President Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate

Newsmax reported on April 27, 2011:

“After years of ignoring demands that he release his full birth certificate, and steadfast goading from Donald Trump and others, President Barack Obama has finally presented the official document, saying he has ‘better stuff to do’ than deal with the controversy…”

USA Today added on April 27:

“The signed-and-sealed Certificate of Live Birth shows he was born exactly where he had said: Kapiolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu. During the 2008 campaign, he had released a copy of his Certification of Live Birth, a shorter official form with fewer details.”

However, the release of the long-form birth certificate will not silence President Obama’s critics. On April 27, USA Today reported about a poll taken before the release of the birth certificate:

“… only 38% of Americans said they thought the president was ‘definitely’ born in the United States; 18% said he ‘probably’ was. Nearly one in four, 24%, said he was probably or definitely born in another country. Nineteen percent said they didn’t know enough to say. Among Republicans, 43% said Obama was definitely or probably born abroad — more than the 35% who said he was definitely or probably born in the USA.”

Fox News wrote on April 27:

“Trump… took credit Wednesday for the president’s decision to release the document. He said his team would have to examine the birth certificate and questioned why the White House took so long…”

Newsmax wrote on April 27:

“The critics… still note a pattern of secrecy surrounding much of Obama’s life before he entered politics. They note that Obama has never unveiled many key documents that presidential candidates release to the press and public… Ironically, during his campaign for president, Obama promised he would make his White House ‘the most open and transparent administration in history.’

The Smokinggun.com listed the following questions on April 27, which will most likely be raised by those who doubt the authenticity of the certificate:

“If the original document was in a bound volume (as reflected by the curvature of the left hand side of the certificate), how can the green patterned background of the document’s safety paper be so seamless? Why, if Obama was born on August 4, 1961, was the ‘Date Accepted by Local Reg.’ four days later on August 8, 1961?… David A. Sinclair, the M.D. who purportedly signed the document, died nearly eight years ago at age 81. So he is conveniently unavailable to answer questions about Obama’s reported birth… Finally, the ‘Signature of Local Registrar’ in box 21 may be a desperate attempt at establishing the document’s Hawaiian authenticity.”

According to the Drudge Report, others have speculated whether different layers were used for the document.

The issue is not going away, and may very well become a determining factor for the outcome of the next presidential election.

No Easter Proclamation

Newsmax reported on April 26:

“The media and the blogosphere are abuzz with dumbfounded reactions to the White House’s snub of Christians during the weekend. No presidential proclamation celebrating Christianity’s highest holy day of Easter was issued…

“Barack Obama made no bones about admitting in his 2006 memoir, ‘The Audacity of Hope,’ the secularism of his mother, father, and stepfather led him during his younger days to be far from a devoted Christian when it came to Easter. ‘On Easter or Christmas Day my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese New Year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and ancient Hawaiian burial sites,’ Obama remembered… Obama noted his mother’s now well-known skepticism and hostility toward religion… ‘In our household the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology’…

“Obama added that ‘although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition, like the mumbo-jumbo of witch doctors that he had witnessed in the Kenyan villages of his youth.’ Obama’s Indonesian stepfather was, similarly, ‘a man who saw religion as not particularly useful’ in life.”

While the Bible rejects Easter celebration as pagan inventions, President Obama’s upbringing is still interesting to consider. It would be tremendous, if an American President would return to and embrace true biblical teachings. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the  Bible?—Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days.”

Pope vs. Evolution… Sort of…

The Associated Press reported on April 23:

“Pope Benedict XVI marked the holiest night of the year for Christians by stressing that humanity isn’t a random product of evolution. Benedict emphasized the Biblical account of creation in his Easter Vigil homily Saturday, saying it was wrong to think at some point ‘in some tiny corner of the cosmos there evolved randomly some species of living being capable of reasoning and of trying to find rationality within creation, or to bring rationality into it.’

“If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe, then his life would make no sense or might even be a chance of nature,’ he said. ‘But no, reason is there at the beginning: creative, divine reason.’

“Church teaching holds that Roman Catholicism and evolutionary theory are not necessarily at odds: A Christian can, for example, accept the theory of evolution to help explain developments, but is taught to believe that God, not random chance, is the origin of the world. The Vatican, however, warns against creationism, or the overly literal interpretation of the Biblical account of creation.”

However, such viewpoints contradict the Bible. Please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”

To Be Like God

Reuters reported on April 17:

“Pope Benedict led Roman Catholics into Holy Week celebrations, telling a Palm Sunday crowd that man will pay the price for his pride if he believes technology can give him the powers of God… ‘From the beginning men and women have been filled — and this is as true today as ever — with a desire to “be like God”, to attain the heights of God by their own powers,’ he said… ‘Mankind has managed to accomplish so many things: we can fly! We can see, hear and speak to one another from the farthest ends of the earth. And yet the force of gravity which draws us down is powerful,’ he said.

“While the great advances of technology have improved life for man, the pope said, they have also increased possibilities for evil, and recent natural disasters were a reminder, if any were needed, that mankind is not all-powerful. If man wanted a relationship with God he had to first ‘abandon the pride of wanting to become God,’ said the pope, celebrating his sixth Easter season as the leader of the world’s some 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.”

Even though it is most certainly correct that man must not attempt to become like God by his own means and endeavors, it is also true that it IS man’s potential to become God. For more information, please read our free booklet, “God Is a Family.”

Catholic Church Goes on the Offensive

The Telegraph wrote on April 19:

“A film about a panic-prone Pope who has unwittingly been thrust into the papacy and has to hire a psychiatric assistant to help him has sparked controversy in the Roman Catholic Church… Traditionalists say that the film, by the acclaimed Italian director Nanni Moretti, is ‘an instrument of Satan’… Bruno Volpe, the Catholic lawyer, has launched suit for defamation against Moretti and the producers under the terms of the Lateran Pact, which extends the same protections to the prestige of the pope as to the Italian president. Mr Volpe said Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope), never mentioned the current Pope by name but it was nevertheless clear that it was a parody of Pope Benedict XVI and dishonoured the figure of the Pontiff in general…

“Gerardo Pierro, archbishop of Salerno, said the launch of a similar film in an Islamic country would have led to the burning of cinemas and attempts to kill the director for blasphemy. ‘I think many people take advantage of the traditional meekness of Catholics, which is often confused with foolishness or resignation,’ Archbishop Pierro said… The Pope is played by Michel Piccoli, an 85-year-old French actor, and many Catholics have acknowledged Moretti’s sympathetic depiction of the film’s ecclesiastical characters, though the Vatican has not reacted officially.”

History does not confirm any “traditional meekness” of the Catholic Church. For proof, read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.” It is also interesting to note that the institution of the Pope enjoys the same legal protection as the Italian president. Truly, the religious power has become an image of the political power, as the Bible prophesied in Revelation 13.

The Downfall of America

WorldNetDaily wrote on April 24:

“… has it become twilight in America? That’s the question Jerome Corsi’s Red Alert is asking, noting that Business Insider has listed 25 signs of economic decline in the United States:

“1) Standard & Poor’s altered its outlook on U.S. government debt from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’;
“2) China has announced it is going to be reducing its holdings of U.S. dollars;
“3) Hedge-fund manager Dennis Gartman says that ‘panic dollar selling is setting in’ and that the U.S. dollar could be in for a huge decline;
“4) The biggest bond fund in the world, PIMCO, is now shorting U.S. government bonds;
“5) The economy is causing ‘ghost towns’ to appear across the United States, with many counties across the nation that now have home vacancy rates of more than 50 percent;
“6) There are now about 7.25 million fewer jobs in America than when the recession began back in 2007;
“7) Only 45.4 percent of Americans had a job during 2010, the lowest percentage since 1983;
“8) Only 66.8 percent of American men had a job last year, the lowest level ever in the United States;
“9) The average CEO made 343 times more money than the average American did last year;
“10) Gas prices reached $5 per gallon at a gas station in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2011;
“11) Over the past 12 months, the average price of gasoline in the United States has gone up about 30 percent;
“12) Due to rising fuel prices, American Airlines lost $436 million during the first quarter of 2011;
“13) U.S. households are now receiving more income from the U.S. government than they are paying to the government in taxes;
“14) Approximately $1 out of every $4 that the U.S. government borrows goes to pay the interest on the national debt;
“15) Total home mortgage debt in the United States is now about five times larger than it was just 20 years ago;
“16) Total credit card debt in the United States is now more than eight times larger than it was just 30 years ago;
“17) Average household debt in the United States has now reached a level of 136 percent of average household income, while in China it’s only 17 percent;
“18) The average American now spends 23 percent of their income on food and gas;
“19) Seventy-eight percent of Americans said they plan to slow their spending in coming months due to rising prices;
“20) Fifty-nine percent of Americans receive money from the federal government;
“21) The average length of unemployment in the United States is now a record 39 weeks;
“22) As the economy continues to collapse, frustration among young people will continue to grow and we will see more seemingly ‘random acts of violence’;
“23) Some Americans have become so desperate for cash that they are literally popping their gold teeth and selling them to pawn shops;
“24) As the economy has declined, the American people have been gobbling up larger and larger amounts of antidepressants and other prescription drugs;
“25) Even the latest market rally could be ending.”

The Crime of Adultery

The Associated Press reported on April 26:

“The crime of adultery appears headed toward repeal in Colorado, where lawmakers from both parties call the crime an outdated 19th-century holdover junking up the books. Adultery carries no criminal penalty, though it remains illegal. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-1 Tuesday to repeal the old crime, as well as a law against ‘promoting sexual immorality.’ Colorado is one of a handful of states where adultery laws are still on the books… [The] provision [against promoting sexual immorality] outlaws providing a place for out-of-wedlock sex, a law probably aimed at frontier flophouses… Adultery remains a crime in U.S. military law, and adultery laws aren’t unusual in other countries.”

Deadly Tornados Devastate South of USA

The Associated Press reported on April 28:

“Dozens of tornadoes ripped through the South, flattening homes and businesses and killing at least 215 people in six states in the deadliest outbreak in nearly 40 years… Alabama’s state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 131 deaths, while there were 32 in Mississippi, 30 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky… The storm system spread destruction from Texas to New York, where dozens of roads were flooded or washed out. The governors of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia issued emergency declarations for parts of their states…

“In Alabama, where as many as a million people were without power, Gov. Robert Bentley said 2,000 national guard troops had been activated and were helping to search devastated areas for people still missing… The storms came on the heels of another system that killed 10 people in Arkansas and one in Mississippi earlier this week. Less than two weeks earlier, a smaller batch of twisters raced through Alabama, touching off warning sirens, damaging businesses and downing power lines in Tuscaloosa, but there were no deaths there then.”

Dollar Drops Further

Bloomberg reported on April 28:

“U.S. stock-index futures fell and the Dollar Index dropped to a three-year low as reports showed the economy slowed more than forecast and jobless claims unexpectedly rose… The dollar weakened as much as 0.6 percent against the euro, falling for the eighth day and breaching $1.48 for the first time since December 2009. It dropped 0.5 percent versus the yen. The decline in U.S. futures indicated the S&P 500 may fall from the highest level since June 2008. Jobless claims increased by 25,000 to 429,000 in the week ended April 23, the most since late January, according to Labor Department figures.”

As we observe the social and economic downfall of the USA, so we can also recognize the downfall of GB—as the next article shows.

The Downfall of Great Britain… Broken-Up Family Life

The Daily Mail wrote on April 18:

“Shocking figures reveal that births outside marriage are at their highest level in two centuries and nearly half of children can expect their parents to separate by the time they turn 16. Nine out of ten couples now live together before – or instead of – tying the knot. Before the Second World War, it was fewer than one in 30. From a situation 30 years ago where it was often considered shameful to have a child outside of wedlock, it has now become the norm. Some 46 per cent of children are born to unmarried mothers, according to research by the Centre for Social Justice.

“The think-tank said a child growing up in a one-parent family is 75 per cent more likely to fail at school, 70 per cent more likely to become a drug addict, 50 per cent more likely to have an alcohol problem and 35 per cent more likely to be unemployed as an adult. Some 48 per cent of children are likely to see their family break up before they are 16. Ten years ago, it was 40 per cent.

“Gavin Poole, executive director of the CSJ, which was set up by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, said: ‘Current high levels of cohabitation are a key factor in the rise in family breakdown in our country and this paper shows that we have not been here before… Marriage and commitment tend to stabilise and strengthen families and cannot be ignored. The peculiarly high levels of family breakdown found in Britain are at the heart of the social breakdown which is devastating our most deprived communities…’

“The report says the decline in the traditional family is a crucial factor in the social decay that is blighting Britain… Family breakdown, the experts claim, is being fuelled by the growth in the less stable relationship of cohabitation. ‘A child growing up in a fractured, chaotic or fatherless family is far less likely to develop the pro-social skills essential for success later in life,’ Mr Poole said.”

Toyota Cuts Production Due to Earthquake

BBC News reported on April 20:

“Toyota said it will cut production at its North American plants by 70% from 26 April to 3 June. Car manufacturers have been facing a shortage of parts due to the damage caused to Japanese component makers by the earthquake and tsunami. Toyota said it may also lower its US sales target for 2011… Toyota Motors also announced that it is curbing production at its factories in China.”

Natural disasters can and do have devastating effects for any country; and no country—regardless of how powerful it might be–is exempt from such catastrophes and their consequences.

EU: “Discuss Policies in Dark Secrecy”

The EUObserver reported on April 21:

“Eurozone economic policies should only be conducted in ‘dark secret rooms’, to prevent dangerous movements in financial markets, the Eurogroup chief [Jean-Claude Juncker] said… As exists in the case of monetary policy, all economic decisions should now be discussed behind closed doors, he said. ‘I’m ready to be insulted as being insufficiently democratic, but I want to be serious,’ he said.

“Having served as finance minister and then premier of Luxembourg for the past 22 years, Juncker pointed out that over the course of his career, despite his Catholic upbringing, he often ‘had to lie’ in order not to feed rumours.”

Centralized EU Decision-Making

The EUObserver wrote on April 20:

“MEPs have toughened up the provisions in a package of six laws that centralise economic decision-making in the EU, delivering more powers for oversight of national fiscal policies to the European Commission… Cheering the move, Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt said: ‘The European Commission shall be entitled to intervene with all necessary means if the stability of the euro is at stake, to preserve our European project.’”

The Schengen Agreement in Jeopardy?

Der Spiegel wrote on April 27:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have put aside their differences to call on the European Union to reform the Schengen zone of border-free travel… Berlusconi and Sarkozy signed a joint letter to the EU to demand that the Schengen agreement be amended to take into consideration ‘exceptional’ situations such as the current massive influx of immigrants from North Africa…

“Many observers see the French and Italian leaders as striking a populist stance in response to pressure from far-right parties in their countries. Sarkozy, who is running for re-election in 2012, is under threat from Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Front, which strongly opposes immigration, while Berlusconi is under pressure from the xenophobic Northern League, the country’s third strongest party which is part of Berlusconi’s coalition government.

“The Schengen agreement was originally signed in 1985 in the Luxembourg town of that name and went into effect in 1995. A total of 22 EU members are currently part of the system, as are Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. Britain and Ireland are not, however, members. Along with the euro common currency, the Schengen zone is seen as one of the European Union’s main achievements…”

The above-quoted articles on Europe show the gradual and steady development of a centralized power bloc, and the time is passed when Europe could disintegrate again in national entities which would be fighting themselves. The Bible prophesies that Europe will become the most powerful economic and military unity in the world—which leads us to conclude that neither the euro nor the Schengen agreement could fail (even though some “adjustments” might be made, as the next article speculates).

The EUObserver wrote on April 28, 2011:

“Several member states have indicated they are prepared to back attempts by France and Italy to make it easier for countries to re-instate border controls, following an influx of migrants from north Africa. Germany, the Netherlands, Greece and Malta have all given their blessing to Paris and Rome’s call for adjustments to be made to the Schengen Agreement on passport-free travel within most of the EU, while underlining the importance of an ‘open Europe’.

“‘If you can improve the Schengen system then that is good and you should,’ German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said Wednesday, reports AFP. ‘But travel freedom in Europe is such an important achievement that it should not be up for renegotiation.’”

Deutsche Welle added on April 28:

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned on Wednesday against taking away the luxury of visa-free travel enjoyed by millions of Europeans by reforming the Schengen Agreement. A German government spokesman said the treaty was sacrosanct.”

