Friday, September 28, 2012

There Will Be False Christs

The President of Iran spoke again at the United Nations and invoked the return of the 12th Imam.

Remember that Shiite eschatology says that Jesus will return as a sidekick with the 12th Imam.  So as you read his comments, take note that he is not invoking Jesus to return as the King...but instead invokes the 12th Imam....and Jesus will come with him...as a sidekick....kind of like Batman and Robin...with Jesus being Robin.

Of course there are VERY FEW Christians who are awake enough to understand what he is saying.  And no doubt, many will read his speech and say, "Oh...isn't that nice!  He wants Jesus to come back just like we do!"

Notice how misleading even the headline of Al Arabiya News is;

Ahmadinejad hails imminent arrival of ‘Ultimate Savior, Jesus Christ’

Loathed in the West and weakened at home, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrapped up his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly on a theological note Wednesday, hailing the imminent arrival of an “Ultimate Savior.”

“God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness,” the Iranian leader told world leaders and senior officials gathered in New York, at what was expected to be his last speech to the assembly as president of Iran.

Ahmadinejad said the savior is “a man who loves people and loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam al-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ and the righteous.”

As a Shiite Muslim, Ahmadinejad reveres Islam’s twelfth imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who disappeared from the earth in the 10th century and is said to be due to return, accompanied by Jesus, to save mankind.

The date of his return is not known, but Ahmadinejad indicated that he felt the arrival would come quickly, telling delegates: “Now we can sense the sweet scent and the soulful breeze of the spring, a spring that has just begun.”

Some critics of Iran’s Islamic regime have expressed concern that messianic Shiite beliefs might drive leaders like Ahmadinejad to seek an apocalyptic confrontation with those he sees as foes of God’s will on Earth.
 
 
Remember, the Bible tells us that the beast and the false prophet will accompany the Antichrist when he comes.
 
Is it possible that this 'Jesus' of whom Muslims speak will actually be the false prophet who accompanies the Antichrist?  If so, that would make the 12th Imam a candidate to be the Antichrist.
 
Of course we don't know this....it's just another interesting development to watch.
 
Let's also remember to pray that the Lord will give us discernment during these days of evil and lies in which we find ourselves.

Maybe Michele Bachmann Was Right?

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann took a boat load of heat for suggesting that the Muslim Brotherhood had gotten it's fingers into the U.S. Government.  The folks who already hated her and think she is insane were even more hateful after she made her comments.

Now today we find out a former 3 Star General thinks she may be right.

U.S. Army Lieutenant General (Ret.) William Jerry Boykin claims that individuals with connections to the Muslim Brotherhood hold security clearances in both the Pentagon and the Department of Defense.

Boykin says Republicans should have listened to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn), who was correct to be concerned over possible Muslim Brotherhood ties of Huma Abedin, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff. Boykin says politicians on both sides of the aisle are scared to pursue the truth on this, for fear of being branded "intolerant," and the result of their inaction is continued infiltration by the radical Islamic organization.

He claims that people with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood hold important positions "in every major federal agency."

Boykin was one of the original members of the Army's Delta Force, served in clandestine operations for the CIA, and was formerly a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.

Here; http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/26/Three-Star-General-Rep-Bachmann-Was-Right-Muslim-Brotherhood-Has-Infiltrated-Our-Government

Friends, let's please all remember to pray hard for America, the upcoming election and our leaders for the next 40 days.  Pray that we will humble ourselves and seek God's face.  Maybe he will heal our land?

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Netanyahu Draws Red Line For United Nations

Netanyahu spoke in the United Nation assembly today.  As always, he seemed to do a superb job in laying out the common sense reasons that the world can not let Iran have a nuclear bomb.

I loved his line in the speech, "Red lines don't make wars, red lines keep the peace."  Of course this is further upping the ante on Obama...who refuses to draw red lines.

If you haven't seen the entire speech, ABC has filtered it down to about a 5 minute clip you can watch here;  http://abcnews.go.com/International/iran-nukes-spring-warns-netanyahu/story?id=17340927

Netanyahu linked the Iran regime to the radical Islamists behind Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and the recent attacks on an American embassy in Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The world must immediately draw a clear "red line" to prevent Iran from completing a nuclear weapon as soon as next spring, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned today in an address before the United Nations.

