If You Believe This.....

The Palestinian leadership is saying that they will not start a war with Israel because they want to negotiate with peace.

Sure...that may be what the leader of Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, is saying but we wonder what the leaders of Hamas are saying that brutally murdered the members of Fatah and chased them running and screaming out of Gaza...and are now launching missiles in Israel from Gaza.

Palestinians will not launch a war against Israel if progress is not made in the peace process, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with Channel 2 on Friday night.

"We have to negotiate with the Israelis peacefully," he explained. "This is our ideology. This is our mentality. This is the culture of the Palestinians. We are not ready to turn back to violence."

Achieving statehood at the UN will not mean that the Palestinians will not return to negotiating table with Israel, he added.

Addressing questions diplomats have raised regarding the Palestinian Authority's power in Gaza, Abbas said that the PA and Hamas have signed an agreement and are working together.

"We cannot deny that Hamas is a part of the Palestinian people," he said. "Whether they accept [Israel] or not, they are our opposition. Every country around the world has an opposition, right?"

See it here;  http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=243543

That's funny!...every country has an opposition??  Does every country have a party that routinely pulls out guns and grenades and starts murdering their opposition?  When was the last time the Republicans started mudering the Democrats?

So sorry, Mr. Abbas....we aren't buying your lame statement that Hamas is simply another peaceful opposition party....and we aren't buying this peaceful suit of clothes that you have temporarily put on.

Greeks Are Mad at Germans

Hey...you gotta be mad at someone because Lord knows you certainly can't blame yourself when something goes terribly wrong.  And so it goes with the Greeks.

ATHENS — Every Oct. 28 Greece celebrates “Oxi Day,” or “ ‘No’ Day,” a national holiday commemorating Greek resistance to the Axis powers during World War II. On Friday, those celebrations took on a greater weight. As Greeks suffer from harsh austerity measures, there is growing popular sentiment here that the country has ceded key parts of its sovereignty, and its pride, to its foreign lenders.  

Here in Greece, anger is running so high — especially toward Germany, whose Nazi occupation still leaves deep scars here and which now dominates the European Union’s bailout of debt-ridden Greece — that National Day celebrations were called off on Friday in the northern city of Thessaloniki for the first time ever after a group shouted “traitor” to the Greek president, Karolos Papoulias.

Beyond populist talk, which ranges from euro-skepticism to anti-German demagoguery, experts say the concessions that Greece has made in exchange for the foreign aid it needs to stave off default — including allowing European Union officials to monitor Greek state affairs closely — are unprecedented for a member nation, making Greece a bellwether for the future of European integration.

Here;  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/europe/greeks-direct-anger-at-germany-and-european-union.html

Let's summarize what is happening here....the Greeks have never really been known for their hard work ethic, so when they got into the European Union they were like an 18 year old kid who was handed a credit card with $200,000 of credit on it even though he was only making $8 hour while working part time at McDonalds.  They elected to implement huge social programs and generous pension plans for everyone so all could retire at age 53 and spend the next 30 years slathering on sun tan oil while sitting on the beach reading Harry Potter novels.  The Germans were the ones who gave them the credit card.

Now that the Greeks have received their monthly statement and realize that their credit limit is now maxed out and not only do they have no money to spend, they have to start paying back the money they already spent....THEY ARE MAD!!  And of course they are mad at the folks who gave them the credit card. 

Sounds like a typical 18 year old kid.

But the problem for everyone is that if the $200,000 doesn't get paid back....lots of folks in Europe and America may be in a big pickle.        

Europe Begs China to Help

Yesterday we got some good news that Europe had $1 trillion bucks to bail out their mess....and the U.S. stock market went up about 400 points on the euphoria of the news.  Today we find out that the $1 trillion doesn't exist anywhere and now Europe is begging China to help them out of this embarrassing revelation.

Europe is holding out the begging bowl to China in an effort to keep the rescue package for the single currency alive.

In a clear sign of how the balance of world power has tipped towards the East, EU leaders hope China can be persuaded to hand over huge sums to help bail out the eurozone.

