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North Korean Nuclear Threat tied to Government’s Economic Failure

October 9, 2006

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I have written very little, if anything, ab out

the North Korean nuclear situation on our web pages, because I have never considered it all that important in prophecy. I am sure that South Korea and Japan will be perched on pins and needles from now until Armageddon and, if I was living in these countries, so would I.

I do not expect North Korea to launch a nuclear weapon against anyone prior to the end of this age of the Gentiles. The North Korean system of communistic dictatorship under army control is an absolute disaster economically, and is not capable of ever producing a prosperous type of stable government. This leaves them little choice except to use a threat of nuclear weapons to blackmail food and economic goodies from the governments who will keep the North Korean economy propped up to “barely acceptable.” This will allow the army to stay in power with a lousy economy.

The Leader of North Korea and the army are afraid of a rebellion from within the ranks of the army and the people, who have been living under dire economic stress for some time. Their leader is one of the few seen in North Korean pictures who looks well fed.

It is a country led by a powerful few who worked their way into positions of military power aggressively, and the size of their waistline is one way of singling them out.

North Korea is acutely aware that their launching a nuclear warhead against any other nation would give the United States justification, in the eyes of the international community, to change North Korea into a vast nuclear disaster area within less than a day. Iran is a horse of a different color.

While I do not expect Iran to launch for the same reason, the insane religious fanaticism among some of their leaders in high places, who believe their role is to create “chaos” in the Middle East, such that out of this man-made chaos will arise their version of a Messiah (The Mahdi) – I admit does disturb me.

It is possible they are just insane enough to sacrifice a majority of their population to U.S. thermonuclear hell in the name of Allah, Muhammad, and the Mahdi.

I do, however, believe both North Korea and Iran are unwilling to give America the international justification to destroy them as nations, so I will stick with my conclusion of a conventional, rather than a nuclear war prior to Armageddon.

The series of “headers” from Reuter’s articles concerning how the long North Korean famine stands in 2006 is described from March to May in the first article.

The Jerusalem Post article, which follows the Reuter’s “headers,” gives the Israeli reaction to North Korea’s nuclear test as it relates to them, Iran, the Middle East, and the rest of the world.

Begin March to May 2006 Heading Clippings from Reuters

North Korea Famine

11 May 2006 20:44:12 GMT

North Korea, WFP agree to scaled back aid plan

(Adds U.S. comment, paragraphs 10-11) By Lindsay Beck BEIJING, May 11 (Reuters) – North Korea has agreed to accept aid from the World Food Programme months after it said it no longer wanted …

11 May 2006 02:30:20 GMT

North Korea reverses course, to accept food aid-WFP

BEIJING, May 11 (Reuters) – North Korea has agreed to accept international food aid that will feed 1.9 million in the impoverished country, nearly a year after it said it no longer wanted handouts, …

04 May 2006 09:21:49 GMT
N.Korea rationing raises starvation risk: group

By Jack Kim SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) – North Korea’s return to food rationing puts its most vulnerable people at risk of starvation because the system is designed to reward the loyal and leave the …

North Korea requests more farm aid from South

10 Apr 2006 03:43:00 GMT

Source: Reuters

SEOUL, April 10 (Reuters) – North Korea, which has shunned help from international aid agencies despite battling chronic food shortages, has requested 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser from South Korea for …

N.Korean defector says disabled newborns are killed

22 Mar 2006 12:13:22 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Jack Kim SEOUL, March 22 (Reuters) – North Korea has no people with physical disabilities because they are killed almost as soon as they are born, a physician who defected from the communist

End March to May 2006 Heading Clippings from Reuters

Begin Jerusalem Post Article

‘Israel has cause for concern over N. Korea’s nuclear test’

Shani Rosenfelder and JPost.com Staff, the JERUSALEM POST

October 9, 2006

“Israel should be very concerned by North Korea’s nuclear test,” Uzi Eilam, former head of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

According to Eilam, “The cause for concern is three-fold. First, as a world democracy, it should be concerned by the threat a North Korean nuclear capability poses to the entire world.

