blog.Tribulationperiod.com

Time to prepare for the Inevitable!

Mankind is now in the Valley of Decision,

Only a Brief Middle East False Peace is Possible!

Armageddon is the final battle in the Tribulation Period!

It will come because what the World is facing is a Religious War!

It will forever answer this question — Is Jesus the Son of the living God?

The excerpts which follow make it CLEAR Islam MUST attempt to DESTROY Israel!

March 9, 2009

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Whether you are atheist, agnostic, or a believer, I hope you realize the situation can only end in a great Middle East war that will terminate in a final battle in Israel of all the nations of Biblical times coming against Israel at Armageddon. For those who don’t believe either the Bible or the Koran, which both indicate such a war and final battle will occur, and for those who believe there is no God or can’t make up your mind, may I at least encourage you to believe in historical reality as it applies to the current world situation being played in the Middle East. Reality presents the religion of Islam with a belief pitted against all other beliefs as being infidels, and a god named Allah who justifies destruction of those who do not believe there is only one god, and Muhammad is his prophet. I have read the Koran – Have you? I have read the New Testament – Have You?

War is inevitable in the Middle East! The only question is WHEN will it begin? My answer is a simple one – No one can be absolutely certain. In my opinion, the most likely time for it to begin will be at a point in time between 2010 and 2015, but the only thing of which I can be certain of is that it will occur, and it will be SOON.

As a believer, my hope is that it will be TODAY, because as a believer I KNOW I will be caught up to be with my Savior before the final battle of Armageddon, and I am anxious for that to happen. My primary purpose when Dardanelle MBC began this Web Site in 2000 was, and is, to encourage those who read it to realize whatever they intend to do before war arrives, now is the time to get ready for it, because it is not a far distant event.

Joel 3:9-17 – Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: [10] Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. [11] Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. [12] Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. [13] Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. [14] Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision:

for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. [15] The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. [16] The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. [17] So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

Whether you are an atheist, an agnostic, or a believer, please take the time to read the two excerpts which follow, and realistically ask yourself, can anything other than a major Middle East war with Islam come to pass? Dialog, diplomacy, force, compromise, and even prayer are not going to stop this war.

I hope you are ready for it, because like it or not, IT IS COMING SOON.

Begin Excerpt from Wall Street Journal

Islam Should Prove It’s a Religion of Peace

Muslims can start with better Quranic scholarship.

By TAWFIK HAMID

March 9, 2009

The film “Fitna” by Dutch parliament member Geert Wilders has created an uproar around the world because it links violence committed by Islamists to Islam.

Many commentators and politicians — including the British government, which denied him entry to the country last month — reflexively accused Mr. Wilders of inciting hatred.

The question, however, is whether the blame is with Mr. Wilders, who simply exposed Islamic radicalism, or with those who promote and engage in this religious extremism. In other words, shall we fault Mr.

Wilders for raising issues like the stoning of women, or shall we fault those who actually promote and practice this crime

?

Many Muslims seem to believe that it is acceptable to teach hatred and violence in the name of their religion — while at the same time expecting the world to respect Islam as a religion of peace, love and harmony.

Scholars in the most prestigious Islamic institutes and universities continue to teach things like Jews are “pigs and monkeys,” that women and men must be stoned to death for adultery, or that Muslims must fight the world to spread their religion. Isn’t, then, Mr. Wilders’s criticism appropriat

e? Instead of blaming him, we must blame the leading Islamic scholars for having failed to produce an authoritative book on Islamic jurisprudence that is accepted in the Islamic world and unambiguously rejects these violent teachings.

While many religious texts preach violence, the interpretation, modern usage and implementation of these teachings make all the difference. For example, the stoning of women exists in both the Old Testament and in the Islamic tradition, or “Sunna” — the recorded deeds and manners of the prophet Muhammad. The difference, though, is that leading Jewish scholars agreed to discontinue these practices centuries ago, while Muslim scholars have yet to do so. Hence we do not see the stoning of women practiced or promoted in Israel, the “Jewish” state, but we see it practiced and promoted in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the “Islamic” states.

When the British government banned Geert Wilders from entering the country to present his film in the House of Lords, it made two egregious errors.

The first was to suppress free speech, a canon of the civilized Western world. The second mistake was to blame the messenger — punishing, so to speak, the witness who exposed the crime instead of punishing the criminal. Mr. Wilders did not produce the content of the violent Islamic message he showed in his film — the Islamic world did that. Until the Islamic clerical establishment takes concrete steps to reject violence in the name of their religion, Mr. Wilders’s criticism is not only permissible as “controversial” free speech but justified.

So, Islamic scholars and clerics, it is up to you to produce a Shariah book that will be accepted in the Islamic world and that teaches that Jews are not pigs and monkeys, that declaring war to spread Islam is unacceptable, and that killing apostates is a crime. Such a book would prove that Islam is a religion of peace.

Mr. Hamid, a former member of an Egyptian Islamist terrorist group, is an Islamic reformer and senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Begin Excerpts from Article 2274 issued by Middle East Media Review Institute (MEMRI)

March 6, 2009

Speeches by Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad at the International Conference in Tehran for Support of Palestine

“The Fourth International Conference for Support of Palestine, The Model of Resistance, And Gaza, The Victim of War Crimes” was held March 3-4, 2009 in Tehran, with the attendance of 80 delegations from different countries. Following are excerpts from statements against Israel, against the moderate Arab countries, and in support of Hamas, by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Khamenei: “Is It Not a Fact That the Countries of the Balkans, Caucasus, and Southwest Asia Reclaimed Their Identity After 80 Years of Loss, And After Being Parts of the Former Soviet Union? Why Cannot Palestine, Which Is Part of the Body of the Islamic World, Reclaim Its Islamic and Arab Identity?”

In his speech at the conference, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the “usurper regime” Israel had “twice been forced to suffer defeat by the forces of resistance [i.e. in 2006 by Hizbullah in Lebanon and recently by Hamas in Gaza] and fighting with trust in God and the people, rather than reliance on arms and equipment…

“By now those who advocated a ‘pragmatic’ approach under the illusion of the invincibility of the Zionist regime, and who succumbed to surrender and compromise with the usurpers, should have realized their mistake…

“Now 60 years have passed since the occupation of Palestine. During this period all material means of power have been in the service of the usurpers, including money, weapons and technology, as well as political and diplomatic initiatives and the giant empire of news media and networks.