"To be credible a red line must be drawn first and foremost in one vital part of their program, on Iran's efforts to enrich uranium," said Netanyahu, who considers a nuclear Iran a threat to his country.
The premier said it was already getting "very late" to stop Iran, a regime that he said backs terrorist organizations and attacks around the globe.

Using a magic marker to literally draw a red line on a diagram of a bomb, Netanyahu said Iran was already 70 percent of the way towards developing a bomb. He said the international community must stop Iran before it could complete another 20 percent, a process of creating medium enriched uranium.

The final 10 percent could be completed in a few short weeks, he said. Once the uranium enrichment was completed, he said, Iran could easily assemble the necessary fuse in a secret location no bigger than a classroom.

The international community, he said, knows where to find the enrichment centers, and Iran cannot be given enough time to assemble the bomb in secret.

"Some say a nuclear armed Iran would stabilize the Middle East. Yeah right. That's like a saying a nuclear armed Al Qaeda would usher in world peace," he said.

I would say that Netanyahu is further laying out the case for WHY ISRAEL WILL BOMB IRAN.

Please continue praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for the leaders of Israel.

Mega Quake Broke All Records

Even the atheists must be wondering what is going on with all the strange weather, quakes, droughts, etc...

And then we read a headline like this;
Indian Ocean's 2012 mega-quake broke the records

An 8.7 earthquake that struck west of Indonesia on April 11 was the biggest of its kind ever recorded and confirms suspicions that a giant tectonic plate is breaking up, scientists said.

The quake, caused by an unprecedented quadruple-fault rupture, gave Earth's crustal mosaic such a shock that it unleashed quakes around the world nearly a week later, they said yesterday.

"We've never seen an earthquake like this," said Keith Koper, a geophysicist at the University of Utah in the western United States.

"Nobody was anticipating an earthquake of this size and type, and the complexity of the faulting surprised everybody I've spoken to about this," said Thorne Lay, a planetary sciences professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The quake occurred around 500 kilometres west of Sumatra in the middle of the Indo-Australian plate, a piece of Earth's crust that spans Australia, the eastern Indian Ocean and the Indian sub-continent.

It was initially reported as measuring 8.6 on the "Moment magnitude" scale.

But a new calculation places it at 8.7, which under this logarithmic scale means the energy release is 40 percent greater than thought, according to investigations published in Nature.

It was the biggest "strike-slip" earthquake ever recorded, meaning a fault which opens laterally rather than up or down, and the 10th biggest quake of any kind in the last century.

Here;  http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-oceans-2012-megaquake-broke-the-records/1008649/

Let me restate the bold comments above....'biggest of its kind EVER recorded'....'unprecedented quadruple fault rupture'...'nobody was anticipating a quake of this size'....'the biggest strike-slip quake EVER recorded'.  Does it sound like these scientists were impressed with the magnitude of this quake??

Of course we know there is a bigger earthquake coming.  In fact it will be the biggest earthquake to EVER happen.

Revelation 16

18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

All of these rumbling earthquakes and volcanoes are simply the birth pangs for a massive quake that no one on earth would ever believe possible.  It will be so large that the cities around the world will simply collapse.

Who can even imagine the coming wrath of God?

Thank you Jesus for saving us from this coming time of trial.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Riots in Greece and Spain

We haven't visited this topic in a while...but remember Greece?  Remember Spain?

Greece is hopelessly bankrupt and 100% reliant on foreigners giving them bail out money to keep things floating.  But for how long?  In order to receive the bail out money, Greece had to slash it's budget and now people are really mad.

Wouldn't you be if today the Social Security office said they were cutting your monthly payment by 50%? 

Yes, they are still rioting.  The nation will probably come apart in an ugly way.

A rally in the Greek capital turned violent when protesters in Syntagma Square lobbed Molotov cocktails at police, who retaliated by firing tear gas at the demonstrators.

Security forces also reportedly used flashbang grenades and pepper spray to push protesters back from the parliament building. According to Greek newspaper Kathimerin, the police had been ordered to refrain from using chemicals against protesters.

Around 70,000 people, as estimated by Reuters, gathered in front of the parliament for the country’s biggest anti-austerity protest since the new government came to power.

"EU, IMF out!" shouted the angry crowd.