Second, It is certainly possible that Pyongyang would share its nuclear know-how with Iran, in return for a sizeable financial reward. North Korea’s nuclear program is far more advanced than Iran’s. While Iran has only started to produce fissile material, North Korea has done so at least five years ago.”

“Third, Syria, which is also under heavy international pressure, could look at the North Korean example and decide to actively push for its own nuclear capability, taking into account that it would be a great deterrent to alleviate the pressure and get the international community off its back,” Eilam said.

“Today’s experiment means that the North Koreans have successfully produced a device whose core is the heart of a nuclear bomb. In order to re ach th

at level, it must be integrated in a weapons system, whether a bomb or a missile warhead. Since it is known that they have been working on missile technology for many years, it is not unforeseeable that North Korea could achieve nuclear weapons capability in 1-2 years.”

“The international community’s response to the North Korean test,” Eilam asserts, “is of the utmost importance.

The Security Council must impose much harsher sanctions on Pyongyang.”

Labor MK Ephraim Sneh said on Monday that the morning’s weapons test had showed that the West had failed in its efforts to prevent North Korea from developing and experimenting with nuclear weapons.

“It could be a good thing,” Sneh told Israel Radio, explaining that Israeli policymakers and advocates should use the developments in North Korea to convince the international community to “do something [about Iran] before it’s too late.”

The risk posed by North Korea obtaining nuclear capability, Sneh said, is less relevant to Israel than the threat posed

by Iran, which is committed to the destruction of Israel.

Sneh believes that international economic sanctions would be a viable deterrent. While Iran produces crude oil, he said, it lacks a supply of refined petroleum products. In fact, he added, Iran imports some 40% of its gasoline.

“A serious international embargo would be effective,” Sneh asserted.

Unlike Sneh, Dr. Soli Shahvar, an expert on Iran from the University of Haifa, is convinced that economic sanctions would not be an effective deterrent against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “The only option I see is a serious effort [to affect] a regime change,” he told Israel Radio.

The fact that North Korea reached such an advanced stage in nuclear experimentation – and Monday morning’s experiment was still not tantamount to nuclear weapons capability – could be a strong hint to the Iranians that they are on the right track with their nuclear program, Shahvar said.

“The Iranians are very certain of their direction,” Shahvar continued, and said that he “wouldn’t rule out” the possibility that Iranian representatives had been present at North Korea’s experiment.

North Korea, Shahvar said, is much worse off economically than Iran, which has plentiful energy resources and profits by them. Those same energy resources, he continued, provide the West with a much stronger incentive for cooperation with Iran that with North Korea.

“North Korea’s nuclear experiment must alert the entire world that the next nuclear weapons test could be conducted by Iran,” Shahvar warned.

End Jerusalem Post Article

At some point in time between 2008 and 2012, I expect both Iran and North Korea to have a deliverable nuclear warhead mounted on missiles in North Korea and Iran but, quite frankly, I do not believe they will use them.

Also, I expect the conventional military forces and weaponry of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, the PA, and all of the terrorist groups, to reach levels of quality and quantity sufficient to launch a winning war against Israel at some point in time between 2008 and 2012. I believe these three nations and groups will be supported by the seven nations of Iraq, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

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It is Impossible for the U.S. to establish a Lasting Democratic Government in an Islamic Culture made up of Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis

and Countless other Ethnic Groups!

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Dardanelle MBC

Before the United States ever invaded Iraq I was quite emphatic that it was impossible for the United States to establish a lasting democratic government in the midst of Islam. I was 100 percent in favor of going in, taking over the country, getting rid of Saddam Hussein and his cronies, then pulling out and letting the Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis, and all the rest of the many ethnic groups slug it out for supremacy. I was never for stabilizing Iraq – I was for destabilizing it.

The mistake was made a long time ago, when Iraq was pieced together from the territory of the zones former European masters occupied, before the breakup of the colonial empires. Iraq should have been three states instead of one. They should have separated the ethnic majorities of Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis.

Trying to form a democratic government made up of Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis is like tossing a tiger, leopard, and lion into a small cage and expecting them to get along. It takes an experienced lion, tiger, or leopard trainer, who is feared by the animals, to keep them at bay and under control. Saddam Hussein was such a man. Only a cruel dictator could control what was pieced together to become Iraq.

