Perilous Times

Many of you probably receive Olive Tree Ministries emails so probably have seen the latest from Jan Markell. But for those who have not, she makes some great observations about Obama's speech made in Cairo.

Fasten your seat belt. Extremely perilous times are ahead. Evil was given a green light to go in Cairo. Now would be a very good time to go out and win the lost for Jesus Christ while there is still time. When more than just the economy crumbles around us, hearts will be much more open!

Read article here; http://www.rapturealert.com/2009/061909perilous.asp

She's exactly right! When times are good, most people don't think they need God. But when times are uncertain...the Lord, in His mercy, draws people to himself.

Will the Missiles Fly?

The tension continues to build with North Korea. The latest reports are that North Korea is planning on launching some big missile towards Hawaii. Why?...just to show that they can. Secretary Gates has responded by placing a missile defense system around the islands.

Now it appears that the U.S. Navy may be getting ready to intercept a North Korean ship. North Korea has said that if someone stops and boards one of it's ships, they will consider it an "act of war" and will have a hissy-fit and has threatened all sorts military consequences.

Read it here; http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/19/military-set-intercept-north-korean-ship-suspected-proliferatin-missiles-nukes/

I don't really see North Korea in biblical prophecy...except where Jesus says, "There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation." For sure, the world remains on edge as unrest builds.

Stories from Iran

Make no mistake, there is a showdown coming in Iran. It's already been bloody, but it may get a lot worse. The people who are pushing for democracy and freedom and demanding that their votes be counted have now been warned by the Supreme Leader that they better quit protesting the elections...or else. In a land where they hang gay people, beat women in the streets and torture opponents,... "or else" could mean a lot of nasty stuff.

Read article here; http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LJ827288.htm

The Wall Street Journal today has stories sent in from Iran. The stories are sent from regular people who are joining in the demonstrations or simply hanging out in their dorm rooms. And they know that something big is going on in their country.

I live in the dorms at Tehran University. I was asleep when Basij militiamen entered my room early Monday morning, demolished everything and started beating us. A man with a long beard broke my notebook and said: "It is destroyed, this book that you were using against Islam and Ahmadinejad."

They beat students more when they saw posters of Mousavi in their rooms. And they carried big knives and guns.
They also attacked the women's dormitory next door. The Supreme Leader calls us rioters, but I want to ask him: How can sleeping women in their beds be rioters? Is this the Islamic justice he believes in?

President Obama's speech was good; he says that he will support us. They beat students more when they saw posters of Mousavi in their rooms. And they carried big knives and guns.
They also attacked the women's dormitory next door. The Supreme Leader calls us rioters, but I want to ask him: How can sleeping women in their beds be rioters? Is this the Islamic justice he believes in?

President Obama's speech was good; he says that he will support us. He also said that nations must decide the fate of their countries by themselves. I agree with him, but now we don't have any power to change the situation, so we need help and attention.

Read full article here; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124537040666029677.html

Isn't that interesting?? I wonder what the leader of the free world (Obama) will do to help these poor people who desperately desire freedom....but need help since they have no guns or power? Obviously, the majority of people in Iraq felt the same way and they also needed our help to get rid of Saddam.....and the liberals had a major cow. Even to this day, while the positive signs keep emerging from Iraq....the liberals will probably never acknowledge or admit any success in Iraq.
I just wonder under what circumstances a liberal WOULD pick up a gun? I mean really....what good is it being the world's only super-power if you won't use our military to spread freedom?

Thank you Jesus that we live in a country where we don't have to worry about being beaten up by Government sponsored thugs. I pray that you will keep it that way until you return. Amen.

Chaos and the 12th Imam

Many of you remember the name Rick Santorum. He was the republican U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who lost the election, but not because he lacked understanding. He has a great article in the Philadelphia paper today and is talking very openly of what we have been saying for some time now....Iran may be seeking global chaos because of the eschatological beliefs that the 12th Imam is soon coming.

Twelvers believe the Mahdi will emerge from hiding - with Jesus - when the world has fallen into chaos and civil strife, and that he will establish Shia Islam across the globe. Ahmadinejad has said, "Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th imam, the Mahdi."

Ahmadinejad speaks of the return of the 12th imam in many of his speeches. To the consternation of the ayatollahs, he has even said the Mahdi has communicated with him personally. And he has spent heavily on road and civic improvements along the route the Mahdi is expected to travel when he returns - from the Iranian city where the imam is to reappear, Qom, to the capital, Tehran.