"For the past two-to-three years we've been living an incredible social catastrophe," one of the protesters told Agence France Presse. "My salary has been cut by 50 percent. I have two children and tomorrow I don't know if I'll have a job."

Here; http://rt.com/news/greece-strike-demonstration-athens-011/

And Spain...how are they doing today?

Protesters clashed with police in Spain's capital on Tuesday as the government prepares a new round of unpopular austerity measures for the 2013 budget that will be announced on Thursday.

At least 22 demonstrators were detained and 28 injured, as clashes continued late into the evening near the Spanish parliament, Spanish broadcaster TVE reported.

More than 1,500 police in riot gear had been deployed throughout the day in preparation for the demonstration, with barricades being set up.

Police fired rubber bullets and beat protesters with truncheons, first as several protesters were trying to tear down barriers and later to clear the square.

The peaceful protest turned violent after a series of clashes began at 7pm local time.  

The protest, promoted over the Internet by different activist groups, was younger and more rowdy than recent marches called by labour unions. Protesters said they were fed up with cuts to public salaries and health and education.

Here; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9567090/Spain-rubber-bullets-fired-at-violent-anti-austerity-protest.html

These scenes are coming to an American city near you.  It is only a matter of time. 

We will lose the Reserve Currency status and we will continue to have the U.S. Credit rating dropped.  The world will be made aware of our $75 trillion in unfunded liabilities and they will start to look for other places besides the U.S. dollar to store their 'safe' money.

Food stamps program, Section 8 housing, Welfare, Social Security, Farm Subsidies, college grants and Guarantee Loan programs, Government pensions, Health Care for the poor, etc....these will all be cut in the coming years, either through actual cuts or more likely through inflationary cuts...meaning your payment won't decrease but the costs of everything around you will increase, so your check will buy less.

People will be mad.  Remember the OCCUPY WALL STREET movement where people camped out on the streets demanding all sorts of things?  It will come back with a vengeance.

When will this happen?  I have no idea.  But it will happen.  It has to happen.

Would you and I actually consider praying for this to happen so that we can use the misery and hardship to lead other people to Christ?  Or are we unwilling to pray for hardship for ourselves even if it made an eternal difference to someone else?

"But Dennis...you are wrong!  This can never happen!!  This is America!!!"

Yep and 250 years ago we heard, "But Dennis...this can never happen!!  This is Great Britain!!"

Yep and 2000 years ago we heard, "But Dennis...this can never happen!!  This is Rome!!"

The list is long and no one ever believed it would happen to them?

Ten Nation Coalition Propsed by Iran?

Revelation 13
The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Revelation 17
12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

So what is this talk of ten horns representing 10 nations in the very last days before Messiah Jesus returns?

It would appear that they are exactly what Revelation 17 says...they are 10 kings who will get a kingdom for a very short time and will give their authority to the Antichrist.

For this reason, many prophecy watchers have been watching for a 10 nation coalition so they can hope to understand how late we are in the season of the Lord's return.

So yesterday, Iran's President Ahmadinejad was speaking to the Associated Press in an interview.  Not only did he say we needed a NEW WORLD ORDER, but he also said this;

Ahmadinejad also proposed forming a new group of 10 or 11 countries to work to end the 18-month Syrian civil war

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/26/ahmadinejad-says-new-world-order-needed-to-get-away-from-us-dominance-in/#ixzz27aVsgq25


That's pretty interesting...the leader of Israel's ancient enemy is proposing a new group of 10 nations to try and come to some sort of peace agreement to end Syria's civil war.

I wonder if that came true if the next peace agreement this coalition would look to sign would be a peace agreement with Israel?

Daniel 9 (parenthesis are mine)
27 He will confirm a covenant (peace agreement)  with many (including Israel) for one ‘seven.’(7 years) In the middle of the ‘seven’ (after 3 1/2 years) he will put an end to sacrifice (Israel will have the 3rd Temple built and will be sacrificing animals) and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, (Antichrist will go into Temple and declare himself to be God) until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (Jesus destroys him at the 2nd Coming)

Please hear me VERY CLEARLY....I'm not saying this WILL BE the coalition mentioned in Revelation, but I am saying that we need to watch this and see if it helps us connect more dots in God's End-Times drama.

Amos 3:7
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.


Can you hear the footsteps of the Messiah?