In a further embarrassment, it emerged that the one trillion euro bailout fund announced in the early hours of yesterday does not really exist.

The pot contains only a quarter of that amount, and the rest of the money likely to be ‘leveraged’ – using the existing 250billon euros as security to borrow the rest.

Markets initially reacted with relief after all-night talks on the debt crisis engulfing the eurozone ended with agreement on a three-part package of measures after weeks of bickering.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054405/EU-summit-deal-Desperate-Euro-chiefs-look-East-fund-huge-bailout-gamble.html#ixzz1c76wDOlr

What!?!?  They don't have the money??  How can that be??  I, for one, am shocked!  What did they think they were going to do...simply print the trillion out of thin air like the U.S. Federal Reserve did?  Oh...wait....that's exactly what we did.

Muslims Feel Violated at Catholic University

Here is one for the file titled, "THE STUPIDEST STUFF I HAVE EVER HEARD"

It would seem that some Muslim students who are attending a Catholic University are offended by all the Christian symbols scattered all over the university and it is infringing on their human rights and sometimes is distracting them from their prayers to Allah.

The Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights confirmed that it is investigating allegations that Catholic University violated the human rights of Muslim students by not allowing them to form a Muslim student group and by not providing them rooms without Christian symbols for their daily prayers.

Banzhaf said some Muslim students were particularly offended because they had to meditate in the school’s chapels “and at the cathedral that looms over the entire campus – the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.”

The investigation alleges that Muslim students “must perform their prayers surrounded by symbols of Catholicism – e.g., a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Muslim students find inappropriate.”

A spokesperson for the Office of Human Rights told Fox News they had received a 60-page complaint against the private university. The investigation, they said, could take as long a six months.

Here it is:  http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/muslims-want-catholic-school-to-provide-room-without-crosses.html

In most Muslim nations you can get some pretty harsh treatment for even being a Christian...but ONLY in America can Muslims get a Catholic school in trouble for having Catholic symbols on the University.

I suppose next the Muslims are going to go to the University of Minnesota and say that the gopher-rodent pictures all over the campus are interrupting their meditation and prayers and demand that the Gopher mascot be removed....as to not offend their human rights...because gophers are unclean animals in Muslim land...don't you know.

Thanks Tom F. for sending me this article and getting me all wound up right before bedtime.

Vatican Organizes a One World Religion

A few days ago we posted about how the Vatican was calling for a new global financial order with some form of central oversight.  Today they are putting together a meeting which sounds an awful lot like the beginnings of a one-world-religion.

VATICAN CITY, Oct 25 – Pope Benedict XVI has invited 300 religious leaders to a meeting in Assisi in Italy to repudiate “violence in the name of God” amid growing tensions fuelled by fundamentalists across the world.

The day of interreligious council, which will be held on Thursday in St. Francis of Assisi’s birthplace, is intended to be a “journey of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world,” the Vatican said.

Over 50 Islamic representatives are expected to attend the talks from several countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.

They will be joined by Rabbis, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, a Zoroastrian, a Bahai and representatives of Taoism and Confucianism as well as of other traditional religions from Africa and America.

For the first time, four atheists will also attend the meeting, which is traditionally organised so as not to coincide with the Muslim day of prayer on Friday, the Jewish one on Saturday or the Christian one on Sunday.

See it here;  http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2011/10/pope-to-promote-peace-in-talks-with-world-religious-leaders/

Holy melting pot of false religions!!  This is amazing!!  It sounds like a really bad joke..."What do you get when you cross a Rabbi, a catholic, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Sikh and a Zoroastrian?"

Answer:  you get the start of what the Bible said would be coming in the very last days and will be setting the EXACT table that the Antichrist will use to establish his reign.

Jesus said when it comes, it will all come like a flood.  Can you see it?  Are you ready to hear the trumpets?  Are you excited to meet your Savior in the air?