Read full article here; http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/48407532.html

So when will the world wake up and realize that this regime is one of the most dangerous weapons that Satan currently has against the Jews and the Christians. They can't be allowed to have a nuclear bomb.

Let's hope Obama seizes this moment in history. If not, he will be left with two choices: working with Netanyahu to defang an emboldened Ahmadinejad-led Iran, or, some day, explaining to a world in chaos and war why he did not.

Wolves Amongst Sheep

Jesus told us repeatedly that Satan will be prowling around waiting to find a weak spot in our armor and he also told us that there will be wolves in sheep's clothing who are sent to destroy the flock. We should probably be paying close attention to our pastors and our seminaries because those are the people who get the call to lead the flocks.

And sure enough...if you look hard at the seminaries and headquarters of the various Christian religions....rampant unbelief in even the basic words of Christ are everywhere.

Check out what this Episcopalian elected-bishop believes;

Thew Forrester's rejection of atonement theology and his claims that the crucifixion was not the will of God were particularly troubling to some Episcopalians. According to Thew Forrester, Christ's blood doesn't wash away sin and Christ's death doesn't redeem and restore humanity. Jesus doesn't make us one with God, but simply reveals to us that we're already and always one with God, the bishop-elect maintains.

In addition to rejecting orthodox Christian teachings about the Cross, Thew Forrester denies that Satan exists, calls the Qur'an the Word of God, describes sin as being blind to our own goodness, and questions whether Jesus is truly the only begotten Son of God. A student of Zen Buddhism, Thew Forrester took Buddhist lay ordination vows and adopted a new Buddhist name—Genpo—meaning "way of universal wisdom."

Now check out what one of his supporters said;

But a Thew Forrester supporter, Wyoming Bishop Bruce Caldwell, said Thew Forrester's theology "stretches us, but not to the point of breaking."
The bishop-elect defended his liturgical and theological changes, saying they reflected the "continually evolving" Christian faith.
"What we've done is quite responsible and appropriate, and indeed the church needs to do it in order to stay relevant in the 21st century," he said.

Did you catch that?? "...in order to stay relevant...." Let's translate that; "As society changes and falls further away from God, we should try and change the word of God and the statements of Christ to make the religion more appealing and popular."

Read full article here; http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/juneweb-only/123-11.0.html?start=1

But God will always keep a remnant of true believers who uphold His word as unerring and unchanging. It appears that remnant may not come from the Episcopal church.

Hat tip to Mark P.

Iran's Crisis to Continue

It's pretty exciting to watch what is happening in Persia. The educated people want change and they are sick of a repressive government who continually talks of the 12th Imam coming and the end of the world looming. They want to watch cable, text their friends, visit relatives outside the country, and have a job with a future. So they are obviously upset.

Here's a few things to consider and we shall watch how they play out;

A) The opposition leader, Mousavi, is probably almost as fundamental as Ahmadinejad. So if the Mullahs are playing some sort of give and take game where they will finally concur to "the people's wishes"....they will put Mousavi on the throne of Iran...and he will still keep cooking bombs and planning for a war with Israel. So maybe nothing will change except the name of the president...and they people will be appeased because they will believe they actually put their candidate in power.

B) Iran is showing that it is currently weak. This may be a good time for Israel to strike Iran and delay their nuclear aspirations...at least by a few years.

C) Where the heck is Obama and Hilary? Shouldn't they be issuing calls of support for the Iranian people who are standing up against tyranny? Isn't that what America stands for....freedom and liberty? Shouldn't we be issuing harsh language against the Mullahs as they are beating up and killing protesters...who only are asking that their votes be counted?

D) It will be interesting to watch what the rest of the Muslim world does with the news and results coming out of Iran. Egypt, Saudi, Jordan, etc... know that they have some pretty repressive, secretive, corrupt government themselves...and may be kind of worried to let the people start asking them for accountability.

Read article here about the Iranian unrest; http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-06-17-voa61.cfm

Keep praying for these repressed people. Remember that current estimates tell us that about 1000 people per day in Iran alone are coming to Christ. Pray that the harvest will continue and begin to spread all over the middle east.

AAA Rating

We have spoken of, and blogged about the U.S. losing it's AAA credit rating. The headlines today confirm this is a looming possibility.
U.S. likely to lose AAA rating: Prechter

Technical analyst Robert Prechter on Monday said he sees the United States losing its top AAA credit rating by the end of 2010, as he stuck by a deeply bearish outlook on the U.S. economy and stock market.

