Demons Disguised as Aliens

 If you haven’t seen pastor Billy Krone explain how the “aliens” everyone is talking about are really just demons disguised as aliens, here’s another short video.  Pastor Billy came out of the occult and when Jesus saved him he had a unique position to look back at what the occult was teaching and see how Satan was directing it all.  Of course we believe this deception that now the governments are involved in, is one more sign of the nearness of the return of Christ.  We are 100% sure that Satan and Antichrist will use “aliens” to help explain how millions went missing at the rapture.

https://youtu.be/i7TxvkbE9w8?feature=shared

Iran Hit By Terrorist Attack from ISIS

 It's kind of ironic to read a story about how Iran was attacked by terrorists.  Here we have the biggest global supporter of terrorism actually hit by terrorists.  About 100 people were killed while commemorating the death of the Iranian General that Trump ordered assassinated because he had been involved in the killing of countless US Servicemen.

While we don't believe in Karma we do believe in "sew the wind and reap the whirlwind."

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani in southern Iran.

At least 84 people were killed and 284 injured in the blasts on Wednesday, state-run news agency IRNA reported, in what was the deadliest attack in Iran since its 1979 revolution.

ISIS media wing Al-Furqan issued a statement on Thursday – more than 24 hours after the explosions – claiming two suicide bombers had detonated their explosive vests as Shiite mourners gathered for the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani near his grave in his hometown of Kerman.

The statement, titled “And Kill Them Wherever You Find Them,” named the two bombers and said they targeted a gathering of “polytheists” near the grave of their “dead leader” Soleimani.

ISIS considers the Shia branch of Islam to be heretical and has targeted shrines and religious sites in Iran previously.

The group offered no further proof and their account of the blasts differ from that given by Iranian media. The death toll provided by ISIS was also significantly higher than that reported by Iranian officials.

Iran did not immediately comment on ISIS’ claim of responsibility.

Accusations flew in the time between the blasts and ISIS’ statement. Iran’s President Ebhrahim Raisi blamed Israel for the explosions and warned it would pay a “heavy price.” The Israeli military told CNN it had “no comment” on the matter.

Prior to ISIS’ statement, analysts and a US official had speculated that the blast had the hallmarks of a terror attack.

“It does look like a terrorist attack, the type of thing we’ve seen ISIS do in the past. And as far as we’re aware, that’s kind of I think our going assumption at the moment,” the official said.

Soleimani, formerly one of Iran’s most powerful men, was killed by a US airstrike ordered by former President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.

Known as Iran’s “shadow commander,” he was head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations and was deemed to be a foreign terrorist organization by the US. He masterminded Iranian military operations in Iraq and Syria.

Here;  ISIS claims responsibility for deadliest attack in Iran since 1979 revolution | CNN

$34 Trillion National Debt? You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet

It would seem that even the major writers of liberal outlets are starting to realize that national debt is out of control and there is no one who will be able to stop it.  Cutting spending when we need more money is out of the question.  Cutting the military is out of the question.  Cutting social security is out of the question.  Cutting Medicare is out of the question.  Raising taxes on everyone is out of the question.  So we will all just stay on this run away train until it crashes into the station.  We continue to hope and pray that the rapture will be the key that collapses the US Dollar, which in turn would collapse the global financial system.  If Jesus tarries and we are around to witness the collapse, I guarantee you it will not be just another ordinary day.

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$34 trillion? Unimpressive.

Every time the gargantuan national debt trips a round number, there’s a flurry of attention before we get back to borrowing and spending more. The national debt recently hit $34 trillion for the first time ever, prompting concerned Americans to look at each other with arched eyebrows and say, really?

But $34 trillion, honestly, is nothing. By Election Day, 10 months from now, the US national debt will be at least $35 trillion, which is a rounder number than $34 trillion since it’s halfway between $30 trillion and $40 trillion. After that, it will rise by a couple trillion dollars per year, unless somebody does anything about it (hahaha).

By the time the next president leaves office in 2029, the national debt will almost certainly be more than $40 trillion, and approaching $50 trillion if there’s a recession along the way or anything else that cuts into revenue or requires fiscal stimulus.

How much is too much? Nobody really knows when the national debt will get so large that it suffocates the US economy, but it’s probably a safe bet than the current $34 trillion in debt is too much, and that $50 trillion will definitely be too much.