Hat tip to Tom F. and Jamie J.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

FED Systematically Destroying S.S. & Pensions

One thing even a 12 year old can understand;  when you put money in the bank, it earns interest.  If you have $1000 in the bank at 5%, you will earn $50 that year.

Now let's run that same math by the Social Security Trust Fund.  The fund assumes that it will earn 5% interest on the $billions of IOU's it has in it's trust fund coffers.

So what happens if interest rates are driven down so low by the FED that S.S. can only earn 1.4% over the next decade?  After all, by law they have to invest in U.S. Gov't bonds.

Well, then Social Security will roll up like a wet carpet....in about 10 years.

Last week the mainstream media hailed QE3 as the "quick fix" that the U.S. economy desperately needs, but the truth is that the policies that the Federal Reserve is pursuing are going to be absolutely devastating for our senior citizens. By keeping interest rates at exceptionally low levels, the Federal Reserve is absolutely crushing savers and is systematically destroying Social Security.

Meanwhile, the inflation that QE3 will cause is going to be absolutely crippling for the millions upon millions of retired Americans that are on a fixed income. Sadly, most elderly Americans have no idea what the Federal Reserve is doing to their financial futures. Most Americans that are approaching retirement age have not adequately saved for retirement, and the Social Security system that they are depending on is going to completely and totally collapse in the coming years.

Right now, approximately 56 million Americans are collecting Social Security benefits. By 2035, that number is projected to grow to a whopping 91 million. By law, the Social Security trust fund must be invested in U.S. government securities. But thanks to the low interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve, the average interest rate on those securities just keeps dropping and dropping.

The trustees of the Social Security system had projected that the Social Security trust fund would be completely gone by 2033, but because of the Fed policy of keeping interest rates exceptionally low for the foreseeable future it is now being projected by some analysts that Social Security will be bankrupt by 2023. Overall, the Social Security system is facing a 134 trillion dollar shortfall over the next 75 years. Yes, you read that correctly. The collapse of Social Security is inevitable, and the foolish policies of the Federal Reserve are going to make that collapse happen much more rapidly.

Here; http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2012-09-24/fed-systematically-destroying-social-security-and-retirement-plans-millions

Ouch!!  As we have said, Ponzi schemes are awesome if you are one of the early ones to get in and can ride other's money to the top....but Ponzi schemes are awful when they finally get discovered....because the last folks in lose all their money.

Oh well....maybe the real estate market will 'come back'...and we can all get rich on the rising value of our homes! 

Wait a second...if my kids are broke with crushing student loans and few high paying jobs in sight....how are they, or their friends, going to afford to buy my big house in the suburbs?

Something just isn't adding up here.

Creationism Threatens U.S. Science

Do you want to know how persecution will start to come here?  Let's say you are a science student and you confess that the evidence you see on the intricacies of even the tiniest celled creatures point to intelligent design.  In other words, you recognize there is NO WAY that all this detailed design just came to being out of nothing.

If you said that publicly, you could lose a scholarship, get a bad grade from you professor, be denied entrance into further education or certainly be fired from an institution of higher learning if you were already a professor.

If you haven't seen it already, go and rent the Ben Stein movie called EXPELLED.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The man known to a generation of Americans as "The Science Guy" is condemning efforts by some Christian groups to cast doubts on evolution and lawmakers who want to bring the Bible into science classrooms.

Bill Nye, a mechanical engineer and star of the popular 1990s TV show "Bill Nye The Science Guy," has waded into the evolution debate with an online video that urges parents not to pass their religious-based doubts about evolution on to their children.

Nye has spent a career teaching science to children and teens with good-natured and sometimes silly humor, but has not been known to delve into topics as divisive as evolution.

Christians who view the stories of the Old Testament as historical fact have come to be known as creationists, and many argue that the world was created by God just a few thousand years ago.

"The Earth is not 6,000 or 10,000 years old," Nye said in an interview with The Associated Press, citing scientists' estimates that it is about 4.5 billion years old. "It's not. And if that conflicts with your beliefs, I strongly feel you should question your beliefs."

In the video he tells adults they can dismiss evolution, "but don't make your kids do it. Because we need them." Posted by Big Think, an online knowledge forum, the clip went viral and has 4.6 million views on YouTube. It has garnered 182,000 comments from critics and supporters.

"What I find troubling, when you listen to these people ... once in a while I get the impression that they're not kidding," Nye said.