Read full article here; http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE55E6BM20090615

For those readers who may be saying, "So what does that mean?", I have a fairly easy answer; Pretend your neighbor came to you and needed to borrow $10,000. You had borrowed money to him before and he had always paid you 5% interest and had always paid you back on time. So at the end of the year, you expect him to pay you back $10,500. Your neighbor is the President of some large company and has always had a great income and never had a financial issue in his life.
That neighbor has a AAA credit rating in your book.

Now let's pretend that he shows up today and needs another $10,000 for another project but the facts have recently changed. You had recently read in the local newspaper that his home was being foreclosed on. You had also heard him involved in loud shouting matches with his wife. And to top it all off, your cousin works for the guys business and he has told you that they are laying off because business is really slow. Would you still borrow the money to your neighbor...and if so, would you still only expect 5% interest when you know dang well that the loan you make is going to be 3-4 times more risky?? Maybe you would tell your neighbor that you will loan him the money but he will need to pay you back $12,000 at year end.

Now carry that forward to the U.S. government. What rate of interest will other countries of the world demand if we ask for more loans? Now apply that to $10 Trillion of current debt and you will understand that even if we raised the personal income tax bracket to 100%....we won't have enough money to pay back the principle and interest.

So where do we put our treasure.....???....where moth and rust will not destroy.

Magog and Persia

Iranians aren't done protesting the sham election, but that hasn't stopped Ahmadinejad from jetting off to Russia for an economic summit. Remember that these two countries are the prominent players in Ezekiel 38.

Now check out some of what was said at the summit....and plug it into your understanding using the 3rd lens of scripture;

Taking his turn speaking at one of the summit meetings, Ahmadinejad said that "America is enveloped in economic and political crises, and there is no hope for their resolution."

A senior Russian diplomat hailed Ahmadinejad's visit as evidence of strong ties between Russia and Iran.

"It's quite symbolic that the Iranian president arrived in Russia on his first foreign visit since re-election," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a briefing. "We see that as a sign that the Russian-Iranian relations will advance further."

Ryabkov said the election was Iran's internal affair, but he endorsed Ahmadinejad as the victor.
"We welcome the fact that the elections have taken place, and we welcome the newly re-elected Iranian president on the Russian soil," he said. "We see this visit as a reflection of partner-like, neighborly and traditionally friendly relations between Moscow and Tehran."

Read article here; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090616/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_summit_talks_iran

Did you catch that last comment by the Russian diplomat?? Even though millions are protesting the sham election and some are being killed on the streets of Tehran...the Russians accept the election results as issued by the dictating Mullahs. Dictators have a way of sticking together, don't they?

Make no mistake....there is a day coming in the not distant future when an "evil thought" will come on these men and they will plan an attack on Israel. And God will fight the battle in defense of Israel...just as He did in days gone by.

Most prophecy watchers believe that followers of Christ will have already been taken in the rapture before that battle unfolds. So how close are we to that glorious day?

Krauthammer on Obama

Charles Krauthammer is a nationally syndicated columnist and is read far and wide. So check out some of the "messiah" references he makes regarding our commander in chief;

Not that Obama considers himself divine. (He sees himself as merely messianic, or, at worst, apostolic.) But he does position himself as hovering above mere mortals, mere country, to gaze benignly upon the darkling plain beneath him where ignorant armies clash by night, blind to the common humanity that only he can see. Traveling the world, he brings the gospel of understanding and godly forbearance.

He then goes on to confirm that Obama may have a narcissistic complex;

Obama undoubtedly thinks he is demonstrating historical magnanimity with all these moral equivalencies and self-flagellating apologetics. On the contrary. He's showing cheap condescension, an unseemly hunger for applause and a willingness to distort history for political effect.

He then goes on to call Obama a "soft liar", and almost makes him out to be a traitor of sorts.

Distorting history is not truth-telling, but the telling of soft lies.
Creating false equivalencies is not moral leadership, but moral abdication.
And hovering above it all, above country and history, is a sign not of transcendence but of a disturbing ambivalence toward one's own country.

Read full article here; http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1244371097159&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Wow. I would say that Mr. Krathammer pretty much nailed it.