A Critical Look at the New British Wedding

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 27:

“The wedding of William and Kate on Friday… feels like an aberration of history… The Guardian newspaper wants to abolish the monarchy, as does the Independent and the Economist magazine. Many professors, film directors, writers, actors and politicians would like Britain to become a republic — but they remain in the minority which for years has been constant at around 18 percent of the population…

“Great Britain… has no written constitution but a rigid class system. The lawyers wear wigs in court and there are no citizens, just subjects… British soldiers are fighting for democracy in Afghanistan and Libya, and they fought for it in Iraq. But at home, they defend the absurdly undemocratic idea that nobody but a Windsor can be head of state. As soon as Elizabeth, 85 [dies], her son Charles, 62, already worn down by his long wait for the accession, will take the throne, even though opinion polls show the majority of Britons don’t want the brooding, esoteric prince to become king…

“More than 10,000 journalists are descending on London. The German networks… will hardly be broadcasting anything else on Friday. Everyone is pretending that this spectacle is the most important and beautiful event on earth — but it is not. Oddly, the British public isn’t as interested in the wedding as one might think. Most Britons say they don’t really care about the event. Only about a third of them plan to watch the show on TV…

“Britain is still mired in its worst economic crisis since World War II. Everyone should be rolling up their sleeves to haul the nation out of the doldrums. But the government declared the wedding day a public holiday, and schools, banks, offices and factories will be closed — just because the heir to the heir to the throne is getting married. The extra holiday… will end up costing the economy billions…

“In truth, the marriage of William and Kate is a sad spectacle. Two young people aren’t getting wed in the way they would like but how the palace, protocol and [grandmother] demand it. William, 28, is accustomed to that because he was born into it. But for Kate, 29, Friday will mark the end of her freedom…

“Some friends and relatives will be present in Westminster Abbey, but most of the guests will be strangers, and some of them will be repulsive ones at that. King Mswati, the despot of the impoverished African nation of Swaziland who has 13 wives, will be flying in with his entourage of 50 people. Arab potentates have also been invited, some of whom are currently having pro-democracy demonstrators shot at in their streets…”

Germany’s Fascination with Royalty

The Local wrote on April 26:

“A supposedly proud proletarian city like Berlin throws itself at the feet of just about anyone with an exotic title….  I can’t think of any other community outside the Netherlands that is so fascinated by [Queen] Beatrix and her strange taste in hats…

“Now we are bracing for… Britain’s royal wedding this Friday. This is the moment when Germans get to compare all the terrible royal families of the world… The thuggish King of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa – unless he has to stay at home and order the shooting of demonstrators demanding democracy. And Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf should be able to make the nuptials; his sex parties were always on a Monday, or after his hunting trips, so his Fridays are free… [ and] Prince Laurent of Belgium who famously had his dead dog put in a freezer. And… Prince Henrik, husband of the Danish queen, who has been telling everyone how much he likes to eat dogs… All these people will be welcoming or pretending to welcome Kate Middleton into the extended family, and she may be wondering whether it was worth the price.

“Perhaps that is the appeal of royalty to the Germans: they can envy the wealth on display but criticise the dress sense and the twisted mentality of inbred monarchs. Almost everyone has a black sheep in the family but royal clans have whole flocks of them… All I can say to Germans is enjoy the show. The House of Windsor is, after all, just the renamed House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. So perhaps Germany can rightfully claim them as its own royal family.”

The thought of a revival of a functioning monarchy in certain European countries—including Germany—should not be rejected or dismissed too lightly.

UK Royals Snub EU Chiefs, but Rome Does Not

The EUObserver wrote on April 28, 2011:

“All three EU presidents and the bloc’s foreign policy chief – one of the most senior UK dignitaries – have been snubbed by the British royal family. While the great and the good from around the world have been invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday, not a single European Union representative has been sent a gold-embossed wedding request to attend the occasion…  On Saturday, it emerged that Queen Elizabeth may believe the EU is too large…

“If Great Britain’s monarchy is wary of the Union, the Holy See is more than pleased to recognise the importance of European leaders, who are set to attend the beatification of the late pope, John Paul II, in the Vatican this coming weekend. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek are all heading to Rome to witness the final step before the Polish ex-pope is transmogrified into a saint.”

NATO’s Bad Options in Libya

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 21:

“NATO’s mission in Libya has now lasted four weeks, and there are no signs of an ending yet… But what is the aim of this mission? Will the protection of civilians only end when Gadhafi has fallen?… A quick military success is certainly not in sight… NATO has relatively few ways out of Libya, especially because France, Britain and the US have ruled out direct negotiations with the Libyan regime… For NATO, that means more airstrikes, even if weeks and months go by. The idea is to destroy Gadhafi’s heavy weapons, his ammunitions stores and his communications structure, but that’s extremely difficult… staying for the long haul entails its own risks…

“The Security Council’s Libya resolution expressly confines itself to protecting the civilian population. This new moral principle, which emerged following the genocide in Rwanda and the Balkans, dictates that the international community is responsible for civilians if the state fails to keep them safe… It’s exactly that – a long-term military operation – that NATO is now committed to in Libya. Whether the members want it or not, NATO is a combatant there, not an arbiter.”

Syria In Turmoil

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 26:

“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has sent in tanks to crush the pro-democracy protests, in a sign that he has abandoned all pretense at reforming his regime, German media commentators say. Even though the pillars of his administration remain intact, his days could well be numbered…

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘…Syria’s officers may be loyal to the Assad regime and may keep firing on the opposition for the time being. But in the end, every army consists of citizens with families. If the killing goes on, officers and ordinary troops may start to ask themselves for whom they are shooting at their compatriots. That could end in the army becoming divided or launching a coup. The latter has a precedent in Syria: it’s how Assad’s father came to power.’…

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘…The Sunni majority is demanding a political say. The Syrian president is to blame for having failed to recognize this and to respond in time. His people didn’t want to topple him, they just wanted more freedom. But Assad missed his chance to grant it. His speech to the pseudo-parliament was amateurish, silly and foolish. It’s only now that the Syrians want to get rid of him and his nepotistic power apparatus, and he’s no longer in control of events.’

“Left-wing Frankfurter Rundschau writes: ‘The world is appalled at how a further Arab regime is resorting to gunfire to crush a revolution by people yearning for freedom. The confrontation is escalating… The chance for political compromises that could calm the enraged citizens has been missed. More than 120 deaths from bullets fired by the government killers — no wonder the people don’t trust Assad or his supposed readiness to reform. They will go for broke now because they know such a system of power cannot be reformed.’”

What’s Behind the Palestinian Unity Deal?

The Local wrote on April 28:

“Germany has joined Israel and the United States in expressing deep scepticism about the reconciliation between former rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, declaring the latter too radical and violent for a peace agreement. ‘Hamas is not a dialogue partner for us because we don’t work with organizations that fight with violence against Israel’s right to exist,’ Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Thursday…  Germany’s position would not change as long as Hamas maintained its radical stance against the Jewish state, he said…

“Israel quickly condemned the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Fatah could not hope to forge a peace deal with Israel if it pursued a reconciliation accord with Hamas. ‘The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both,’ he said in a televised statement.

“The United States is now reconsidering financial aid to the Palestinians, according to The New York Times. ‘As we have said before, the United States supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace,’ Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said. ‘Hamas, however, is a terrorist organization which targets civilians.’”

Egypt’s Revolution Continues

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

“‘The announcement of Mubarak’s arrest is not entirely satisfactory. If the military council can decide on its own whim when Mubarak should be turned over to the judiciary, it raises questions about the legal system in place. It certainly makes one doubt the existence of democratic principles such as the separation of powers. That is true even if a trial against Mubarak is a positive development. In other cases too, the legal arbitrariness of the military reminds one of the Mubarak regime.’

“‘The generals should only stay in power until the Egyptians elect a democratic government. But such a change will hardly be successful if the military cement their hold on the country’s leadership. An independent judiciary, press freedoms and freedom of expression must all be part of a democratic transition. Western politicians, who presented themselves as friends of the democracy movement in the days after Mubarak’s fall, need to demand that democratic criteria are met. Egypt’s revolution has not yet been won.’”

From Newsmax.com, April 18, 2011:

“The Muslim Brotherhood’s mask is slipping in Egypt. Small ‘d’ democrats there and elsewhere are alarmed by top Brotherhood officials who now aver openly what has been utterly predictable: Once in power they will impose Shariah — the totalitarian, supremacist politico-military-legal program practiced in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and increasingly elsewhere.

“The prospect that the most populous Arab nation, one that sits astride the strategic Suez Canal and has a vast American-supplied arsenal, is heading in such an ominous direction is made all the more remarkable since the Obama administration has done nothing to deter the rise of the Ikhwan (as the Muslim Brotherhood is known in Arabic).”

Gadhafi Not So Easy!

SpiegelOnline, April 15, 2011, reports:

“During their summit in Berlin, NATO foreign ministers have failed to make much progress on how to proceed with its mission in Libya. German commentators warn that a lack of resolve against Moammar Gadhafi could reveal the alliance as an impotent Cold War relic.

“A two-day NATO summit in Berlin this week has been hosted, in part, by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who awkwardly distinguished himself in the UN Security Council’s vote last month on military aid for Libyan rebels by a surprise abstention. Accordingly, when NATO members met on Thursday to decide what to do next, Westerwelle had to choose his words carefully. ‘What unites us is the goal,’ he told his colleagues in Berlin. ‘We want a free and democratic Libya.’”

BILD reported on April 15, 2011:

“If it continues like that, Muammar al-Gadhafi will remain the dictator of Libya long after NATO has ceased to exist as a functioning military alliance. The Americans, French and British could prevent a massacre against the Gadhafi opponents. This is to be applauded.
 
“But then NATO wanted to be in charge. But that was too much. 

“The 28 states of the alliance have no common goal and no common idea as to how much to risk militarily. It is the announcement of capitulation.
 
“When Germany felt it was extremely clever to vote during the UN Security Council meeting against the three main NATO partners, it became clear: A half crazy desert despot can divide the West. Just that.
 
“That should have warned NATO. Now it is paralyzed. It cannot just abandon its military activity. It cannot accept a stalemate with Gadhafi. But what it would need, to get rid of him, for instance ground troops, it cannot achieve.
 
“This way, the alliance is abolishing itself.”
 
BBC, April 20, 2011, adds:

“At the moment, political and diplomatic contacts are not bringing an end to the war any closer. Britain and France are Nato’s hawks on Libya, and aren’t prepared to negotiate with the government here until Col Gaddafi goes.

“That means they do not have an easy or fast exit from the war. Deploying military advisers means they are deepening their involvement.

“And despite what the Libyan foreign minister has said about what could happen after an election, Col Gaddafi shows no signs at all of stepping aside, let alone leaving the scene.”

Soon, NATO will be replaced by a powerful United States of Europe.

Europe: The New Protector?

WorldNetDaily, on April 18, 2011, reported:

“The European Union might intervene militarily to halt violent clashes between protesters and the governments of Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, according to one official, Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin reports.

“Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Zsolt Nemeth has warned of a Libyan-style military intervention as a “distinct possibility” unless these regimes stop the killings and repression of demonstrators and “[clean] up their acts.”

“Security forces reportedly have killed some 23 people Bahrain, 122 in Syria and 63 in Yemen.

“At a recent European Parliament meeting, Nemeth said that the parliament had been discussing countries ‘where there are authoritarian regimes which are also playing with fire, and where there is a risk of intervention.’

“‘I think we have sent out a very clear and important signal that came from the (EU) high representative (Catherine Ashton) and that is a very crucial message to these three countries,’ Nemeth said. ‘They know that in Libya and also in the Ivory Coast there have been military interventions and that’s always a possibility.’

“Nemeth pointed to an evolving approach by Europeans as shaping a ‘very clear philosophy under the motto of “the responsibility to protect” and that should be a warning sign to Yemen, Bahrain and indeed to all of those countries which maintain authoritarian regimes.’”

Declaring a Palestinian State

WorldNetDaily posted on April18, 2011:

“The Obama administration has asked the Palestinian Authority to halt talks on a unity government with Hamas, according to a senior PA official.

“The official said the White House fears a unity government with the Islamist group would make it difficult for the U.S. and European Union to support the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state in the United Nations.

“The information is the latest indicator Obama will not veto the controversial U.N. resolution, which would recognize a Palestinian state in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, purportedly including the Temple Mount.

“Like Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is the site of biblical, historically Jewish communities.”

Also, from the EUOBSERVER, 4/14/11:

“The Palestinian Authority has welcomed endorsement of a UN report on institution building as a ‘birth certificate’ for statehood amid Israeli concern over a potential unilateral declaration of independence.

“The Ad-hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) on Palestine at a meeting in the EU capital on Wednesday (13 April) endorsed a UN report which says that in six key areas – rule of law, the economy, education, health, social protection and infrastructure – in the West Bank ‘government functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state.’

“The AHLC is an international body comprising the EU, US, Israel, Canada, Norway, Russia, four Arab countries, the UN, the World Bank and the IMF.

“The endorsement comes ahead of a UN meeting in September in which Israel fears the Palestinian side will unilaterally declare independence in territories under its control before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war due to a stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

“Speaking after the event in Brussels, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said: ‘This very important meeting effectively recognised the reality of a state of Palestine being projected on the territory occupied in 1967, which amounts effectively to a birth certificate for the reality of Palestinian statehood.’

“Asked by press if the move makes a unilateral declaration more likely, he said he would favour a final settlement recognised by Israel: ‘We are not looking for yet another declaration, or for a virtual state.’

“He went on to note that the AHLC-UN decision, plus related decisions to grant the Palestinian Authority observer status in the WTO and tariff-free exports to the EU, are ‘reflective’ of growing support for independence, however.

“‘These are important developments and we see them as reflective. A lot of countries around the world stand ready to offer that recognition. Of course, exactly when they do so precisely is a time for their choosing.’”

These moves are prophetically significant. Indeed, the Bible, in Zechariah 12, verses 2-3, indicates that all nations will gather against the City of Jerusalem. Our free booklet— “The Book of Zechariah, Prophecies for Today!”—gives more details about these momentous occurrences!

Hungary’s Controversial New Constitution

From Deutsche Welle, April 18, 2011:

“Lawmakers from Hungary’s governing majority have approved a controversial new constitution amid a boycott by the opposition. Critics fear a ban on abortion and discrimination against homosexuals and non-Christians.

“With a two-thirds majority in parliament, Hungary’s ruling center-right party effortlessly pushed through a controversial new constitution Monday that the opposition deems an attack on democracy and citizens’ rights…

“Critics say the constitution is the government’s attempt to cement its power beyond its term, alleging that it eliminates the system of checks and balances, prevents Hungary’s eventual adoption of the euro, forces its Christian ideology on the country and limits civil liberties.

“The new constitution’s preamble is laden with references to God, Christianity, the fatherland, the ‘Holy Crown of Hungary,’ and traditional family values, raising opposition fears about the future rights of Hungary’s atheists, homosexuals and single-parent families.

”However, the majority in parliament did not share these fears. Laszlo Kover, a Fidesz parliamentarian and speaker of the house welcomed the new basic law, saying it ‘acknowledges Christianity as the basis of our civilization but it ensures moral freedom.’

The article adds:

“German deputy foreign minister, Werner Hoyer, commented on Monday in Tunis that Hungary’s current course was not in line with European values.

“‘We are observing the developments in Hungary with great attention and not without concern,’ he was quoted as saying on the German Foreign Ministry’s website.”

In its article dated April 20, The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has no problem with the new constitution:

“The preamble may seem antiquated to Western observers. But for the big majority of Hungarians in the country and for the Hungarian minorities abroad, the references to a ‘national statement of faith’ and a ‘holy crown’ are values as worthy of the constitution as are references to God and Christendom and the emphasis on marriage and family as foundations of society and state. There is no evidence in the text that the amendments are not in line with basic European values, as [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban’s opponents are claiming.”

S&P Downgrade—U.S. Negative!

The Guardian.co.uk published on April 19, 2011:

“Shares fell heavily on Wall Street on Monday after a leading ratings agency fanned fears of Europe’s debt crisis spreading across the Atlantic by issuing a strong warning about America’s failure to tackle its budget deficit.

“In a move seen by Wall Street as a ‘shot across the bows’ of bickering politicians in Washington, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) said it was cutting the outlook on the US’s long-term rating from stable to negative for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor 70 years ago.

“The announcement surprised the financial markets, where attention in recent months has been focused on the problems of the weaker nations of the eurozone. Renewed speculation that Greece will be forced to default on its debts led to a sharp sell-off in the euro, but S&P stressed that the US was not immune from the sovereign debt crisis.”

This bad news for the U.S. comes on the heels of a growing push to replace the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. However, with the U.S. economy suffering on more and more fronts, the Euro is emerging as the most stable monetary unit—something we have been reporting as a key and decisive fulfillment of prophecies concerning an all-powerful, revived Europe!

Texas Burns!

CNN published on April 20, 2011:

“Texas firefighters Wednesday battled blazes that have scorched more than a million acres and have been burning for more than a week, according to the Texas Forest Service.

“‘We’re actually seeing Texas burn from border to border. We’ve got it in west Texas, in east Texas, in north Texas, in south Texas — it’s all over the state, Forest Service spokeswoman April Saginor told CNN Radio.”

This article also states that the reason for these fires is lack of rainfall; and, as the next article shows, weather problems in the U.S. are widespread—even historic!

Tornadoes Ravage the Southern U.S.

AccuWeather.com wrote on April 17, 2011:

“From Thursday, April 14, 2011 to Saturday, April, 16, 2011, devastating tornadoes rampaged across communities of the southern United States. Cities and towns from Oklahoma to North Carolina were assaulted by the deadly twisters.

“The tornado outbreak led to a total of 241 tornado reports in 14 states over the three-day period. This will likely rank this tornado outbreak among the largest in history.

“Tragically, the death toll has risen to 39 people so far with dozens of others injured. The number of fatalities could rise as investigations continue. This tornado outbreak already ranks as the most deadly outbreak since the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak.

“In North Carolina alone, close to two dozen eople were killed on Saturday, while seven people were killed in Alabama on Friday…

“This mid-April 2011 tornado outbreak is likely to rank among the largest tornado outbreaks in history with 241 tornado reports.

“‘There has not been a tornado outbreak in history over three days with this many tornadoes spawned by a single storm system,’ according to [Expert Senior Meterorologist Henry] Margusity.”