Ken Ham, a co-founder of Answers in Genesis, said dating methods used by scientists to measure the age of the earth are contradictory and many don't point to millions or billions of years of time.

"We say the only dating method that is absolute is the Word of God," Ham said. "Time is the crucial factor for Bill Nye. Without the time of millions of years, you can't postulate evolution change."

America is home to the world's biggest creationist following, Ham said, and the $27 million Creation Museum has averaged about 330,000 visitors a year since it opened just south of Cincinnati in 2007.

Here; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/bill-nye-creationism-science_n_1908926.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

I certainly haven't seen any half-fish, half squirrel fossils.  If evolution was real, there should be millions of fossils around to show how a fish turned into a mammal and how a squirrel evolved into a tiger.  It's ridiculous. 

If evolution started with one little single cell of life someplace....that should be pretty easy to reproduce in the sophisticated labs that they have today.  Why can't they make life?  Why can't they shock a piece of clay with a lightning bolt and make it breathe?

"They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand."  Isaiah 44:17

As for me, I don't know how old the earth is.  God exists outside of the limits of time.  But I can look at nature and know the God created it all.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  Romans 1:20

U.S. Church Remains in a Coma

With all that is going on all over the world with earthquakes, volcanoes, Israel in the news, Middle East turmoil, persecution of Christians happening all over, epic droughts, tornado outbreaks, etc, etc....  one would think that those folks sitting in the pews of churches all over America would be fully awake, sober and eager to engage in the final spiritual battles that are coming, to snatch people from the fire and to prepare for the coming of their claimed savior, Jesus Christ.

Yes... one would think of all the people wide awake, it would be those folks sitting in the pews listening to sermons.

US Church Remains in 'Coma' Despite Cataclysmic Events in Middle East, Says Watchdog

The church in America is no longer simply in a slumber when it comes to its lack of awareness about the persecuted church in the Middle East; it is in a "diabetic coma," says the leader of a persecution watchdog group in the U.S.

"For years we've said wake up and strengthen what remains," Open Doors USA President and CEO Dr. Carl Moeller told The Christian Post in an exclusive interview. "We would think of the American church as a napping church and that we would elbow it and it would wake up and rouse itself and do something.

"In my mind today, the picture I have is a church in a diabetic coma that has gorged itself on the sweets of affluence, materialism, and the idolatry of worshipping the materialistic world. That diabetic coma is now life threatening. We as a church are at the point of death – not the church in the Middle East. We are the ones who can no longer rouse ourselves to even pray for an hour on behalf of things that God would have us pray for."

He said he is absolutely convinced that persecution will come to America "because we have left God no option."

"One of the greatest tools of the enemy is to make the church in America and the Western world numb to the cries and suffering to people around the world," he explained.

"As a result of the church being unconscious, the enemy is going to invade. The enemy is going to destroy our family, our lives, our culture, and our freedoms. Once those things are taken away then maybe the church will rouse itself because in persecution the church inevitably does become more aware of what has been taken away from it in terms of freedoms."

Moeller said he hopes and prays that the current state of the church in the U.S. does not become a permanent disability.

"I want nothing more of a church that is simply entertaining," he said. "I want a church that is prepping people for the inevitable battle that is raging all around us spiritually."

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/us-church-remains-in-coma-despite-cataclysmic-events-in-middle-east-says-watchdog-78887/#XxrSXUoMMpm4IrzR.99

Wow!  How convicting is that?  The Master is getting ready to return and we have buried the treasure he gave us when he left...even after giving us clear instructions to take what he has given us and multiply it.  But instead we have fallen sound asleep.

"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."  Proverbs 23:33-34

Yes, I realize that the above passage is usually used to mean that lazy people will end up financially poor....but I also wonder if it can apply to Spiritual laziness leading to Spiritual poverty?

We have become so illiterate of the Word of God and so consumed with our own gathering of material goods, that we have become deaf, blind and dumb to the spiritual battles raging all around us and to the plight of our brothers and sisters in other lands who are hungry, thirsty, cold and scared.

Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.

We have left God no option but to send persecution to America.  Are we ready?

Monday, September 24, 2012

What If America Stops Policing the World?

We have heard from many folks over the past few years who say, "Why don't we just pull all our troops home and take care of America?  Why do we have to keep the peace everywhere?"