Here Comes the Unrest

We have been saying it for a while now....what you see happening in Greece will be coming for America.  The scenes coming out of Oakland, CA look eerily familiar to what is happening in Greece as the "Occupy Wall Street" protests seem to be gathering steam and attention.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The scene was calm but tense early Wednesday as a crowd of hundreds of protesters dwindled to just a few dozen at the site of several clashes between authorities and supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement a night earlier.

Police in riot gear stood watch only a few yards away from a group of stalwart demonstrators in the aftermath of skirmishes in front of City Hall that resulted in five volleys of tear gas from police, in blasts that seemed to intensify with each round, over a roughly three-hour stretch of evening scuffles.

The conflict began much earlier in the day when police dismantled an encampment of Occupy Wall Street protesters that had dominated a plaza across the street from the government building for more than two weeks.

Police fired tear gas and beanbag rounds, clearing out the makeshift city in less than an hour.

Hours after nightfall Tuesday evening, protesters had gathered at a downtown library and began marching toward City Hall in an attempt to re-establish a presence in the area of the disbanded camp.

They were met by police officers in riot gear. Several small skirmishes broke out and officers cleared the area by firing tear gas.

The scene repeated itself several times just a few blocks away in front of the plaza, where police set up behind metal barricades, preventing protesters from gaining access to the site.

Tensions would build as protesters edged ever closer to the police line and reach a breaking point with a demonstrator hurling a bottle or rock, prompting police to respond with another round of gas.

See it here;  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-20125711/tension-remains-after-occupy-oakland-clashes/

At another place in the article they claim that 43% of Americans agree with the protesters.  Let's see....43% of 300,000,000 is 129,000,000.  That's quite a lot of people if they all decide to start showing up at cities around the nation demanding things. 

What are they mad at?  Let's make a list;  too many student loans, too high of gas prices, not enough taxes on other people besides them, angry at people who do have money, angry that the government won't give them more money to bail them out while giving $trillions to big corporate banks, angry over not doing enough to stop global warming, angry over our support of Israel, angry at the cost of food, angry about the minimum wage, angry about the U.S. military taking out other country's leaders, angry about not having free health insurance, angry about Social Security, and the list goes on.

Friends....that's a lot of angry people!  History shows that when you have half the population of a nation angry that it can certainly lead to civil war. 

If we continue on our path to split up Israel and give more land and Jerusalem to her enemies....I have a pretty good feeling that God will soon split up our country...and maybe a civil war would be just the thing to split us for good.

Clear the Way for Isaiah 17

A few days ago the United States called our ambassador to Syria home because the country is simply getting too dangerous.  President Assad has murdered thousands of protesters and yet the protests won't go away.  He has threatened to destroy Israel if NATO forces start bombing him out of hiding like they did in Libya, and Israel quickly sent him a message that if he launches one single bomb into Israel then Damascus will soon be obliterated.

Today as tensions continue to escalate between the USA and Syria, Syria has recalled its ambassador from Washington.

Tensions between Damascus and Washington are on the rise: Syria's ambassador to the United States has been recalled to Damascus, a spokesman for the Syrian embassy said on Monday, amid an escalating spat that has seen Washington call home its envoy to Syria.

"Ambassador Imad Moustapha is already recalled to Damascus for consultations," said a spokesperson for Syria's embassy in Washington. He did not reply to a reporter's question about when Moustapha was recalled.

The US decided to withdraw Ambassador Robert Ford from Syria over fears for his safety. The decision followed what DC officials called "a growing campaign of incitement against him being orchestrated by the regime."

US officials said there had been credible threats against Ford's life: "Ambassador Robert Ford was brought back to Washington as a result of credible threats against his personal safety in Syria," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

"At this point, we can't say when he will return to Syria. It will depend on our assessment of Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground."

The Syrian government quickly ordered home its envoy to Washington, raising the diplomatic stakes. A Syrian Embassy spokesperson said that "no other steps were being taken by the embassy."