I certainly admit we are fighting a worldwide war against terrorism, and that Iraq is a part of it, and I have heard the statement made that if we don’t fight them there, then we will have to fight them here one day on our land – WE ALREADY ARE! We cannot win a guerilla hit and run war in Iraq because, like in Vietnam, you could not always tell a VC from a friendly. At least in this country we are the natives, but in Iraq many of the natives are the guerillas.

This is not a question of “cut and run.” We got rid of Saddam Hussein, his two brutal sons, and 98 percent of his cronies. The longer we stay in Iraq the worse it is going to get. As far as I am concerned, we met what I believed should have been our objectives, and it is now time to put in place an exit strategy. We never intended to take over Iraq for its oil, and had no intention of it becoming a U.S. satellite colony. I believe our President and this country have done what they could, and I applaud him and our Military Forces. We have not failed, we have satisfied our commitment to give Iraq a chance to become what it wants to be. But I now believe we can do no more, and it is time to come home.

I am a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam campaigns. I believe we did the right thing in both these wars, and I paid my dues in Vietnam. I do not regret one minute of my time there.

We did what we could, but when we could do no more, we came home. We fought well and died well in Korea and Vietnam and met our objectives, but when we could do no more we did not “cut and run” – We just came home. I believe it is now time to develop a strategy to now let our Middle East veterans start to also “come home.” They have fought and died well, but they are now on the verge of being able to do no more – We came home, and now it is time for them to start coming home. America fought to be a democracy because the majority of its people wanted that form of government in the New World. Did a foreign government direct the holding of our first elections so we could become a government, or did we fight to have the right to hold elections? The bottom line is this – only Jesus Christ’ s return will

straighten out the mess that man has made in this immoral cesspool of humanity that classifies itself as civilized.
Please consider the article from the Jerusalem Post, which follows, and Archive Prophecy Updates 114C and 114B, which follow the Jerusalem Post article, and make reference back to Archive Prophecy Updates 80A and 80B.

Begin Jerusalem Post Article

Top NATO Commander says Iraq may never be Peaceful

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

October 4, 2006

A top NATO commander said Tuesday that Iraq may never be free of violence.

“Will we see a day in Iraq when violence is completely gone away? I don’t think so. It wasn’t that way under Saddam,” said US Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith, supreme allied commander transformation.
“It’s going to be rough. Success will be measured on a political scale,” he said.
Smith, who spoke to reporters in Paris, said there has been plenty of success in both Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly in organizing and carrying through democratic elections.

“But it’s in the hands of the Afghan and Iraqi people to take the opportunity they think they’ve been given,” he said.

Begin Special Prophecy Update Number 114C

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 114C

April 7, 2003

Iraq – A Biblical Land of Conquerors and Confusion

The post Saddam government’s character and temperament cannot be expected to maintain a personality that manifests a long-term gratitude for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Its history dictates that initial expressions of thanksgiving must slowly, but surely, return to the standard Islamic attitude toward the big devil United States, and the little devil Israel. It will never degenerate to the Saddam regime madness, but Iraq will be among the 10 nations that attack Israel some three and on-half years before the final battle of Armageddon.

The new civilian government, which will eventually be installed, will have a violent mixture of the intermingled blood of the 12 sons of Ishmael (the first son of Abraham), the six sons of Keturah by Abraham, and the two sons of Lot (Abraham’s nephew). The first post flood population in the Iraq area was ruled by Noah’s great grandson, Nimrod, who the son of Cush, the son of Ham. Asshur, the grandson of Shem, the son of Noah, peopled the northern part. So, in this area you have the intermingled blood of the descendants of all the aforementioned ancestors.

As a matter of fact, the word translated as “mingled” in Daniel 2:43 is “Arab.” The seed of all these ancestors has certainly been “mingled” in the production of offspring, but they have not been able to cleave together continuously except under the control of a very strong leader, and then only for a relatively short period of time. The great Assyrian warrior kings of 800 to 600 B.C., followed by the great Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and the famous Kurd Saladin from northern Iraq, who united the mingled tribes to drive the crusaders out of Jerusalem in 1187, have shown that only a strong-willed ruler can unite them, and then only for a specific purpose of conquest, which is invariably followed by a period of empire decay as the cleavage of many different bloodlines crumbles. The coming antichrist will be able to unite them for a while, but in the end they will break apart. He will be like Nimrod in character.