Great question.  And I for one know exactly what these folks are saying.  When we read the news last week that some Afghan policeman turned his gun on the U.S. soldiers who just trained him....you say to yourself, "let's just bring those poor soldiers home.  Afghanistan is a hell hole and we will never accomplish anything with those illiterate idiots!"

Of course the other problem is the $2 billion per day it costs us to keep fighting in Afghanistan...and that just adds to the isolationist feelings that MANY Americans are having.

The problem is....isolationism seldom works for long.  History shows us that.

But the question is not whether promises to bring home troops and reduce military spending can be sold in an election year -- the question is what impact would retrenchment have on future U.S. and global security. If history is any guide, the answer is troubling: Over the past century, each of America's attempts to reduce its role in the world was met by rising global threats, eventually requiring a major U.S. re-engagement.

This is not to argue that the U.S. should sustain its muscular post-9/11 global posture or continue its land war in Afghanistan. It is to urge caution against a growing belief that scaling back American power in the world will be without risks or costs.

History shows that in the aftermath of America's major wars of the 20th century -- World War I, World War II and Vietnam -- the American public and powerful leaders in Washington demanded strict new limits in foreign policy. After World War I, that meant rejecting participation in the League of Nations and receding into isolation. After World War II, it meant embarking on one of the largest voluntary military demobilizations in world history. And after Vietnam, it meant placing new restrictions on a president's ability to conduct overseas operations.

But in each case, hopes were soon dashed by global challengers who took advantage of America's effort to draw back from the world stage -- Germany and Japan in the 1930s, the Soviet Union in the immediate post-World War II period and the Soviet Union again after Vietnam. In each case, the United States was forced back into a paramount global leadership role -- in World War II, the Cold War and the military build-up and proxy wars of the 1980s.
 
Similar effects have also followed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from global hot spots, as in Somalia in 1993. America's need to extricate itself from that calamitous humanitarian mission, in which 18 U.S. soldiers were killed, was clear. But the withdrawal came at a huge strategic cost: It emboldened the narrative of the emerging al Qaeda network that America was a "paper tiger," setting the stage for the escalating terrorist attacks of the 1990s and September 11, 2001.

Whoever wins in November will confront not just an increasingly dangerous world, but also an increasingly isolationist public. The great challenge will be to convince the American people that robust U.S. leadership in the world remains vital to their security and prosperity and convince the world it remains unwavering. History shows that doing otherwise only raises the stakes down the line.

Here;  http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/18/opinion/gottlieb-us-retrenchment/index.html%3Fhpt%3Dhp_bn7%26type=dns%26ISN=1B187FF307EC4812A6D0D4758AE962B3%26ccv=152%26cnid=937811%26cco=US%26ct=3%26sc=804b001e?iref=obinsite

Of course we are all familiar with the famous quote, "Those who don't know history are bound to repeat it."  Sadly, in America, most voters DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY.

Even more sadly, most Americans don't really care.  We have become a nation of folks who would rather spend time searching for 'fun' things to do and to watch..and many simply don't want to be brought down by big discussions that they deem are 'boring'.

Sadly, as the article says, this only raises the stakes down the road.

Honestly, how long can America keep up the immense cost of policing the world?  We have had thousands of soldiers in South Korea for over 50 years, we have been holding a military blanket over Europe for almost 70 years, and we have bases all over the world.

How long can we pay for all of this when we can't even afford to fix our broken infrastructure in our failing cities at home?

Are we witnessing the decline of an empire....just like Rome, Greece, Turkey and England before us?

We all need to keep praying for another Great Awakening in this land.  An outbreak of the Holy Spirit in America would do wonders in healing our land and helping us to elect Godly leaders who could lead us through the coming storm....and it does appear to be a perfect storm that is coming.

Twitter

As the world finds more sources for social media...we will remind you all that we are on Twitter.

More than not, whenever we make a new post, we 'Tweet' about it and attach a link so you can be taken directly to the blog posting.

You can "follow us" on Twitter;  @thetrumpetblows

Ahmadinejad Calls Israel a "Blip on the Radar Screen'

As you know, the leaders of the world are meeting this week in New York at the United Nations building.  That means that Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, is in town and has much to say about world events.

Of course he speaks in lies...but this should not surprise us.  We know who the "father of all lies' truly is.  Ahmadinejad is simply speaking his native language.

