blog.Tribulationperiod.com

Obama h as

many Czars–Putin has Czar’s Palace,

Yes Vladimir, There Really is a Magog Santa Claus,

Who Flies over the Land of Magog on Christmas Eve,

Distributing crony Capitalistic gifts to good Magogites,

And one day chalaza gifts in many sizes will come Down,

Ending the Celebration of Christmas as We Know It Today.

December 26, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Ezekiel 39:6-8 – And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. [7] So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. [8] Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

Revelation 8:6,7 – And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. [7] The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Revelation 16:16-21 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

[17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of

the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. [20] And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. [21] And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Begin Excerpt from The Daily Star – Lebanese News

The Russia house, Vladimir Putin style

By David Ignatius

Friday, December 24, 2010

You can see the sprawling, Italian-style palace on the Black Sea in satellite photos. There’s a fitness spa, a hideaway “tea house,” a concert amphitheater and a pad for three helicopters. It’s still under construction, but already the cost is said to total more than $1 billion.

And most amazing of all, according to a Russian whistleblower named Sergey Kolesnikov, it was mostly paid for with money donated by Russian businessmen for the use of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The funds have come “mainly through a combination of corruption, bribery and theft,” charges Kolesnikov, a businessman who until November 2009 worked for one of the companies he alleges was investing money for Putin.

Kolesnikov lays out the story of this 21st-century czar’s palace – and the secret funding network that is paying for it – in a remarkable open letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. This letter was delivered Tuesday to the Russian United Nations mission in New York, and a full English translation is available online at corruptionfreerussia.com. It’s one of the most detailed allegations I’ve seen of the links between Putin and Russia’s “crony capitalism.”

“The corruption is pervasive, and it is disgraceful and crippling for our great country,” writes Kolesnikov, citing a recent Transparency International study claiming that corruption in Russia, overall, totals $250 billion to $300 billion annually. He calls on Medvedev to “show to our entire nation that everyone is equal before the law, even prime ministers.”

A spokesman for Putin declined to comment. One Russian source speculates that the Black Sea palace may be used to entertain guests during the 2014 Winter Olympics nearby in Sochi.

Kolesnikov is one of those brave souls a journalist meets occasionally, who decides to expose what he sees as wrongdoing, regardless of the personal risks. I met him this month and reviewed his notes and other documents supporting his charges. The Russian businessman, who became wealthy through various ventures, including a medical-supply company called Petromed, appears to have nothing to gain personally by attacking Putin – and much to lose. That boosts his credibility in my eyes.

The financing of Putin’s hideaway, as Kolesnikov explains it, is a complicated story that centers on a man named Nikolai Shamalov. He is an old St. Petersburg friend of Putin’s, with whom he shared a dacha cooperative property there during the 1990s. A December 23, 2009, story in Novya Gazeta named Shamalov as one of Putin’s 13 influential business “friends.” An attempt to reach Shamalov through Putin’s spokesman was unsuccessful.

Kolesnikov says he began working with Shamalov in 2000 after Putin became president. The initial plan was to use contributions from Russian businessmen to purchase medical equipment for clinics in St. Petersburg, with 35 percent of the contract payments diverted to offshore accounts. Millions of dollars worth of medical equipment was indeed purchased but more than $148 million of these donations allegedly wound up under Shamalov’s control, according to the open letter.

In 2005, Kolesnikov told me, he was asked by Putin’s friend to form an investment company called RosInvest. The ownership was hidden by anonymous “bearer shares,” with the bulk held on Putin’s behalf, Kolesnikov says he was told by Shamalov.

The palace project began in 2005 with the acquisition of state land near Praskoveevka. Shamalov eventually owned this “Project South,” as it was known, through several front companies, the letter alleges. Kolesnikov says he regularly reviewed invoices and other financial records, and that by October 2009, projected spending had reached $1 billion.

Kolesnikov says Putin was briefed regularly on his hidden wealth. “Two or three times a year, during eight years, at Shamalov’s direction, I prepared financial summaries for him to personally update President Putin on his investments,” he alleges in his letter. “Immediately following each of these meetings, Shamalov would provide me with Putin’s comments and instructions for the use of the funds.”