California’s Newest Curriculum!

The Telegraph reported on April 17, 2011:

“Children would take lessons on issues affecting gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, with schools granted discretion about what age to start the lessons.

“The law was passed by the state’s senate and is likely to pass the assembly easily, which is also controlled by the Democrats, before being signed by Governor Jerry Brown.

“The legislation, sponsored by Democrat Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed on a 23-14 party line vote.

“‘We are second-class citizens and children are listening,’ he said. ‘When they see their teachers don’t step up to the plate when their classmate is being harassed literally to death, they are listening and they get the message that there is something wrong with those people.’

“Republican state Senator Doug La Malfa opposed the bill saying: ‘I’m deeply troubled kids would have to contemplate at a very, very early age, when many of us are teaching abstinence … what is sexuality.’

“California law already requires schools to cover the contributions to the state and nation of women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labour activists. The new bill will also add the disabled to the list.”

The Bible also records accounts of “gay history”—specifically, in Genesis 19, where the story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is told. However, it is doubtful that this history will be a part of California’s newest teaching curriculum!

“Ivory Coast: UN Air Strikes Show West’s New Appetite for Military Action”

The Telegraph wrote on April 9:

“Barack Obama swept to power in 2008 on a wave of anti-war sentiment, while David Cameron entered Downing Street last year insisting that the West ‘can’t drop democracy from 40,000ft’. Yet the past three weeks have found the council – this time with a less noisy Anglo-American wing – willing to pass stunningly powerful resolutions allowing missile strikes against murderous leaders. Both resolution 1973 on Libya and resolution 1975 on Ivory Coast give external forces the authority to take “all necessary” measures to protect civilians from violence – practically a carte blanche…

“A Western diplomat at the UN last night said the resolutions showed members were… promising ‘timely and decisive action’ against atrocities… While Mr Obama has stayed almost invisible, the domestically embattled Nicolas Sarkozy has taken personal ‘ownership’ of both interventions…”

The Bible foretells that Europe will engage in similar military action in the not-too-distant future, as it relates to the Middle East, and especially the Holy Land.

How Herman Van Rompuy Became EU President…

The EUObserver reported on April 8:

“How did the post of European president get to be created? And how did someone completely unknown to most Europeans end up in it? This is the story revealed in a new TV documentary, ‘The President’, a film by Danish director Christoffer Guldbrandsen… The hour-long film presents the struggle by Europe’s top politicians to get a president elected… It reveals for the first time how German and French leaders, Schroeder and Chirac, agreed at a breakfast not to give Berlusconi the honour of striking a deal on the European Constitution during the Italian EU presidency. Schroeder and Chirac got their way… Another political drama explored in the film was the legendary Franco-German deal on farm subsidies in 2006. Struck between Chirac and Schroeder in Brussels’ fashionable Hotel Conrad ahead of a full EU leaders’ summit, it took everybody by surprise, particularly the Brits…

“For his part, Herman Van Rompuy, the man who eventually became EU president, notes how he turned down the post three times. But in the end, faced with 26 other leaders urging him to take the job, he gave in… Tony Blair, previously Britain’s prime minister, was for a long time seen as a serious contender… Blair had the backing of Nicolas Sarkozy… Ultimately however, Blair’s own party allies in the Social Democrat group in the European Parliament blocked the road… former commission president Romano Prodi… reveals how surprised he was to learn that personal relations often mean more than national interests among political leaders.”

According to the Bible, ten nations or groups of nations will transfer their power and authority to the beast—a political charismatic end-time leader.  Based on what is revealed in the article above, we might get a clearer picture as to how this process might occur.

Barak Obama Not Allowed to Be President?

Newsmax reported on April 7:

“Donald Trump says he has ‘real doubts’ about President Barack Obama’s birthplace and has sent investigators to Hawaii to find out whether Obama was in fact born there, as he claims. During an interview with NBC’s ‘Today’ show on Thursday, the real estate billionaire said his investigators might uncover ‘one of the greatest cons in the history of politics and beyond.’ The host of ‘The Apprentice,’ who is considering a run for president in 2012, suggested that Obama is engaged in a cover-up regarding his birthplace.

“‘He spent $2 million in legal fees trying to get away from this issue, and if it weren’t an issue, why wouldn’t he just solve it? I wish he would, because if he doesn’t it’s one of the greatest scams in the history of politics and in history, period. You are not allowed to be a president if you’re not born in this country. Right now, I have real doubts.’…

“’The grandmother in Kenya is on record saying he was born in Kenya,’ Trump said. ‘The hospital has, not only no birth certificate — or if they have it they should produce it, maybe there is something on it, who knows — but they have no records that he was there. The family is fighting over which hospital in Hawaii he was born in. There is not one record, in any hospital in Hawaii, that Barack Hussein Obama was born there,’ he added.”

USA Ill Prepared for Nuclear Attack

The Washington Post wrote on April 7, 2011:

“U.S. officials say the nation’s health system is ill-prepared to cope with a catastrophic release of radiation, despite years of focus on the possibility of a terrorist “dirty bomb” or an improvised nuclear device attack…

“After a nuclear blast, hospitals probably would fill with trauma patients. Later, others would arrive with acute radiation syndrome, which can take days to manifest and affects multiple organ systems. Without supportive care, about 50 percent of people exposed to 3.5 Gray, a measure of radiation dose, would die. Proper care would almost double the exposure level at which 50 percent would survive, but only a small fraction of American medical professionals have training and expertise in treating radiation injury. Given that not enough beds would be available, hospitals and first responders would have to choose which patients to save…

“Many experts predict that without more education, people probably would flee as many are doing in Tokyo and as many Americans did after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979… Such an exodus would extend panic and devastation far beyond the locus of the event, draining food, water, medicines, gasoline and other resources from surrounding communities and potentially causing gridlock that would severely compromise many elements of the official disaster response…”

The Bible predicts that the USA will be attacked with nuclear weapons, with devastating consequences.

US Government Shutdown Averted

Politico wrote on April 8:

“The bottom line to Friday night’s spending deal is a record $40 billion cut in domestic and foreign aid appropriations – and a hard lesson in the tough and almost permanent disorder of Washington’s budget politics… House Speaker John Boehner… and President Barack Obama only reached agreement hours before what would have been an unprecedented wartime shutdown of the government that threatened both men… Both men later cast the agreement as the best available, but the grueling, often distrustful process testified to how tough this legislative year will be and the immense pressure on Boehner from the right.

“The administration largely succeeded in blocking the most controversial policy riders impacting the environment and abortion-rights. But the spending cut is one of the single largest in history, and a preview of what lies ahead when Republicans move their 2012 budget plan next week and fight with Obama over raising the debt ceiling in May and June…

“With a deal in hand and no time to spare, the Senate quickly adopted a one week stopgap bill to keep the government operating and buy time for processing the final package. Just minutes after midnight, the House followed suit…”

Turkey Condemns Israel

Haaretz reported on April 10:

“Turkey expressed displeasure on Sunday at Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip over the weekend, calling the strikes ‘excessive and disproportionate’, Agence France-Presse reported. ‘We strongly condemn the excessive and disproportionate reprisals of Israel that have injured and killed civilians in Gaza,’ read a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement. ‘The region cannot be allowed to enter into a new spiral of violence,’ it added.

“Nineteen Palestinian militants and civilians in Hamas Islamist ruled Gaza have been killed since Israel launched a series of air raids on Thursday after the critical wounding of a teenager by an anti-tank rocket that was fired at a school bus. Palestinian militants responded by firing more than 120 rockets and mortars at Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip over the course of the weekend, with tens of thousands of people spending the past few nights in reinforced rooms.

“Relations between Israel and Turkey, once close allies, have sharply deteriorated in recent years amid Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s frequent outbursts against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians and Israel’s raid on the Gaza flotilla in May, in which IDF commandos killed 9 Turkish citizens aboard.”

The relationship between Turkey and the state of Israel—the Jews or the house of Judah–will continue to deteriorate. In ancient times, Edom or Esau and Jacob or Israel were brothers. Future Turkey—biblical Edom—is condemned in the book of Obadiah for their conduct and attitude towards the Jews:

“But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother In the day of his captivity; Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah In the day of their destruction; Nor should you have spoken proudly In the day of distress. You should not have entered in the gate of My people In the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction In the day of their calamity, Nor lay hands on their substance In the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads To cut off those among them who escaped; Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained In the day of distress. For the day of the LORD upon all nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you… the house of Esau shall be stubble… And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau…” (Obadiah 12-18).

Further Unrest in the Middle East

The Telegraph reported on April 9:

“Supporters of Syria’s president Bashir al-Asad opened fire during fresh protests on Friday killing at least 22 people… There were protests in cities across Syria sparking violent responses from the authorities…

“The violence is further evidence that after the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions, where the army pulled back as deaths mounted, other Arab regimes facing popular revolts are less prepared to hold off from the use of force.

“Yemen, where more than 120 people have died in three months of protest, was last night also nearer a state of open conflict after President Ali Abdullah Saleh rejected a peace deal presented by his Gulf neighbours, led by his closest ally, Saudi Arabia… Earlier this week, Washington lost patience with Mr Saleh, its ally, who has ruled Yemen for 32 years… But Mr Saleh, who had earlier given indications he welcomed efforts by the Gulf Co-operation Council to mediate with the opposition, was defiant yesterday, telling supporters he rejected outside offers…

“The United States singled out Syria, Libya and another ally Bahrain for criticism in its annual report on human rights abuses, published yesterday. It said that movements to replace dictatorships with sustainable democracies would improve ‘the Middle East region, and with it the whole world’.”

This conclusion would be highly doubtful.

Violence in Egypt

BBC News reported on April 9:

“Egypt’s army has cracked down on protests in Cairo’s symbolic Tahrir Square, leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured… The violence came after a huge protest in the square on Friday. Hundreds of thousands demanded the prosecution of Mr Mubarak for corruption…”

In its accompanying “analysis,” BBC News wrote:

“This is the latest worrying sign of tensions between the ruling military and supporters of the 25 January revolution who are becoming increasingly impatient with the pace of change. There is growing anger that remnants of the former government, including the ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his family, have not been charged with corruption. Some blame the former Defence Minister, Field Marshal Tantawi, who is head of the Supreme Military Council. He was very close to Mr Mubarak. Reports that the army has arrested and tortured demonstrators that have circulated in recent weeks and the fact that military trials continue add to the mistrust. The armed forces insist they were simply enforcing a curfew when they moved into Tahrir Square overnight and that they are meeting their promises of reforms and justice.”

This development was so predictable. Despite the glowing and frantic reports of the Western press and governmental officials about Egypt’s democratic reforms, the cold reality is that the current political and military leaders are very unlikely to give up their powers.

“Torture” Outrage

The guardian.co.uk reported on April 10:

“Obama professor among 250 experts who have signed letter condemning humiliation of alleged WikiLeaks source:

“More than 250 of America’s most eminent legal scholars have signed a letter protesting against the treatment in military prison of the alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, contesting that his ‘degrading and inhumane conditions’ are illegal, unconstitutional and could even amount to torture.

“The list of signatories includes Laurence Tribe, a Harvard professor who is considered to be America’s foremost liberal authority on constitutional law. He taught constitutional law to Barack Obama and was a key backer of his 2008 presidential campaign.

“Tribe joined the Obama administration last year as a legal adviser in the justice department, a post he held until three months ago.

“He told the Guardian he signed the letter because Manning appeared to have been treated in a way that ‘is not only shameful but unconstitutional’ as he awaits court martial in Quantico marine base in Virginia.

“The US soldier has been held in the military brig since last July, charged with multiple counts relating to the leaking of thousands of embassy cables and other secret documents to the WikiLeaks website.”

This reaction is called a “stinging rebuke of Obama,” but is just a further indictment of the United States in general and with the worldview of American policies eroding on every front!

“Bric Countries” Challenge Dollar!

Reporting on April 14, 2011, the BBC stated:

“The Bric countries are some of the world’s fastest-growing economies – China, India, Brazil and Russia.”

Continuing, this article highlights the momentous challenge that the U.S. dollar is now facing:

“As well as the WTO call, the group has asked for certain changes to the global financial system.

“These include a call for the International Monetary Fund to expand its use of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which are used as a quasi currency to transfer funds between member governments.

“The Brics called for a broad-based international reserve currency system “providing stability and certainty”.

“A joint communique, termed the Sanya Declaration, said the current system was no longer representative.

“‘The governing structure of the international financial institutions should reflect the changes in the world economy, increasing the voice and representation of emerging economies and developing countries,’ it said.

“At the summit on the southern island of Hainan, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa said the recent financial crisis had exposed the inadequacies and deficiencies of the current monetary order, which has the dollar as the world’s most-used currency…

“These countries are worried about the long-term direction of the dollar because of the US’s large trade and budget deficits.

“China has been diversifying into euros to reduce its dependency on the value of the dollar.

“In a move designed to signal another type of move away from dollar-dependency, the development banks of the five nations agreed in principle to establish mutual credit lines denominated in their local currencies.”

These Bric nations have 40% of the population of the world, and represent a potent new power-bloc that is accelerating the demise of the now embattled U.S. currency! This staggering assault on America’s position of power and leadership is happening because the people who are descendants of the ancient House of Israel have blantantly turned away from the God of the Bible–the One who has so richly blessed our nations. For more details, please read our booklets, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “Europe in Prophecy–The Unfolding of End-Time Events.”

Westerwelle Resigns….

Deutsche Welle reported on April 4:

“On Sunday, [Guido] Westerwelle gave in to relentless pressure to resign leadership of the party [FDP] after 10 years at the helm. He announced he would relinquish his post as vice chancellor as well, and said he intended to focus on his job as foreign minister.

“But it is unclear how long Westerwelle will be able to hold on to that post, as his standing has suffered not only with his party but also among the wider electorate. The three opposition parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left, have called for Westerwelle to resign the Foreign Ministry.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 4:

“[Chancellor Angela] Merkel’s junior coalition partner [FDP] has gone from ineffective to being in a shambles. Not only have the recent state elections shown that the party has little support among the German electorate, there would appear to be little chance that the FDP will be able to recover substantially prior to the next general elections in 2013. Indeed, were elections held now, the FDP would have trouble clearing the 5 percent hurdle on the national level.

“In other words, if Merkel hopes to remain in the Chancellery beyond 2013, she will have to quickly find a new political partner to pair up with. And given Germany’s recent tilt to the center-left, that search promises to be a difficult one… Westerwelle’s fall has taken place with almost breath-taking speed. In the autumn of 2009, the FDP received 14.6 percent of the vote in general elections, the party’s best-ever nationwide showing. The problems, though, began almost immediately…”

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on April 4:

“Despite all its failings, the FDP used to have the reputation as a wise, clever party… In its heyday, the FDP was a fertile opposition within government: in the conservative governments of Konrad Adenauer and Ludwig Erhard, the FDP left its mark as a party of democratic justice, and in the center-left governments of Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt, it was the guardian of market economics. The FDP was a guarantor of continuity in the changing governments of the republic… One should mourn the decline of every democratic party. Its passing also removes a piece of democratic tradition. If a newspaper folds, it’s a blow to the freedom of the press. If a party dies, as the FDP is at risk of doing, it’s a blow to party democracy.”

The Tageszeitung wrote on April 4:

“The liberal story about guaranteeing personal freedom is looking out of date. Would Germany miss the FDP if it weren’t around anymore?”

Should the FDP disappear, other groups will take its place. But will it be for the better of the country and the entire world?

Westerwelle’s Successor Nominated

Der Spiegel Online reported on April 5:

“Germany’s Free Democrats on Tuesday anointed Philipp Rösler, the Vietnamese-born health minister, as their new leader to replace Guido Westerwelle… The FDP’s executive board agreed that Rösler, 38, should stand for the chairmanship at a party conference in May. He is expected to remain health minister, a job in which he has had only modest success since taking it on as the youngest minister in Merkel’s cabinet in 2009… Rösler was born in a southern Vietnamese village in 1973 during the war, and was adopted by a family in Germany at the age of nine months. He joined the pro-business FDP while he was still a teenager in 1992. He studied medicine in Hanover and Hamburg before becoming a medical doctor in 2002…

“Rösler is affable and eloquent and less confrontational than Westerwelle, who is famous for his outbursts of combative rhetoric… The demands on the mild-mannered Rösler are huge, and there are doubts whether he is resolute and thick-skinned enough for the job… But his career has nevertheless been meteoric. He was 27 years old when he became the FDP’s general secretary for the state of Lower Saxony in 2000. He joined the FDP’s national executive in 2005 and became FDP leader in the state in 2006. In early 2009, he was appointed Lower Saxony’s economics minister and deputy governor.”

Nato and Libya

Sky News reported on April 6, 2011:

“Libyan rebels have accused Nato of being too slow to act – and asked them to suspend operations unless they ‘do the job properly’… Rebel leader Abdel Fattah Younes has complained that the alliance takes hours to respond to events on the battlefield because of an overly bureaucratic process. He claimed the alliance’s inaction was allowing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s forces to advance and was letting them kill people in the rebel-held city of Misratah ‘every day’.

“He said: ‘Nato is moving very slowly, allowing Gaddafi forces to advance. Nato has become our problem.’ Mr Younes also said if Nato had wanted to lift the siege of Misrata, it could have done it weeks ago… Nato took over from a coalition led by the US, Britain and France on March 31. It puts the alliance in charge of air strikes targeting Col Gaddafi’s military infrastructure as well as policing a no-fly zone and an arms embargo.”