Israel is bullying the United States over the alleged threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon, using the prospect of an Israeli military attack on Iran to force the hand of its much larger ally, Iran’s president said Monday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the idea that Israel might well attack on its own, over the objections of the United States, and said Israel itself was an inconsequential interloper with no rightful place in the Middle East.

“I look at it from the outside and I see that a few occupying Zionists are threatening the government of the United States,” Ahmadinejad said during an interview with American editors and reporters.

“Is it the Zionists who must tell the United States government what to do, such as form a red line on Iran’s nuclear issues, and the United States government must make such vital decisions under the influence of the Zionists?” Ahmadinejad said, using the Iranian regime’s term for Israel. He spoke through an interpreter.

Americans should be insulted if their government takes marching orders from Israel, Ahmadinejad added.

Iran’s clerical leaders have previously vowed to eradicate Israel, although Ahmadinejad did not repeat that threat Monday.

Ahmadinejad said he is not worried that Israel would go it alone. He made it clear that a U.S. strike is the only one Iran takes seriously.

“The people do not even count them as any part of an equation,” he said of Israel. “When you have prepared yourself for a much vaster, bigger threat, then of course the small disturbances hardly represent anything more than a blip on the radar screen.”

Here;  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-accuses-israel-of-threatening-us-with-allegations-of-iranian-nuclear-weapon/2012/09/24/0f3f7670-0663-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_story.html

Of course what Ahamdinejad doesnt' understand is that that 'blip' is what the Creator of the Universe has claimed is the 'Apple of my eye'....and that the land of Israel and the Jews who inhabit it have everlasting covenants that God put in place.

There is a showdown coming...so be still before the Lord...and watch and see what He does.

Zechariah 2:8-13

For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye9 I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.

10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. 11 “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Let's remember to pray for the 4000 Iranians per day that are reportedly coming to Jesus for salvation.  They are our brothers and sisters and they need our prayers.  They are caught in a very tough spot...living under un-Godly rulers as Children of the Light.

Let's also pray for the nation of Iran.  The book of Daniel tells us that a powerful Satanic force referred to as the 'Prince of Persia' sits over that nation.  At this point that Prince seems to be working Iran's leaders like puppets on a string.  Pray that the stronghold can be torn down so that the Light of Jesus Christ can continue to flow in.

Record Food Prices Are Coming

As we have blogged about in the past, USA is suffering through a record drought in various areas of the country....and so are large parts of the rest of the world.

They are being driven upwards by the climb in grain and oilseed prices as US crops weather the country's worst drought since 1936, while the farming belts of Russia and South America suffer through similar water shortages.

What we are seeing represents the third major rally in global grain and oilseed prices in just half a decade.

Worse is to come, new research warns. World food prices look set to hit an all-time high in the first quarter of next year – and then keep rising, according to the analysis from Rabobank, a specialist in agricultural commodities.

By June 2013, the basket of food prices tracked by the United Nations could climb 15pc from current levels, according to the bank's analysts.

"The coming year will see the world economy re-enter a period of agflation as grain and oilseed stocks decline to critically low levels, pushing the FAO [Food and Agricultural Organisation] Food Price Index above record nominal highs set in February 2011," they say.

Here;  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/commodities/9561143/World-on-track-for-record-food-prices-within-a-year-due-to-US-drought.html

So would there be any harm if the Children of the Light started to build a stock of food in our pantries?  If you knew that beef prices were going to go up 20% in the next 6 months, wouldn't it be a wise thing to make sure your freezer is full now?  How about canned goods that have a shelf life of months or even years?

Is it possible that some of us will be called upon to feed our neighbors and friends if a major disruption happens to our food distribution network?  If hardship comes and we can feed our neighbors in the name of Jesus...might we have an opportunity to tell them about the Gospel message?

We are called to be salt and light until the Master returns.

We will quote Proverbs 22:3 again, "A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Massive Military Movements in Israel?

Here's the deal...I have no idea if this email is true.  However, I have heard recently from a few unrelated friends with contacts in Israel that SOMETHING BIG is happening with military movements within Israel.

So take it for what it is.  It could just be more rumors...or we could be hours away from a massive explosion that could shake up life as we know it.

Discern for yourselves...but below is the email.