It’s a fact of life that in many nations, political leaders divert a share of private business deals for their own account, and Russians have gossiped about such corruption for the past two decades. What’s unusu al is to h

ave such a detailed, on-the-record allegation. Today’s Russia is a place where whistleblowers can end up dead.

The reason Kolesnikov decided to come forward, he writes, is that the costs of corruption “sap the very fiber of our people and our country.” Whatever the history of the palazzo-on-the-sea, the larger point is surely right: Corruption is undermining Russia, and the only way it will stop is if brave people protest, and leaders take action.

Syndicated columnist David Ignatius is published twice weekly by THE DAILY STAR.

End of Daily Star Excerpt

Begin Exposition of Ezekiel 38:1-6

Ezekiel 38:1,2 – “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.” Gog (high extension) appears for the first time in Ezekiel. He is the Antichrist of whom so much has been written. Please note that he is identified as the “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” Many commentators, especially in the last 100 years, have not identified him as the Antichrist, but have identified him as the ruler or chief prince of the land of Magog, which I do not believe Scripture justifies. Before the 20th Century, most identified him as the Antichrist. In verse 2 Ezekiel is told to set his face against two separate things, a person and a place. The person is Gog (Antichrist), and the place is the land of the descendants of Magog where it existed in Ezekiel’s day. If we do not locate the territories of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal as they existed in Ezekiel’s day, then we can have no idea as to where the Antichrist will soon rear his head, or the area from which his attack will be launched.

Why? – Because more than 2500 years have slipped by since Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, and the bloodlines of all three men been distributed across the entire planet. In order to correctly identify the area, from whence the Antichrist will attack Israel, we must identify where the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were residing in 500 and 600 B.C. Why? Because the Antichrist is not the chief prince of Magog, he is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He will come from the area where their descendants were settled in 500 and 600 B.C.

I will attempt to use two different sources to locate where the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were clustered at the time of Ezekiel’s writings. The first is found in the 27th chapter of Ezekiel, and the second is from the Assyrian monument stones of that period. Ezekiel 27:3 – “And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.” Tyrus (Tyre) was a seaport on the southern coast of what we know today as Lebanon, which is directly north of Israel. Tyrus built its first great sea wall to protect its harbored ships more than 3000 years ago, and was a thriving seaport in Ezekiel’s day. Its ships carried merchandise from the countries of the east across all the Mediterranean, and even as far north as the shores of the English Channel.

Zidon (Sidon) was also a sea port, and less than 20 miles separated the two cities. The wise men of Tyrus were the navigators of the ships, and the men of Zidon were the deck hands, as portrayed in Ezekiel 27:8 – “The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.” Now, bearing all this in mind, let us look at Ezekiel 27:13 – “Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.” Meshech and Tubal were warlike tribes, who often took their captives (persons of men) and the vessels of brass they had captured, or hammered out themselves, and carried them to the NEAREST seaport for trading. The captives were, of course, loaded on the ships and sold as slaves in foreign ports of trade. Why the NEAREST seaport? Because, in Ezekiel’s day, travel was by foot, donkey, camel, and horse. People always carried their trading goods to the nearest port, particularly slaves.

Therefore, I conclude that Meshech and Tubal must have roamed in the area we know today as Syria, Lebanon, northwestern Iraq, and southern Turkey. Meshech and Tubal are the Mushki and Tabali of the Assyrian stone monuments. In the time of Sargon and Sennacherib (700 B.C.) the territory of Tubal adjoined southern Cilicia, while that of Meshech filled the highlands to the east of Tubal. Considering the locations derived from the Bible and stone tablets, it appears that the Antichrist, as the chief prince of the area once occupied by Meshech and Tubal, is likely to arise, and eventually to attack Israel, from Syria or Lebanon. And, since Lebanon is virtually controlled by Syria, it appears Syria is the best guess for his homeland.

But what about the land of Magog – Where were the Magogites settled in Ezekiel’s day?