The USA does not want to act and Nato is being criticized for acting too slowly. All eyes turn to Europe—as the next article shows as well.

Europeans Must Lead

The Financial Times wrote on April 6:

“Transatlantic relations are being tested by the US’s refusal to lead the military mission in Libya, with figures on both sides of the ocean depicting the conflict as a wake-up call for Europe’s military and political establishments. Britain and France are straining to fill the gap left by Washington’s decision to pull back, as Europe’s military ambitions are tested.

“The Pentagon said on Tuesday that it had flown 1,600 sorties since operations began on March 19 and would no longer be involved in air strikes against Libyan targets. It would continue support missions, such as aerial refuelling, and would remain on alert for emergency strike missions, if requested by Nato. Defence experts maintain that the US move has a longer-term significance, since it signals that Europeans cannot rely on Washington to provide security in crises in their neighbourhood.

“’What we’ve seen in Libya is hugely significant,’ said Lord Hutton, a former defence secretary in the last Labour government. ‘The US has been saying for 10 or 15 years that it wants the Europeans to share more of the security burden and we have to heed that lesson. We should be doing much more in Europe. We cannot go on expecting the US to take the leading role.’

“Nicholas Burns, a former US ambassador to Nato, added that a Washington burdened with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq welcomed the Franco-British lead, even though it is the first time in Nato’s 62-year history that the US has not been in a clear leadership role in an alliance operation.”

France Sends Troops to Ivory Coast

Deutsche Welle reported on April 3:

“France on Monday dispatched more troops to protect civilians in Ivory Coast as the battle for control of Abidjan intensified.

“Forces backing the presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara were said to be preparing for a final assault to remove incumbent Laurent Gbagbo. He is clinging on to power and has refused to accept last November’s UN-certified election results which showed that Ouattara had won the disputed poll. Ouattara’s forces marched into Abidjan on Thursday… France was meanwhile considering the evacuation of some 12,000 of its residents from Ivory Coast.

“President Nicolas Sarkozy has already issued an order for French citizens in the country to be brought together in [a] single location ahead of a possible repatriation operation. France estimates that 12,200 of its citizens live in Ivory Coast. The vast majority, some 11,800, are thought to live in Abidjan. The French army took control of the country’s main airport on Sunday to allow the evacuation of foreigners from the country…”

The EUObserver reported on April 5:

“United Nations and French helicopters have carried out strikes against military targets belonging to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo in the Ivory Coast, as forces loyal to president-elect Alassane Ouattara conduct a final offensive to capture the country’s main city of Abidjan… UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the attacks were not a declaration of war against Gbagbo but were ordered instead to defend civilians, citing UN Security Council resolution 1975 of 30 March 2011.”

European countries, such as France, are becoming more and more militarily engaged in other countries, and we observe outright invasions under the pretext of a need to assist their citizens. The Bible shows that European military actions will increase and culminate in an invasion of the entire Middle East.

Portugal May Apply for EU Bailout

Deutsche Welle reported on April 5:

“The Portuguese prime minister announced Lisbon’s intention to apply for a bailout from the European Union in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday… The news comes in the aftermath of the collapse of Portugal’s government last week. Prime Minister Jose Socrates called snap elections for June 5 after the country’s parliament failed to pass austerity measures aimed at reducing its debt burden…

“Portugal is currently being governed by a caretaker government which does not have the authority to make major financial decisions… Portugal would become the third Eurozone member, after Greece and Ireland, to seek financial assistance from Brussels. Should Lisbon apply for financial help, it would have to place its economy under the supervision of the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission.”

“Euro-skeptics” will be quick to use Portugal as another example as to why the euro is doomed. However, apart from the fact that they do not understand biblical prophecy, a move which would place Portugal under European supervision and control only shows the strengthening of an autocratic European power bloc over some of the current 17 euro-zone countries.

Severe Drought in the USA

The Associated Press reported on April 6:

“In most years, the dark clouds over western Oklahoma in the spring would be bringing rain. This year, they’re more likely to be smoke from wildfires that have burned thousands of acres in the past month as the state and its farmers struggle with a severe drought. Oklahoma was drier in the four months following Thanksgiving than it has been in any similar period since 1921. That’s saying a lot in the state known for the 1930s Dust Bowl, when drought and high winds generated severe dust storms that stripped the land of its topsoil.

“Neighboring states are in similar shape as the drought stretches from the Louisiana Gulf coast to Colorado, and conditions are getting worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The area in Texas covered by an extreme drought has tripled in the past month to 40 percent, and in Oklahoma it nearly doubled in one week to 16 percent, according to the monitor’s March 29 update… While dozens of people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas have lost homes to the hundreds of grassfires that have torn through the parched landscape in the past month, Oklahoma officials said more fires caused more damage as recently as 2009… Almost all of Oklahoma is covered in some degree of drought.”

Startling prophecies for the USA come to mind. Although recorded thousands of years ago, God said this about our times today, when addressing the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel, including America: “I will make your heavens like iron [no rain] and your earth like bronze [dried up]. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the tress of the land yield their fruit” (Leviticus 26:19-20). Also, notice this additional prediction for our time: “The field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails… the harvest of the field has perished… All the trees of the field are withered…”(Joel 1:10-12)

“Path of Radiation Leak at Japan Plant Is Unclear”

The Associated Press reported on April 4:

“Workers used a milky white dye Monday as they frantically tried to trace the path of highly radioactive water gushing near Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear plant and seeping into the ocean. A crack in a maintenance pit found over the weekend was the latest confirmation that radioactivity continues to spill into the environment. The leak is a symptom of the primary difficulty at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex: Radioactive water is pooling around the plant and preventing workers from powering up cooling systems needed to stabilize dangerously vulnerable fuel rods.

“Engineers have turned to a host of improvised and sometimes bizarre methods to tame the nuclear plant after it was crippled in Japan’s magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami on March 11… Radioactive water has pooled up throughout the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant because the operator has been forced to rely on makeshift ways of pumping water into plant — and allowing it to gush out wherever it can — to bring down temperatures and pressure in the reactor cores.

“Government officials conceded Sunday that it will likely be several months before the cooling systems are completely restored. And even after that happens, there will be years of work ahead to clean up the area around the complex and figure out what to do with it. The makeshift system makes it difficult to contain the radiation leaks, but it is aimed at preventing fuel rods from going into a full meltdown that would release even more radioactivity into the environment.

“Radioactivity is quickly diluted in the ocean, and Edano said the dump should not affect the safety of seafood in the area… The crisis has unfolded as Japan deals with the aftermath of twin natural disasters that decimated large swaths of its northeastern coast. Up to 25,000 people are believed to have died in the disaster, and tens of thousands lost their homes. Thousands more were forced to flee a 12-mile (20-kilometer) radius around the plant because of the radiation.”

The Associated Press reported on April 5:

“For the first time, Japan is setting a standard for the amount of radiation allowed in fish. The decision comes after radiation more than 7.5 million times the legal limit for seawater was found just off a tsunami-damaged nuclear plant… The move came after the health ministry reported that fish caught off Ibaraki prefecture — which is about halfway between the plant and Tokyo — contained levels of radioactive iodine that exceeded the new legal limit. Cesium was also found just below the limit… officials contended Tuesday that the contamination still does not pose an immediate danger.”

Reuters wrote on April 5:

“India has imposed a three-month ban on imports of food articles from the whole of Japan on fears that radiation from an earthquake-hit nuclear plant was spreading to other parts of the country, becoming the first country to introduce a blanket ban… A number of countries have imposed bans on dairy products, meat, fish and other produce from areas near the crippled nuclear power plant.”

Even though we are told that the dump of radioactive water into the ocean should not affect the safety of seafood in the area, who is really willing to believe this? All the evidence speaks to the contrary.

Muslim Anger Against America

Mail On Line reported on April 4:

“Despite clear evidence that his actions have led to multiple murders and widespread violence in the Middle East, controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones has vowed to step up his provocative campaign against Islam. The radical pastor said that he was considering putting Islamic prophet Mohammed ‘on trial’ for his next ‘day of judgement’ publicity stunt.

“His last, in which he oversaw the burning of a copy of the Koran after a six-hour mock trial, has been directly responsible for a wave of violence that began last night and has left 30 people dead and more than 150 injured.

“The defiant stance has led General Petraeus, the head of NATO forces in Afghanistan, to join international condemnation of pastor Jones. The General urged Afghans to understand only a small number of people had been disrespectful to the Koran and Islam. He said: ‘We condemn, in particular, the action of an individual in the United States who recently burned the Holy Koran. We also offer condolences to the families of all those injured and killed in violence which occurred in the wake of the burning of the Holy Koran.’

“The call comes after a third day of violence in Afghanistan saw at least ten deaths, 78 injured and at least 17 arrests as protesters clash with security forces in Kandahar…

“[Jones’] March 20 burning stunt received little press in Afghanistan at first. But after President Hamid Karzai condemned the burning of the book and religious leaders called for justice in sermons yesterday, thousands poured into the streets in several cities to protest. At least eight UN staff and around a dozen locals were murdered after a mob killed the UN guards, stole their weapons and opened fire…

“Thousands of demonstrators marched through the western Afghan city of Herat. There, protesters burned a U.S. flag at a sports stadium and chanted ‘Death to the US’ and ‘They broke the heart of Islam’.

“Last week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement calling the burning a ‘crime against a religion’. He denounced it as a ‘disrespectful and abhorrent act’ and called on the U.S. and the UN to bring to justice those who burned the holy book and issue a response to Muslims around the world.”

Again, the world has it all backwards and upside down. Of course, there is no need to burn the Koran, but is Afghan President Hamid Karzai equally eager to bring to “justice” those who burn the American flag and shout, “Death to the U.S.”? It is interesting that General Petraeus “condemns” those who burn the “Holy Koran,” but have he or other Western leaders been equally indignant and outspoken against those who have burned the Holy Bible or circulated cartoons ridiculing Jesus Christ? Of course, “political correctness” would prevent that from happening, it seems. And why would a professing Christian call the Koran “holy”? In fact, why do Muslims call it “holy”?

The “Holiness” of the Koran?

The following article was published by WorldNetDaily on April 2:

“[Former Muslim Al] Fadi says that an important detail in understanding Islam is that all Muslims are taught from childhood that the Quran is a perfect book. The Quran Dilemma author’s assessment is backed up by the Islamic site, IslamiCity.com, that says that the Quran is, ‘a record of the exact words revealed by God by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago.’ The host of TheQuran.com adds that Muslims are taught that every detail presented in the Quran is without error…

“[Fadi] discusses the serious teachings of Islam like jihad and relationships with non-Muslims. ‘In one part it will say, “Christians are your closest friends,” yet in another chapter it says, “Christians and Jews are infidels and your enemies, enemies of God and you must kill them,”’ Fadi pointed out… ‘Radical Muslims, for instance, will tell you that the commands to kill are active and valid right now… I personally want to say that the radicals are truly following the teaching of the Quran. They truly understand what the Quran is teaching,’ Fadi added…

“Fadi says Sura Nine is a key element of understanding Quranic doctrine and teaching. That emphasizes the Islamic reality that Quranic teaching should be taken literally. ‘Certainly if we study the history of Islam, we’ll see that they’ve followed it to the letter. That’s why we have invasions by Muslims to other countries. They have occupied Northern Africa, Southern Spain, went all the way to the borders of India, basically because they were following this mandate,’ Fadi further explained.”

A Christian could not possibly accept the claim that the writings of the Koran were revealed, word for word, to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel. The Koran does contradict the Bible, which is, in truth, God’s HOLY BOOK and His divine revelation to man. Therefore, the Koran cannot also be God’s “holy” book, and neither is any other book (for instance, the book of Mormon), which contradicts the Bible in any way.

Protestants to Re-Adopt Catholic Traditions?

On April 3, 2011, CNN published an article by a leading Protestant Pastor in Washington D.C., stating as follows:

“… many Protestant churches have a very short-term memory. For them, church history only goes back to the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther. While we may have our theological differences, we share a long history, and I believe there are things that Protestant and Catholic churches can learn from each other in ways that don’t compromise their core beliefs.

“I for one am thankful for the Lenten tradition that has been cultivated, celebrated and cherished within the Catholic church. I think more Protestant churches will re-adopt some of those traditions that are part of our common church history from before the Protestant Reformation.”

This pastor recognizes what many Protestants today would like to forget—that the Protestant churches are daughters of the mother church of Rome. Even though they may have rejected some concepts of the Catholic Church, they have maintained their core teachings, which are, sadly, not found in the Bible. For instance, Sunday, Lent, Easter or Christmas are merely human traditions, adopted from paganism, which were enjoined by the Catholic Church; while at the same time, God’s weekly Sabbath or His annual Holy Days were rejected and at one time expressly forbidden by the Catholic Church to be kept. The Bible clearly shows that in the not-too-distant future, the Catholic Church and most Protestant churches will merge into one big “Christian” Church.

Turmoil in Europe

Germany — Stunning Defeat for Merkel

On March 28, 2011, Deutsche Welle reported:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) suffered significant political blows over the weekend following two state elections which saw the Greens make dramatic gains. The polls have been widely viewed as a referendum on nuclear energy. The Greens garnered 24.2 percent support in the Baden-Württemberg election, doubling their share of the vote since the last state polls in 2006. This has paved the way for a Green party state premier, a first in German history. The Social Democrats (SPD) polled 23.1 percent, giving a green-red coalition of the Greens and the SPD a majority. As predicted, the CDU took a severe drubbing, coming in with only 39 percent, a drop of 5.2 points. It was the party’s second-worst showing in the state…

“Speaking in Berlin on Monday, Merkel said the election defeat in the conservative stronghold of Baden-Württemberg after nearly six decades of rule was painful and would take a long time to overcome…  [In] the smaller state of Rhineland-Palatinate it was the SPD, not Merkel’s CDU, that was the main casualty of anti-incumbent sentiment on election day, although state Premier Kurt Beck is to retain power. The SPD lost its absolute majority but remained the strongest party with 35.7 percent of the vote, a fall of 9.9 percent since the last state election in 2006. The Greens polled 15.4 percent, a 10.8-percent increase, securing representation in the state parliament after a five-year hiatus… The result could indicate a coalition between the SPD and the Greens in Rhineland-Palatinate as well.”

We present the following selection from Germany’s press releases on Monday:

Der Spiegel wrote:

“… the writing is on the wall for Merkel and her center-right coalition if it doesn’t regain the trust of voters ahead of the 2013 general election… Merkel’s controversial decision last year to extend the lifetimes of Germany’s 17 nuclear reactors by an average of 12 years is coming back to haunt her… But it would be unwise to start writing off Merkel…”

Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote:

“Merkel is already studying the Green Party, which could become important to her as a means to stay in power, as a replacement for the [present coalition party] FDP… The things one does to stay in power! Anything, if need be. And she will reverse everything again if necessary. The CDU will suffer a crisis of identity. The FDP is already in an existential crisis which has now dramatically worsened…”

Die Tageszeitung wrote:

“The CDU will hold party leader Angela Merkel accountable for the disaster. She will remain in office, simply because there is a lack of alternatives to her… Of course the nuclear disaster in Japan had an impact. But the Greens can justifiably claim that no one warned about the dangers of nuclear technology as consistently as they did… The Greens have been insisting on an energy turnaround for more than 30 years. After their landslide victory it’s clear now that this epochal change in energy policy has just been launched.”

Bild wrote:

“The election is, of course, a major blow for the center-right coalition. Losing power in the conservative bastion of Baden-Württemberg will cause long-term pain. Angela Merkel knows that. She won’t throw in the towel though. She has stronger nerves than Gerhard Schröder, who abruptly called an early general election when his SPD lost its stronghold of North Rhine-Westphalia.”

Ultimately, and perhaps very soon, a powerful charismatic German political figure will arise who will meet the approval of most of the German people.

France — Blow for Sarkozy

Deutsche Welle reported on March 28:

“France’s Socialists emerged with the greatest share of the vote by far in local elections on Sunday, dealing a blow to French President Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of presidential elections next year… the left… attracted 49.9 percent of the vote. That figure… compares with 35.9 percent for Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party…

“… the pressure on Sarkozy appears to be coming from the right, as well as the left. The far-right National Front scored 11 percent, having seen its polling popularity increase significantly since leader Marine Le Pen, daughter of long-time leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, took over in January… An opinion poll for the Le Parisien daily, suggesting that Le Pen herself could win the first round of the presidential election, has sent shockwaves through the center ground of French politics. The French president’s popularity has sunk to a record low of below 30 percent… Elections took place in about half of France’s cantonal councils on Sunday.”

The EUObserver added on March 28:

“Several EU diplomats and even one foreign minister speaking off the record in Brussels in the run-up to the Libya campaign pointed to next year’s French presidential elections as a big reason for Sarkozy’s enthusiasm to take on the Libyan dictator. But looking in detail at French operations in Libya, military analysts have also said that France is using the war to promote its badly-selling €60-million-per-unit Rafale fighter.”  

It may be shocking for many to realize that wars are being started for selfish politcal and economic reasons. But if we want to be honest—hasn’t this always been the reason for human wars? (compare James 4:1-2). Considering this sobering fact, why would a true Christian want to participate in such godless conduct?