Yet despite these staggering and far-reaching satanic efforts, the usurpers and their supporters have not only failed to solve the problem of the Zionist regime’s illegitimacy, but it has grown more complicated with time.

“The intolerance shown by the Western and Zionist media and pro-Zionist governments toward even the mere posing of any question concerning the Holocaust – which served as an excuse for the usurpation of Palestine – and research on the topic, is one of the signs of this nervousness and uncertainty.

“The image of the Zionist regime in world opinion today is much worse than it has ever been during its black history, and more serious questions are being raised concerning the rationale of its creation…

“This is a big lesson, for both the Muslim Ummah and its enemies. It is a lesson for the enemies, who tried to create a fake and counterfeit nation and state by resorting to force and repression, and to convert it in course of time into an undeniable reality, and to make such an unjust imposition something normal for the Islamic world.

“It is also a lesson for the Muslim community, especially the proud youth and their alert conscience, so that they may know that any struggle waged for the restoration of usurped rights is never in vain, and that God’s promise is indeed true when He, the Most High, declares (in the Qur’an): ‘Those who are fought against are permitted [to fight] because they have been wronged, and Allah is indeed able to help them’; ‘Those who were expelled from their homes unjustly, only because they said, ‘Allah is our Lord.’ Had not Allah repulsed the people from one another, ruin would have befallen the monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques in which Allah’s Name is mentioned greatly. ‘Allah will surely help those who help Him. Indeed Allah is all-strong, all-mighty.'(22:39-40)

“And when He, the Most High, says: ‘Indeed Allah does not break His promise.’ (3:9) ‘Allah shall never break His promise.’ (22:47) ‘[This is] a promise of Allah: Allah does not break His promise, but most people do not know.’ (30:6) ‘So do not suppose that Allah will break His promise to His apostles. Indeed Allah is all-mighty, avenger.’ (14:47)

“And what promise can be more categorical than this promise of God, ‘Allah has promised those of you who have faith and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth, just as He made those who were before them successors, and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their state to security after their fear, while they worship Me, not ascribing any partners to Me. And whoever is ungrateful after that—it is they who are the transgressors.’ (24:55)

“A big fallacy which has taken control of the minds of some persons concerning the problem of Palestine is that a country named Israel is a 60-year old reality with which one has to reconcile. I do not know why these people do not learn from other realities that are in front of their eyes. Is it not a fact that the countries of the Balkans, Caucasus, and Southwest Asia reclaimed their identity after 80 years of loss, and after being parts of the former Soviet Union? Why cannot Palestine, which is part of the body of the Islamic world, reclaim its

Islamic and Arab identity? Why cannot the Palestinian youths, who are among the most astute and resistant of Arab youth, overcome this unjust reality by their will and resolution?

“Another big fallacy is to say that negotiation is the only means of deliverance for the Palestinian nation. With whom are these negotiations to be held? With a usurper, misguided and bullying regime which does not believe in anything except force? What have those who have been captivated with this game and delusion achieved?…

“…The United States and Britain are guilty of the biggest sin in creating and sustaining this cancerous tumor, and are one of the parties to the dispute, and not arbiters. The United States government has never ceased its unconditional support for the Zionist regime and its flagrant crimes, such as those committed during the recent events in Gaza.

“Even the new American president, who came to office with the slogan of bringing change in the policies of the Bush Administration, avows unconditional commitment to Israel’s security, which means defending state terrorism, defending injustice and oppression, and defending a 22-day-long massacre of hundreds of Palestinian men, women, and children. It is a policy which amounts to the same crooked ways of the Bush administration and nothing else.”

“Negotiations with bodies associated with the United Nations are another exercise in futility… Even when the General Assembly voted branding Zionism as a racist ideology, the Security Council not only did not go along but also maintained practically a diametrically opposite stand…

“The deliverance of Palestine cannot be obtained through begging from the United Nations or the dominating powers, and more so from the usurper regime.

The sole path of its deliverance is through resistance and fortitude, through the unity of purpose of the Palestinians and the word of God’s oneness (Tawhid), which is the inexhaustible resource for human struggle.

“The pillars of this resistance, on one side, are the combatant Palestinian groups and each and every one of the faithful and resistant Palestinians, those who are within that country as well as those who are abroad.

“From another side, the pillars are the world’s Muslim nations and governments, religious scholars, intellectuals, political figures and academicians. If these two pillars remain firmly in their place, there is no doubt that in every part of the world, awakened consciences, hearts and minds which have not been spoiled by the spells of the news media empire belonging to the global arrogance and Zionism, will rally to the assistance of the victims and those who have been denied their rights, forcing imperialism to confront a storm of thoughts, emotions and actions.”

“The Resistance and Fortitude of the Palestinian Combatants and People… Will Break the Satanic Spell of the Usurpation of Palestine”

“We have seen an example of this truth in recent days during the magnificent resistance of Gaza. The sobs in front of the news cameras of a Western chief of one of the international aid organizations, expressions of sympathy by activists belonging to humanitarian organizations, the large and impassioned public demonstrations in the heart of European capitals and American cities, the bold moves made by the heads of several states in Latin America – all these are signs that the non-Muslim world has not yet been fully subjugated by forces of evil and corruption – called ‘Satan’ in the nomenclature of the Quran – and that the ground is still open for truth to manifest itself.

“Yes, the resistance and fortitude of the Palestinian combatants and people, together with all-round support and assistance from all Islamic countries, will break the satanic spell of the usurpation of Palestine. The prodigious energies of the Islamic Ummah can solve the problems of the Islamic world, including the urgent and acute issue of Palestine…

“This is the first step to be taken. The political and military leaders of the usurper regime should be brought to trial. If criminals are punished, the room for criminal acts by those who possess the motives and madness to commit them will be restricted. Impunity for perpetrators of great crimes is itself a cause and incentive for further crimes.

“If after the 33-day Lebanon war, the Muslim world community had earnestly demanded the punishment of Zionists leaders responsible for the terrible atrocities committed during this war, had this legitimate demand been made following the massacres of wedding processions in Afghanistan, after the atrocities committed by Blackwater mercenaries in Iraq, and following the Abu Ghuraib scandal and other cases involving U. S. soldiers, we would not have witnessed another Karbalain Gaza…”

Criticism of Saudi Arabia and Egypt for Collaborating with Israel

“Dear brothers and sisters throughout the Islamic world! Let us learn from experience. Our great community, with the boon of the Islamic awakening, possesses tremendous power. The key to the solution of many of the problems of the Muslim countries lies in the resoluteness and solidarity of this wonderful galaxy. The question of Palestine is the most urgent problem of the Islamic world.

