Where there is LOVE, there is Hope. Where there is fear, there is confusion. God is not the author of fear or confusion. So let's lift ourselves up to the Lord and seek Peace, through LOVE.
So happy to be sharing this amazing day with all of you. Hoping you are having a wonderful, blessed, full-of-love day. If any of you are alone today, we reach out to you to let you know you are never alone because we love you and are with you in spirit. Remembering those who are no longer with us and feeling the loss of their presence. Sharon and Erick
From the entrance of Gamla, a 90 minute trail (45 minutes each way) leads to the Gamla Waterfall, passing ancient dolmans – stone structures which are shaped like tables, but nobody is sure of why. Once you reach the waterfall, you’ll be struck with what is the tallest flowing waterfall in Israel – at 170 feet.
NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS IRAN ENRICHING URANIUM TO 27% PURITY, UP FROM 20%: Nuclear talks in Baghdad go nowhere; next round in Moscow
by Joel Rosenberg
Posted: May 25, 2012 in Uncategorized
“The U.N. atomic agency has found evidence at an underground bunker in Iran that could mean the country has moved closer to producing the uranium threshold needed to arm nuclear missiles, diplomats said Friday,” according to the Associated Press. “The International Atomic Energy Agency has found traces of uranium enriched up to 27 percent at Iran’s Fordo enrichment plant, the diplomats told The Associated Press. That is still substantially below the 90-percent level needed to make the fissile core of nuclear arms. But it is above Iran’s highest-known enrichment grade, which is close to 20 percent, and which already can be turned into weapons-grade material much more quickly than the Islamic Republic’s main stockpile, which can only be used for fuel at around 3.5 percent.”
Meanwhile, the nuclear talks held this week in Baghdad between Iran and six world powers went nowhere. The only thing agreed upon was to hold more talks. The next round is scheduled for June 18-19 in Moscow. This will give Russian Czar Vladimir Putin an opportunity to dramatically shape the future of the showdown between Iran and Israel. How will he use it? Putin is reportedly headed to Israel in June, though as far as I know the dates are not yet set. But clearly next month is going to be a critical moment in Russian-Iranian-Israeli relations. UPDATE (5/25): Russia’s Putin to visit Israel in June.
All this comes as Iran’s top military commander said his country was fully committed to completely destroying the State of Israel. “The Iranian nation is standing for its cause and that is the full annihilation of Israel,” Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi , the Iranian military’s chief of staff, said in a speech to a defense gathering Sunday in Tehran.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
Today in Israel, and around the world, we stop to remember the evil that was perpetrated during the Holocaust, pray for the survivors and their families, and recommit ourselves to the principle: Never Again.
“A two-minute siren sounded across the country at 10 am Thursday in memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust,” reports Ynet News. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a moving address honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day, and applied its lessons to the current showdown with Iran. Israeli President Shimon Peres also discussed Iran today in light of the Holocaust. I commend these to your attention.
Last November, I had the opportunity to travel to Poland with two pastors and their wives to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps for the first time. My son, Caleb, and I produced a short video of that trip which might help you and your family and friends get a brief glimpse inside the tragedy and what it means.
Most of all, please pray for these survivors, that the Lord would draw them close to His heart and heal their memories and show them His amazing grace and mercy. As the Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7)
THE FUTURE OF BABYLON | World Monuments Fund.
Another interesting website regarding the rebuilding of Babylon. Important information in relation to Prophecy.
Also read the following by Joel C. Rosenberg.
Posted: April 13, 2012 in Uncategorized
Bible prophecy indicates that in the End Times, the nation we know today as the Republic of Iraq — known variously in Scripture as Babel, Babylon, Babylonia, Mesopotamia and Shinar — will emerge as the global center of wealth, power and terrible evil. Eventually Iraq will pose a direct and existential threat to the State of Israel, particularly during the Tribulation.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein and his regime in 2003, Iraq has not been a regional threat, much less a danger to Israel. Some have assumed, therefore, that Iraq would no longer play a major role in Middle Eastern or global affairs in the future. But such a conclusion would be a mistake. As I wrote about in my first non-fiction book, Epicenter, those who read, understand and believe Bible prophecy have been watching for Iraq to: 1) begin rebuilding its offensive military capability; 2) begin rebuilding its economy; 3) continue rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon into a major center of commerce and tourism.