See it here;  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4138700,00.html

It certainly seems as if Damascus has jumped into the spotlight in the last few months appearing in numerous headlines on a daily basis as journalists watch the drama unfold there.  Will Assad fall?  Will he bomb Israel while he is falling?  If he does will Israel possibly use nuclear weapons to silence Damascus in a second and send a powerful message to all others who seek her destruction?

Make no mistake about it, DAMASCUS WILL BE DESTROYED...because the Bible says so.  Could the USA be pulling out it's citizens there because they know Israel has the missiles locked and loaded directly on Syria?

If this event happens before the rapture it will change the world as we know it in a split second.  If this event happens after the rapture then the world will still change....it's just that we who are with the Lord will have better things to do than to really care about what is transpiring on planet earth.

Even so....come Lord Jesus.

Rare Northern Lights

We have been blogging about the solar storms that are upon us and set to peak in 2012.  A few days ago a big explosion on the sun sent solar particles on a collision course with earth that caused a rare light show of Northern Lights that were visible way down south where they don't see such things.

A giant mass of plasma spat from the sun on Saturday morning hit the Earth Monday afternoon, causing an unusually colored light show that dazzled skywatchers.

Mother Nature's majesty was on display following a coronal mass ejection (CME) that hit the planet at approximately 2:00p.m. EDT on October 24, reported Spaceweather.com, a website dedicated to tracking solar wind, solar storms and other interstellar events.

The impact strongly compressed Earth's magnetic field, the site reported, exposing geosynchronous satellites to solar wind plasma -- and sparking a dazzlingly intense geomagnetic storm

.

"Wow, wow, wow! These were the best Northern Lights I've seen since 2004," said Shawn Malone. The photographer told FoxNews.com that the auroras he spied in Northern Michigan were the best in years

.

Spaceweather.com reported aurora sightings stretching across the United States, from New Mexico and California to Kansas, Iowa, Maryland and New York.

The event reached the G1 level on NOAA's space weather scale for geomagnetic storms, the lowest level on a five point scale. When such storms reach G5 levels, NOAA warns to watch for problems with the electricity grid and problems with spacecraft and satellites.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/25/rare-northern-lights-paint-skies-across-north-america-deep-red/#ixzz1bqjR5M77

Did you see that warning at the end about G5 levels that can wreak problems on the electric grid?  Can you imagine a big solar storm knocking out all the power to Minneapolis and St Paul and suburbs for a few months?  What kind of chaos would happen then?  Do you believe everyone would just sit and calmly wait for the government aid to show up with hot sandwiches, soup and water?

Guess again.

Luke 21:11 KJV "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven"

Hat tip to Tom F.

Those Who Don't Know History

Of course we are all familiar with the quote, "Those who don't know history are bound to repeat it."  So how many people out there don't know who Adolf Hitler is?  Giving it a quick thought I would guess that about 90% of people on planet earth above the age of 16 would certainly know the answer to that.

I would be wrong.  Turns out lots of normal looking people walking around America in our colleges have no idea who he is...so forget about them having any idea of the significance of 6 million Jews killed in the most heinous of ways.  And of course another 5 million gypsies, mentally disabled people and anyone else deemed not part of the perfect race Hitler was trying to create, were also brutally murdered.

When you have a few minutes I would strongly recommend watching this video by Ray Comfort as he asks people on the street who Adolf Hitler is and gets lots of folks answering that they have no idea.  When he finds some folks who do know who Hitler is then he asks them if it was wrong to kill like Hitler did.  He then moves those same folks into the question if they believe abortion to be wrong.

It's worth a watch;  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI

Vatican Calls for New World Economic Order

The prophet Daniel tells us that we should watch for the Antichrist to come from the people who destroyed the 2nd Temple in Israel....which most understand to be Rome.  The Bible also tells us that in the days of the Tribulation that there will be a one world financial system that will require the mark of the beast in order to use it.

With that as a backdrop, this next article is indeed prophetic.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican called Monday for radical reform of the world's financial systems, including the creation of a global political authority to manage the economy.