“At times some people are heard to say that Palestine is an Arab problem. What does that mean?… [I]f it means that the heads of some Arab countries should refuse to pay any heed to the cries of help of the Palestinian people which are addressed to all Muslims, if it means that they may collaborate with the ruthless usurper enemy in such an important case as the tragedy of Gaza while loudly condemning others who cannot remain indifferent to their call of duty to help Gaza – then no proud and conscientious Muslim or Arab will accept it, nor spare the speaker of disapproval and reproach…”

“Offering a multi-faceted assistance to the people of Palestine and complete support is a joint duty of all Muslims.

The governments which criticize the Islamic Republic of Iran and some other Muslim countries for assisting Palestine should come forward to bear the burden of such support so that others are relieved of this Islamic duty. But if they lack the ability and courage to do so, instead of criticism and causing hindrance, they should appreciate the dutiful and courageous steps taken by others.”

Ahmadinejad: “The Difference Between This Conference and the [Egyptian-Led] One at Sharm Al-Sheikh [on the Rehabilitation of Gaza] is Like the Difference Between Satan and Man”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the conference that the difference between this conference and the one at Sharm Al-Sheikh was like the difference between Satan and man.

In his speech, he said: “In the period of weakness of the peoples, the front of the professional murderers and plunderers [global Zionism in collaboration with the West] ruled the world for some 200 years, and even the massacre of some 100 million people in two

world wars did not soothe their loathsome spirit.

“With advance planning, and step by step, they carried out the greatest fraud of all [i.e. the Holocaust] and the ugliest crimes in history [the establishment of the State of Israel and its actions]. The story of the Holocaust, of the ‘nation without a homeland and homeland without a nation,’ the false religion of Zionism, and the Zionists’ making themselves the objects of pity are the greatest lies of our era, and they constitute a prelude to crimes and occupation…”

The Zionist Regime Was Not Aimed At “Easing [The Jews’] Suffering From World Wars I and II”; Preserving the Security of the Zionist Regime is a Pretext “To Prevent The Advancement of the Nations [and] To Prepare the Ground for a Takeover of the Region… By [the] Superpowers”

“It is clear today that the forcing of the Zionist regime [on the region] was not aimed at defending the Jewish people and easing their suffering from World Wars I and II, but was the result of understandings and planning by several superpowers who arose as a result of World War II. The Zionist mission is to constantly threaten [the world], to prevent the advancement of the nations, to prepare the ground for a takeover of the region and of the world by those superpowers, to sow division [amongst the Muslim nations], to prepare [the ground] for the Western weapons sales market, to plunder the resources of the oppressed peoples, and even to take over the peoples of Europe and America.

“In effect, the Zionist regime serves as a poisoned sword of the global Zionist network and of the arrogant powers in our region and worldwide. [According to the West,] on the pretext of preserving the security of this regime, the progress of the nations must be stopped, the large and independent [Middle East] countries must be torn to shreds, and heads of state committed to their national interests such as the honorable president of Sudan, must be pressured, so that no nation will, Heaven forbid, have the strength and the ability to withstand them…

“Now, by the grace of God, the oppressing [international] relations that were created following World War II and the era of the arrogant empires that speak with force and coerce have come to an end, and the global arrogance [i.e. the U.S.] and the Zionist regime are on the way down the slope to collapse…”

The “Continued Existence [of the Zionist Regime] is an Insult to the Intelligence, the Honor, and the Virtue of the Man of our Time”; The Zionists Lack “All Human Traits”

“The problem of the Zionist regime is not an Arab-Zionist problem, a Jewish-Islamic problem, or a Middle East problem. This regime’s establishment and continued existence is an insult to the intelligence, the honor,

and the virtue of the man of our time. All decent people see the existence of this regime as against the rights of humanity. Zionism is not a religion, but a philosophy and an official path, with satanic goals. The Zionists are not Jews, Christians, or people of any other religion. They lack all culture and all human traits.

“The Zionist front is a party with a cadre numbering at the most 2,000, and with several thousand operatives, who are taking over the [world’s] financial, political, and media centers, and parts of the governments of Europe and America.

“Most unfortunately, there are some who still do not believe that the Zionist regime seeks merely occupation and violating human rights, and that its raison d’être is only to sow corruption, division, spoilage, and threats, and that this is the reason for its continued crimes and attacks….

“The governments and the superpowers that established this artificial regime [Israel] and that defend it cannot act as mediators, [because] experience shows that their plans are always in favor of the Zionists and aimed at saving them.

“I recommend to you not to humiliate the nations any more, and not to leave them captive in the hands of the Zionists. [I call on you] to return to the right way and to the path of justice, and this will be for the good of all. If they [the Americans] aspire to real change, this would be a constructive step and a source of real peace and security.”

The Iranian Regime’s Proposal For a “Democratic Solution” For “Liberating Palestine from the Zionist Oppression”: The Return of All Palestinians to Palestine, and Elections

The two leaders of the Iranian regime, Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad, spoke also of a “democratic solution” for liberating Palestine:

Khamenei: “Respected audience! You who are present at this conference are thinkers and specialists about the problem of Palestine. Today our historical duty is not to repeat the bland statements and torpid theories of the past, but to suggest approaches for liberating Palestine from the oppression of the Zionist regime.

“Our proposal is a solution which is in total agreement with democracy and can form a common logical basis. That proposal is that all those who have a legitimate stake in the territory of Palestine, including Muslims, Christians and Jews should choose their own system of government in a general referendum. All Palestinians who have borne for years the ordeals of exile should also participate in this referendum.”

Ahmadinejad: “The way to solve the problem of Zionism and of the regime that is occupying Jerusalem and that has no [real] identity is by honoring the fundamental human rights of the Palestinian people to determine its own destiny. All the Palestinians, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, in every place, must choose, in a referendum of a free people, their type of regime, and their elected government that will rule over all the lands of Palestine.