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.

Daniel 2:42,43 – 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.

[43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

I have always taught that I believed the antichrist would come out of Syria (See Prophecy Updates 62,63,64,65,66,67,68, and 69), but I have repeatedly stated that I am only certain he will come out of the old Assyrian empire, which would include Lebanon, extreme southeastern Turkey, and northern Iraq. So I will be watching very carefully to see if someone from northern Iraq becomes the President of Iraq. It will take a really strong, and extremely clever, ruler to unite the Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish factions across Iraq.

The 10 toes and 10 horns of Daniel are the same 10 horns of John’s first and second beasts.

They are not European nations, and the antichrist is not a European. He is the Assyrian of Micah’s fifth chapter, and the 10 toes and 10 horns are basically mingled (Arab) descendants of Abraham, who practice the Islamic faith – a faith that would be the worship of a strange god unknown to Abraham. The division of the vast riches of the Iraqi oil fields among the different ethnic groups within Iraq would most certainly gain him a loyal following among all the Islamic clerics.

Daniel 11:37,38 – 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. [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. [39] Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

Daniel 7:24 – And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

Revelation 17:12,13 – And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

So, Lord willing, I will be paying very close attention to the interplay between the new Iraqi government, Syria, and Iran. This is going to be a very interesting scenario.

Begin Special Prophecy Update Number 114B

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 114B

April 6, 2003

How Will the New Iraq Fit in the Prophetic Pattern?

I have had several queries as to how I thought the new Iraqi would fit into future Middle East prophetic events.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am to see a new regime coming into Iraq.

In Prophecy Update 80A, August 11, 2002, titled, “Saddam Hussein – Middle East Wild Card,” I outlined my frustration as to his unpredictability, and the rest of the title, “Why the U.S. is Determined to Replace Him!,” has now borne fruit. In Prophecy Update Number 80B, August 12, titled, “Another Iraqi Attack Indicator?,” I showed something the U.S. was doing in Israel that was a prelude to the eventual attack against Iraqi.

In reality, the new Iraqi regime will eventually develop a much better relationship with Iran and Syria than Saddam. But make no mistake, the Islamic mindset of the new regime may outwardly seem to be amenable toward Israel, but eventually they must regress to their inward true Arab desire to see Israel driven into the sea. In Prophecy Update 81A, I first discussed a border meeting between Saddam and Bashar Assad, the Syrian President. I have a sneaky suspicion the meeting involved the concealment of Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction under the border zone between Syria and Iraq. Update 81A, dated August 17, 2002, and titled “More ‘Strategic Dialogue’ Among the 10 Toes,” may be read in our Prophecy Archives at the top of this page. It gives the insight as to how the new regime will eventually be linked into the final 10 toes of the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar in the second chapter of Daniel.

Daniel 2:41-44 – 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. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. [44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

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Jerusalem – In the Midst of Israel (God’s Promised Land from Dan to Beersheba)!

October 8, 2006

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Zechariah 14:1 – Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

If one draws a line from Dan to Beersheba it is easy to see that the great city

of Jerusalem lies in the “Midst of Israel.” The many reports from various services, since the cease fire in Lebanon under Resolution 1701, leave little doubt in my mind that an eventual Jihad against Israel from the north is coming soon. My guesstimate as to when the Jihad will be launched, as you well know, is at some point in time between 2008 and 2012.

My comments on “The land from Dan to Beersheba” expression used in the Sc

riptures is next, followed by articles from DEBKAfile Report and Haaretz, followed by my comments on Jerusalem in Archive Prophecy Update Number 132.

The “Promised Land” God gave to Israel was understood to stretch from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south from Judges 20:1 to the end of Solomon’s Kingdom. And some of the break away 10 northern tribes still occasionally observed Passover in Jerusalem in days of King Hezekiah.

Judges 20:1 – Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.