Interestingly, all three developments are currently underway.
IRAQ IS REBUILDING ITS MILITARY
Now that the Iraqi government has forced the American military out of their country, they have embarked on a dramatic arms build-up, including the purchase of American weapons systems that could be used for offensive purposes in the future. Examples:
IRAQ IS REBUILDING ITS ECONOMY
Now that the war of liberation is over and most of Iraq has been pacified and stabilized from the terrorist insurgency, Iraq’s economy is not only growing but is poised for hyper-growth. Analysts expect Iraq’s GDP to grow by more than 9% annually for the next few years, and expect Iraq’s oil production to nearly triple by 2017.
IRAQ IS REBUILDING THE CITY OF BABYLON
Largely overlooked by Westerners is the fact that the government of Iraq is moving forward with plans to protect the archaeological remains of the ancient City of Babylon, in preparation for building a modern city of Babylon. As I wrote in 2009, the project — originally started by the late Saddam Hussein — is aimed eventually at attracting scores of “cultural tourists” from all over the world to see the glories of Mesopotamia’s most famous city. What’s more, the Obama Administration has actually helped contribute U.S. taxpayer dollars to “The Future of Babylon Project” through the State Department’s budget. Read more at the World Monuments Fund website for the rebuilding Babylong project.
In 2011, I noted that the New York Times had published an intriguing article on Iraqi efforts to preserve, protect, restore and then rebuild the ancient city of Babylon and make it a draw for tourists, with U.S. taxpayer assistance. The Times reports that a modern Babylon museum will open later this month. Times’ reporter Steven Lee Myers also posted a fascinating four minute video walking through some of the rebuilt ruins of Babylon, and explaining Iraqi efforts to protect and restore numerous Biblical sites.
“The Babylon project is Iraq’s biggest and most ambitious by far, a reflection of the ancient city’s fame and its resonance in Iraq’s modern political and cultural heritage,” the Times reported, noting that “in November, the State Department announced a new $2 million grant to begin work to preserve the site’s most impressive surviving ruins. They include the foundation of the Ishtar Gate, built in the sixth century B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, and adorned with brick reliefs of the Babylonian gods Marduk and Adad.”
“The American reconstruction team has refurbished a modern museum on the site, as well as a model of the Ishtar Gate that for decades served as a visitors’ entrance. Inside the museum is one of the site’s most valuable relics: a glazed brick relief of a lion, one of 120 that once lined the processional way into the city. The museum, with three galleries, is scheduled to open this month, receiving its first visitors since 2003. And with new security installed, talks are under way to return ancient Babylonian artifacts from the National Museum in Baghdad. The fate of Babylon is already being disputed by Iraqi leaders, with antiquities officials clashing with local authorities over when to open it to visitors and how to exploit the site for tourism that, for the most part, remains a goal more than a reality. Even now they are clashing over whether the admission fee should go to the antiquities board or the provincial government.”
(Photo by New York Times: Iraqi women walking through the city of Babylon that is currently being rebuilt.)
Very interesting article in relation to Prophecy.
Ryan Jones
Israel Today Magazine
The steep drop in the number of Christians living in the Palestinian Authority-controlled territories is often blamed on Israel. But Middle East historian and Israel’s current ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, says that a similar erosion of Christian populations in other countries in the region suggests the Palestinian narrative is simply not true, and that Israel is in fact the safest place in the Middle East for Christians today.
“As 800,000 Jews were once expelled from Arab countries, so are Christians being forced from lands they’ve inhabited for centuries,” Oren wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
“In Egypt, 200,000 Coptic Christians fled their homes last year after beatings and massacres by Muslim extremist mobs. Since 2003, 70 Iraqi churches have been burned and nearly a thousand Christians killed in Baghdad alone, causing more than half of this million-member community to flee. Conversion to Christianity is a capital offense in Iran… Saudi Arabia outlaws private Christian prayer. …[and] since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007, half the Christian community has fled,” explained Oren.