England—Turmoil on the Streets

The EUObserver reported on March 28:

“In the largest demonstration of public anger to hit the UK since protests against the Iraq War in 2003, hundreds of thousands marched through the British capital on Saturday (26 March) against cuts to public services. According to various sources, between 250,000 and 500,000 snaked their way through central London during the event, which was organised by the country’s Trade Union Congress, with 800 coaches [buses] from across the country arriving in London…

“Protesters also engaged in a series of roving civil disobedience actions shutting down high-street shops and banks to highlight the companies’ tax avoidance policies while a few hundred anarchists smashed the windows of store fronts and daubed bank offices with paint. Some 200 individuals were arrested and 84 injured, including 12 police officers who required minor treatment at hospital. A few hundred protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square at the end of the day, but police cleared the area in the evening provoking scuffles with protesters.

“While the government says the cuts are necessary to tame the government deficit, protesters said that reduction in public spending during a recession will worsen the situation… Opposition leader Ed Miliband spoke out against the cuts at a rally in Hyde Park, comparing the protest to previous struggles for justice against Apartheid South Africa and the fight for the vote for women.”

Ultimately, Great Britain will not be able to solve its economic problems. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Italy — Berlusconi Faces the Music

Deutsche Welle reported on March 28:

“Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attended his first hearing in eight years on Monday over allegations of fiscal fraud and breach of trust in his Mediaset business empire. Berlusconi – as well as his son Pier Silvio Berlusconi, who is deputy chairman of Mediaset – are accused of fraud and embezzlement over the acquisition of television rights for inflated prices… Last year, Italy’s Constitutional Court struck down a law that protected the billionaire prime minister from prosecution…

“It’s the first of four hearings bearing down on Berlusconi, who is set to stand trial next month on charges that he slept with an underage prostitute. He is also involved in a bribery trial which reopened last week. The embattled leader has denied all charges against him, insisting they are part of a left-wing plot to oust him.”

It appears that Mr. Berlusconi’s days as Italy’s leader are numbered; but then, stranger things have happened, especially in Italy.

The Euro Has Been Saved “For Good”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on March 25:

“EU leaders achieved a breakthrough in Brussels on Thursday night, reaching a deal on the permanent crisis fund that will come into effect in 2013. After agreeing to a last-minute change regarding the terms of how Germany would pay money into the new permanent bailout fund for the euro, European Union leaders on Thursday reached a final agreement on the plan that they hope will eliminate speculation over the future of the common currency…

“In addition to the permanent euro crisis fund starting in 2013, Thursday’s deal includes stricter debt rules to ensure the stability of the euro and a pact aimed at strengthening fiscal coordination among EU countries. The European summit… had been billed as the final major summit to seal a long term rescue plan for the euro. A year after Greece’s de facto bankruptcy — leading to 12 months that saw the common currency fighting for survival — the message from Brussels was: The euro will not spiral into another existential crisis. The euro has been saved for good.”

Notwithstanding the “expert opinions” of those who do not understand biblical prophecy, it has been certain from the outset that the euro will survive.

Turmoil in Canada

Canadian Government Collapes

Reuters reported on March 25:

“The opposition toppled Canada’s Conservative government on Friday, accusing it of sleaze and mismanagement…The defeat paves the way for an election that will likely be fought on two main themes — ethics and the economy. Likely dates are May 2 or May 9. Canada’s dollar was steady at C$0.9810 to the U.S. dollar, or $1.0194… Prime Minister Stephen Harper admitted he was disappointed by the result, and said Canadians did not want what will be the fourth general election in less than seven years.”

We should continue to take note of Canada. As the British people are descendants of Ephraim—one of the two sons of Joseph—so are the English-speaking Canadians. Canada’s close relationship with the USA must be realized–the people of the USA being descendants of Manasseh, the older son of Joseph (compare Genesis 48:1-20). And so it appears that the biblically prophesied fate of all of these “blood-related” countries is closely intertwined.

Trump vs. Obama?

Newsmax reported on March 24:

“Donald Trump is not backing down from his demand that President Barack Obama produce his birth certificate and stepped up his criticism by questioning why he has not released other personal records, including college transcripts and legislative papers. The billionaire real estate tycoon and star of ‘The Apprentice’ created a stir on Wednesday when he said on ‘The View’ that Obama must release his birth certificate. Now Trump has reiterated his call in an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV, with this simple message for Obama: Why don’t you produce your birth certificate and put to rest all speculation that you were born outside the United States?

“He says Obama’s birth certificate controversy is a ‘strange situation’ — there are conflicting reports as to what Honolulu hospital he was born at, and the governor of Hawaii claims he somehow remembers Obama being born 50 years ago…

“Obama asserts that he was born in Honolulu, but former Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General Philip Berg has claimed that Obama’s paternal grandmother says she was in the delivery room when he was born in Kenya… After questions were raised about his birth, Obama’s campaign released a Certification of Live Birth. The form is a summary document and does not include the newborn’s location of birth. The long-form Birth Certificate includes such data, but Obama has declined to release it…

“Asked about the Obama administration’s handling of the rebellion in Libya, Trump tells Newsmax: ‘For one thing, if you’re going to save lives on a humanitarian basis you should have started sooner, because many of those lives are gone. For another thing, you really have to find out who you’re fighting for. Who are the rebels? You have some people who say that Iran is controlling the rebels, that Iran is the happiest of all nations because they think as soon as we leave they’re going to go in with the rebels and take over Libya. I hear more and more reports that the rebels aren’t the sweetest people on earth either. It looks to me like it’s a total mess.’”

On March 28, Newsmax added the following:

“Donald Trump, who has been making television appearances calling for President Barack Obama to release his official birth documents, released his birth certificate exclusively to Newsmax on Monday. ‘It took me one hour to get my birth certificate. It’s inconceivable that, after four years of questioning,  the president still hasn’t produced his birth certificate…’

“Trump was skeptical that so few people have stepped forward to verify Obama’s birth.’ I went to the best college and I was a great student, and it is inconceivable to my brain that no doctor, no nurse, nobody has stepped forward to verify the birth, other than the governor. He remembers? The governor [of Hawaii]? A birth 50 years ago? Come on…’

“He said other presidents have produced these documents without any hesitation. ‘Ronald Reagan, George Bush have produced their birth certificates’… Trump added that the local newspaper ad announcing Obama’s birth also strikes him as odd. ‘Someone takes an ad out in the paper announcing his birth days later? How many people do you know who take an ad out in the paper to announce a birth, and then won’t show anyone the birth certificate?’…

“Trump appeared on ‘The View’ last week and found it ‘insulting’ that co-host Whoopi Goldberg intimated that racism was behind the birth-certificate issue. Goldberg said that no white president had ever been asked to produce a birth certificate. ‘The fact is they asked John McCain for his birth certificate,’ Trump told Fox today. ‘They’ve asked others for their birth certificate. They asked Bush for his birth certificate…’”

The reaction of the mainstream media, and especially the center-left and left media, was predictable. Rather than responding to the issues, attempts were made to discredit Donald Trump in other respects.

And so, the following was reported by Newsmax on March 29, 2011:

“Billionaire real estate developer and rising GOP 2012 prospect Donald Trump is firing back at mainstream media reports that the birth document he provided exclusively to Newsmax on Monday was invalid. Trump has provided Newsmax a signed, dated Certificate of Birth from the City of New York’s Department of Health.

“The new birth certificate states that Trump was born in the borough of Queens on June 14, 1946. It is signed by the mayor, the acting registrar of records, and the commissioner of health. Trump said that once he realized the document he provided Newsmax on Monday was not an official birth certificate, it only took him a couple of hours to clear up the matter and locate the official document.”

On March 31, 2011, Real Clear Politics reported:

“Donald Trump speculates that President Obama’s birth certificate may say he is a Muslim. Trump says there is something on his certificate that he does not want the public to see.”

Donald Trump might very well become an interesting political figure in the months and years ahead. His assessment pertaining to President Obama’s birth certificate and the situation in Libya might be correct.

Turmoil in the Middle East

Watch Iran

CBN wrote on March 28:

“New evidence has emerged that the Iranian government sees the current unrest in the Middle East as a signal that the Mahdi–or Islamic messiah–is about to appear. CBN News has obtained a never-before-seen video produced by the Iranian regime that says all the signs are moving into place — and that Iran will soon help usher in the end times. While the revolutionary movements gripping the Middle East have created uncertainty throughout the region, the video shows that the Iranian regime believes the chaos is divine proof that their ultimate victory is at hand…

“The propaganda footage has reportedly been approved at the highest levels of the Iranian government. It’s called The Coming is Near and it describes current events in the Middle East as a prelude to the arrival of the mythical twelfth Imam or Mahdi — the messiah figure who Islamic scriptures say will lead the armies of Islam to victory over all non-Muslims in the last days…

“The video claims that Iran is destined to rise as a great power in the last days to help defeat America and Israel and usher in the return of the Mahdi. And it makes clear the Iranians believe that time is fast approaching… The ongoing upheavals in other Middle Eastern countries like Yemen and Egypt–including the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood — are also analyzed as prophetic signs that the Mahdi is near — so is the current poor health of the king of Saudi Arabia, an Iranian rival…

“Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khameini, and Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Iran’s terrorist proxy Hezbollah, are hailed as pivotal end times players, whose rise was predicted in Islamic scriptures. The same goes for Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad, who the video says will conquer Jerusalem prior to the Mahdi’s coming.”

Iran is definitely a country to watch. There can be no doubt that the fanatic approach of Iranian Muslims regarding the coming of the Mahdi could create much turmoil in the Middle East and around the world.

Syria Divides USA and France

The EUObserver wrote on March 28:

“Syrian President Bashir al-Assad’s forces killed at least 20 more protesters over the weekend. But the US gave him credit for reforms and ruled out intervention, in contrast to hawkish French rhetoric…

“Al-Assad has freed prisoners, promised to lift the country’s long-standing emergency law and to change the constitution to appease demonstrators. But some EU diplomats stationed in Damascus fear he is capable of extreme violence if things go badly, citing the example of his father, who massacred over 20,000 people in the town of Hama in 1982… US secretary of state Hilary Clinton condemned the violence but appeared to give al-Assad a blank cheque in terms of outside intervention.

“… the Clinton rhetoric stands in contrast to remarks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Brussels on Thursday. Referring specifically to Syria and Libya, Sarkozy at the time said: ‘Every ruler should understand, and especially every Arab ruler should understand that the reaction of the international community and of Europe will from this moment on each time be the same.’”

There is much polemic talk, of course, but wars do begin with words!

The Los Angeles Times reported on March 29:

“The Syrian government resigned Tuesday as President Bashar Assad sought to stem a widening rebellion by promising to reform the police state that has kept his family in power for more than 40 years in one of the Middle East’s most strategic countries. Dissolving the Cabinet was the latest gambit by Assad to counter protests that threaten the kind of upheaval that brought down autocratic leaders in Egypt and Tunisia. The move suggested that the ruling elite is alternating between concessions and crackdowns as it navigates a crisis that has killed at least 61 people in recent days. That strategy did not save Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or Tunisian President Zine el Abidine ben Ali.”

Libya—The Dangerous Adventure

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 19:
 
“By beginning to attack targets in Libya, the international coalition, led by France, is embarking on a dangerous adventure… It’s not clear what they hope to achieve with the military action. If it’s about protecting civilians from Gadhafi, the coalition would have to engage in a month-long attack… What also applies to this war is: If you go into it, you need to know how and when you can end the fight. I fear that the coalition has become involved in this civil war, despite the lessons of the Balkan wars, the Iraq wars and the Somalia fiasco, but perhaps with pure intentions. It’s not clear how it’s going to end.

“Therefore, the German Government has made the right decision not to participate in the military conflict… Giving the French President, who is under domestic pressure, the lead role is also not the best solution. Sarkozy is prone to impulsive decisions… Are France and Italy prepared for a Gadhafi, who has been backed into a corner, to send his bombers to attack Naples or Marseilles? He has already made these kinds of threats.

“If the actions of the coalition require many civilian casualties in Libya, the favorable public opinion in the coalition and in the Arab world will rapidly tip – against the coalition. A dangerous adventure with an uncertain outcome has begun.”

A very good analysis. Please also read the next article in this regard.  For more insight, please watch our two StandingWatch programs, “The Future of Libya” and “Libya in Prophecy.”

Chaos and Uncertainty in Libya’s Revolutionary Leadership

Der Spiegel wrote on March 30:

“The international community is using air strikes and missiles to defend freedom, human rights and democratic ideals in Libya. But are those also the values the rebels themselves are fighting for?… Since the air strikes began, the revolution has become a war with foreign support legitimized by a United Nations resolution and, as of this week, led by NATO. Western planes — whether American, French, Spanish or Canadian — have flown hundreds of sorties, bombing Gadhafi’s supply convoys, military bases, tank columns and primary residence in Tripoli.

“It was a moral decision, meant to help people rising up against one of the most brutal dictators in the Arab world. But there is no turning back. If the West intends to liberate the country from its dictator, it really has only three options: annihilate Gadhafi’s forces in a massive bombing campaign; send in ground forces; or equip the rebels with heavy weapons. The rebels have ruled out peace negotiations with Gadhafi.

“For the international community, the intervention in the Libyan conflict is about defending the fundamental values of freedom, human rights and self-determination. But the question is: Are all those who have a say in Benghazi just as interested in freedom, human rights and self-determination?…

“Libya is a political no man’s land… Most of those now calling the shots here are sons of the former regime and it’s worth asking what kind of state they want to create. Is it possible for democracy to prevail after 41 years where politics were forbidden? Or will the revolution fail in the end, even if it succeeds in toppling Gadhafi? And perhaps the greatest danger of all: Could this country, cobbled together by force under Gadhafi, end up disintegrating back into its component parts, into tribes, criminal gangs, warlords and Jihad groups, well-armed with Western weapons?…

“It is said that 8,000 people in Benghazi were government spies — the rebels found their names in files kept by the secret police. Armed young men roam the streets at night, arresting regime supporters, but private acts of revenge take place as well… Around 100 regime loyalists have recently been imprisoned. Armed young men are searching houses and also arresting sub-Saharan Africans, anyone they assume to be mercenaries and all those they simply refer to as spies, locking them up in the same prisons once used to hold opposition members… The prisoners sit in dark cells that stink of feces and urine…

“The rebels’ mood, exuberant and lighthearted in the beginning, has shifted. Their rhetoric is becoming increasingly tense and they dismiss any criticism as propaganda… These are the same threats, word for word, that Gadhafi uses to scare his opponents.”

Sadly, this seems always to be the end result of human rule. The oppressed, when being given the opportunity, become the oppressors.

Similar… with the Same Results?

The Drudge Report published the following on March 20:

“MARCH 19, 2011

“OBAMA: ‘Today we are part of a broad coalition. We are answering the calls of a threatened people. And we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world’…

“MARCH 19, 2003

“BUSH: ‘American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger’…”

This is indeed an interesting comparison, also in regard to the dates. We should realize that God has a time table. For more information, please read our free booklets, “The Authority of the Bible” and “Are You Predestined to Be Saved?”

Libya—War May Last “Awhile“

The New York Times wrote on March 27:

“Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged Sunday that the unrest in Libya did not pose an immediate threat to the United States. Even so, he and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration was justified in taking military action to avert a massacre there that could have altered the course of the popular revolts roiling the Arab world. The comments by President Obama’s two top national security officials… offered a striking illustration of the complex calculus that Mr. Obama faced in committing the military to impose a no-fly zone over Libya — one of the greatest gambles of his presidency… Both officials acknowledged that the operation could drag on for months or even into next year…

“On the key question of whether Libya constituted the kind of vital national interest that would normally justify military intervention, Mr. Gates offered a blunt denial… ‘No, I don’t think it’s a vital interest for the United States, but we clearly have interests there, and it’s a part of a region which is a vital interest for the United States,’ Mr. Gates said… Mrs. Clinton jumped in to clarify that the United States was obliged to act after allies like Britain and France, for whom Libya is a vital national interest, had requested that the international community respond… Mrs. Clinton emphasized that the administration did not view the Libya intervention as a precedent… she ruled out military action in Syria… the administration has watched violent crackdowns in Bahrain, Yemen and other Arab countries without intervening…”

President Obama Defends Action Against Libya…

The Associated Press reported on March 29:

“Defending the first war launched on his watch, President Barack Obama declared Monday night the United States intervened in Libya to prevent a slaughter of civilians that would have stained the world’s conscience and ‘been a betrayal of who we are.’ Yet he ruled out targeting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, warning that trying to oust him militarily would be a costly mistake. Obama announced that NATO would take command over the entire Libya operation on Wednesday, keeping his pledge to get the U.S. out of the lead but offering no estimate on when the conflict might end.”

… While World Leaders Plan for Post-Gaddafi Libya

France24.com/AFP reported on March 29:

“Leaders from more than 35 governments and NGOs meeting in London have agreed to set up a contact group to provide ‘political direction’ to a post-Muammar Gaddafi Libya in coordination with the UN, African Union, Arab League and EU.”

Reading between the lines, while President Obama said that it would be a costly mistake to oust Gaddafi militarily, the 35 leaders meeting in London are already planning for a post-Gaddafi Libya.

Libya–NATO Takes Over… What?