“Due to the essence of the Zionist regime, the significance of the continuance of its existence on a single inch of the lands of Palestine is continued crimes, occupation, threat, and insult

to the peoples. The guarantee of the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people and of forcing global Zionism and its supporters to agree to free elections is the Palestinian people’s legitimate and popular resistance, which has succeeded in two intifadas and in the Gaza battle to restrain the unrestrained monster and war machine of the heartless Zionists…

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GEOLOGICAL AND TRIBULATION FEATURES ON ISRAELI TOUR PATHS

PART 8

Dead Sea – Jerusalem and Environs – Normal Eighth Day of Tours

The Rabbi Tunnel

Most of the world is now familiar with the explosive events which took place in Israel during September of 1996. This occurred the same time as our excavation at Khirbet al-Makater, led by ABR Director Dr. Bryant Wood. We were in the country while all the commotion took place, and we found it very difficult to get accurate information on the exact issue which ignited the violence. Most news stories we heard suggested the issue was an underground tunnel newly discovered by archaeologists in Jerusalem or the opening of a tunnel that went directly beneath the Moslem Haram Al-Sharif (the Temple Mount). It was only after arriving home that we were able to get clarification. As far as I can tell, most media outlets never did get it correct.

This is what really happened.

The underground tunnel at th

e center of the controversy was known officially in the 1980’s as the “Western Wall Tunnel.” Unofficially it was called the “Rabbi’s Tunnel,” because it was the project

of Orthodox rabbis in Jerusalem. Work on the tunnel began shortly after the Six Day War in 1967, under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The rabbis did not discover an ancient tunnel, but dug their own narrow horizontal mine. It started from the area of the Western Wall plaza (also known as the “Wailing Wall”) and ran north a long

the outside of the western wall of the Temple Mount compound. The Temple Mount, which now houses the Moslem shrines of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, was refurbished by King Herod as part of his renovation of the Second Temple. While the rabbis worked with government knowledge, there was little government oversight. Professional archaeologists also had little interest or involvement in the project.

As they tunneled north along the Temple Mount’s western wall in 1982, the rabbis found an ancient sealed underground gate. They broke through the gate and began to clear out chambers beneath the Temple Mount. Reports suggest they were looking for evidence of the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies from the ancient Jewish Temples.

Palestinian workmen on top of the Temple Mount compound heard the sou

nds of their digging up through a cistern. They opened the cistern and rushed down. In an area where the cistern and gate complex came together, they found the Jews clearing out the gate room and passageways beneath the mount.

A Palestinian riot resulted with numerous injuries. The Israeli government stopped the work beneath the mount and sealed the underground gate. Yet, the rabbis were allowed to resume their digging northward along the outside of the western wall.

By the late 1980’s, they reached the north end of the Temple Mount compound. At this point, they also connected with a pre-Herodian second and first century BC—the Hasmonean period) water tunnel north of the Temple compound. With the discovery of this ancient rock-carved water system, the whole tunnel officially became known as the “Hasmonean Tunnel.” The project was finished in 1988, when the tunnel was stabilized and opened to tourists. While tours were not widely advertised, over 10,000 tourists a year have walked the underground tunnel since 1990.

I personally led a group through the tunnel in 1992. The only problem with the tour was, after walking the 400 yards to the north end, you had to retrace your steps back to the entrance to get out. For years, the Israeli government has considered opening an exit on the north end, but fear of Palestinian reaction has kept this idea on the shelf. The new government under Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to open the northern gate in September 1996. This new exit opened onto the Via Dolorosa (the “Way of Sorrows”—the traditional road Jesus took to the Cross) in the Moslem quarter of the Old City.

Unfortunately, Palestinian reaction led to the worst violence in Israel since 1967.

Amazingly, this was not a new archaeological discovery. Neither did it go beneath the Temple Mount or affect the Moslem holy places. Furthermore, it has already been open to tourists for years. What set off all the violence was simply a new exit opened at the tunnel’ s northern end.

The Temple Mount compound is an emotionally-charged holy site for both Jews and Palestinians. Both make ancient religious and modern political claims on the site. Unfortunately, resolution of their disagreement doesn’t appear likely. For now, both sides need to respect the other’s concerns and exhibit some tolerance. Sadly, even that is a long shot.

Author: Gary Byers of Associates for Biblical Research

Afternoon Part of 8th Day

THE TEMPLE MOUNT COURTYARD AND THE SOUTHERN WALL

The wall from the south-eastern corner to the south-western (at Mount Zion) is 1100 m long. The recent excavations at the southern wall, carried out by Professor B. Mazar and Mr. M. Ben Dov disclosed signs of five periods of construction. The lower courses are Herodian, with the characteristic fine dressing, double margin and slightly prominent smooth boss. Next are the large blocks, smoothly dressed, apparently dating to Aelia Capitolina. These are surmounted by smaller, smooth stories, alternating with discs (cross-sections of columns inserted in the wall) which are probably Mameluke. This section is interspersed with small blocks having very prominent bosses and margins, apparently Crusader. The final courses are of small stones of later periods. The wall at he south-western corner was 37 m high.

Three groups of gates are visible in the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The Single Gate, probably dating to4 the Crusaders and repaired by the Mamelukes, is 37 m from the south-east corner of the wall. The Triple Gate is 183 m from the south-west corner and 90 m from the south-east corner. This was the site of one of the two pairs of the Huldah Gates of the Second Temple. The Double Gate is south of the EI-Aksa Mosque, and was the other pair of Huldah Gates mentioned in the Mishnah (Middot 1, 3). During the Second Temple period these two gates divided the Temple Mount wall into three almost equal sections. The courses of the southern wall of the Temple Mount range from 0.75 m to 1.40 m in height. The. twenty-eighth course from the foundation is known as the “grand course”‘ it is 1.85 m high, and runs from the south-eastern corner to the Double Gate, on the same level as the gate thresholds.

THE DOUBLE GATE

The Double Gate can be approached from within the Temple Mount courtyard, at the north-east corner of the EI-Aksa Mosque. Sixteen stairs and a double gallery lead down to a hall whose ceiling is supported by a row of gigantic pillars. From here one can see the front of the Double Gate in the southern wall of the Temple Mount. This underground structure is known as EI-Aksa el-Qadima, or Baq’at el-Baida. The Double Gate, now walled up, is said to be one of the two pairs of Hulda Gates of the Second Temple period. During festivals, pilgrims entered the Temple area from the Ophel square by the Huldah Gates (the gates can be seen in the Second Temple model at the Holyland Hotel). The gate is largely concealed on the outside by a later building; it is 12.8 m wide, and is divided in two by a large pillar. EI-Muqaddasi calls it Buab e-Nabi (Gates of the Prophet) and the Persian traveler Nasir i-Khosrau refers to it as Bab e-Nabi (Gate of the Prophet), both meaning the Prophet Mohammed.