By contrast, Oren sought to remind readers that prior to Israel’s surrender of Bethlehem and other Christian cities to Yasser Arafat’s PLO in 1995, the Palestinian Arab Christian population was actually growing. But today, Bethlehem’s Christians have been reduced from 20 percent of the population to a mere 5 percent.
And that can hardly be blamed on Israel, considering that the Christian population in those territories still controlled by the Jewish state continues to flourish.
“Since Israel’s founding in 1948, its Christian communities have expanded more than 1,000%,” wrote Oren. “Christians are prominent in all aspects of Israeli life, serving in the Knesset, the Foreign Ministry and on the Supreme Court. They are exempt from military service, but thousands have volunteered and been sworn in on special New Testaments printed in Hebrew.”
Instead, it is the same Islamic menace that is driving Christians out of the rest of the region that is also negatively impacting the Palestinian Arab church.
Oren recalls that as a government representative in 1994 he was sent to meet with clergy members in Bethlehem ahead of the city’s handover. Anticipating their new position of power over local Christians, Hamas activists had spray-painted the terror group’s name on the Church of the Nativity. The clergy “were despondent but too frightened to file a complaint,” recounts Oren.
As a non-Jewish believer in Jesus living in Israel, I can fully support Oren’s assessment. Israel is a safe haven for Christians. We are fully accepted and respected. Oren acknowledges that there are incidents of intolerance, and that is true, but it is also true of “Christian” nations like America, Germany or the UK.
To suggest that Israel is an oppressor of Christians, especially a purposeful oppressor, is a gross misrepresentation and a disservice to those Christians who truly are being oppressed and driven out by other forces.
Click on map to enlarge. Notice importance of world events as they relate to this map.
Related Articles
https://sharinhislove.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/what-is-the-war-of-gog-and-magog/
Posted: February 18, 2012 in Uncategorized
The debate seems increasingly to be over “when,” not “if” Israel will launch preemptive strikes against Iran. A story in a major British newspaper today reports the Obama administration realizes that economic sanctions aren’t working well enough to stop Iran from vigorously pursuing nuclear weapons, and thus makes an Israeli war with Iran all the more likely. According to the story, some experts believe that the Israelis won’t strike in the April to June window suggested by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, but might wait until the fall during the height of the U.S. presidential elections. “Earlier this month, the US defence secretary, Leon Panetta, told the Washington Post that he thought the window for an Israeli attack on Iran is between April and June,” the story noted. “But other official analysts working on Iran have identified what one described as a ‘sweet spot,’ where the mix of diplomacy, political timetables and practical issues come together to suggest that if Israel launches a unilateral assault it is more likely in September or October, although they describe that as a ‘best guess.’” Expect more speculation — and even disinformation — to keep the “experts” guessing. Should Israel strike, it will be hard, fast and without notice.
Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad has put it at odds with other countries in the Arab world.
Russia drew a lot of flack from Arab countries and the West when it vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at pressuring Assad to stop his crackdown on protesters. That has some analysts in Russia doubting whether the Kremlin really has a cogent strategy for the Middle East.
The dilemma for Russia policy in the Arab world can be illustrated by two very different events that took place this week.
On Tuesday, crowds of Assad supporters in Damascus greeted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the country’s foreign intelligence chief, Mikhail Fradkov.
Lavrov said Russia was willing to serve as a mediator in the conflict, although Assad’s forces continued their assault on the opposition. Meanwhile, a very different scenario was playing out in New York.
Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, appeared at a hastily called news conference to deny rumors that he had threatened the prime minister of Qatar. The rumors, which were widely circulated in the Arab media, said Churkin had warned the Qatari leader that Russia would “wipe Qatar off the map.”
“There was nothing, not even any hints of any threats, intimidation, rudeness from me or from the prime minister of Qatar, for that matter,” Churkin said.
Russia’s relations with Qatar have been strained since December, when customs officials in Doha allegedly manhandled Russia’s ambassador to that country.
Although Churkin denied using any bullying tactics, he added something that sounded vaguely like a warning.