Israel on Front Page Again

Today's Wall Street Journal has tiny Israel on the front page again. The headline reads; ISRAEL OFFERS TWO STATE PLAN

Read the full article here; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124500039331213063.html#mod=fox_australian

In addition, Mr. Netanyahu was on the Today show with Ann Curry this morning. You can read that transcript here; http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/EventsDiary/eventNBC150609.htm

So why is the world so interested in this tiny piece of real estate?? Because in Zechariah, God called this land and people, "the apple of his eye." And the rulers of this world (Satan and his forces) are doing everything in their power to scorch this piece of earth....knowing full well that they lost the battle when Christ was resurrected and now their time is growing short. The Lord is soon returning...and if they can't have it...then no one can have it!

Election Results

Things are definitely happening in Iran, but it seems early to try and put definitive answers as to what those things actually are. Joel Rosenberg has some ideas...

The Supreme Leader of Iran has spoken. It’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by a “landslide.” This means a major, cataclysmic war is the most likely outcome of the Iranian “elections.” And the battle lines are clear. It’s Netanyahu vs. Ahmadinejad — Bibi vs. Mahmoud — and the big question is: Who will strike first?

He then goes on to list 5 things we learned from the elections;

First, the results prove that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei firmly, completely and whole-heartedly supports Ahmadinejad’s End Times beliefs.

Second, the results prove that the people of Iran never had a real choice.

Third, the results prove that the Obama administration’s belief that you can sit down and have a rational discussion with such Radicals — or trust an agreement even if one could be negotiated with them – is absolutely nonsensical.

Fourth, as for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech, he is right: Iran is the real threat to the region and the world, not Israel’s refusal to make more land for missiles concessions to the Palestinian leadership.

Fifth, we need to pray for peace, but prepare for war.

Read Rosenberg article here; http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/netanyahu-vs-ahmadinejad-a-major-war-is-the-likely-outcome-of-the-iranian-elections/

It would appear that Rosenberg is not real optimistic about what is transpiring in Iran. I too feel for the Iranian people who just want a chance to live a decent life, but instead have to be ruled by some extremists who are having spiritual visits with the 12th Imam....which we all know to be some sort of Satanic vision.

It does appear that President Bush may have been right in planting the seeds of democracy in Iraq. He figured that once Iraq had the freedom to vote and to speak...that every one in the region would start to be envious of those freedoms and start demanding more of the same in their respective countries.

As the riots continue in Tehran as demands for a new election get shouted out...one wonders if GWB is sitting on his rocker in Crawford, Texas saying to himself, "I kinda thought that would probably happen."

Keep praying for the Iranian people and also for the peace of Jerusalem.

Iranian Appeasement

Iranian exiles living in other lands understand what Ahmadinejad is saying. They also understand that if the West continues to seek talks with Iran...it is only making things worse by giving them more time;

Maryam Rajavi, leader of the French-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Reuters that Western powers had to abandon a "policy of appeasement" if they wanted to thwart Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions.
"Sadly Iran will get the bomb if the West continues with its strategy of negotiations. This is just giving the mullahs more time to play with," she said in a telephone interview.

Read article here; http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE55C1QH20090613

But Obama seems convinced that talking to Iran will certainly make things better. It may be possible that Obama is so convinced that his charm will work magic on ALL who meet him....that he simply refuses to see it any other way. Narcissists are dangerous this way because they believe in their own imaginary abilities....even when told by others, using logical examples....they refuse to accept the truth.

Read Obama wants to talk article here; http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1244371089501&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Iran May be Even More Dangerous

It appears that Ahmadinejad has won the election in Iran. Some news services are saying he won in a landslide, but the voters are saying it was all rigged. Either way, even if Ahmadinejad only believes he won... it could make him even more dangerous towards Israel, America and the world.

It's obvious that the rules of the world dictate that evil men will need to be removed by force, which means using muscle, guns and bombs. But the "no more violence" crowd simply refuses to accept the rules. So they will use peaceful means to try and change the election outcome.

Protests were planned Sunday in cities around the world, including London, Paris, New York, Sydney, Berlin, The Hague, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Read election article here; http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/14/iran.election.reaction/

I think it's funny that just a few short years ago, President Bush was telling us that the Iranian regime was very dangerous and would need to be dealt with sooner than later. But the liberals accused him of warmongering and insisted that Iran was no threat. They are now 2 yrs closer to having a bomb. Ignoring problems never seems to fix them. And clicking your heals together three times while your eyes are closed and saying, "I hope the Iranian leaders change their hearts"....only works in Hollywood.