The proposal acknowledges, however, that a "long road still needs to be traveled before arriving at the creation of a public authority with universal jurisdiction" and suggests the reform process begin with the United Nations as a point of reference.

Vatican pronouncements on the economy are meant to guide world leaders as well as the global church. United States Roman Catholic bishops, for example, have released a voter guide for the 2012 election that highlights social concerns such as ending poverty.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/24/vatican-calls-for-new-world-economic-order/?test=latestnews#ixzz1bq9E5khG

With words like "global church" and reference to their main goal being social programs....this sure seems to be a foreshadowing of what may be coming for this fallen world.

The Bible is clear that this world is passing away.  It's not going to get better...it can only get worse.  So let's all be weary of a church claiming that their main goal is social programs rather than being to snatch people from the fires of hell.

Hat tip to Julie E.

War is Coming to Israel

An article in Newsmax today is quoting President Reagan's assistant defense secretary....and it sounds like a pretty serious war is heading for Israel.

“I’m afraid there’s a war coming, a very serious, perhaps cataclysmic regional war,” he said. “It will be presumably over, at least in part, the future existence of the state of Israel. It may involve all of its neighbors, as they have in the past, attacking Israel to try, as they say, to drive the Jews into the sea.

“It may involve the use of nuclear weapons,” Gaffney predicted. “But whatever form it takes and whenever it occurs, it is unlikely to be contained to that region, and we must do everything we can to prevent freedom’s enemies from thinking they have an opportunity to engage in that kind of warfare.”

That means standing “absolutely, unmistakably” as one with Israel and doing everything to prevent Iran getting its hands on nuclear weapons.

“I don’t believe there is such a thing as a moderate Islamist party,” he said. “The challenge with Islamists is that they seek to impose what they call Sharia on everybody, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

“They may, as a matter of tactical expediency, choose to do so in incremental ways, often nonviolently, at least initially.

“The problem is that, because ultimately they must — according to Sharia, according to what they believe is God’s will — make everyone feel subdued in order to achieve their God-mandated direction, they will not remain moderate. They will not be satisfied with anything less than the ultimate supremacy of Sharia and they certainly will not resist the use of violence when it becomes expedient to get their way.”

See it here;  http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/gaffney-islamist-war-israel/2011/10/24/id/415578?s=al&promo_code=D544-1#

Wow!  Now here is a guy who is telling it like it is.  THERE ARE NO MODERATE ISLAMISTS!  Yes folks, there may be moderate Muslims who have embraced the western lifestyle, but if you are an Islamist, by definition your world view encompasses a total take over of the entire world to sharia law and forcing worship of Allah.

Currently their focus is on ridding the world of Israel and we are seeing this desire in the headlines coming from Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza, Libya, Iraq, Turkey and every other Middle East country.  But understand that their focus is also on France, USA, Great Britain, Germany and the entire Western Civilization.

In the USA, we are mistaken in the belief that a democracy will always elect someone who is a caring humanitarian....but as we are seeing play out, what happens if the people use their votes to elect a religious Muslim whose number one goal is the destruction of Israel and The West?

Sadly, most Americans and our politicians are simply sound asleep to the threat that is coming.

Ezekiel saw this day coming and we can rest in the assurance that Israel will NEVER be wiped out as a nation and that the rapture of the church will most likely happen BEFORE the war of Ezekiel takes place.

When you see all these things begin to happen, then lift up your heads for you redemption is drawing close....says Jesus.

Can you feel it?  Is there an urgency and anticipation building in you?

Hat tip to Paul L.

Now Here is a Surprise

The leader of Libya for over four decades, is now dead.  He was dragged out of a sewer pipe and was slapped around and bloodied by his captors before he somehow got shot in the head.  The delusional despot, Moammar Gaddafi, is now dead and his soul is now probably not real concerned with what is happening to his $200 billion in stashed loot.

So now that the Libyan people have thrown him out (with lots of help from NATO)....can peace, love and democracy be allowed to flourish in this Muslim country?  Don't hold your breath.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source".