Some economists think the debt crisis budget hawks have been predicting for years has finally arrived. Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi recently told Yahoo Finance “we’re here” when asked if the public debt crisis has finally arrived. “I worry at some point we may see a freezing up of the Treasury market,” Zandi said.

Between last summer and fall, long-term interest rates rose by more than expected given market conditions, including the end of the Federal Reserve’s short-term rate-hiking cycle last July. One likely explanation was an excessive supply of US Treasury securities entering the market as needed to finance government spending. The Treasury Department has since modified the mix of securities it auctions to address what it thinks were market concerns.

But nobody should assume the problem is fixed and there won’t be future disruptions in which there simply isn’t enough market demand for the massive amount of US government debt flooding into markets. If demand for debt falls short, lenders have to pay more via a higher interest rate, and the rate on US government bonds broadly determines the rates of every other type of consumer and business loan. So a real debt crisis would involve rising rates for mortgages, car loans, and everything else, plus the growth slowdown or contraction that normally comes with it.

There’s a double whammy for US taxpayers: Rising interest costs make the debt problem even worse, since the government would have to pay more to borrow on an ever-expanding pool of debt. The United States now pays about as much in interest on the debt every year as it pays to fund the entire Pentagon, and that will gradually get worse.

So who is doing something about this? Precisely nobody. As a rule of thumb, reducing deficits and getting the overall debt down to more manageable levels is doable, given two things: spending cuts and tax increases that will end the free ride many taxpayers have been getting from a government that is much more generous than its revenue would ordinarily allow.

Spending cuts don’t have to be draconian, but there will need to be changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security involving benefits cuts for wealthier people, higher retirement ages, paradigm changes for younger taxpayers, and other limits. Taxes will have to go up, first on wealthy Americans and then perhaps on lower earners. A federal value-added tax, similar to a national sales tax, would raise a lot of revenue quickly. Voters are not going to like it and politicians know it.

 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/a-34-trillion-national-debt-you-aint-seen-nothing-yet-174004899.html

Christians Are the Roadblock to Globalism

 The Bible tells us that the 70th Week of Daniel won’t break out until the Restrainer is removed at the rapture.  The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit that indwells all believers.  Those folks who want a Globalist agenda to take over the earth know that Christians are the ones standing in the way.

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Those of us who believe we are charged by the Lord to be “watchers” on the wall look at the acceleration of stage-setting for prophetic fulfillment as a wondrous thing to behold. There can be no missing the reality that we are fast approaching the dénouement of the Age of Grace.

No recent development has been more significant than the movement toward establishing a New World Order. A specific element that is most troubling within that movement is termed “the great reset.”

This term, defined within the title of a book by the same name, means the globalization of the entire world—those who intend to establish a world under a single governmental rulership must, in their view, not be thwarted. The very existence of the planet depends upon their being able to achieve their goals—goals encapsulated within what they call Agenda 21 and now Agenda 30. This “agenda” means they must accomplish all their shaping of this global order no later than the year 2030.

These would-be globalist masters don’t see the things developing as we do by looking at them through the prism of Bible prophecy. While we see things advancing toward Antichrist’s regime at an amazing and frightening pace, the globalists, such as author of the book, The Great Reset, see things as being slowed and inhibited by forces they must eliminate. That is, they must eliminate those like us, for example. And by “us,” I mean both we who are Christians pointing out their evil, and this nation, the United States of America, whose people have been steeped in basic liberty and God-given rights from a Judeo-Christian foundation for almost three centuries.

America is the single most powerful hold-up to Agenda 30 and the Great Reset. This nation, the most materially blessed in history, will not “go gentle into that good night,” as Dylan Thomas would have it. We won’t easily be made to ride bicycles, stay within fifteen-minute cities, and eat bugs instead of the foods we love, like the Great Resetters and their agenda insist we should do. There will be major pushback for as long as the nation exists as it is presently comprised.