The New York Times wrote on March 28:

“… the American military warned on Monday that the insurgents’ rapid advances could quickly be reversed without continued coalition air support… General Ham’s warning… underscored the essential role of Western airstrikes, now focused mainly on Colonel Qaddafi’s ground troops, in reversing the rebels’ fortunes…

“Left open, as well, was the question of how the allies could justify airstrikes on Colonel Qaddafi’s forces around Surt if, as seems to be the case, they enjoy widespread support in the city and pose no threat to civilians. On Monday, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, strongly criticized the allied attacks, saying ‘we consider that intervention by the coalition in what is essentially an internal civil war is not sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution,’ news agencies reported…

“At a news conference in Naples, Italy, Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard of Canada, who has been named to lead the NATO air campaign, said that the goals of the air campaign remained the same… As Western warplanes again bombed sites around Tripoli and other Qaddafi strongholds, NATO agreed at a meeting in Brussels to take over the mission. The decision effectively relieved the United States of leading the fight…”

NATO Hypocritical?

The Local wrote on March 25:

“Angela Merkel’s government has gone on the offensive over its maligned Libya policy, pushing hard for a complete oil embargo and even hinting that its NATO allies are hypocrites for bombing the country while still buying its oil.

“Development Minister Dirk Niebel told broadcaster ZDF on Thursday night that in effect Britain, France and the US were hypocritical for not supporting a complete embargo on Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s oil. ‘It is notable that exactly those countries which are blithely dropping bombs in Libya are still drawing oil from Libya,’ he said – remarks that are hardly likely to ease tensions with key allies angered over the country’s refusal to take part in the military operation.

“Meanwhile Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Friday criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s broad threat to Arab rulers that they faced Libya-style intervention if they violently repressed their own people… Westerwelle, who abstained from the United Nations Security Council vote last week to enforce a ‘no-fly zone’ in Libya, said military means alone could not solve the Libyan crisis… It has been widely reported that NATO allies – France in particular – are deeply annoyed by Germany’s refusal to participate in enforcing the no-fly zone and bombing Libyan military targets, as well as its abstention in the vote to approve the measures in the Security Council.”

The Costs of War

Reuters reported on March 22:

“The no-fly zone over Libya could end up costing the Western coalition more than $1 billion if the operation drags on more than a couple of months, defense analysts say… The expense of patrolling the no-fly zone… is likely to be $30 million to $100 million a week… By comparison, the much more extensive Afghan war costs more than $9 billion a month.

“Some U.S. lawmakers and critics of President Barack Obama’s decision to join allies in the Libya bombing campaign have argued the United States cannot afford the operation while Congress wrangles over spending cuts and the country’s $1.48 trillion deficit. The Pentagon already has plans to cut $78 billion in defense spending over five years and is delaying weapons programs and putting off maintenance to reduce costs.

“… the Tomahawk cruise missiles fired so far by Britain and the United States cost about $200 million… The crash of a U.S. F-15 warplane was an unexpected cost… [The Pentagon will] probably… replace it with a joint strike fighter, with an estimated price tag of between $100 million and $150 million… defense analysts warned that British expenses for even a limited operation like Libya could quickly add up. Analyst Francis Tusa told BBC Radio 4 the missions flown so far cost Britain about 200,000 pounds ($325,000) per aircraft, with missiles running 800,000 pounds ($1.3 million) apiece. With Britain flying 10 Typhoon fighters to patrol the no-fly zone, ‘you’ll be looking at potentially 2, 3 million pounds a day ($3.25 million to $5 million),’ he said…”

ABC News reported on March 28:

“One week after an international military coalition intervened in Libya, the cost to U.S. taxpayers has reached at least $600 million, according figures provided by the Pentagon. U.S. ships and submarines in the Mediterranean have unleashed at least 191 Tomahawk cruise missiles from their arsenals to the tune of $268.8 million, the Pentagon said. U.S. warplanes have dropped 455 precision guided bombs, costing tens of thousands of dollars each. A downed Air Force F-15E fighter jet will cost more than $60 million to replace. And operation of the war craft, guzzling ever-expensive fuel to maintain their positions off the Libyan coast and in the skies above, could reach millions of dollars a week, experts say.”

In a world where people are starving to death because of lack of food and money, it is truly irresponsible to see world powers misappropriating funds to play their war games… But the curse of war and its terrible consequences are inevitable, as the next article shows.

“America Is Going Broke!”

Mail On Line wrote on March 23:

“A senior Federal Reserve official warned today that America is going broke… With the U.S. now fighting three wars, the massive new military drain on the budget could not have come at a worse time as the nation is trying to claw itself out of recession. The first day of Operation Odyssey Dawn had a price tag of well over $100 million for the U.S. in missiles alone…

“Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher said the American economy is at a crucial ‘tipping point.’ He added: ‘If we continue down on the path on which the fiscal authorities put us, we will become insolvent – the question is when.’”

Japan—Dangerous Levels of Radioactivity

BBC News wrote on March 28:

“Highly radioactive water has been found for the first time outside one of the reactor buildings at Japan’s quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, officials say. The leak in a tunnel linked to the No 2 reactor has raised fears of radioactive liquid seeping into the environment. Plutonium has also been found in soil at the plant, but not at levels that threaten human health, officials say… Up until now, pools of water with extremely high levels of radiation have only been detected within the reactor buildings themselves.”

Mail On Line had already reported on March 19 that Japanese nuclear plant chief WEPT finally admitted that the radiation leak is “serious enough to kill people.”

The British paper, Express, added the following on March 31:

“NUCLEAR fallout from Japan has been detected in Britain sparking fears the whole country could have been exposed to radiation. Radioactive iodine was found in air samples taken in Oxfordshire, Glasgow and Dublin.

“Officials insisted the amount was ‘extremely low’ but the traces came from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, 5,500 miles away, which was crippled when the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan nearly three weeks ago… Experts last night played down the risks to humans and the environment despite the Iodine 131, the chemical in a radioactive state.”

In spite of consistent denials by the Japanese government and even the Western press, we must consider the facts. And the facts are that radiation, resulting from destruction through earthquakes and other natural catastrophes, as well as from nuclear war, WILL kill an incredible amount of people in the future. Please study our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Jesuits Settle Claims for Abuse

The Associated Press reported on March 25:

“Jesuits in the northwestern U.S. have agreed to pay $166.1 million to hundreds of American Indians and Alaska Natives who were abused at the Catholic order’s schools around the region. The settlement also asks the order to provide a written apology to the victims and to share documents with them such as their personal medical records. The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus runs schools in Oregon, Washington state, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The claims are from victims who were students at reservation and village schools in all five states. The province had previously settled another 200 claims. Then the organization filed for bankruptcy, claiming the payments had depleted their treasury. But victims argued the province remained wealthy because it controls and owns Gonzaga University, Gonzaga Preparatory School, Seattle University and other schools and properties.”

Terrible Consequences of Japan’s Mega Earthquake

As the news unfolds, it is becoming frighteningly obvious that the Japanese government, as well as many international press releases, at least until recently, do not tell us the whole story about the catastrophic events of the nuclear power plants in Japan, following last week’s devastating earthquake. The very few news releases which have been showing the scope of the horrible situation were, and still are, classified as “sensational irresponsible reporting.” However, it seems that the main media has been behaving terribly irresponsibly, and that we are facing, what might be perhaps the biggest nuclear catastrophe outside the horrors of war.

Mail On Line wrote on March 16:

“Japan’s stricken nuclear power plant was abandoned for hours today, as soaring radiation forced emergency workers to flee for their lives and authorities were reduced to spraying reactors with police water cannons… And in an extraordinary attack, the French government accused the Japanese of losing control of the situation and hiding the full scale of the disaster… Industry Minister Eric Besson said: ‘Let’s not beat about the bush. They have visibly lost the essential of control (of the situation). That is our analysis, in any case, it’s not what they are saying.’

“In a sign of mounting panic, Cabinet Secretary Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has already warned that the long-range cooling efforts may not work…The biggest concerns centre around the four over-heating reactors, and in particular radioactive steam pouring out of the plutonium-fuelled reactor number three which exploded on Monday. Plutonium is far more hazardous to health than uranium, which is used to power the other five reactors on the site.   

“There has been damage to four reactors at the Fukushima , three of which were hit by explosions and another caught fire. Reactor number four is the second highest concern after a nuclear fuel storage pond was exposed to the atmosphere after a fire. A fifth and six reactor, which were previously unharmed, were today being sprayed with water amid reports that they too were heating up…

“The turn of events caused European energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger to warn that Tokyo had almost lost control of events. ‘There is talk of an apocalypse and I think the word is particularly well chosen,’ he told the European Parliament.”

Financial Disaster

Newsmax wrote on March 14:

“Japan’s central bank rushed to bolster markets on Monday in the wake of the country’s worst disaster since World War II… Markets swooned at the shock of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami that may have killed more than 10,000 and has left millions of people without power, water, or homes. The Nikkei average closed 6.18 percent lower on Monday… Investment bank Credit Suisse put economic losses from the quake at no less than $171 billion…

“Japan’s central bank doubled its asset buying scheme to 10 trillion yen ($122 billion) and held interest rates at 0-0.1 percent after it earlier said it would pump a record 15 trillion yen into the banking system… The disaster shut down about a fifth of the country’s nuclear power generation capacity. Thermal plants also closed, forcing the world’s third-biggest economy to instigate rolling blackouts to conserve energy… Economists said that the triple blow of quake, tsunami, and nuclear accident is set to damage the already struggling economy harder and longer [than] initially expected…

“Companies that trade with Japan face a loss of business and worries that governments will look at nuclear power less favourably. On Wall Street, S&P 500 futures were down 0.3 percent on Monday…”

Oil Prices Will Go Nowhere But Up…

Deutsche Welle reported on March 14:

“The question many experts are now asking is whether the natural catastrophe that shook Japan could cause a new tremor in the country’s economy, the world’s third largest after the US and China… Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, stopped production at all 12 of its plants in Japan. Nissan shut down its four factories, and Honda has halted production as well. Consumer electronics heavyweights Canon, Sony and Panasonic have also put production on hold, and the country’s large oil refineries and steelmakers have suspended operations as well…

“Before the quake, Japanese capital markets were already under pressure. The country is battling a huge debt burden, twice as high as its annual economic output… What the world could experience in the long term… are higher oil prices. Japan is the world’s third-largest oil importer. And given the likelihood that the country will rely less on nuclear energy and more on oil in [the] future, prices on global markets will go nowhere but up.”

Japan Earthquake Alters Coast Line, Changes Earth’s Axis

On March 12, 2011, VOANews.com reported the following:

“The massive earthquake that hit Japan on Friday was so powerful that it changed the shape of the country’s coastline and shifted the earth’s axis. Geophysicist Kenneth Hudnut, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey, told CNN that the quake moved part of Japan’s land mass by nearly 2.5 meters. Experts say that the huge shake, caused by a shift in the tectonic plates deep underwater, also threw the earth off its axis point by at least 8 centimeters.”

The Bible predicts that the earth’s axis will change even more as a consequence of future devastating earthquakes. For more information, please see our two-part StandingWatch programs, “Earthquakes in Prophecy, Part 1” and “Earthquakes in Prophecy, Part 2.”

Could It Happen AGAIN in the USA?

CBS News reported on March 12:

“Not only could a disaster like the one that hit Japan Friday happen in the United States – one already has, and could again, experts said… Dr. Marcia McNutt, director of the U.S. Geological Survey, [said:] ‘Every time an event like this happens, it’s a wake-up call for us here in America that we need to be prepared.’ McNutt said the exact scenario that we saw happen in Japan has already occurred, in the Pacific Northwest. ‘

“‘Brian Atwater, who’s a specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey, has looked back into the geologic record and seen evidence that, on the 26th of January, at 9 p.m., in the year 1700, there was an earthquake that generated a tsunami … offshore Oregon … that was actually historically recorded in Japan,’ McNutt said. ‘It was the same magnitude as this event. It happened then. It could happen again… I think what this event in Japan has shown us is that something like a wall of water that is six feet high, running six miles inland, or even higher, is something that we are equally unprepared for…’

“‘The most obvious place [said James Gaherty, seismologist and Lamont associate research professor at Columbia University] is the Pacific Northwest, the coast of Washington and Oregon…’”

It Surely Can…

The Huffington Post wrote on March 14:

“… the nuclear problems in Japan were much worse than being reported at that time… there has been a partial meltdown at Fukushima… making a complete meltdown once again possible… overall, the U.S. media… downplayed the possibility of a similar problem at a U.S. reactor…

“First, the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California is less than 100 feet above sea level. That’s not high enough to be safe from a major tsunami, as the Japanese experience showed. Second, the most dangerous earthquakes anticipated in the U.S. are not in California, but along the New Madrid fault in Missouri, where quakes greater than 8.0 are expected, not as often as in California, but still too often for comfort. And unlike California quakes, which are relatively localized in their impact, New Madrid quakes affect huge areas — and the nuclear plants in the Midwest have not really been designed for the possibility of an ultra-large quake in the region.

“But really, the big issue is not whether the next U.S. nuclear disaster will look just like Japan’s… [But] something went wrong, and the cooling systems in the reactors failed. Every nuclear power plant in the world, and every plant currently under construction, shares that vulnerability. Exactly what goes wrong — what takes down the cooling system — is unpredictable… That’s not reassuring — it’s terrifying.

“… we shouldn’t listen to experts who tell us ‘it can’t happen here’… There are too many ‘worst-case’ scenarios to include them all in a design basis or an operating plan. How many different forms could a terrorist attack take? And how many of those are adequately taken into account in the design of nuclear reactors?…”

Russia Warns: America Will Be Hit in March by Major Earthquake

Real News Reporter wrote on March 12:

“A new report released today in the Kremlin prepared for Prime Minister Putin by the Institute of Physics of the Earth, in Moscow, is warning that the Americas are in danger of suffering a mega-quake of catastrophic proportions during the next fortnight (14 days) with a specific emphasis being placed on the United States, Mexico, Central America and South American west coast regions along with the New Madrid Fault Zone region…

“Raising the concerns of a mega-quake occurring, this report says, are the increasing subtle electromagnetic signals that are being detected in the Earth’s upper atmosphere over many regions of the World, with the most intense being over the US Western coastal and Midwest regions. Important to note [is] that Russian and British scientists are at the forefront of predicting earthquakes based on these subtle electromagnetic signals and have joined in an effort to put satellites in space to detect more of them.

“More ominously in this report are Russian scientists confirming the independent analysis of New Zealand mathematician and long-range weather forecaster, Ken Ring, who predicted the deadly Christchurch quake and this week issued another warning of a quake to hit on or about March 20th…

“Most ominous in this report, though, is its warning that the fault-riddled State of California may be about to suffer its most catastrophic earthquake in decades as new reports for this region show the mass death of millions of fish… just like the mass stranding of whales on New Zealand beaches days prior to the February 22nd destruction of Christchurch…

“As this report concludes… as of yet, ‘no firmly reliable’ method for predicting earthquakes has been scientifically recognized…”

Whether or not a major earthquake will strike the American continent and especially California within the month of March, it appears extremely likely that especially California WILL be hit by a major earthquake one of these days…

Volcanoes Erupt in Japan and Russia

On March 13, Times Life reported:

“A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Sunday after nearly two weeks of relative silence, sending ash and rocks up to four kilometres (two and a half miles) into the air, a local official says.  It was not immediately clear if the eruption was a direct result of the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake… The 1,421-metre (4,689-feet) Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range saw its first major eruption for 52 years in January. There had not been any major activity at the site since March 1.”

On March 11, planetsave.com stated the following:

“The major earthquake that hit Japan today may have just triggered some volcanoes in Russia as well. While  reports are still vague on the incident, there is a strong correlation between the two occurrences. In Russia, there are reports that earthquakes [were] felt during the eruption. In the Russian Far East, there has been a strong volcanic eruption… While this eruption does not seem to be a significant threat to the people in Russia, the fact that an earthquake in Japan could have triggered a volcano eruption in Russia does have some significance.”

We also heard in January about a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna in Italy. We can expect more and more worldwide volcanic eruptions with devastating consequences, as we are nearing the return of Christ.

“Nuclear Fallout” in Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on March 14:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday pledged a three-month pause in her government’s plan to extend the running times of Germany’s nuclear power plants. She said that this would mean that some of the oldest reactors will be turned off, at least temporarily, almost immediately. Merkel said that the risks of a meltdown at the Fukushima atomic reactors in Japan, triggered by the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the region, had shown the world that nuclear safety should be reevaluated.

“‘The events in Japan have taught us that something, which all scientific data suggested to be impossible, could become a reality after all,’ Merkel told reporters in Berlin… ‘It’s taught us that risks that were considered absolutely improbable still aren’t impossible.’ Even though Germany and Europe are unlikely to experience a magnitude 8.9 earthquake or a tsunami, Merkel said, the Fukushima example had shown that Japanese state-of-the-art safety precautions were not infallible.”

However, this assumption is a fallacy. The Bible predicts that at least one huge earthquake (apparently exceeding the magnitude of 8.9) will strike Europe and destroy the city of Rome. And there are further biblical indications that big tsunamis will strike the coastlands of Europe as well. We have of course known for many years that nuclear power plants and atomic reactors are not foolproof and that they can become extremely dangerous. The following article plays out some of the unsettling scenarios involving nuclear power plants.