Mujir e-Din calls it Bab EI-Aksa el-Qadima. Ibn Batuta, the Tangiers traveler who visited the city in 1355, wrote that on three sides of the Temple Mount were many gates, but on the south it had only one gate…by which the Imam entered (according to G. Le Str

ange. Palestine under the Moslems, p. 182). EI-Muqaddasi calls this the Fountain Gate, since the water brought to the Temple Mount from the Gihon and Rogel springs flowed through at this point. Nasir i-Khosrau noted that this was the gate leading to Silwan (Siloam). The southern gates of the Temple Mount were walled up after Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187.

THE TRIPLE GATE

This was originally a double gate, one of the Huldah Gates built by Herod for the use of pilgrims. Part of the west doorpost remains from the original Second Temple structure. The thresholds of both the Double and the Triple Gates lie some 12 m below the present level of the courtyard. The Triple Gate received its present form during the Crusader period.

THE CRADLE OF JESUS

The Cradle of Jesus, known to the Arabs as Mahd ‘Issa, is part the Stables of Solomon. It is reached by way of a staircase near the south-east corner of the Temple Mount courtyard, east of the EI-Aksa Mosque. The chamber measures 21 m from north to south and 17 m from east to west, and the ceiling is supported by columns. In the west wall is an opening decorated with Byzantine art, probably dating to Justinian.

In Byzantine times a basilica named after St. Mary stood on the site, with a niche dedicated to Jesus; this is now represented by a dais supported on four small marble columns. Nasir i-Khosrau notes that there was a subterranean mosque at the south-east corner of the Temple Mount, where the cradle of Jesus was, and that he (Nasir) prayed at that place. Re writes that Jesus’ childhood was spent there, and this was where he spoke with the people.

In the mosque were many lamps of silver and brass, which were lit every night. (Le Strange, pp. 166-67). The Church of St. Simeon stood here in Crusader times.

THE STABLES OF SOLOMON

When Herod built the Temple Mount courtyard he made it 485 m long and 315 m wide. The courtyard sloped southwards, and the southern part of the plat-form therefore had to be raised to keep the surface level. Herod filled in only the lower part of the space between the retaining wall and the natural slope, and built the remaining space, to the top of the platform, in the form of vaults, with their ceilings supported by pillars. The south-east corner of the Temple Mount, which had a retaining wall 48 m high, was filled with rubble and soil to a height of 32 m; over this filling was a hall, its roof forming the pavement of the courtyard, and above this rose the upper wall. The walls of the Temple Mount were 5 m thick and consisted of enormous ashlar blocks weighing up to 150 tons. This formidable structure made the Temple into a mighty fortress, unequaled in the architecture of antiquity. Josephus writes (Antiquities XV, 11): “. . . which wall was itself the most prodigious work that was ever heard of by man”. The southern wall had a height equal to that of a modern fifteen-story building. Herod constructed two halls with an area of 500 sq. m, the ceilings supported by eighty-eight pillars in twelve parallel rows with thirteen aisles between them, thus raising the level of the courtyard by 12 m.

The arches were 9-10 m high, the length of the halls from east to west was 83 m and the width, from north to south, 60 m. There were additional structures which changed the shape of the halls somewhat. The pillars consisted of large, square blocks, over 1 m high; and each pillar was 1.2 m thick. At the bases of the pillars were rings for tethering horses.

The Single Gate, now walled up, can be seen at the southern end of the sixth row of pillars, from the east, and the Triple Gate is at the south end of the twelfth row; it is clearly visible from outside the wall. Tunnels and aqueducts were found underneath the Double and Triple Gates, and a drain ran under the halls.

During the Second Temple period these halls were entered by the Huldah Gates, and stairs led to the upper level of the Temple courtyard. When the Crusaders took Jerusalem they identified the halls of pillars as the stables of King Solomon, as did Nasir i-Khosrau and other Moslems. The Crusaders used the halls to stable the horses of the Knights Templar, whose headquarters were in the El Aksa Mosque. The Crusaders entered their stables through the Triple and Single Gates (both now walled up), which they rebuilt. (from Menashe Har-El, This is Jerusalem, Canaan Publishing House, PO Box 7645, Jerusalem 1977)

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Hezekiah’s Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug underneath the Ophel in Jerusalem about 701 BC during the reign of Hezekiah. It was probably a widening of a pre-existing cave and is mentioned in the Bible.

The tunnel, leading from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, was designed to act as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib. The curving tunnel is 533m long, and by using a 30 cm (0.6%) gradient altitude difference between each end, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool.

According to an inscription (the Siloam inscription) found within it, the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction. Recent discoveries concerning a related tunnel – Warren’s shaft – have suggested that the tunnel may have been formed by substantially widening a pre-existing natural karst.

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Sudan, Syria, Hamas, Hizbullah, and Iran are Birds of a Feather,

Sudan, Syria, and Iran are three toes on a Daniel 2 Statue,

Hamas and Hizbullah are Syrian and Iranian Toenails!

A readiness, a will and unified pos iti

on for Sudan,

Temporarily holds them together till the End,

When clay & iron union God tears Apart!

Revelation 17:17 – For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

Daniel 2:42-44 – 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.

March 8, 2009

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Begin Excerpt from ALJAZEERA.NET Via World News

Iran and Hamas back Sudan’s Bashir

A delegation of senior Middle Eastern leaders has travelled to Sudan to express international support for Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, who is accused of war crimes in Darfur.

Officials from Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah joined Syria’s parliament speaker and the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group for talks with al-Bashir in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, on Friday.

The visit comes days after the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued a warrant for al-Bashir’s arrest on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

Ali Larijani, Iran’s parliament speaker and a member of the international delegation in Khartoum on Friday, said the ICC arrest warrant is an “insult directed at Muslims”.

“This group today indicates a readiness, a will and a unified position to support Sudan, its government and people,” Larijani said at a news conference following the talks.

He said nations who support al-Bashir’s prosecution “miscalculated” by thinking they “can sit and issue orders to have others behave as they wish”.

“This has changed,” Larijani said. “They have to play with a new chessboard.””

‘Catastrophic’ impact

Meanwhile, the leader of Sudan’s semi-autonomous sou thern region urged Khartoum on Saturday to reverse its decision to expel humanitarian groups from

the country.