Of course, the American, liberty-loving/enjoying constituency is under constant attack by the powers and principalities of Ephesians 6:12, both demonic and human. And that luciferian cabal is determined to take down America and eliminate all opposition to their agenda. These minions call the opposition they face “the retreat from globalization.” The following excerpt gives more detail of Klaus Schwab and his cohorts’ determination to change things so their neo-tower of Babel can be built, free of opposition.

https://harbingersdaily.com/restraining-the-great-reset-christians-are-a-road-block-to-globalism-and-the-world-powers-know-it/

Life in Gaza Living Under Hamas

The folks in Gaza have been busy creating monsters for the past 50 years.  They may have intended to create monsters that would be willing to go after Jews and destroy Israel.  But it would appear that the monsters have turned on anyone who disagrees with them.  Hence the term, “monsters”.  You can never quite trust them to control their hate and only direct it at those you created them to hate.

Read this article about life in Gaza, then give thanks to the Lord that most of us live in America where we can say bad things about Democrats in charge but still sleep at night knowing we won’t be dragged out of bed, tortured and imprisoned.

Another example of the cancerous blight that Islam is.  It creates nightmares and misery everywhere it takes hold.  America should wake up...but we won’t because too many Americans believe that all religions are peaceful.

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I was born in Gaza Strip in the late 1990s, one of six children. At the time, the Palestinian Authority was the ruling party. My father, like most people in Gaza, was sick of the PA's corruption and was waiting for any alternative. Hamaspromised "change and reform" and they won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in 2006. One year later, I awoke to the sound of gunfire. Hamas gunmen were fighting Fatah, and they ended up killing of more than 600 Palestinians. It became clear very quickly that Hamas was not the "change and reform" that we hoped for.

To silence dissent, Hamas terrorized the citizens of Gaza. On the way to the Dar-Alarqam school I attended in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood near the Israeli border, a group of masked men carrying Kalashnikovs would check each car. At the end of the year, masked men opened offices in our school to promote Hamas's military camps and register students.

I graduated and began my studies at the Islamic University of Gaza, along with future Hamas leaders and current members. All art classes were replaced with radical Islamic teachings, and the elections of the student councils and clubs were only open to Hamas members, who hoarded all the privileges and distributed all the grants between themselves.

A huge social gap opened between the wealthy elite who belong to Hamas and the rest of the population who were increasingly living in driving poverty. Public sector jobs were limited to Hamas members, and taxes were increasing on necessities day by day, even as the cost of living skyrocketed.

Many of us could no longer bear it. I was one of them.

Though we knew dissenters were subject to imprisonment, torture, and even murder, in 2019, a few of us decided to join forces and form a protest to voice our opposition to Hamas. We called it the "We Want to Live" demonstration. Our demonstration elicited an extreme reaction by Hamas. They violently cracked down on the protests and we were all arrested.

Voicing dissent was not an option. Hamas has a no tolerance policy for criticism or objections to any of its policies. Even discussion is forbidden Any journalist who objects or criticizes a policy is suspended and investigated. Demonstrations are strictly prohibited. Freedom of speech in Gaza is a fantasy. The dirtiest tool Hamas uses to silence citizens is character assassination through online campaigns accusing dissenters of working for hostile bodies or committing immoral acts. Hamas also routinely breaks into the homes of people deemed disloyal and humiliates them in front of their family and neighbors.

I observed all this with growing horror as a student. And as Hamas's oppression of the Palestinian citizens of Gaza increased, the quality of life deteriorated. Hamas's aggression toward Israel resulted in fewer and fewer job permits and limits on the electricity in Gaza, which we only got for eight hours a day. The economy cratered. Social and economic conditions collapsed.

I will never forget my first day in jail—walking up the steps listening to screams of my colleagues, most of them fellow students, who had been arrested before me. I was held under arrest for 21 days and subjected to various types of torture. I was beaten with batons and sprayed with cold water in the late winter night hours. My friends didn't fare much better. A Christian friend was in the next cell and I could hear them screaming at him, "You are a Christian and you don't like the situation? Then go to another country!"

After we were released, most of those who participated in the demonstrations emigrated away from Gaza. There was no hope for any change in the current situation. We suffered ongoing harassment by Hamas members. Some died trying to leave, like Tamer Al-Sultan, a pharmacist whose crime was asking for a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.

 https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-tortured-me-dissent-heres-what-they-really-think-palestinians-opinion-1857169

Could USA Fight Russia, China, Iran and North Korea All at Once?

 While the USA is busy trying to figure out what pronouns should be used to describe a transgender, the folks on the other side of the world are figuring out how their militaries can take the territory they want and collapse the USA all at the same time.