German Voices on Nuclear Energy

On March 14, Der Spiegel quoted certain German daily papers, pertaining to the nuclear disaster in Japan and the potential political and economic consequences for Germany and Japan, as follows:

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘The events in Japan, which geographically couldn’t be much further from Germany, will influence politics in this country. They could soon start changing majorities and make governing even harder for the center-right coalition… It’s not good news because in the end, for example in Baden-Württemberg, it will only take a few percentage points more or less to determine the election outcome… For Merkel, it is hard to imagine a greater accident at present than the loss of a CDU governor in Baden-Württemberg… The unpopular government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan has been on the brink of collapse in recent weeks. It seemed paralyzed, distracted, disoriented and divided. Now it has to lead the country through what may be its worst disaster since 1945. Can it? In the Soviet Union the Chernobyl disaster accelerated the downfall of a broken, paralyzed political system’…

“Conservative Die Welt writes:

“‘The earthquake of March 11 was no terrorist attack. But its political and psychological consequences will be as great as 9/11 because it has shown what a terrorist attack on nuclear plants would look like… The high-tech democracy Japan has shown what could happen if an Internet attack on German or French nuclear reactors were to happen… Or if a determined, technologically skilled terrorist group were to seize control of a power station…’

“The mass-circulation Bild tabloid writes:

“‘The nuclear accident is giving even firm supporters of nuclear power cause for thought, because the unthinkable happened in Fukushima. But even if we wanted to, we couldn’t switch off all nuclear reactors overnight. Because the lights would literally go out…’

“Left-wing Berliner Zeitung writes:

“‘This hasn’t hit a run-down Soviet reactor, a badly constructed Russian plutonium machine which supplied the army with material for their nuclear weapons, as was the case with Chernobyl in 1986. Then and ever since, the builders of nuclear power stations in Europe, North America and Japan boasted that a serious accident could be virtually ruled out thanks to superior Western nuclear technology. Every country — Germany, the US and Japan — claimed to have the world’s best reactors. Everything was secured several times over, all conceivable problems could be handled, all eventualities were prepared for, they said. The disaster at [Fukushima] shows: It’s simply not true… The radioactive fallout from Fukushima won’t hit Germany, but the political fallout has already arrived. People are alarmed and there is major uncertainty about “peaceful” nuclear power, not just among diehard anti-nuclear campaigners.’”

Libya—“The West’s Nightmare”

On March 14, Der Spiegel Online published a rather lengthy article on the situation in Libya. We are quoting interesting extensive “must read” excerpts, as they show convincingly the many problems which the West is facing in regard to Libya. No easy answers present themselves, and it seems that the situation will get much worse, no matter what the West will or won’t do, and regardless as to who is ruling or will rule Libya. Real hope does not lie in man’s feeble efforts to attempt to create lasting peace and true freedom anywhere on this planet. Only Jesus Christ—the Prince of Peace—will enforce peace on earth, when He returns, and He will then proclaim for mankind true and lasting freedom and liberty. Let us pray to God that His Second Coming will occur very soon.

The magazine wrote:

“There are times when some politicians and diplomats in Europe and the United States wish that someone would die. They wish that a head of state or government would give the order to dispatch a number of aircraft or launch a few missiles. They don’t speak openly of this, of course, but they do say these things under their breath. ‘Why doesn’t somebody just shoot him?’ they ask. Usually, this hope is directed by Europe toward America.

“This is again such a time. A number of politicians and diplomats are quietly hoping that they will hear one morning on the radio that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi has died during the night. According to this scenario, the news bulletin will then inform listeners that an American bomber squadron has safely returned to its aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.

“The current situation calls to mind former US President Ronald Reagan. He tried to eliminate Gadhafi back in April 1986. At the time, Reagan ordered 36 laser-guided bombs to be dropped on the Bab al-Azizija military compound, Gadhafi’s command center in the suburbs of Tripoli. Gadhafi survived. Reagan was derided for the failed mission and sharply criticized for the attempt. Some Western countries view such actions as murder — and thus unacceptable.

“When it comes to war and the West, it always boils down to a question of ethics. Now all eyes are directed toward US President Barack Obama. What will he do? He has the arsenal required to make a renewed attempt, but he apparently also has greater scruples… The same holds true for the Europeans. At their summit in Brussels on Friday, European Union leaders called for Gadhafi to immediately resign. Although a military operation has not been ruled out, it has been made contingent on the approval of the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union. Speaking after the meeting, German Chancellor Angela Merkel underscored that she was highly skeptical about a no-fly zone. The EU is relying on economic sanctions for the time being.

“This is a nightmarish situation for the West. For years, Europe and America have courted Gadhafi and regarded him as a valuable business partner, without giving so much as a second thought to the suffering of his people. Now a large proportion of this oppressed population is fighting for its freedom, but the West is doing little to halt the advances made by Gadhafi’s loyal supporters. The West wants to help, but it remains helpless…

“As politicians in Europe and America grapple with the issue of Libya, they are strongly influenced by the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two predominantly Muslim countries have been attacked and occupied, also with the aim of creating a better world according to Western models. But these have not been success stories. The regimes backed by the West have been dubious, to say the least, and the security situation remains precarious… The negative experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have sown doubt in America and Europe about the morality of these missions…

“Military action is also being discussed… But Obama continues to hesitate, and this lack of action is drawing increasing criticism… former presidential candidate John McCain and independent Senator Joe Lieberman are both criticizing Obama’s reluctance to intervene… McCain, for his part, is calling for a no-fly zone… That step, however, is highly controversial in Washington. The US military, which has already been stretched thin by its deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, has remained rather reticent in its comments. Establishing a no-fly zone would be a ‘challenge,’ says General James Mattis, the commander of US Central Command. The US military would first have to destroy Libya’s air defenses, he says…

“For the EU it will be even more difficult to come to a joint position on Libya, although that didn’t stop French President Nicolas Sarkozy from unilaterally taking action. Last Thursday, France recognized the Libyan National Transitional Council in Benghazi as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people… Furthermore, government officials in Paris say that the French president wants to use targeted air strikes to weaken the Gadhafi regime… In Berlin, the Chancellery was indignant over the French initiative. At the summit in Brussels, Merkel voiced her clear opposition: ‘We cannot recognize the transitional council,’ she told the assembled heads of state and government…

“Merkel also clearly expressed her reservations with regard to a no-fly zone: ‘What is our plan if we create a no-fly zone and it doesn’t work? Do we send in ground troops?’ she asked before adding: ‘We have to think this through. Why should we intervene in Libya when we don’t intervene elsewhere?’ It was a sharp rebuff for Sarkozy…

“Until recently, France and Germany have had their separate areas of responsibility: While Paris looked after the Mediterranean area, Berlin was more oriented toward Eastern Europe. But in internal discussions, [Foreign Minister] Westerwelle has already made it clear that this will no longer be the case. Much to the annoyance of the French, Berlin now also wants to have a greater say in the Mediterranean region…

“Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Westerwelle agree that nothing good will come from a no-fly zone over Libya. They both fear that Germany could be drawn into the civil war in this way. The government also knows, though, that economic sanctions are only effective over the long term, so Berlin doesn’t want to entirely rule out the option of military intervention. The obstacles are significant, however, since China and Russia are showing little inclination to approve such a mission in the UN Security Council.

“The German government’s hesitant stance also arises from the fact that Germany recently won a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Although this presents an excellent opportunity for Westerwelle to play a more prominent international role as foreign minister, it also means that Germany will probably have to participate in the mission if the Security Council approves a no-fly zone. Anyone who claims a leading role in New York must be prepared to assume certain responsibilities.

“The opposition also supports the German government’s position. No one in Berlin is calling for a no-fly zone without a mandate from the Security Council… The clearest arguments against a military intervention by the West are presented by Rainer Stinner, the foreign policy expert in parliament for the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is Merkel’s government coalition partner. ‘Anyone who proposes a no-fly zone should (also) say who will enforce it,’ he contends. Such a decision could lead to aerial combat and other fighting, he says. ‘Should we then send in the German Luftwaffe?’…

“The chairman of the National Transitional Council, former Libyan Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil, is not a charismatic figure… His National Council is hopelessly divided and could only agree on three points: Gadhafi must go, the West should impose a no-fly zone, but Western troops should not fight on the ground. Nobody knows what kind of state these men want to build, or what freedoms it would guarantee. President Hamid Karzai — intensely pandered to by the West — has turned out to be a corrupt ruler in Afghanistan.

“In Libya there is also no solution that would genuinely satisfy the West. There is no clear, promising vision of the future of this country without Gadhafi — but there is no doubt that it will be disastrous with Gadhafi. Is military deployment the answer? Germany could easily be drawn into another war at a time when the majority of Germans already oppose their country’s military presence in Afghanistan…”

Many of the above-quoted comments should make us pause to think and reflect on the accuracy of biblical prophecy, all leading to the worldwide catastrophic climax ushering in the return of Christ and the establishment of a better world. The cited excerpts include comments about the uncertainty of Libya’s future with or without Gadhafi; the helplessness of the West and the unwillingness of any political leader to lead—except perhaps for the questionable attempts by the French, who are, however, in no recognized position to lead; and the fact that Berlin, which was so far oriented toward Eastern Europe, now also wants to have a greater say in the Mediterranean region.

Arab League Agrees to No-Fly Zone, But…

The EUObserver reported on March 14, 2011:

“The Arab League has given the green light for Western powers to impose a no-fly zone in Libya, prompting France to step up its campaign for military action. The 22-member league in a resolution on Saturday (12 March) called for the UN Security Council to quickly issue a mandate for a no-fly zone in Libya…

“The Arab League development comes after the UK and France failed to persuade no-fly sceptics at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday. German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle continued to voice concern… ‘We don’t want to get pulled into a war in North Africa,’ he explained… German ally Austria called for an EU fact-finding mission to visit the rebel stronghold in Beghazi. Italy and Malta… also remain reticent.”

However, the Bible shows that ultimately, Germany, as the future leader of a unified European army, will be pulled into a war in the Middle East.

But in the Meantime…

Deutsche Welle reported on March 16:

“Efforts by Britain, France and the Arab League, acting through Lebanon, to impose a no-fly zone have met with stiff resistance at the United Nations… A draft resolution that diplomats said would ban ‘all flights‘ in Libyan airspace and allow ‘all necessary measures to enforce compliance‘ was distributed. China and Russia were believed to have been behind the opposition movement, while Germany, India and the United States were said to have doubts about the plan… In a final communique, the ministers made no mention of plans for a no-fly zone, agreeing instead that the UN Security Council should put more pressure on the Gadhafi regime ‘including through economic sanctions’…

“Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told reporters that along with Germany, Russia had argued that a no-fly zone would not be effective and could be counterproductive. Germany’s hands-off approach clearly pleased Gadhafi, who praised its stance in an interview on Tuesday with German television station RTL. ‘Germans have taken a good stance on our situation, unlike many other Western countries,‘ Gadhafi told RTL… He said that in the future, only Russia, India and China would get Libyan oil or other Libyan business. But because of its opposition to the no-fly zone, Germany could also possibly get oil, he said, adding: ‘Germany … not France … deserves a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.'”

And Then…Another Switch…

Haaretz wrote on March 16:

“The United States, France and Britain on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to take swift action on a proposed no-fly zone over Libya, as Washington suggested it might have decided to back the plan… [U.S. Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton told CBS television: ‘For the Arab League to call for military action to protect civilians in Libya, against a member of the Arab League, was an extraordinary statement of leadership and real conviction’…”

The imposition of a no-fly zone [identified by Mrs. Clinton as “military action”] would mean outright war—another unpopular war which the USA and its allies would be drawn into—and a war which could not be won.

Violence in Bahrain

CNN wrote on March 14:

“Foreign troops arrived Monday in the strategically and financially important Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain after a month of citizen protests, the Bahraini government said. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s giant neighbor to the west, appears to have provided at least some of the troops, who arrived under the banner of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In a statement, the government described the troops as ‘coalition forces’ but did not say what countries were represented. Their mission was equally vague… The Gulf Cooperation Council comprises six Gulf states — Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar…

“The arrival of the troops followed a day of clashes between protesters and security forces that resulted in the hospitalization of more than 1,000 people, human rights activists said… Simon Henderson, director of the Gulf and energy policy program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy… noted that the administration of Barack Obama has been urging political dialogue but said Monday’s move was not what the U.S. president meant. ‘Sending in Saudi forces is hardly encouraging political dialogue,’ Henderson said. ‘The great danger is, it will actually worsen the situation by encouraging Iran to get involved. Not militarily, probably, but certainly diplomatically and rhetorically.’

“The underlying concern is that Iran, an overwhelmingly Shiite state, could seize the opportunity to meddle in Bahrain’s internal affairs. Bahrain has a Shiite majority population, but its rulers are Sunni. Saudi Arabia’s eastern province is home not only to many of the country’s rich oil fields but to its largest concentration of minority Shiite as well. In recent weeks, Shiite demonstrators there have protested the Saudi government, whose leaders are overwhelmingly Sunni. The Saudi government would presumably be concerned that any uprising by Shiite Muslims in Bahrain could inspire the Shiite population in nearby Saudi Arabia to follow suit.”

The situation in Bahrain and in other Middle Eastern countries continues to escalate. There seems to be no peace in sight. Truly, Christ’s words come to mind, when addressing the end-time “beginning of sorrows”: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6).

U.S. Underemployment at Almost 20%

On March 3, gallup.com reported the following:

“Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, hit 10.3% in February — up from 9.8% at the end of January… The percentage of part-time workers who want full-time work worsened considerably in February, increasing to 9.6% of the workforce from 9.1% at the end of January… Underemployment, a measure that combines part-time workers wanting full-time work with those who are unemployed, surged in February to 19.9%…

“This suggests that the real U.S. jobs situation worsened in February. That is, jobs are relatively less available now than in January…. In turn, this suggests job market conditions in terms of underemployment also worsened during February. This deterioration in the jobs situation combined with surging gas prices, budget battles at the federal and state level, and declines on Wall Street tend to explain the recent plunge Gallup recorded in consumer confidence.”

America’s economic situation is dire, and, as also the next article shows, the crisis in the Middle East, resulting in higher oil prices which will affect many facets of the American economy, will only increase and accelerate the problems.

US Gasoline Prices Sharply Increase

CNN reported on March 7:

“U.S. gasoline prices increased nearly 33 cents in two weeks, the second-biggest two-week jump in the history of the gasoline market… The jump was the biggest since a 38-cent hike between August and September 2005. At the time, the price increase was driven by damage caused by Hurricane Katrina… As the fighting between opposition forces and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s troops begins to look more like a civil war, expect prices to continue to rise… Prices have risen nearly 82 cents since September 2010…

“While Libya is not among the top suppliers of U.S. oil, and only 3% of Libyan oil exports head to the United States, global economics link the events there to the pumps at home. Libya produces a light, high-gravity crude oil that is most in demand by less complex refineries around the world… As this oil becomes unavailable, it forces buyers of crude to substitute crude with similar properties from other oil producers, thereby increasing demand and starting a chain reaction that raises prices of crude and gasoline in the United States.

“…the rising gas prices could dampen the nation’s economic recovery… Of the cities surveyed, the highest average price in the continental United States was in San Diego at $3.87 per gallon. The lowest price was in Billings, Montana, at $3.15.”

US Farmers Fear the Return of the Dust Bowl

The Telegraph wrote on March 7:

“For years the Ogallala Aquifer, the world’s largest underground body of fresh water, has irrigated thousands of square miles of American farmland. Now it is running dry… the Ogallala Aquifer… stretches all the way down the eastern slope of the Rockies from the badlands of South Dakota to the Texas Panhandle. It does not replenish…

“But it was only in the 1940s, after the Dust Bowl (the result of a severe drought and excessive farming in the early 1930s), that the US Geological Survey… were about to repeat the dreams of man from the days of Ancient Egypt and Judea to turn the desert green, only without the Nile or Jordan. With new technology the wells could reach the deepest water, and from the early 1950s the boom was on… Billions upon billions of gallons… have been pumped… in a brief half-century… the Ogallala level [was drawn] down from an average of 240ft to about 80…

“The irrigated Plains grow 20 per cent of American grain and corn… and America’s ‘industrial’ agriculture dominates international markets. A collapse of those markets would lead to starvation in Africa and anywhere else where a meal depends on cheap American exports… The Ogallala supply is going to run out and the Plains will become uneconomical to farm…

“Water – not oil – has always been the most valuable resource in the West. Wars have been fought over it, feuds maintained, and fortunes won or lost. Apart from the Ogallala, the main source remains the Colorado River, flowing west from the Rockies, its annual bounty of snow melt providing the drinking water for Las Vegas, irrigation for California’s Central Valley, and the swimming-pools of Los Angeles. No one is surprised that the mighty Colorado now runs dry before it reaches the Pacific…”

God prophesies about the future of the United States of America (the modern descendants of the ancient House of Israel) in no uncertain terms, when addressing our sins and stating in Leviticus 26:19-20: “I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.”

Dollar in Decline, Euro on the Rise

The Financial Times wrote on March 6:

“Hedge funds and forex dealers are betting record amounts against the dollar, reflecting a growing belief that the US currency has lost its haven appeal and that eurozone interest rates will soon rise. As the crisis in the Middle East has worsened, the latest exchange data show that traders are selling ‘short’ the currency. The big US fiscal deficit and concerns about the effect of rising oil prices have been blamed by some for the dollar’s slide…

“Given the continued losses for the dollar this month, [David Watt, analyst at RBC Capital Markets] said it was likely that investors had since added to their bets against the US currency, short of an ‘absolutely stunning’ reversal in sentiment… The data confirm the sharp turnround in sentiment towards the single currency [the euro]  from speculative investors, who as recently as January were betting on losses for the single currency on worries over the eurozone sovereign debt crisis.”