All Israel, which consisted of the Jews from Dan to Bersheba, accepted the man Samuel as a prophet of the Lord.

I Samuel 3:20 – And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

The kingdom of Israel under Saul, David, and Solomon was accepted as stretching from Dan to Beersheba.

II Samuel 3:10 – To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.

The gathering of “all Israel” for battle was considered to be called from Dan to Beersheba.

II Samuel 17:11 – Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

II Samuel 24:2 – For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that

I may know the number of the people.

God’s punishment on Israel was from Dan to Beersheba because David numbered the tribes.

II Samuel 24:15 – So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

I Chronicles 21:1,2 – And Satan stood up against Israel, and p

rovoked David to number Israel. [2] And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

II Chronicles 30:5 – The Passover was to be observed in Jerusalem by all Jews from Dan to Beersheba.

So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.

After the return from Babylonian Captivity the definition of the land of Israel became “from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.” The valley of Hinnom touched the southern wall of the Temple Mount in the days of Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zechariah the prophet.

Nehemiah 11:30 – Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof. And they dwelt from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

Begin DEBKAfile Report

DEBKAfile reports: Israeli Golan forces on Syrian border in state of preparedness for Yom Kippur War anniversary.

September 30, 2006

They are braced for a possible decision by Syrian president Bashar Assad to make good on his recent belligerent statements. Asad has said that Syria is losing patience over the delays in recovering the Golan and certain elements are preparing a campaign of terror in the territory. Israeli officers and the security officers of local communities were cautioned ahead of Yom Kippur to stand ready for terrorist incursions from Syria, attacks on army posts and roads, roadside devices and kidnap attempts.

DEBKAfile reports that the presence of 5,000 United Nations troops and Lebanese army units in S. Lebanon has done nothing to hinder Hizballah’s return to its former fortified village sanctuaries within sight of the Israeli border, or

its access to replenished arms dumps. Neither set foot in Hizballah strongholds.

The land from Dan to Beersheba, a distance of 144 miles, became the usual way of designating the entire “Promised Land,” and passed into a proverb as such. After Israel’s return from Babylonian Captivity, the phrase was changed to “from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.”

End DEBKAfile Report

Begin Haaretz Article

Assad: Syrian Military preparing for War with Israel

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent

October 7, 2006

The Syrian military is preparing for war with Israel, Syria’s President Bashar Assad told the Quwaiti newspaper Al-Anba on Saturday.

Assad also said he believes Israel has abandonded the peace process.

Syrian Information Minister Muhsen Bilal also said Saturday that his country is preparing for war with Israel, but added that Syria is interested in peace.

Bilal made the comments in an interview broadcast on Al-Jazeera.

“Syria is taking into account the possibility that Israel will embark on a military adventure in against Syria,” said Bilal. “We are preparing for every possibility.”

According to Bilal, Israel intended to “crush Hezbollah” and impose its control in Lebanon, but failed to do so.

“The crisis which Israel finds itself in today, following its failure in Lebanon, could lead it to attack Syria,” said Bilal. “We always emphasized our lack of faith in Israeli governments, and this is especially true of the current government.”

Bilal added that Syria is interested in peace with Israel, saying it was Israel that was responsible for the collapse of peace talks between the two nations in the year 2000.

Bilal presented the Syrian principles for peace with Israel. He said any agreement must be based on UN decisions calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, southern Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and the recognition of the right of return of

Palestinian refugees to Israel.

End Haaretz Article

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 132

August 8, 2003

Zechariah Exposition 13:8 TO 14:16

Part 3

Please look back at the following Prophecy Updates before reading 132: 130 (Part 1), 130D, and 131 (Part 2).

Americans are accustomed to read the account of an event found in the straight line, progressive style of writing. But the prophetic writers, at times, hopped back and forth between prophetic events separated by as much as a thousand years, and chronology is often difficult to maintain in interpreting them.

When writing about end time events they would write about the beginning of the tribulation period, then

jump over to the 2nd Advent and into the millennial reign, then spring backward to what led up to the tribulation period, then rush to the end of it and the final battle of Armageddon, etc., etc., etc. So, at times, it is not easy to separate the events they describe, especially within the chapter and verse divisions in the Scriptures supplied by the King James translators. So, with this in mind, please look at Zechariah 13:8 to 14:2.