And don't forget we are getting deeper into the Middle East and may soon find ourselves at war with Iran...which could be 4 places we find ourselves fighting in.

Remember that 80% of America's youth are physically and/or mentally unfit to serve in the military.

Before our leaders drag us into the middle of World War III, perhaps we should step back and take a hard look at our own capabilities.  

Military recruiting has been way down, ammunition levels have fallen to dangerously low levels because of how much we have sent to Ukraine, and our enemies have developed cutting edge new weapons systems that we cannot match.  

This is not the 1980s where everyone is still deeply afraid of the U.S. military.

It is time for all of us to acknowledge that the world has changed.

In 2021, the U.S. military pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban reconquered the entire country even before we were able to get everyone out.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and despite the fact that we have sent them giant mountains of money the Ukrainians are losing more territory with each passing day.

In 2023, a major war erupted in the Middle East.  U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have already been attacked more than 100 times because Iranian-backed forces are not afraid of us.  And a naval battle that resulted in the destruction of three Houthi vessels just made headlines all over the planet...

A naval battle likely to send shockwaves throughout the Middle East erupted in the early hours of Sunday after US helicopters intervened in support of a container ship trying to navigate the key trade route.

Four vessels with mounted weapons and small arms coming from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired upon the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou and got within 20 metres of the ship, according to the US military.

This aggressive move prompted helicopters from nearby US warships to respond to the distress call. The military said that, after the aircraft were shot at by the Houthis, they sank three "small boats" in "self-defence".

The truth is that the U.S. is already at war in the Middle East.

And once Israel decides it is time to push Hezbollah back to the Litani River in southern Lebanon, the U.S. is going to be even more deeply involved.

Meanwhile, it appears that the conflict in Ukraine is about to go to another level.

The Ukrainians have been shelling civilian targets in the Russian city of Belgorod in order to provoke the Russians into doing something really dramatic which will make lots of headlines and cause more military aid to come flowing in from the western world.

Vladimir Putin is extremely angry about the attacks on Belgorod, and he is vowing to "intensify strikes"...

Vladimir Putin vowed to unleash hell on Ukraine saying his forces would "intensify" their attacks on the country following strikes in Russia's Belgorod region on Saturday.

Speaking during a New Year's Day visit to a military hospital, Putin said Ukraine could expect more such strikes after shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod that killed more than two dozen people and wounded more than 100 others.

"They want to intimidate us and create uncertainty within our country. We will intensify strikes. Not a single crime against our civilian population will go unpunished," the Russian leader said, describing the barrage of Belgorod as a "terrorist act."

Over the past couple of years, the U.S. has provided far more funding for the war in Ukraine than anyone else, far more weapons for the war in Ukraine than anyone else, far more ammunition for the war in Ukraine than anyone else and far more intelligence for the war in Ukraine than anyone else.

And now Joe Biden is warning that there is a risk that "the United States gets pulled in directly"...

"The stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine," Biden reiterated Friday. "They affect the entirety of the NATO alliance, the security of Europe, and the future of the transatlantic relationship.

"When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run roughshod in Europe, the risk rises that the United States gets pulled in directly. And the consequences reverberate around the world. We cannot let our allies and partners down. We cannot let Ukraine down. History will judge harshly those who fail to answer freedom's call."

So could we end up being directly involved in a major war in the Middle East and a major war with Russia at the same time?

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping just warned that "reunification" with Taiwan is a "historical inevitability"...

"The reunification of the motherland is a historical inevitability," Xi said, though the official English translation of his remarks published by the Xinhua news agency used a more simple phrase: "China will surely be reunified."

"Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," he added. The official English translation wrote "all Chinese" rather than "compatriots."

So will Xi Jinping attempt to "reunify" with Taiwan in 2024?

Most Americans don't realize this, but the moment that China makes a move against Taiwan we will be at war with the Chinese.

But can our military actually handle a war with China?

A retired U.S. Army Colonel recently wrote an article in which he claimed that once such a war starts "American forces will likely burn through munitions stocks within three weeks"...

In a U.S. fight with China, American forces will likely burn through munitions stocks within three weeks. Even with a surge of the U.S. industrial base, replenishing stocks will take more than six months. In the interim, the U.S. will be without sufficient bombs and bullets for its cutting-edge systems, such as fifth-generation fighter jets and High Mobility Rocket Launcher Systems, and anti-air missiles needed to protect our nuclear aircraft carriers and bases in the Pacific.