Ezekiel 38:1-3 – “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, [3] And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:”

Up to this point I have made a case to establish, both from the Scriptures and the Assyrian stone monuments, that the descendants of Meshech and Tubal, at the time Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, were primarily located in what we know as Syria and Lebanon. I also established that the prophecy is again a person, Gog (Antichrist), and against a land, the land of Magog. I am convinced that the Antichrist will attack Israel from Syria. So – What about this “land of Magog” – Where were the Magogites located at the time of Ezekiel’s writings? Flavius Josephus, the noted Jewish historian makes the following statements concerning the Magogites in Antiquities of the Jews, Chapter VI, under the title, HOW EVERY NATION WAS DENOMINATED FROM THEIR FIRST INHABITANTS: “Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons.” “They called the nations by their own names.” “Magog founded those that from him were called Magogites, but who by the Greeks were called Scythians.” The Greek writers of the Classic Age said the Scythians occupied the area which today we identify as stretching from Moldova eastward across the Ukraine, southern Russia, and into Kazakhstan, then southward into Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan – Roughly the area north of the Black Sea, between the Black and Caspian Seas, and the area

northwest, north, and northeast of the Caspian Sea. I do not believe the nations in this area will join in the initial attack against Israel, but I am certain they will come down for the final battle of Gog’s war, which is the Battle of Armageddon. The Battle of Armageddon, found in Revelation 16:16, is the final battle in Gog’s war, which began 3 and ½ years earlier.

Verse 3 fails to include the “land of Magog,” and is a message directly pointed, and personally addressed, against the Antichrist Gog, who once again is identified as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Popular writers in the last century brought a teaching into play that is simply not true. They said the word “chief” was “rosh” in the Hebrew language, which is true. But they said it meant “Russian,” which is not true.

The Russian and Hebrew language have never overlapped in history to support such a claim. He is not a Russian prince. He is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, most likely having a Syrian father. The word “rosh,” in the KJV, is translated as “chief” 90 times, as “head” 349 times, as “top” 75 times, as “beginning” 14 times, as “company” 12 times, as “captain” 10 times, as “sum” 9 times, as “first” 6 times, as “principle” 5 times, as “chief man” 4 times, and as “ruler” on two occasions. At no time, in all of history, could it legitimately be identified as someone who is a Russian.

I am convinced the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal will come from northwestern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, or southern Turkey, and I will be very much surprised if his father is not a Syrian. He will be the leader of a multilateral Arab force that will carry out a surprise attack against Israel from the north.

I believe this is spoken of in 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.”

Although he will have the support of ten Arab nations, I believe the nations directly involved in the initial attack will be Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran from without, and the Palestinians from within. I believe the other nations, which will then immediately become involved in the Jihad, are most likely to be Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan.

I have established a case to show that the Antichrist is likely to arise in Syria, and will launch his initial attack again Israel from that position. Although he will have the support of ten Arab nations, I believe the nations directly involved in the initial attack will be Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran from without, and the Palestinians from within. I believe the other nations, which will then immediately become involved in the Jihad, are most likely from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan. Now, let us continue from Ezekiel 38:4 – “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” This portrays a man overtaking a fleeing beast, putting hooks into its jaws, then turning and pulling it along a path the man desires to lead it. The Antichrist will have no choice in this matter. God will create political and economic circumstances whereby he must come down at exactly the appointed time. I protest the efforts of some commentators to take the weapons of Ezekiel’s day, and attempt to carry them into our day and time. Suppose God had inspired Ezekiel to write 1020 tanks, 923 MIG JETS, 3283 katyusha launchers, 12000 katyusha rockets, 723 SAM shoulder held launchers with 4673 SAM’s, and 2073 flamethrowers. The readers of Ezekiel’s day would have laughed him to scorn.

I am persuaded that God meant for our final generation to picture a great, mighty, army, fully armed to the teeth with all the known modern weapons of warfare.

Verse 5 names three of the peoples from which the Antichrist will draw his initial attacking horde: “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:” Persia was basically the peoples east of the Euphrates, which today would be Iran and Iraq. Libya corresponds with the location of modern day Libya.

And Ethiopia in Ezekiel’s day was made up mostly of what we call Sudan today. Once again the point is made that they will be fully armed for all out war.