The Khartoum government shut down 13 foreign and local aid agencies after accusing them of passing information to war crimes prosecutors.

The groups have denied the accusations.

Yien Matthew, a spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), said the expulsion could have a “catastrophic” impact on tens of thousand of displaced Darfuris.

UN warning

The United Nations has said thousands of lives have been put at risk by the decision to expel the aid groups. It warned that more than a million people could be left without food, water or healthcare.

The UN’s main human rights office had said earlier on Friday it would examine whether Sudan’s decision to expel the groups constitutes a breach of basic human rights and possibly a war crime, a spokesman said.

But the UN Security Council failed on Friday to agree

on a response to Sudan’s decision to expel the groups.

Western diplomats said the 15-member council had agreed to express its “concern”, but was unable to agree to a joint statement.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

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http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

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GEOLOGICAL AND TRIBULATION FEATURES ON ISRAELI TOUR PATHS

PART 7B

Jerusalem and Environs – Normal Seventh Day of Tours

Part 2 of 2 Parts

The Zion Gate is one of eight gates built into the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

It was built for Suleiman the Magnificent in 1540.

Located in the south of the Old City, facing Mount Zion and Hebron, the Zion Gate leads into the Armenian and Jewish Quarters. Zion Gate is also known as David’s Gate (Arabic: Bab el-Daoud‎; Hebrew: Shaar David), because the tomb of King David is believed to be on Mt. Zion.

In 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence, the Palmach unsuccessfully battled for control of the Jewish Quarter at the entrance of the Zion gate. This left the stones surrounding the gate pockmarked by weapons fire and bullet holes which are still visible today.

The Star of David on the pavement below the gate was designed by architect Shlomo Aronson.

Both pedestrians and vehicles use the gate, although maneuvering is difficult due to the L-shaped passageway.

The Cardo

The Cardo in the Old City of Jerusalem is a good example.

After the Jewish rebellion of 70 CE was crushed by Titus’ troops, Jerusalem was renamed Colonia Aelia Capitolina, and a long colonnaded Cardo was built, running across the city from north to south.

In 1971, a plan for reconstructing the Roman Cardo was submitted by architects Peter Bogod, Esther Krendel and Shlomo Aronson.

Their proposal relied heavily on the sixth century Madaba map, a mosaic map of Jerusalem found in 1897 in Madaba, Jordan. The Madaba Map clearly showed the Roman Cardo as the main artery through the Old City. Bogod, Krendel, and Aronson proposed the construction of a covered shopping arcade that would preserve the style of an ancient Roman street using contemporary materials. Their plan was based on the hope that archeologists would find remains of the southern end of the Cardo, an extension of the north-south Roman thoroughfare built during the Byzantine era (324 – 638).

Time was of the essence and mounting pressure to repopulate the Jewish Quarter led to the construction of a superstructure which allowed the residential buildings to be built while the archaeologists continued to work below. The project was 180 meters in total and was divided into eight sections to allow for construction teams to move quickly from one section to another depending on the needs of the archaeologists. By 1980, 37 housing units and 35 shops were built, incorporating archaeological finds such as a Hasmonean wall from the second century BCE and rows of Byzantine columns. The combination of old and new is also visible on the Street of the Jews, where the shops have been set into old vaults and the gallery is covered by an arched roof containing small apertures to allow for natural lighting.

Nehemiah’s wall uncovered

November 28, 2007

Etgar Lefkovits , THE JERUSALEM POST

The remnants of a wall from the time of the prophet Nehemiah have been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem’s ancient City of David, strengthening recent claims that King David’s palace has been found at the site, an Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.

The section of the 2,500-year-old Nehemiah wall, located just outside the Dung Gate and the Old City walls facing the Mount of Olives, was dated by pottery found during a recent dig at the site, said Hebrew University archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar.

The archeologist, who rose to international prominence for her recent excavation that may have uncovered the biblical palace of King David, was able to date the wall to Nehemiah as a result of a dig carried out underneath a nearby tower, which has been previously dated to the Hasmonean period, (142-37 BCE) but which now emerges was built centuries earlier.

As a result of the excavation, both the 30 meter section of the wall and a six-by-three-meter part of the previously uncovered tower have now been dated to the fifth century BCE based on the rich pottery found during the dig under the tower, she said.

Scores of bullae, arrowheads and seals from that period were also discovered during the excavation.

“This find opens a new chapter in the history of Jerusalem,” Mazar said. “Until now, we have never had such an archeological wealth of finds from Nehemiah’s period.”

Nehemiah, who lived during the period when Judah was a province of the Persian Empire, arrived in Jerusalem as governor in 445 BCE with the permission of the Persian king, determined to rebuild and restore the desolate city after the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians a century earlier, in 586 BCE.

The Persians had conquered the Babylonian empire that had destroyed Jerusalem and taken most of the inhabitants of Judah into captivity in what is now modern Iraq.

The Bible relates that despite the resistance of hostile neighbors who had occupied the area around Jerusalem in the Jews’ absence, the whole wall was completed in a speedy 52-day period.

The tower at the site lies on the back of the walls of the palace that Mazar uncovered at the site two years ago, indicating that the palace must have been built first and strengthening the claim that the site was indeed King David’s palace, she said.

The three-year-old dig is being sponsored by the Shalem Center, a conservative Jerusalem research institute, where Mazar serves as a senior fellow, and the right-wing City of David Foundation which promotes Jewish settlement throughout east Jerusalem.

The Western Wailing Wall

The Western Wall commonly refers to an 187 feet (57 m) exposed section of ancient wall situated on the western flank of the Temple Mount. This section faces a large plaza and is set aside for prayer. In its entirety however, the above ground portion of the Western Wall stretches for 1,600 feet (488 m), most of which is hidden behind residential structures built along its length. Other revealed sections include the southern part of the Wall which measures approximately 80 metres and another much shorter section known as the Little Western Wall which is located close to the Iron Gate. The wall functions as a retaining wall, built to support the extensive renovations that Herod the Great carried out around 19 BC.

Herod expanded the small quasi-natural plateau on which the First and Second Temples stood into the wide expanse of the Temple Mount visible today.

At the Western Wall Plaza, the total height of the Wall from its foundation is estimated at 105 feet (32 m), with the exposed section standing approximately 62 feet (19 m) high. The Wall consists of 45 stone courses, 28

of them above ground and 17 underground. The first seven visible layers are from the Herodian period. This section of wall is built from enormous meleke limestone stones, possibly quarried at either Zedekiah’s Cave situated under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City or at Ramat Shlomo[10] four kilometers northwest of the Old City.