“Apparently somebody is trying very hard in order to drive a wedge between Russia and the Arab world. If it’s somebody who is really coming from the Arab world, I think there is a very good Russian saying, which they, I think, should keep in mind: ‘Don’t spit into a well. You may well need it for a drink of water,’ ” he said.
At this point, it’s unclear who needs whom.
Analyst Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow Institute for Middle Eastern Studies, says Russia doesn’t really need Syria as a trading partner. He says Russia’s support for Syria is part of a pragmatic effort to contain Islamic extremism by balancing opposing factions.
“Russians understand there are no nondictatorship regimes in the Middle East. There is no chance for democracy of the Western style in the Middle East. And we try to make balance,” Satanovsky says.
But other analysts say Russia needs to be careful of its image in the Arab world.
Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, points out that Russia’s stand on Syria puts it at odds with important members of the Arab League, such as Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia has enormous leverage on the global oil market. Saudi Arabia has resources that could be used to minimize Russia’s control of parts of its own country,” Trenin says. He means the North Caucasus, the region that includes volatile areas such as Chechnya.
Trenin says that what Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, tried to do in Damascus this week should have been done months ago, when the Arab Spring protests first erupted.
“If Russia wanted to uphold its prestige as an important player, it needed to engage more fully in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Syrian conflict,” he says.
Both analysts say one of Russia’s main concerns is keeping a lid on Islamic radicalism, the kind that is spreading in the Muslim parts of Russia’s own territory.
Satanovsky says Russian policy seeks to play off the Islamic fundamentalist regimes of the Arab world against Iran.
In putting such strong and public support behind the Syrian regime, though, Russia has put itself at a pivot point in the major struggles of the Arab World.
It’s not clear whether it has a strategy to affect the balance there.
Related Articles:
Syria Revolution: Why Is Russia Supporting Syria? (ibtimes.com)
What is the War of Gog and Magog?
A riveting and timely survey of things to come!
Widespread revolutions in multiple Arab nations. New powers rising to challenge entrenched despots and ruling bodies. Bitter new conflicts further enflaming the many already in place. And a pall of uncertainty over how it will all play out.
Indeed the Middle East is burning.
How can we make sense of it all?
At first glance the many hotspots may seem without a pattern, without rhyme or reason. But Bible prophecy expert Mark Hitchcock takes a look at Scripture and helps paint a clear picture of what’s taking place, giving insight on current events in Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, and more.
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(Sharon’s note:) To read an excerpt from this book, click on the link below. I think you will find it very interesting, as we relate it to our study of prophecy.
http://harvesthousepublishers.com/media/epr/excerpts/9780736939966_exc.pdf
We hope you ‘LIKE’ today’s awesome scene of inspiration! This incredible photo of Israel was taken by Natasha Pnini. Thank you Natasha for SHARING the beauty of the Land of Israel with the entire world! Click below to learn more about ‘ISRAEL365’ and to sign up for our FREE daily email and iPhone app –> http://israel365.co.il/
“Tabor and Hermon sing forth Your name” Psalms (89:12).
That’s Mount Hermon in the background! In the extreme northeast of Israel (the “Golan Heights”), Mount Hermon with its 2,814-meter peak is the country’s highest point (and the only mountain with ski slopes…)
It served as the northern boundary of the Israel (Deut. 3:8) and is now called “the eyes of the nation.”
Mt. Hermon is extremely valuable as a strategic early warning system against unpleasant surprises from our northern neighbors. We ‘LIKE’ having this towering, beautiful mountain as part of the Land of Israel!
by Joel Rosenberg
>> Rating the GOP presidential candidates on the Iran issue
The White House has made two new and serious mistakes on Iran in recent days:
Given that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Iran could have the Bomb by the end of 2012, the U.S. should intensifying pressure on the evil regime in Tehran. This would include dramatically escalating covert ops inside Iran, and making preparations for possible air strikes if there are no other alternatives to neutralizing the Iran threat. Instead, the senior team at the White House just blinked — twice — showing weakness instead of resolve. They have also made it more likely, not less, that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may conclude this year that he has no other choice but to launch a massive first strike against Iran. Thus: “The United States has stepped up contingency planning in case Israel launches a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. According to the report, U.S. defense officials are becoming increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to carry out such a strike.” At the moment, Army General Martin Dempsey, the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is heading to Israel for talks about Iran.