Verse 6 continues to name the peoples of Ezekiel’s day from which he will draw his support, and by knowing where they lived at that time, we can at least attempt to identify those nations that occupy these areas today: “Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.” Quite frankly, I have searched, and researched, the writings of many historians, both ancient and modern, and, in the end, knowing that honesty is the best policy, I can only say that there is a wide diversity of opinion. Up to this point, as regards the locations of Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Libya, and Ethiopia, I have presented a case from both the Scriptures and historical records, which I believe is substantial. But in the case of Gomer, and the house of Togarmah, as to where they were settled in Ezekiel’s day, I can only give a rough approximation. The house of Togarmah and the descendants of Gomer were sandwiched between the Magogites (Scythians) to the north, and Meshach, Tubal, and Persia to the south. They stretched from west to east across modern day Turkey into the area south of the Caucasus Mountains, and through extreme northern Iraq and Iran.

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from which we extracted it.

Not a Merry Christmas for Middle East Believers in Christ,

And the future for Middle East believers will be much Worse,

As well as for those across the earth from Europe to the Pacific,

And unbelievers will continue an increasing resentment of Believers

Across The Planet From The Pacific Eastward TO The Middle Atlantic!

Believers in Europe, Africa, Eurasia, and Asia are in for a rough Ride!

December 25, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

The early believers were put out of the synagogues for believing Jesus was the Son of God, and many were killed for believing it by both Jews and Gentiles.

The Islamic faith believes he was the son of a virgin, the Virgin Mary, but they do not believe he is the Son of God. Many believers will lose their lives to Islamic forces until Jesus returns.

John 16:2-4 – They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. [3] And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. [4] But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Matthew 10:34-36 – Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I c ame not to send pe

ace, but a sword. [35] For I am come to set a man at variance aga inst his father, and the daughter aga

inst her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. [36] And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Matthew 5:10-12 – Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. [12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Hebrews 11:32 to 12:3 – And what shall I more say

? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: [33] Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, [34] Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. [35] Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: [36] And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: [37] They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; [38] (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

[39] And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: [40] God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. [1] Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [2] Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Excerpt 1 from Washington Times via Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Daily Alert

Christianity Near Extinction in the Ancient Lands of Its Origin

Jeffrey T. Kuhner

Many Christians across the Middle East are in peril: Muslim fanatics seek to exterminate them. After al-Qaeda gunmen stormed an Assyrian Catholic church in Baghdad during Mass, slaughtering 51 worshippers and two priests, al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia issued a bulletin claiming that “all Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets for” jihadists. The Assyrians are one of the oldest Christian sects in the world, go

ing back to the time of Christ. Some even speak Aramaic. Nearly two-thirds of the 500,000 Christians in Baghdad have fled or been killed.

In Mosul, about 100,000 Christians used to live there. Now, just 5,000 remain.

In Egypt, Coptic Christians routinely are murdered, persecuted and prevented from worshipping. In Saudi Arabia, Muslim converts to Christianity are executed. In Turkey, Islamists have butchered priests and nuns. In Lebanon, Christians have dwindled, menaced by surging Shiite and Sunni populations.

If Muslims – funded and supported by Saudi Arabia – can build mosques and madrassas in Europe and America, then Christians should be entitled to build churches in the Arab world.

Clearly, some Muslims cannot live in peaceful coexistence with non-Muslim peoples – especially in countries where

Muslims form the majority.

Christian minorities living in the overwhelmingly Muslim-dominated Middle East pose no possible danger to Islamic hegemony. Hence, why the hatred against them

? (Washington Times)

Begin Excerpt 2 from Middle East Online

Gloomy Christmas for Iraq’s Qaeda-hit Christians

This year’s Christmas for Iraq’s Christians will be a time of fear, cancelled celebrations rather than rejoicing

By Nafa Abdul Jabbar – BAGHDAD

December 23, 2010

Faced with renewed threats by Al-Qaeda and still mourning a church massacre, Christmas for Iraq’s Christian community will this year be a time of fear and cancelled celebrations rather than rejoicing.

The Council of Churches in Iraq has asked the faithful to limit Christmas celebrations “to a spiritual feast of participating in mass, for reasons of caution and sadness,” said Shlimun Warduni, the Chaldean bishop of Baghdad.

A pall of gloom has descended on Iraq’s badly-battered Christian community since gunmen on October 31 burst into Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad and began firing on worshippers.

Iraqi forces stormed the building to end what turned into a hostage situation and by the end of the operation 44 Christian worshippers, two priests and seven security forces personnel lay dead.

The attack was later claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate the Islamic State of Iraq, which also threatened further attacks on Christians.