Right now, the warning indicators are blinking red. The massive need for ammunition in such conflicts highlights weaknesses in the American defense industry, which no longer produces munitions at the rate it did decades ago. The post-Cold War defense budget reductions led to a swift merger of the defense sector, which saw a drop from fifty-one major defense providers in the early 1990s to five by the end of that decade. This consolidation led to a tightened capacity.

If all of that is true, how in the world can we possibly fight a war with China?

And how in the world can we possibly fight a war with Russia?

And let us not forget that Kim Jong Un continues to make threats about going to war with us...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his military should "thoroughly annihilate" the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reported Monday, after he vowed to boost national defense to cope with what he called an unprecedented U.S.-led confrontation.

North Korea has increased its warlike rhetoric in recent months in response to an expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills. Experts expect Kim will continue to escalate his rhetoric and weapons tests because he likely believes he can use heightened tensions to wrest U.S. concessions if former President Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November.

I believe that 2024 will be a year of war around the world.

In recent years our military has been gutted, eviscerated and transformed into a politically-correct joke.

We couldn't even defeat the Taliban, and now we are faced with the possibility of fighting three major wars simultaneously.

We are in so much trouble, but most Americans seem to believe that we are still the same global military powerhouse that we were when the first Top Gun movie was originally released.

Here;  Can The U.S. Fight 3 Major Wars Simultaneously? (prophecynewswatch.com)

As the author correctly points out, we couldn't even defeat the Taliban so how would we expect to hold up if we find ourselves at war with Russia, China, North Korea and Iran all at the same time?  

It certainly feels like the world is getting ready to bust open and break out in another World War.

Let's be thankful that Jesus understands EXACTLY what is happening as the nations rage.  Israel is at the center of attention exactly as HE said it would be.

I pray that all these RUMORS OF WAR are pointing to the soon return of the King!  We certainly would welcome HIS intervention in the affairs of humans and pray that HE blows the trumpet sometime really soon.

Are we ready to hear it??  

New War Front; Iran in Syria

We continue to post articles that have Syria/Damascus and Israel in the headlines.  Isaiah 17 speaks of the destruction of Damascus and it has yet to be fulfilled since Isaiah wrote it 2600 years ago.  But imagine if this scenario takes place where Iran invades Israel from Syria while Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon, Hamas attacks from Gaza and Jordan decides to join Iran with an attack from the East.  If Israel is sensing they are about to be overrun by Muslims hell-bent on killing all the Jews, they wouldn’t hesitate to drop a nuke on Damascus to silence that front.  This one event could fulfill the prophecy.

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An internal document from the Israeli army’s Home Front Command that was leaked to the media describes a scenario in which an Iranian surprise attack is launched from the Golan Heights. 

The document warned that Hezbollah’s actions against northern Israel from Lebanon are merely a distraction from the major attack Iran is preparing in Syria.

The authors of the document also suspect that the Jordanian army could participate in Iran’s attack, as the military of the Hashemite Kingdom has repeatedly conducted exercises in the border area with Israel recently. But this part of the scenarion seems very unlikely because Jordan does not have the military resources to pose a threat to the IDF. 

What could be possible is that the Jordanian army is drawn into the war at a time when Israel is in real trouble. 

In any case, there is enough support for action against Israel in Jordan, where the population is almost 80 percent Palestinian...

 https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/analysis-a-new-front-with-iran-in-syria-as-war-takes-on-international-dimensions/

USA Still a Blessing to Israel in Some Ways

 As the years go by it becomes easier to see how God made America great so that USA could be used by God to incubate and defend the tiny nation surrounded by angry Muslims.  Remember it was USA who first recognized the Jewish state.  And even today with Democrats in charge who could have been very anti-Israel, we are still pushing through a munitions sale to the IDF so they can carry on their war against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

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The United States has approved a $147.5 million sale of 155mm high-explosive artillery munitions and related equipment to Israel.

The decision, made under an emergency provision, bypasses the typical congressional review process.

This approval follows a recent authorization earlier in the month for the sale of nearly 14,000 rounds of 120mm tank ammunition to Israel.

According to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Israel requested additional munitions, including 155mm fuses, primers, and charges, expanding the estimated total cost from $96.51 million to $147.5 million. This modification required a new notification to U.S. authorities.