This is exactly why I’m saying we’d better keep praying for peace, while preparing ourselves for war.
(Note: This map is significant as we study the “War of Gog and Magog”, based on the book of Ezekiel, indicating the countries of present day Russia, Persia (present day Iran), Cush (present day Sudan), Gomer (present day Turkey), Beth Togarmah (present day countries where turkish-speaking people spread out from Turkey and settled in Causasus and the areas of Central Asia, and Put (present day Libya and Algeria –those countries are on a different map in the Maps in Light of Biblical Prophecy category).
Despite being a tiny country the size of New Jersey Israel is a country of incredible diversity, with a desert in the south and ski slopes in the north. Among these places, are Jerusalem, Israel’s capital and the capital of world religion, the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, Tel Aviv, Israel’s modern day capital – a thriving metropolis on the Mediterranean, and the Galilee with its Tuscan-style hills of Biblical fame.
The Caesarea Aquaduct Novecentino
Israel is located in South Western Asia, at the Eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. A tiny country, similar in size to New Jersey, it is incredibly diverse and is divided into four or five regions.
The long Mediterranean Coastal Plain stretches 190 km and houses 70% of the country’s population in some of Israel’s largest cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa as well as agricultural and more rural settlements. Beaches stretch almost the entire stretch of the beautiful plain, which boasts magnificent ancient ruins including Caesarea as well as magnificent new settlements and resorts such as Herzliya.
The Negev Highlands by josef.steufer on Flickr
The Central Hills lie to the east of the Coastal Plain, stretching from the northern border to the far south and the city of Eilat. The hills encompass the Galilee, Mount Carmel, the Negev highlands, as well as the Jerusalem Hills, and offer staggering scenery, desert in the south, and Tuscan in the north.
Mount Hermon in the Golan by Flickr user miss pupik
The Jordan Rift Valley also extends from the north of Israel to the far south, and is part of the Great African Rift Valley, a tectonic plate boundary. The River Jordan flows through the valley into two unique lakes, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. In the north, the Golan Heights are a range of hills to the east of the valley which include Israel’s highest peak, Mount Hermon which is a winter ski resort.
In the south of Israel lies the Negev desert. The Negev incorporates about half of Israel’s land area, and host a geographical phenomenon, Makhteshim. These crater like landforms are unique to the Negev and Sinai deserts, with three large craters including the Ramon Crater, found in the Negev.
The Lower Galilee region of Israel is just a one hour drive from the main cities including Tel Aviv, yet is worlds away. The least hilly region of the Galilee, the Lower Galilee stretches from the Jezreel Valley (Valley of the Armageddon in Christianity) on the eastern slopes of Mount Carmel across to the Sea of Galilee. It includes Mount Tavor, Megiddo, Zippori and Mount Gilboa, the town of Nazareth, and amazing numbers of outdoor and leisure pursuits.
View across the Lower Galilee by Flickr user Yo-Yos
Zippori is home to amazing archaeological excavations, including the mosaics of an ancient Jewish city, which notably include the Mona Lisa of the Galilee. The city was described by the first century Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius, as “the ornament of all Galilee” and is a beautiful spot with beautiful things to see.
Lower Galilee by Flickr user heatkernel
Gan Ha’shlosha was chosen by TIME magazine as their favorite destination in Israel. The National Park offers a warm river where you can swim in a landscaped surround. As well as this is a small selection of archaeological sites and a heritage museum. The main draw, however, is the natural jacuzzi under a waterfall. Although busy in the summer, this is a great place to visit.
Gilboa by Flickr user yxejamir
Nearby, another breathtaking experience can be found at Mount Gilboa. The Mount Gilboa Scenic Road winds across the peaks with places to stop off and hike, as well as an iris reserve. This is a great way to see the beautiful landscape of the Lower Galilee and Jezreel Valley.
The view from Mount Tavor by Flickr user Yo-Yos
Nazareth, is Israel’s largest Arab city, and also of obvious importance in Christianity. It has recently seen something of a tourism renaissance with large investments improving the facade of this city and its sites.