Ten days later a string of attacks targeted the homes of Christians in Baghdad, killing six people and wounding 33 others.

With Christmas just two days away, our Lady of Salvation carries an air of mourning rather than festivity, and its interior remains scarred more than a month after the attack.

Instead of Christmas decorations, the front of the sanctuary holds a banner picturing the two priests and the worshippers killed in the attack framing an image of a bloodied Jesus on the cross, while individual pictures of victims sit below.

“Christmas was a big feast we used to celebrate each year… with relatives and friends,” said Farqad Assad, a member of the church who had come along with her husband and two young children to pray for those killed in the attack.

But this year, “we can’t be happy like we used to be each year,” the 28-year-old doctor said.

“There is fear — we can’t go out and take our kids somewhere freely, while the threats against Christians are still there,” she said.

“This year Christmas will be mixed with the sadness of our church losing Father Waseem and Father Thair” and the members of the congregation, said Father Mukhlas Qaraiqosh Shesha, a priest at Our Lady of Salvation.

“The church used to be decorated — there used to a tree and all the trappings of celebration,” he said. But “this year, we will not do any of these things in order to save ourselves” from attacks.

Yusef Mohammed, 53, who owns the Birds of Paradise flower shop in the Mansour area of Baghdad, said Christmas tree sales are far lower than in past years.

“We used to provide 200 to 300 trees for this occasion each year. But this year we didn’t even sell 10 trees,” he said.

In the disputed northern oil hub of Kirkuk, threats against Christians caused Christmas celebrations to be called off.

“The Christians of Kirkuk will not celebrate the feast of Christmas this year, except for masses, which will not be held at night but at 10 am after myself and 10 other Christian personages received threats from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq,” Chaldean Catholic archbishop Monsignor Louis Sarko said.

“I fear that Christians will be targeted, which is why all ceremonies have been cancelled.”

Celebrations in the ethnically and religiously diverse, unrest-prone north Iraq city of Mosul have also been limited to churches.

“This year, we will only hold the religious ceremony at the churches” of Mosul, said Father Kamel, a priest at a church in the city, asking not to be further identified out of fear of attack.

“How can a mother celebrate a feast while her son was killed by the enemies of this country; how can we have a feast while my grandsons are crying for their father?” said Mariam Daniel, 57, a housewife in the city.

“Where is the feast when I see the tears in the eyes of my daughter-in-law and her loneliness which was caused by hands covered with the blood of innocents?”

Daniel’s son, a 22-year-old college student who was married with two children, was killed by gunmen three months ago near her house.

Celebrations in the southern city of Basra have also been called off.

“A statement from the Basra Churches Council was issued to cancel all the celebration ceremonies for Christmas,” said Saad Matti, a 40-year-old Christian member of the Basra provincial council.

Baghdad.”

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Iranian, Syrian and Hizballah tacticians prepare for Counter Attack.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards are Planning for a King of South Strike,

Preparing Lebanon and Hizbullah for the

King of North Counter Attack,

After stopping the King of South push across the border into Lebanon,

King of North Forces will push King of South into the Negev Wilderness.

King of the North Represents Islamic Forces–King of South the Israelis!

December 24, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Daniel 11:40,41 – And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

[41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown:

Begin Excerpt from DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

Iranian Guards to upgrade Hizballah fortifications in Lebanon

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

December 23, 2010, 11:26 AM (GMT+02:00)

After studying Israel’s last military exercise near the Syrian-Lebanese border last week, Tehran transferred a team of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Special Engineers from Syria to Lebanon for recommendations on how its lessons should be applied to Hizballah’s war array, DEBKAfile’s exclusive military and intelligence sources report.

The Iranian military command in Damascus, together with the Al Qods commander of Hizballah forces, Gen. Hossein Mahadavi, last week approved the assignment of 20-30 IRGC engineering officers from Syria to Lebanon. A convoy of buses under Hizballah guard transported the team through Ramat Zahrani to one of the larger Hizballah bases.

Road access to the base was closed to civilian traffic over the weekend and security redoubled.

A military movement on this scale must have been approved by the highest regime level in Damascus.