Most of them weigh between two and eight tons each, but others weigh even more, with one extraordinary stone located in the northern section of Wilson’s Arch measuring 13 metres and weighing approximately 570 tons. Each of these stones is surrounded by fine-chiseled borders. The margins themselves measure between five and twenty centimetres wide, with their depth measuring 1½ centimetres. In the Herodian period, the upper ten metres of wall were one metre thick and served as the other wall of the double colonnade of the plateau. This upper section was decorated with pilasters, the remainder of which were destroyed at the beginning of the seventh century when the Byzantines reconquered Jerusalem from the Persians and their Jewish allies in 628.

The next four layers were added by Umayyads in the seventh century. The next fourteen layers are from the Ottoman period and their addition is attributed to Sir Moses Montefiore who in 1866 arranged that further layers be added “for shade and protection from the rain for all who come to pray by the holy remnant of our Temple”. The top three layers were placed by the Mufti of Jerusalem before 1967.

Dome of the Rock

Oldest existing Islamic monument. It is located on Temple Mount, previously the site of the Temple of Jerusalem. The rock over which it is built is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. In Islam, Muhammad is believed to have ascended into heaven from the site.

In Juda ism it

is the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Built in 685 – 91 as a place of pilgrimage, the octagonal building has richly decorated walls and a gold-overlaid dome mounted above a circle of piers and columns.

The Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross or Way of Sorrows)

The Via Dolorosa pilgrimage been followed since early Christianity, beginning as soon as it became safe to do so after Constantine legalized the religion (mid-4th century). Originally, Byzantine pilgrims followed a similar path to the one taken today, but did not stop along the way. Over the centuries, the route has changed several times.

By the 8th century, the route had changed: beginning at the Garden of Gethsemane, pilgrims headed south to Mount Zion then doubled back around the Temple Mount to the Holy Sepulchre. The Middle Ages saw two rival routes, based on a split in the

Latin Church: those with churches to the west went westward and those with churches in the east went eastward.

From the 14th to 16th centuries, pilgrims followed the Franciscan route, which began at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and included eight stations. Around this time, the tradition of 14 Stations of the Cross was developing in Europe. To avoid disappointing European pilgrims, the difference was made up with the addition of six more stations.

V isiting Stations Along the Via Dolorosa

Today, the main route of the Via Dolorosa

is that of the early Byzantine pilgrims, with 14 stations along the way. However, alternative routes are followed by those who have different opinions on the locations of various events. Anglicans believe Jesus would have been led north towards the Garden Tomb, while Dominican Catholics start from Herod’s Palace near Jaffa Gate.

For most pilgrims, however, the exact location of each event along the Via Dolorosa is of little importance; the pilgrimage has great meaning due to its proximity to the original events and the reflection upon them along the way.

Pilgrimage

The route of the Via Dolorosa begins near the Lions’ Gate in the Muslim Quarter and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter, covering 500 meters and incorporating 14 Stations of the Cross. Unfortunately, the Via Dolorosa can prove a difficult place for prayer and contemplation, as it travels through busy streets lined with snack bars and tourist shops.

Each of the 14 Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa is marked with a plaque, but these small signs can be difficult to spot. Probably the best way to be sure of recognizing all the stations is to join the Friday procession. Preparation in advance is helpful, too, and perhaps the following description of the Via Dolorosa can help.

What to See

Station 1 is Jesus’ condemnation by Pontius Pilate (Mt 27:11-24; Mk 15:1-15; Lk 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:16). This event is held to have occurred at the site of Madrasa al-Omariya, 300m west of the Lion’s Gate. The madrasa is still used as a school and can be entered with the permission of the caretaker at specific times (Mon-Thu, Sat 2:30-6; Fri 2:30-4pm). As mentioned above, an alternative location for this event is Herod’s Palace at Jaffa Gate.

Station 2 is where Jesus took up his cross. This is located next to the Franciscan Monastery of the Flagellation, across the road from the First Station.

The Chapel of Judgment/Condemnation, on the left, marks the site where Jesus was sentenced to death; the Chapel of the Flagellation, on the right, is where he was beaten by Roman soldiers (Mt 27:27-30; Mk 15:16-19; Jn 19:1-3).

From here, the Via Dolorosa turns south on Tariq Bab al-Ghawanima and passes the northwestern gate of the Temple Mount, Bab al-Ghawanima. Up ahead on the north side of the Via Dolorosa is the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, which contains large pieces of the Lithostratos (Pavement of Justice).

The Lithostratos stone slab has grooves carved in it, which are variously interpreted as channels for rainwater or traction for horses. What is clear, though, is that the squares and triangles on the slabs were made by game-playing Roman soldiers. The floor has been dated to the time of Hadrian (AD 117-138) and therefore postdates Jesus, but it is still fascinating and serves to bring to life the Gospel account of soldiers gambling for Jesus’ clothes.

Just west of the entrance to the Lithostratos is the Ecce Homo Arch, where Pilate identified Jesus to the crowd saying “Ecco homo” (“Behold the man” – Jn 19:5). The arch is part of a gate dating from Emperor Hadrian’s time and was given its present name in the 16th century.

Marked by a relief sculpture above the door of a small Polish chapel at the junction with al-Wad Road, Station 3 is where Jesus fell for the first time under the weight of his cross. Station 4 is where Mary watched her son go by with the cross, and is commemorated at the Armenian Church of Our Lady of the Spasm. (Neither of these events is recorded in the Bible.) Be sure to go inside the church to see the remarkable 5th-century floor mosaic, which includes an outline of a pair of sandals, said to be Mary’s footprints.

At Station 5, Simon of Cyrene was forced by Roman soldiers to help Jesus carry this cross (Mt 27:32; Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26). This is located on the corner where the Via Dolorosa turns west off al-Wad Road and begins to narrow as it goes uphill.

At the top of a steep hill is Station 6, where, according to a tradition dating from the 14th century, St. Veronica wiped Jesus’ face with her handkerchief, leaving an image of his face imprinted on the cloth. The relic, known as the Sudarium or Veronica, is kept at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Veronica’s name may derive from the Latin vera icon, “true image.”

