wading into the Tahas, their sworn enemies in the southern end of the strip.

As we turned into a parallel street to detour round the mob, we ran into a gun battle, with the rivals trading Kalashnikov fire from opposing blocks of flats.

(Telegraph-UK)

END DAILY ALERT ARTICLE FROM JERUSALEM CENTER