Last week, Israel carried out a large military exercise near the confluence of the Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese borders on the Golan simulating an IDF infantry and armored forces drive into Lebanon in the event of the Lebanese Hizballah going to war for the third time.

Western intelligence report that the Iranian military engineering team is now examining Hizballah outposts and defense lines opposite Israel to determine whether they are capable of withstanding IDF air, missile, armored and commando attacks or need upgrading.

According to our military sources, a group of at least five Iranian officers was sighted Monday, Dec.

20, entering Hizballah military installations in the Bint Jbail and Maroun a-Ras areas of the South. They arrived in a vehicle closely guarded by Hizballah militiamen and a Lebanese Army detail.

It was the first time that Lebanese troops had openly acted in association with Iranian Revolutionary Guards personnel.

Although the UNIFIL force’s mission in South Lebanon is to block the entry of foreign combatants and weapons, its commanders have bowed to Hizballah dictates which deny them access to Hizballah facilities and Shiite villages under its control and the authority to stop convoys escorted by the Lebanese army. Indeed, every step taken by the international peacekeepers requires permission from the Lebanese government and army which then defer to Hizballah.

Since their arrival, Iranian officers have been seen travelling every morning from the Hizballah bases hosting them to its main line of fortifications.

That line runs from Ramat Zahrani near Qlaia and Khiyam and arcs northward past Yahmor and south to Lake Qaroun.to enclose the Beqaa region in the east. It was built at the end of 2008 as a barrier against IDF armored columns crossing the Lebanese and Syrian borders and driving east toward Damascus.

In the light of the Israeli exercise, Iranian experts in groups of two or three are testing the line sector by sector.

Israel only announced the exercise had taken place when it ended Thursday, Dec.

16, but it offered an unusual amount of detail: Taking part were the Nahal (infantry) Brigade and the armored 401st Brigade – both part of the 162nd Division. They practiced invading Lebanon in response to a large-scale Hizballah terrorist incursion into Israel. Also released were details of battlefield tactics, including operations against anti-tank missiles, responses to missile attacks and warding off swarms of Hizballah commandos on motorbikes, a form of assault favored by Revolutionary Guards Special Forces

Western intelligence sources expect the Iranian, Syrian and Hizballah tacticians who monitored the Israeli war game to introduce adjustments and upgrades to Hizballah’s fortifications in the coming weeks, as per the recommendations of the IRGC engineers.

It is safe to assume that the IDF will then study those alterations and make its own adjustments.

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the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to:

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from which we extracted it.

700 BC FORECAST OF MESSIAH FIRST VISITATION ADVENT – PART 2

December 24, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

ENDING OF THE MESSIAH’S FIRST VISITATION ADVENT

Micah 5:1 – Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

“NOW GATHER THYSELF IN TROOPS, O DAUGHTER OF TROOPS:”

There are few cities on this planet that can compare with Jerusalem on the number of times she has been conquered over and over again in history, many times being retaken by those troops once driven out. Truly, Jerusalem has earned the title of “Daughter of troops.” This Scripture spe aks of

a particular time in her long history, a day during the Feast of Passover, a day when three sets of troops were in the city. The Roman Governor, who ruled from Caesarea (Pontius Pilate)

had, in order to put down any rebellion that might arise at this feast, brought his Roman troops to Jerusalem, and quartered them in the Fortress Antonia, which was attached to the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount, and from which troops could overlook all the Temple courtyards from its highest level. The King of Israel, Herod, had brought his troops with him for Passover, and they were quartered in Herod’s Fortress Palace on the western side of Jerusalem, where some of its base may be seen today. The High Priest was also allowed to maintain a small contingency of Jewish troops to protect him from harm, and they could be sent to arrest religious offenders.

They were found around him at public assemblies.

“THEY SHALL SMITE THE JUDGE OF ISRAEL WITH A ROD UPON THE CHEEK.”

This prophecy of Micah was fulfilled during the last Passover Jesus attended. It was fulfilled from the time the first troops arrested him to take him to the High Priest until he was placed on the cross. During this time Jesus was exchanged back and forth between the High Priest, Herod,

and Pontius Pilate. On these occasions he was beaten on the head above his neck many times with rods (reeds), and struck over and over again by the hands of the troops. You will find all this recorded in the latter chapters of the four Gospels.