Subject: Calm for now, but

I received this mail from a friend who has good Sneaky Pete contacts and Intel folks that are called-up leaving for harms way overnight. It is fast becoming a period of time to avoid visiting the Holy land of Israel. Please pray His will be done.
tb
>>>>>>>>
We have come to understand that:
1) Israel is a country lead by mostly displaced European holocaust survivors whose motto is “NEVER AGAIN.”
2) When faced with certain defeat, they will jump off the cliff, they are Zealots, and this is not to be misunderstood.
3) They have enough nuclear weapons to wipe out their enemies-all of them.
4) Because they believe in “Never Again,” they will strike presumptively.
Now read this ( I do not know the originator, but I received it from one of our old 340th pilots ):
MIDDLE EAST CRISIS – URGENT
I received this from Victor Knowles. Read it and pass it on! This comes from someone in Israel in regards to the last few days’ activities in the Middle East.
My brother and his family live in Jerusalem - he is a minister - and a former Navy SEAL - his office is close to one of Israel’s largest underground military bases. He called me last night which is very unusual - usually he communicates by email.
He called to tell me that he is sending his family back to the US immediately due to what he is seeing happen within the last week and what he is being told by his military contacts in both the Israel and US military. He said he is seeing with his own eyes military movements the likes of which he has never seen in his 22+ years in Israel. What he called a massive redeployment and protective tactics of forces is underway. Over the last two days he has seen anti-aircraft missile deployments throughout the Jerusalem area including 3 mobile units that he can see from his office windows.
In addition, he has seen very large Israeli armored columns moving fast toward the Sinai where Egypt has now moved in their armored units.
There are reports of the top military leaders meeting with Israel's Sr. Rabi which is something that has happened preceding every prior military campaign.
His admonition is to watch carefully and pray for Israel and its people. They are alone.
He is convinced that barring something extraordinary, Israel will be forced to attack Iran - with or without the US - and very soon. It is the strong and widespread belief in Israel that Obama does not stand with Israel but with the Islamic countries.
He has told me before that Israel will verbally saber rattle, lightly, from time to time but that this time is very different from what he is seeing and hearing. He was at the Wailing Wall 2 days ago and there were hundreds of IDF soldiers there. As he was leaving he passed at least 30 military buses full of soldiers in route to the wall. He has never seen this before either.
My brother is not an alarmist by any means! When he talks like this it gets my attention for sure and I find he knows more than he shares.
Israel is asking Obama to come to Israel immediately, the survival of their nation is at stake, but they are being answered with silence.
My opinion is that we see the making of the perfect storm.

Israeli Strike on Iran Could Trigger WWIII

There is no doubt that a serious war in the Middle East today could draw in all sorts of nations...and once it starts...does anyone know how it would end?

A senior Iranian military commander on Sunday said that an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran could "trigger World War III," repeating threats made over the past few weeks that Tehran will attempt to destroy Israel if the Jewish state launches an attack on Iran either with or without the US.

Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's aerospace division, also told state-owned al-Alam TV that Iran would target US bases in the region should Israel attack.

He warned that an Israeli strike could lead to a wider conflict, saying, "It's impossible to imagine an independent war between Iran and the US or the Zionist Regime [Israel]," but rather it is more likely that other regional countries would side with Iran or Israel in case of war.

“One should not imagine that the countries in the region would declare neutrality if a war breaks out," he added according to a report by Iran's Press TV.

Also on Sunday, Deputy Commander of the IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Salami said Iran is no longer concerned about threats from Israel.

"We have crossed the line of worrying about threats from the Zionist Regime [Israel]," Salami said according to Sepah News, the IRGC's official news site, adding that in its wars over the last decade Israel has encountered harsh retaliation from the Islamic Republic's 'regional branches', and is no longer a threat to Iran.

"If the Zionists really do strike Iran, it would provide a historic opportunity for the Islamic Revolution to wipe [Israel] off the face of the earth," he said, adding that Iran would then "reclaim the lands occupied by Israel for the Palestinians."

Here;  http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=285980

Nothing really new here....the chatter just seems to be getting more bellicose, more threatening and more severe.

One day it will have to bust open.  Will it be today, 50 days from now or 10 years from now?  No body on earth knows.

I thank God that He is in control.  The war will not happen with Israel until, and if, God says it will happen.

For now we just continue to file this one under, 'rumors of war'...and we keep watching and waiting as we soberly await the return of The King.