Station 6 is commemorated by the Church of the Holy Face, served by the “Little Sisters,” a Greek C

atholic rite. The chapelis part of the Crusader monastery of St. Cosmos and was refurbished by Barluzzi in 1953. Inside are refurbished Crusader arches.

At Station 7, Jesus fell for a second time. This is marked by a Franciscan chapel at the Via Dolorosa’s junction with Souq Khan al-Zeit.

Station 8 is across the market street and up the steps of Aqabat al-Khanqah, opposite the Station VIII Souvenir Bazaar. A cross and the Greek inscription “NIKA” on the wall of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St.

Charalambos mark the place where Jesus consoled the lamenting women of Jerusalem (Lk 23:27-31).

A rather confusing route across Souq Khan al-Zeit, south down Khan al-Zeit, and up 28 stone steps leads to Station 9 at the Coptic Patriarchate next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Here, a Roman pillar marks the site of Jesus’ third fall.

Stations 10-14 are all inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. To get to the entrance from Station 9, head south down Souq Khan al-Zeit to the end, turn right into Souq al-Dabbagha and go straight on to the doorway at the end of the street. See the Church of the Holy Sepulchre article, and the interactive floor plan of the church, for details and photos.

Briefly, the last five stations are as follows:

Station 10. Jesus is stripped – top of the stairs to the right outside the entrance

Station 11. Jesus is nailed to the cross – upstairs just inside the entrance, at the Latin Calvary

Station 12. Jesus dies on the cross – Rock of Golgotha in the Greek Orthodox Calvary

Station 13.

Jesus is taken down from the cross – statue of Our Lady of Sorrows next to the Latin Calvary

Station 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb – in the edicule on the main floor, inside the tiny Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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:

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Throw another expensive log on the fire Congress,

And put your imaginary stimulus red herring in the Pot,

Billions will be thrown into a gigantic imagination Whirlpool,

To fill coffers of Al Gore and his Democratic government Le

eches,

America has multiple real problems it must solve before red Herrings!

March 7, 2009

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Begin Excerpt from CNS News

Senators Debate Global Warming Policy Despite Global Cooling Evidence

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

By Josiah Ryan, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) – Democratic senators told CNSNews.com on Tuesday that despite a recent study that shows global temperatures have been dropping since 2001 and that projects the globe will continue to cool for the next several decades, they think the United States should continue to push forward with aggressive action to curb climate change.

Two Republicans, however, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) warned that while some action is necessary, lawmakers must act in a deliberate and fiscally responsible manner.

The study, released on Jan.

28 by Kyle L.

Swanson and Anastasios A. Tsonis, who are professors in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, found that the Earth has been cooling since 2001 and projected that due to “global variation” the climate would continue to cool for the next 20 to 30 years.

Democratic senators told CNSNews.com that despite new studies

and reports of variations in global temperatures, the federal government should move quickly to implement policies because they believe the debate over global warming is over.

“I think there is a bipartisan consensus in the Senate that the science is in,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told CSNews.com when asked if the government should implement new policies to apparently combat global warming despite the new study. “This is a very re

al problem. Now the debate is on the remedies — but the science is in.”

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who participated in a “U.S. Climate Action” symposium — hosted by The Peterson Institute for International Economics, the World Resources Institute, the Center for Global Development and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment on Tuesday — also dismissed the study’ s finding

s and said she thinks the debate is settled.

“I don’t know what to make of them,” said Stabenow when asked about the study’s findings. “But climate change is not just about temperatures going up. It’s also about volatility. So, I don’t know.”

“But, overwhelmingly, scientists agree that the climate is becoming more volatile and that climate change is real,” she said.

Tsonis, the co-author of the study — which received national attention on Tuesday due to two large global warming rallies at the U.S. Capitol building — told CNSNews.com that his work indicated that temperatures had flattened and slightly decreased since 2001 and that, due to natural cycles, temperature would continue to decrease for several decades.

“The temperature has flattened and is actually going down,” Tsonis told CNSNews.com. “We are seeing a new shift towards cooler temperatures that will last for probably about three decades.”

But Tsonis also said that neither he nor Swanson think their study undermines arguments for global warming caused by human activity.

“We are not saying there is not warming due to human activity,” Tsonis told CNSNews.com. ‘We are saying that there are natural shifts on top of that. But, for now, it looks like it is going to cool.”

Tsonis said that currently the natural cycles, which occur in part because of the way oceans interact, are stronger than the influence human activity has on the environment. But when the earth begins to warm again in several decades, he said, the globe could be in trouble because natural warming and man-made warming will occur simultaneously

“At this point it [natural variation] at least balances, or may be stronger, than the human influence,” said Tsonis. “ But if temperatures shift again as we believe they will, then warming will be dramatic.

It will be natural warming on top of human warming.”

DeMint, however, who is also a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told CNSNews.com that while he thinks that Man should care for the environment, he thinks this can be accomplished without sacrificing the further health of the economy or Americans’ standard of living.

“I think we should do everything we can to clean our air and water but it makes absolutely no sense to add to the cost of energy in this country in the process,” DeMint told CNSNews.com. “If we look at the facts, there is no suggestion that we need to panic and do something that is going to further hurt our economy and the standard of living in our country.”

McCain, also a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told CNSNews.com that while he “respectfully” disagrees with those who would look at such a study and claim that the federal government does not need to act on global warning, he thinks appropriate measures can be taken without costing American taxpayers too much.

“Certainly not President Obama’s cap and trade policy because I believe we should address climate change — not trying to generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue,” McCain told CNSNews.com when asked if he though the country should move forward with expensive climate change action in the light of such studies.

But Tsonis, and other scientists who research global warming often overstate its potential dangers, Ben Lieberman, a senior policy analyst in energy and the environment at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told CNSNews.com.

“If we have a cooling period before us, let’s take some additional time to push ahead in studies and research,” said Lieberman. “Let’s use that time to find out what is really happening instead of rushing forward with policy decisions that could damage our economy more than they help our environment.”

One of the world’s leading experts on climate change, Dr. William Gray, emeritus professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University, has lectured for several years that there has been some global warming over the last 100 years largely due to natural circulation changes in the oceans.

“But the world is not in a climate crisis as Vice President Gore would say,” Gray said a little over a year ago.

“We have many other important problems in this world we have to work on. And this is a red herring item that we can’t do anything about anyways. If we vastly cut down on our fossil fuels it would be a drop in the bucket in terms of global temperature change. The Third World – India, China and so on – are going to keep burning these fossil fuels.”

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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.