Zechariah 13:8 to 14:2 – 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. [1] 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.

In verse 8 we are advised the southward rushing Jihad from Dan drives Israel into the Negev wilderness south of Beersheba, and that some two-thirds of the Jewish population will perish.

Verse 9 tells us God will allow Israel’s faith in Him to be tried in the Negev for some three and one- half years.

We are advised they will be severely tried by the fire of the last 1260 days of tribulation in the Negev, but they will eventually cry out to their God, and he will deliver them.

This whole event lasts some 1260 days, and the Second Advent ends it. Now, as we move into the next verse of the continuous narrative, the writer backs up in time in Chapter 14,1,2 and tells us of an event associated with the Jihad attack of Zechariah 13:8.

Zechariah 14:1 – Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

Jerusalem sets “in the midst” of Israel, and its spoils shall be divided among the 10 conquering nations.

Once again, in the prophetic style of writing, in the next verse, in the last phrase, he jumps to the end of the 1260 days, and assures Israel that God will preserve a remnant in the Negev, which will return some 1260 days after Jerusalem falls.

Zechariah 14:2 – 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.

The word KARATH is translated “CUT OFF.” There are several words translated “cut off” in the KJV. KARATH means “TO BE CUT OFF FOREVER.” The other Hebrew words translated “cut off’ usually provided a way for the offender to be restored to fellowship with Israel, but KARATH implies BEING CUT OFF WITHOUT ANY CHANCE OF BEING ALLOWED TO RETURN. The word translated RESIDUE is the Hebrew word YETHER, which is translated as REMNANT in Micah 5:3. (See Prophecy Update Number 64)

Micah 5:3 – Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the REMNANT of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (See Prophecy Update Number 64)

In the last phrase of Zechariah 14:2, God is assuring the tribes of Israel that even if they will be driven out of Jerusalem, they will return some 1260 days later. He does this by the use of the word “NOT.” The residue (REMNANT) of the people (ISRAELIS) shall NOT be CUT OFF from the city.

When Jerusalem falls, God begins to fight for Israel, and it begins a period of 1260 days, through which he will extend his protective shield over them in the Negev wilderness.

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. You may use material originated by this site.

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What is at the End of

the Tunnel?

October 7, 2006

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

The Ynet News article, which follows our preamble, brought back some memories of the Viet Cong tunnels in Vietnam and what could be found in them.

Tunnels are a very natural and essential part of a guerilla war, and could be c alle

d “gorilla” tunnels based on the danger a U.S. soldier would find in them. They are the primary last leg of getting terrorist men and weaponry into the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Some churches are very difficult to pastor. A friend of mine, who shall go nameless, had the unfortunate situation of leading two such churches back to back. During his tenure at these churches he called me many times and we discussed the difficulties he was facing.

I would remind him over and over again, using the old encouraging phrase: “There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.” Many years after he had led these two churches, we were driving to a meeting and suddenly, out of the blue, he asked: “Tom, do you remember all those times you told me there was always a light at the end of the tunnel?” Of course, I replied “yes,” thinking he was going to tell me what an encouragement it was to him. But, to my surprise, he asked a follow up question: “What do you think I finally found when I got to the end of the tunnel?” I said, “The light!” But he replied, “No, it was a giant gorilla with a flashlight and a club!” That is what Israel, and those who support her, are going to find at the end of the tunnel in the Middle East. I have encountered many who just keep hoping it will all go away, and we will live happily ever-after in never-never land.

Some of them say, “I don’t want to hear it, and I don’t want my children to hear it.” Others say, “Why preachers have said that for centuries,” believing that is justification for hoping the world will not come to the end of God’s judgment tunnel for several more centuries.

How much worse can the morality of the world become

? How much closer can the Middle East positioning of nations and peoples perfectly overlay the prophesied description of the end times

? How much closer can mankind’s pre-flood condition, described in Romans One, match the morality of our society today?