Jesus was sent by His Father to be the judge of Israel, but they rejected him as their judge, and judged him instead, finding him guilty of the false charge of blasphemy again God. The middle portion of this verse gives God the Father’s reaction to their rejection of His only begotten Son.

“HE HATH LAID SIEGE AGAINST US:”

Luke 19:41-44 – And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, [42] Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. [43] For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, [44] And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Micah was an Israelite. So the “us” refers primarily to Israel.

God has laid “siege” (judgment) against Israel for almost 2000 years because they rejected the one He sent to judge them.

There has never been a race descended from one man (Jacob) that has ever passed through such persecution, unbelievable horror, and terrifying torture, as

has been experienced by the nation of Israel, the most horrifying of all being experienced at the hands of the Nazi SS during WW2. The current siege is the constant threat of terrorism by Hizbollah, the Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Fatah splinter groups.

Israel still has a final siege of terror to endure for rejecting her judge.

She will launch a retaliatory attack in response to a missle launched at her by Hizbullah to draw her to cross the border into Lebanon. After the crossing, she will suddenly be viciously attacked from the north in a pre-planned lightning Jihad counter attack involving 10 Arab nations.

This attack will start the war in which the Antichrist drives Israel into the Negev Wilderness, where she will remain for three and one-half years. This will be her final travail

before her Messiah, Jesus Christ returns to reign over her.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Zechariah 12:2 – Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

But after Israel’s final travail, this will be the fate of those who laid siege against her.

Zechariah 14:12 – And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes

shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Tit For Tat Before The Final Prophesied War

Military Ploy gives the Birth to Counter Ploy

As Islam and Israel Prepare for a final War

Of Age Of The Gentiles At The 2nd Advent

Beginning at a point in time prior to 2015

December 23, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

THE GREATEST DANGER ISRAEL FACES IN THE FINAL WAR

The greatest danger Israel faces is NOT initially losing the coming war against the forces of Islam by nuclear weapons, but rather losing it by much more effective high tech conventional anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles than she has previously faced.

Since 1967 Israel has been able to control the ground wars with her superior tanks, and air superiority with her better pilots and planes – I do not think this will be the case in the future war.

Israel will still have better tanks, planes, pilots, and tanks, but the Islamic defenses against them have greatly increased in effectiveness, thanks to Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, Europeans, and Iranians supplying them.

The major advantage of Islam has always been numbers, and this time it will keep Israel boxed in the Negev Wilderness for some three and one half years.

3 EXCERPTS OF ENEMY’S PLOY OF SUPER ANTI-TANK MISSILES

Begin Excerpt 1 from the Australian via The Times and World News

Anti-tank missiles added to Gaza arsenal

James Hider

From: The Times

December 23, 2010 12:00AM

GAZA militants have deployed advanced Russian-made anti-tank missiles against Israeli armour for the first time.

That is according to the head of the army, who warned that the situation along the border

with the Hamas-run enclave was volatile and could explode again at any time.

Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi’s report to parliament came after Israeli warplanes had launched eight co-ordinated airstrikes overnight against Hamas and other militant targets inside the Gaza Strip.

The militants fired their missiles again yesterday, narrowly missing an Israeli nursery school near the southern city of Ashkelon.

A 16-year-old girl was lightly wounded in the attack.

The deployment of the Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missile, capable of piercing 119cm-thick armour at a range of almost 5km, may have emboldened militants inside the Gaza Strip, which has been under a strict Israeli blockade for more than three years.

“On December 6, for the first time, a Kornet missile was fired and hit an Israel Defence Forces tank, penetrating its armour,” General Ashkenazi told parliament. “Fortunately, it did not explode within the tank. It is a heavy missile that is among the most dangerous that we have seen on this front. It was not used, even during the Lebanon war.”

In that conflict in 2006, about three dozen Israel tanks were crippled or destroyed by Hezbollah’s agile deployment of anti-tank missiles, shaking the Israeli army’s confidence in its heavily armoured Merkava tanks. In response, the army has developed Trophy, a anti-missile defence system mounted on its tanks.

Only one battalion has been equipped so far with the system, which detects and shoots down incoming missiles. The Israeli media announced this week that the battalion was being moved to the Gaza border.

The general said the situation on the border was “frail and explosive”, and warned that a direct hit on a school or nursery school could trigger a new round of violence.