The statement from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency highlighted that the secretary of state has deemed an emergency existing that necessitates the immediate sale of these weapons to Israel, thereby circumventing the typical congressional review process.

It’s specified that the munitions will be sourced from U.S. Army stocks.

Stating the purpose behind this sale, the statement emphasized Israel’s intent to utilize the enhanced capabilities as a deterrent against regional threats and to bolster homeland defense.

However, it also stressed the importance for all countries to employ munitions in compliance with international humanitarian law.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/12/30/u-s-approves-emergency-sale-of-munitions-to-israel-amid-hamas-conflict/

France Deploys 90,000 Cops as Muslims Threaten the Peace

 They don’t say it outright, but of course we all know when we see the words “terrorist threat” and “conflict in Gaza”, we can be certain it’s Muslims.  Who are these Muslims in France?  They came in legally and illegally to their host country to escape the crap conditions offered to them by their own Muslim nations.  Now that they have sufficient numbers to wreak havoc they will start rioting and protesting and killing.  They will then start chanting “France is for Allah!  France will be ours!”  It’s the playbook of Islam and is happening in European countries dumb enough to believe that “all Muslims will become French and will love their host country.”  Islam is a Satanic religion meant to dominate and destroy the things God loves.  It’s why they have a saying, “First the Saturday people then the Sunday people.”  First kill all the Jews then kill all the Christians.

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FEARS of terror attacks over New Year’s Eve celebrations have forced officials to ramp up security measures as Europe remains on “high alert.” 

France is set to deploy 90,000 cops across the country amid a “very high terrorist threat” due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

A total of 6,000 will be in Paris, where French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees.

Speaking at a press conference Darmanin said: “I requested an extremely strong mobilisation of the police and gendarmerie services in a context of very high terrorist threat.”

He said that cops will be able to use drones for the first time as part of security work and that tens of thousands of firefighters and 5,000 soldiers would also be deployed.

In the Paris metropolitan area, two helicopters will also be deployed “above the neighbourhoods”.

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Paris will centre on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de Triomphe.

The need to tighten security ahead of the Olympics was highlighted when a 24-year-old tourist was stabbed to death in a terrorist attack in Paris by an ISIS supporter earlier this month.

Collin – identified by his first name only – was the first victim of Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, 26 who also injured a British man near the Eiffel Tower on December 2.

But France is not the only European country increasing security over the holidayperiod.

German authorities barred sightseeing visits to Cologne’s landmark cathedral on Christmas Eve and worshippers faced security checks amid growing fears of a potential attack.

Police said they were taking precautions even though the information they had was for an attack on New Year’s Eve.

Police spokesperson Wolfgang Baldes said: “Even if the reference was to New Year’s Eve, there are a lot of people in the area around the cathedral, today is Christmas Eve midnight Mass, it is one of the most visited cathedrals, the main train station is nearby.

“There are a lot of people, and that’s why we said that if there was an indication, we would do everything necessary to protect people.” 

Worshippers were able to attend church services despite the ban after cops searched the site with sniffer dogs.

Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Steinhaeuser said it was “probably the most secure church service in all of Germany.”

In Austria, officials said they have increased security around Vienna’s churches and Christmas markets while Sweden has remained on high alert since this summer. 

Despite the extra measures, the interior minister for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia Herbert Reul urged people not to avoid celebrations and to enjoy the holidays.

He said: “Caution is advised but we are not defenseless. Our agencies are using all available information to protect us as well as possible.”

“My appeal is, go to church, celebrate Christmas. Fear is the currency of terrorists. We should not make it more valuable.”

The terror threat level in the Netherlands was raised last week with security services warning terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda were using the conflict in the Middle East to encourage attacks in the West.

It comes as earlier this month a Hamas terror plot to slaughter innocent civilians in Jewish sites across Europe has been thwarted by police.

Seven suspected terrorists said to be “acting in Hamas’ name” were been arrested during raids in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Earlier in December the home affairs chief warned Europe is facing a “huge risk” of terrorist attacks over the Christmas period amid the bloody war in Gaza.

Ahead of a meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Brussels, Ylva Johansson said: “With the war between Israel and Hamas and the polarisation it causes in our society, with the upcoming holiday season, there is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union.”

https://www.the-sun.com/news/9967877/