Romans 1:26-32 – For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: [27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

[28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; [29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Well, we have arrived as an all knowing high tech society, with all the marvelous creature comforts imaginable around us, and the things of Romans 1:26-32 among and in us. We are about to reach the end of the tunnel, and the giant gorilla with his flashlight is about to meet a society as prophesied by Jesus in Luke 17:26-30.

Luke 17:26-30 – And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; [29] But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. [30] Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Certainly the “club” effects of the gorilla can be represented by verses 27 and 29, but Daniel and Matthew are equally definitive.

Daniel 12:1 – 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.

Matthew 24:21 – For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

But a contributing factor to the degree of terror unleashed will be the “suddenness” with which it begins and spreads worldwide.

Begin Ynet News Article

Tunnels Feed New Hamas Army

October 5, 2006

Alex Fishman (Ynet News)

Hamas has assembled in Gaza an armed and tra

ined force of about 7,500 fighters.

A senior Israeli military official emphasized that it was not just a large guerilla force, but an organized army with several specialized units, including a short-range missile unit, a long-range missile unit, an anti-tank unit, and a sniper unit.

Intelligence sources estimated the army would reach operational capacity and be capable of confronting the IDF as soon as the coming summer, if the flow of arms, military experts, and money into Gaza was not stopped.

The army had offensive capabilities that would allow it to launch long-range missiles toward Israel and to infiltrate Israel through hidden tunnels.

Israeli military sources said they would have to decide soon how this new and grow ing military force

in Gaza would be dealt with.

End Ynet News Article

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For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. You may use material originated by this site.

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Fatah will Fight Hamas with U.S. Weapons to be used later against Israel in a Jihad!

October 6, 2006

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

I suppose at times it seems I am anxious for bad things to happen to the Jewish people, but that is far from the case. I am pro-Israel to the core, but my assessments of what will eventually happen in the Middle East is also pro-Bible to the core, which means that I am certain very bad things are going to be prophetically fulfilled in the near future. If someone accuses me of being biblically biased in everything I write and say about events in the Middle East, they are absolutely correct. I will confess freely that I interpret all current decisions be

ing made daily in the Middle East in the light of what the Scriptures say will happen in the last days, and indeed am very biased because I direct my opinions toward what I know must eventually happen. Do I get great pleasure in knowing Israel will be driven into the Negev wilderness, Jerusalem will fall, and only one-third of the Jewish population will survive? No, I do not, but Revelation 12:6 and Zechariah 13:8 to 14:2 indic ates

that will be the case. When you read my articles please bear this in mind.

I will also warn you that whatever the Bible says God is going to do to Israel I do like and accept regardless of world opinion. Why? Because God is good! So, if he does, or allows something bad to happen to Israel, then that can only be good for Israel. The same is true for the way he deals with me.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The latest Middle East trip by Secretary of State Rice is a major effort

by the United States to recover from the political mess generated by the unexpected shock felt round the world when Hamas defeated Fatah in the last Palestinian elections. We are now

attempting to prop Fatah up for a negotiating partner with Israel, which is the lesser of two evils.

The Palestinian people have now felt the bitter result of no welfare state salaries and handouts from their enemies to keep them economically from ruin because of their inability to run a government.

They want the American and European welfare flowing into their coffers again but, with Hamas in power, the geese that laid the golden eggs have flown away, and will not return to lay welfare eggs until Fatah is once again in power.

Will this latest effort by the U.S. succeed? I certainly hope so! Why? It will lay the groundwork for a false peace, which will be the forerunner of events that eventually lead to the end of this Gentile age by the 2nd Advent of the Messiah.

Please read the following excerpts from articles extracted from news agencies such as the Jerusalem News Center for Public Affairs Daily Alert – World Net Daily. Individual excerpts are from the Jerusalem Post, the New York Times, Reuters, and Arutz Sheva. Read the first four excerpts to get the gist of the U.S. plan to prop up Fatah. Then read the last to see when the weaponry supplied to Fatah will be used eventually against Israel in the coming Jihad, which I guesstimate to occur at some point in time between 2008 and 2012.