The Times

Excerpts 2 & 3 from Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Daily Alert

December 20, 2010

Begin Excerpt 2 – AFP

France Gives Lebanon Anti-Tank Missiles

France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a Lebanese government official said Friday. “Prime Minister Saad Hariri was informed on Wednesday of the French decision to supply the army with 100…HOT missiles that will be used by the military’s Gazelle helicopters,” the official said. “The missiles will be delivered before the end of February and are being given with no conditions attached.”
In August, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had said the missiles could end up being used against Israel.

“Therefore, to sell weapons to Lebanon at this time would be very irresponsible and could jeopardize security and stability in the region.” (AFP)

Begin Excerpt 3 – THE JERUSALEM POST

Western Supplied Arms for Hizbullah

Editorial

Israeli defense officials have voiced concern over France’s willingness to sell 100 HOT antitank missiles to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). One of the most advanced weapons of its kind in the world, the HOT missile has a range of up to 4 km. and the ability to penetrate about 1,000 mm.

of armor. Israel’s concern that these missiles will fall into the hands of Hizbullah and be used against the IDF are acute.

The U.S. and other Western countries have argued that strengthening the LAF via military aid and arms sales promotes Lebanese sovereignty. But can a distinction be drawn between the LAF and the ever-more powerful Hizbullah

? Is there a barrier between them that Western-supplied arms can be guaranteed not to cross

? (Jerusalem Post)

THE COUNTER PLOY OF SUPER ARMOR BY ISRAEL WHICH IS NOT ENOUGH

Begin Excerpt 3 from Haartz via World News

IDF to deploy super-armored tanks along Gaza border

Decision comes amid concerns over Palestinians’ growing arsenal of anti-tank missiles in the Gaza Strip.

By Amos Harel

December 20, 2010

The Israel Defense Forces decided on Sunday that it will begin deploying tanks equipped with an active armor protection system known as Windbreaker to the border area along the Gaza Strip.

The deployment will begin next month following intelligence assessments that the threat of anti-tank missile attacks in the area is on the rise.

Two weeks ago an IDF t

ank was hit in the northern portion of the border with the Gaza Strip by an anti-tank missile. The tank was damaged but the crew was not injured.

Security sources had said at the time that there are strong indications that the Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have upgraded their anti-tank missile capabilities.

Discussions were held with the Southern Command, the General Staff operations department and the Ground Forces Command about making changes to IDF forces in the area.

Originally a battalion from the 401st Brigade was to have deployed its armored units in the area.

However, a different battalion from the same brigade, the 9th, will now be deployed with its Windbreaker-equipped tanks.

The Rafael produced system, which is marketed abroad as Trophy, is capable of neutralizing advanced anti-tank missiles at different ranges. Following the Second Lebanon War, the IDF decided to procure the system because of the many incidents in which anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah guerrillas managed to damage IDF tanks.

Four years after the war, only a single battalion has been equipped with the system – the 9th. The battalion is also equipped with the most modern type of Merkava battle tank, the Mark IV.

At the current rate of procurement it will be several years before significant numbers of battalions are equipped with the system.

A number of Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip hold hundreds of anti-tank missiles, of different types and sophistication – from the relatively simply RPG to advanced anti-tank missiles.

The IDF may be forced to react to Gazans’ upgrading of anti-tank missiles by changing tactics along the border and limiting exposure of tanks.

The main focus of IDF ground activity in the Gaza Strip is the buffer zone of several hundred meters inside the Strip from the fence along the border. During the past two years Gazans have avoided engaging IDF forces entering the area – operations mainly aiming to identify mines laid by militants.

However, there have also been cases of sniper fire, anti-tank missile fire and the detonation of improvised explosive devices against the IDF patrols. Even though there have been low key altercations, there is concern that a Palestinian strike against an Israeli armored vehicle will spark a greater conflagration which will expand and end with massive rocket fire against civilian communities in Israel.

Two rockets fired from the northern Gaza Strip hit southern Ashkelon last night. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

It is believed that the rocket fire came in response to an air strike on Saturday night against a cell of militants preparing to launch rockets into Israel.

Five Palestinians were killed in the attack, members of the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance groups.

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al 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.