Mr Abdul-Jalil went further, specifically lifting immediately, by decree, one law from Col. Gaddafi's era that he said was in conflict with Sharia - that banning polygamy.

In a blow to those who hoped to see Libya's economy integrate further into the western world, he announced that in future bank regulations would ban the charging of interest, in line with Sharia. "Interest creates disease and hatred among people," he said.

Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates, and other Muslim countries, have pioneered the development of Sharia-compliant banks which charge fees rather than interest for loans but they normally run alongside western-style banks.

Libya is already the most conservative state in north Africa, banning the sale of alcohol. Mr Abdul-Jalil's decision - made in advance of the introduction of any democratic process - will please the Islamists who have played a strong role in opposition to Col Gaddafi's rule and in the uprising but worry the many young liberal Libyans who, while usually observant Muslims, take their political cues from the West.

See it here;  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8844819/Libyas-liberation-interim-ruler-unveils-more-radical-than-expected-plans-for-Islamic-law.html

Now let's continue to watch the situation as Libya draws closer to Iran, Russia, and Turkey.  Why do we know that this will happen?...because the Bible tells me so.

BIg Quake Rocks Turkey

As the serious quakes continue, we seldom blog on them all because we assume that a lot of us are already noticing the increasing frequency, BUT this one is blog worthy because it has hit a very prophetic country that has recently turned against Israel.

ANKARA, Turkey — A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday, collapsing dozens of buildings into piles of twisted steel and chunks of concrete. Desperate survivors dug into the rubble with their bare hands, trying to rescue the trapped and injured.

State-run television reported that 45 people were killed and 150 others injured in the eastern town of Ercis, but scientists estimated that up to 1,000 people could already be dead, due to low housing standards in the area and the size of the quake.

See it here;  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/turkish-seismology-institute-says-66-magnitude-earthquake-shakes-eastern-turkey/2011/10/23/gIQAHpf58L_story.html

U.S. Military Rebuffed in Iraq

The USA has sacrificed our blood and treasure in Iraq over the last 8 years.  Of course historians will debate the decision and the outcomes over the next decades.  Should we have done it?  Should we have done things differently?  Is it possible to make a democracy in a Muslim country where a majority favor shariah law?  The questions can go on and on.

A few days ago, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year...and this linked article offers a reason for why there will be no troops left behind in Iraq.

The US suffered a major diplomatic and military rebuff on Friday when Iraq finally rejected its pleas to maintain bases in the country beyond this year.

Barack Obama announced at a White House press conference that all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of December, a decision forced by the final collapse of lengthy talks between the US and the Iraqi government on the issue.

The Iraqi decision is a boost to Iran, which has close ties with many members of the Iraqi government and which had been battling against the establishment of permanent American bases.

Obama attempted to make the most of it by presenting the withdrawal as the fulfilment of one of his election promises.
"Today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," he told reporters.

But he had already announced this earlier this year, and the real significance today was in the failure of Obama, in spite of the cost to the US in dollars and deaths, to persuade the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to allow one or more American bases to be kept in the country.

Obama was formally told of Maliki's final decision on Friday morning in a video conference.
Speaking later to reporters, Obama glossed over the rejection, describing it as Iraq shaping its own future.

See it here;  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/21/iraq-rejects-us-plea-bases

Yes, folks...while it is good that we are done in Iraq, make no mistake about it, we didn't get the military base there that we wanted.  This is simply one more sign that points to more evidence that the USA is becoming more and more irrelevant in the region.  As the world becomes aware of our waning balance sheet, our political fighting in Congress, and our inability to secure our interests in Iraq and Afghanistan, it becomes increasingly obvious to many leaders that America is not the great power that she once was.

And of course the article points out that this was a great victory for Iran....because you can pretty much bet the farm on it that Iran has it's arms all the way into Iraq and will be exerting more and more influence as we pull out.

This shouldn't surprise us...because Assyria is one of the named players in Psalm 83 and that ancient kingdom included much of the lands that today are part of Iraq.