Begin Excerpt 1

Abbas Asks Rice for Weapons, Previous American Arms Shared with Terrorists

Aaron Klein (WorldNetDaily)

In his meeting Wednesday with Secretary of State Rice, PA Chairman Abbas requested a large shipment of weapons from the U.S. purportedly to arm his group against Hamas. “She said an answer to our requests would likely be affirmative,” said a PA official.

The U.S. government previously sent weapons to Abbas in May to bolster Fatah against Hamas.

In June, it was reported that assault rifles that were part of a cache of weapons transferred by the U.S. made their way to members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, and some may have been used in a string

of shootings, including an ambush against a busload of Israeli school girls.

Begin Excerpt 2

US proposes plan to boost Abbas elite security force

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

October 5, 2006

The United States, moving to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, has proposed a plan to beef up the Palestinian president’s elite security force and expand its authorities in the Gaza Strip, American officials said Thursday.

The $20 million plan calls for training Abbas’ presidential guard and upgrading Karni Crossing the main cargo crossing between Gaza and Israel. The presidential guard would oversee the Palestinian side of the crossing, which has repeatedly been closed over the past year due to Israeli security alerts.

Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the US security coordinator in the West Bank and Gaza, is working out the plan, which was discussed during US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s meeting with Abbas in the West Bank on Wednesday, the officials said.

While the plan is aimed at improving the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, it also is part of a broader US effort to shore up Abbas in his power struggle with the Islamic Hamas group.

The US plan would provide funding and training to Abbas’ presidential guard, considered the best trained and most reliable of

the security services.

Begin Excerpt 3

U.S. Urging Bigger Force for Abbas

Steven Erlanger

The U.S. is proposing to expand the presidential guard of PA Chairman Abbas to 6,000 men from the current 3,500, as part of a $26 million plan to shore up Abbas’ position, according to donors who have been briefed by Lt.

Gen. Keith W. Dayton, Washington’s security coordinator for the Palestinians. (New York Times)

Begin Excerpt 4

Abbas Builds Up Forces

Adam Entous – 16-acre plot in the West Bank city of Jericho is being transformed into new training grounds for troops loyal to PA Chairman Abbas. With support from the U.S., Abbas’ presidential guard has been expanding as a possible counterweight to the Hamas Islamists who lead the government and have been busy building up their own “Executive Force.” (Reuters)

Begin Last Excerpt

Begin Arutz Sheva Excerpt

Fatah, Hamas Preparing for War With Israel

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 / 11 Tishrei 5767

Hamas has smuggled up to 1,300 tons of weapons from Egypt into Gaza and is preparing for the option of launching a large-scale conflict with Israel. So states a Fatah report quoted by WorldNetDaily.

The weapons, WND reports, include between several hundred and 1,300 tons of advanced rockets; anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles; rocket propelled grenades; raw explosives; rifles; ammunition; and other heavy weaponry.

Israel has long compla ined that the arrangements at the Egypt-Gaza border cross

ing are not satisfactory, and that the European monitors are ineffectual in stopping the smuggling. Then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to the deal last November, after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice arrived in the region and gave her stamp of approval.

WND’ s Aaron Klein quote

s Abu Ahmed, leader of the northern Gaza chapter of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, as saying the terrorists are working towards, and succeeding in, turning Gaza into a Hizbullah-like threat against Israel.

“We learned from Hizbullah’s victory that Israel can be defeated if we know how to hit them and if we are well prepared,” Abu Ahmed said.

We are importing rockets and the knowledge to launch them and we are also making many plans for battle.”

WND also quotes another terrorist leader – Abu Abdullah, reported to be a top member of the Izaddin Al-Kassam Brigades of Hamas – detailing the preparations for war against Israel.

“In the last 15 months,” Abu Adullah said,” though the fighters of Hamas kept the ceasefire, we did not stop making important advancements and professional training on the military level. In the future, after Hamas is obliged to stop the ceasefire, the world shall see our new military capabilities.” He said that Hamas and Hizbullah, which has cells in Sinai, are cooperating in importing rockets and guerilla training.

End Arutz Sheva Excerpt

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We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. You may use material originated by this site. However, if you wish to use any quoted copyrighted material from this site, which did not originate at this site, for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner from which we extracted it.