The US dollar will continue to fall, while the euro will continue to rise. What America needs in these dire times is true leadership. But can it be found? The next article suggests the opposite.

Newt Gingrich’s “Explanation” of His Past Marital Infidelity

The Associated Press reported on March 9:

“Newt Gingrich says his passionate hard work for his country contributed to his marital infidelity. In an interview posted Wednesday by The Christian Broadcasting Network, Gingrich – who recently converted to Catholicism – said he had sought God’s forgiveness for mistakes in his past… The twice-divorced former U.S. House speaker has said he had an affair with Callista, a former congressional aide, while married to his second wife. It happened at the same time he was attacking President Bill Clinton for his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

“The interview with the Christian broadcaster comes as Gingrich gears up for a likely presidential run. He has been courting religious and social conservatives who would be critical in a GOP primary.”

So, marital infidelity can be blamed on hard work for the country? Is it also a reason for accusing someone else of it, when one is guilty of it himself?

Germany’s New Interior Minister’s Controversial Comments

Der Spiegel Online wrote on March 7:

“Germany’s new interior minister touched off controversy within hours of taking office when he said that Islam did not historically ‘belong’ to Germany, causing Muslim groups to react furiously… ‘To say that Islam belongs in Germany is not a fact supported by history,’ the politician, who belongs to the conservative Bavarian party the Christian Social Union, said in his first press conference as minister.

“The comment was a repeat of earlier criticism he had made of an October 2010 statement by German President Christian Wulff, who famously said that ‘Islam also belongs to Germany.’ Representatives of Germany Muslim population were outraged. Lamya Kaddor, chairwoman of the Liberal-Islamic Union in Germany, called Friedrich’s remarks a ‘slap in the face of Muslims’…”

The Far Right on the Rise in France

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 18:

“The wave of Tunisian immigrants that arrived in France last week shouldn’t plan on getting too cozy. The new leader of the National Front is poised to capitalize on what she says is an immigration crisis. French police say they have arrested some 100 Tunisians who landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa last week as they tried to enter France. The arrested immigrants, each carrying a document provided by the Italian authorities, are being held in detention centers across southeastern France.

“Should these immigrants request political asylum, their demands would more than likely be turned down, and France would be under no obligation to allow them to stay… The government is taking a hard line on these immigrants – but that is not preventing Marine Le Pen, the new leader of the far right National Front party, from making political capital out of what she says is the beginning of a new immigration crisis. In an interview with French public radio on Friday, Le Pen said the ‘great wave of migrants‘ was one of the consequences of the revolutions taking place in the Arab world.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 6:

“An opinion poll in France has found that right-wing politician Marine Le Pen could defeat President Nicholas Sarkozy in upcoming elections… The poll results… showed the 42-year-old leader of the National Front party would receive 23 percent of the vote in the first of the two rounds of presidential elections due to occur in France [in May of 2012]. Center-right Sarkozy would only receive 21 percent of the vote, according to the poll… Part of Le Pen’s platform so far has included comparing Muslims in France to an occupying force.”

Europe’s dealings with Islam, including its “immigration crisis” and the arrival of refugees from the Middle East, will lead to the rise of more and more politicians who will try to capitalize on the situation, and many will accept and follow their agendas.

Libya Sliding into Civil War?

Fox News wrote on March 7:

“Libyan warplanes launched fresh airstrikes on rebel positions around a key oil port Monday, trying to block the opposition fighters from advancing toward Moammar Gadhafi’s stronghold in the capital, Tripoli. Rebels in the area said they can take on Gadhafi’s elite ground forces, but are outgunned if he uses his air power. ‘We don’t want a foreign military intervention, but we do want a no-fly zone’, said rebel fighter Ali Suleiman. He added that the rebels can take on ‘the rockets and the tanks, but not Gadhafi’s air force.’

“Libya appears to be sliding toward a civil war that could drag out for weeks, or even months…”

Europe May Need to Intervene Militarily in Libya

On March 7, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with Martin Schulz, a foreign policy expert with Germany’s center-left Social Democrats. He has been a member of the European Parliament since 1994 and the chairman of the Socialist group in the European Parliament since 2004. We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“All of the measures [against Gadhafi] that can be taken within the context of the Charter of the United Nations must be considered. I am deliberately emphasizing the word ‘all’ there — in other words, including the military option… It’s clear that whatever measures are taken will have to be coordinated with the Arab League and the African Union… A no-fly zone is one way to rein in Gadhafi. It certainly makes sense, if it can be implemented. But it isn’t entirely uncomplicated. I agree with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s view that this would be a highly risky proposition…

“People are always chiding ‘the EU,’ but the institutions in Brussels are taking action… The member states are the problem. They are pursuing interests that are sometimes widely divergent. I’m sick of these constant attacks on ‘the EU.’ The real scandal is the never-ending maneuvering of the member states. France has historic interests, and so does Britain. But Germany’s game isn’t any better. The German foreign minister sings the praises of the revolution, while the chancellor says: No refugees, please. None of this is credible… We all tolerated Gadhafi, both the EU and the United States. One could criticize this as amoral, but it was also realpolitik…

“I don’t know how strong Gadhafi is at this point. He’s a dictator who is surrounded by militias that are apparently well-trained and well-equipped. Parts of his army have abandoned him, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to bring him down quickly. I think that the outcome of this power struggle is still completely open…”

The Bible prophesies that a coming United States of Europe will intervene militarily in the Middle East, with the justification of wanting to bring peace to that part of the world.

Calls for No-Fly Zone in Libya

ABC News reported on March 7:

“As forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi battle the opposition for control of key cities, the Obama administration is under growing pressure to do something to stop the violence. Although rebels celebrated after pushing Gadhafi’s forces out of Misrata, this increasingly appears to be a fight no one is winning.

“…there have been more calls for the United States to step in with a big move: enforcing a no-fly zone. ‘This would send a signal to Gadhafi that the president is serious when he says we need for Gadhafi to go,’ Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said…

“But it could also require U.S. bombing inside Libya to take out air-defense systems. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has tried to shut the idea down and was joined Sunday by President Obama’s chief of staff, Bill Daley.

“’Lots of people throw around phrases of “no-fly zone,” and they talk about it as though it’s just a game on a video game or something,’ Daley said on ‘Meet the Press.’ One fear is a public relations victory for Gadhafi if he managed to shoot down a U.S. jet…

“’We can’t just go in and put airplanes over Libya. It’s going to take a campaign to take out these surface-to-air-missile systems, to bomb where the aircraft are being parked. It’s not just go in and establish a no-fly zone with no cost. We will have to blow things up on the ground in Libya if we want to establish a no-fly zone. It’s a two step process and it will take time and a significant military package to accomplish,’ [former deputy assistant secretary of state Steve] Ganyard said…

“While Obama acknowledged the danger of a stalemate that ‘could be bloody’ if rebels do not push out Gadhafi, Obama also indicated a willingness to avoid any sort of military action in Libya. ‘We did not see anti-American sentiment arising out of that movement in Egypt precisely because they felt that we hadn’t tried to engineer or impose a particular outcome, but rather they owned it,’ he said of the revolution in Egypt.”

However, the next article suggests that the USA IS involved in engineering a particular outcome in Libya.

USA Asks Saudi Arabia for Help

The Independent wrote on March 7:

“Desperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents, the Americans have asked Saudi Arabia if it can supply weapons to the rebels in Benghazi. The Saudi Kingdom… has so far failed to respond to Washington’s highly classified request, although King Abdullah personally loathes the Libyan leader, who tried to assassinate him just over a year ago.

“Washington’s request is in line with other US military co-operation with the Saudis… Their assistance would allow Washington to disclaim any military involvement in the supply chain – even though the arms would be American and paid for by the Saudis. The Saudis have been told that opponents of Gaddafi need anti-tank rockets and mortars as a first priority to hold off attacks by Gaddafi’s armour, and ground-to-air missiles to shoot down his fighter-bombers…

“Saudi Arabia is already facing dangers from a co-ordinated day of protest by its own Shia Muslim citizens who, emboldened by the Shia uprising in the neighbouring island of Bahrain, have called for street protests against the ruling family of al-Saud on Friday. After pouring troops and security police into the province of Qatif last week, the Saudis announced a nationwide ban on all public demonstrations…

“If the Saudi government accedes to America’s request to send guns and missiles to Libyan rebels… it would be almost impossible for President Barack Obama to condemn the kingdom for any violence against the Shias of the north-east provinces. Thus has the Arab awakening, the demand for democracy in North Africa, the Shia revolt and the rising against Gaddafi become entangled in the space of just a few hours with US military priorities in the region.”

Politics and the attempt to “buy allies” will be a cause for the ultimate downfall of the USA. However, as the next articles show, America is afraid to lead.

Hillary Clinton: “US Must Not Lead…”

Fox News reported on March 9:

“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Sky News Wednesday that a no-fly zone over Libya cannot be a U.S.-led effort, and would need the backing of the international community… ‘because this comes from the people of Libya themselves,’ she told Sky News…

“In testimony on Capitol Hill last week, Gates argued that there has been a lot of ‘loose talk’ when it comes to setting up no fly zones, warning senators and congressmen that such a decision would require military strikes on Qaddafi’s air defense capabilities. But Retired General Wesley Clarke, who was actively involved in setting up a NATO no-fly zone in Bosnia, says that was not the case there where they simply warned Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic that if his air defense systems were turned on, they would be bombed, which served as a deterrent for the most part and allowed allies to enforce the no-fly zone without bombing local air defense facilities.

“During a speech to West Point cadets late last month, Gates questioned the wisdom of military intervention in such a volatile region of the world. ‘In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should have his head examined, as Gen. MacArthur so delicately put it,’ he said… ‘I don’t think anybody has any intention of putting any ground forces in Libya,’ he said. ‘Nobody has ever even talked about that.’”

Is the USA Missing Out?

USA Today wrote on March 9:

“Libyans battling Col. Moammar Gadhafi are increasingly desperate for a no-fly zone and say the United States is missing a chance to topple an anti-American dictator and win the gratitude of a new democracy in the Middle East. ‘This is a window of opportunity for the United States,’ said Zahi Mogherbi, a political science professor and unofficial adviser to the provisional government. ‘They are not taking it or they are taking their time.’

“People in eastern Libya, where rebels are in control of a swath of the country, are urging the West to impose a no-fly zone against Gadhafi’s air force. The calls have become more urgent as forces loyal to Gadhafi have blunted a rebel offensive as it moved toward Tripoli. ‘People are losing faith in the international community,’ said Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebel movement. ‘What are they waiting for?’

“The White House said Wednesday that it continues to consult with allies over Libya and that military pressure is an option. President Obama has said Gadhafi should step down but has not backed a no-fly zone or any military means. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent, said the U.S. should be arming the rebels.

“People here have an ambivalent view toward the U.S., Mogherbi said. President Reagan was the first world leader to highlight Gadhafi as an international pariah and sponsor of terrorism. That earned him credit, Mogherbi said. ‘People thought of that as some kind of support to the Libyan people,’ he said. Mogherbi said, however, that Libyans believe the U.S. became critical of Gadhafi only when he threatened U.S. interests, such as with terrorist attacks against U.S. targets. ‘But nobody talked about what he was doing to the Libyan people,’ said Mogherbi…

“Many Libyans said they approved of Reagan’s targeting Gadhafi in 1986, but mostly they recall that he missed. ‘We would be happy if Gadhafi was killed, but no one liked Reagan when he bombed Libya,’ said Khalid Ali, 28, owner of a clothing store. ‘The United States has a lot it can do to support the Libyans,’ Ali said. ‘I wonder why they are taking it slow?’

“John Pike, director of the Globalsecurity.org, said the U.S. may regret not helping the rebels overthrow Gadhafi… ‘It would be reasonable to assume he might go back to his old troublemaking ways,’ Pike said, referring to Gadhafi’s sponsorship of terrorism. ‘Certainly we would lose the opportunity we thought we had to turn Libya into a normal country,’ at peace with its neighbors.”

France Jumps Ahead… and Angers Europe

The EUObserver reported on March 9:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s surprise decision to formally recognise Libyan rebels in Benghazi as the legitimate government of Libya caused dismay at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday (10 March).

“German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle in an unusually candid press briefing said he was sitting next to French foreign minister Alain Juppe in the EU capital when the news broke, complaining that he had not been pre-notified and that Mr Sarkozy appears to have acted ‘on a whim’. He added that the French position is ‘not the German position or the European position.’

“Berlin believes the Sarkozy move is a public relations stunt following recent revelations that his prime minister and former foreign minister took gifts from dictators in Egypt and Tunisia shortly before the revolutions. It also believes the move is linked to the 2012 presidential elections in France, with the latest polls indicating that Mr Sarkozy will not make the second round. Italy as well distanced itself from the French position.”

As mentioned in an earlier article, France may be moving to the right. Whether Mr. Sarkozy’s recent political maneuvering will have the outcome desired by him, or whether it will continue to backfire, will have to be seen.

The Middle East—a Perspective

The following article might shed some light on why we face so many problems in the Middle East.

Der Spiegel wrote on March 8:

“The Middle East has dominated global politics for decades, to a degree disproportionate to its geographic size and population. Reports of war, violence and terror between North Africa and the Persian Gulf have become background noise in the lives of an entire generation. The region has experienced well over a dozen international wars, numerous civil wars and military coups, and thousands of terrorist attacks and political assassinations since 1945 alone… the conflicts of the Middle East occur in a region that sits on top of close to 60 percent of the world’s oil and more than 40 percent of its natural gas reserves…

“For more than 400 years, the Ottomans had controlled North Africa, Syria and Palestine, Mesopotamia all the way to the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea to Aden, and the Nile to the Sudanese border. But the French captured Algeria and Tunisia, and in 1882 Egypt fell to the British. Now [in 1911] the Italians had landed in Libya. Like the British and the French, they too sought to establish colonies in Africa… [What would follow was] a century in which the entire Middle East would turn into a battlefield among political, ideological and religious forces, a hothouse of global politics.

“… the demons of the Middle East suddenly surfaced around the world. Al-Qaida came onto the global stage, a terrorist organization that came from the heart of the Arab world and yet was capable of operating with unprecedented global reach. On Sept. 11, 2001, it finally became clear that the Middle East had given birth to a monster… Ten years after the attacks on New York and Washington, an uprising has gripped the Arab world that no one saw coming. It began in Tunisia and spread to Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan… from Morocco to the seemingly peaceful Sultanate of Oman, from wealthy Saudi Arabia to Iraq, which the United States supposedly liberated eight years ago… the West, instead of celebrating what it has demanded for years, is standing on the sidelines with its mouth agape, fascinated, and yet speechless and fearful…

“In early 1915, when it was becoming clear that the Ottoman Empire would not survive World War I, politicians in London and Paris hit upon the idea of dividing up what was left of the empire. The British and French plan targeted the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire…The Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration, signed in 1916 and 1917 respectively, are the two founding documents of the modern Middle East. They served as the basis for five states — Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel — and the eternal non-state of Palestine. The existence of those has remained a source of division and unrest to this day.

“The Arabs, who would not discover the exact wording of the documents until after World War I, still consider them to be documents of betrayal even today. In the eyes of many Arabs, the borders they created, and the dynasties the British and French installed within these borders, have always lacked legitimacy… They blame the West for having created artificial states, countries like Lebanon and Iraq that are ethnically and religiously divided and which remain virtually ungovernable to this day, and for the fact that the Hashemite dynasty installed by the British failed in Syria and then Iraq, and only survives today in Jordan…”

British Bungled Operation in Libya

Breitbart wrote on March 7:

“The British government was left red-faced Monday after a botched attempt by special forces to make contact with opposition forces in Libya ended in the team being seized by rebels. The team, reportedly made up of six soldiers from the elite SAS and two diplomats, flew into Libya by helicopter and made their way to the opposition-held city of Benghazi. But they were rounded up by lightly armed rebels soon after they arrived, reports said… they succeeded only in angering Libyan opposition leaders who denied they had asked for any help and by late Sunday they had been packed off to Malta on a British naval ship…

“The bungled operation raised eyebrows because Britain prides itself on the competence of the SAS, which is believed to play a major role in the conflict in Afghanistan as well as in past wars in Iraq and the Falklands… The Daily Telegraph, traditionally a pro-armed forces newspaper, said the mission was a ‘blunder’ which had handed a propaganda coup to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

“Britain’s government has made a faltering start to its handling of the Libyan crisis. Prime Minister David Cameron banged the drum for the imposition of a no-fly zone last week, only to backtrack rapidly to say it was no more than ‘contingency planning.’ And in the first days of the revolt, [British Foreign Secretary William] Hague drew fire for suggesting that Kadhafi had fled to Venezuela.”

We read in the Bible that the land of Egypt will not escape the coming king of the North (Daniel 11:42).  But Libya is mentioned as well. The king of the North–the future leader of a united Europe–will “have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heel” (Daniel 11:43). At the beginning of the Millennium, Libya and Iran (Persia) will be part of an alliance with Russia and China, which will attempt to invade Israel (Ezekiel 38:5). For more information on Ezekiel 38, please listen to our new StandingWatch program, titled, “When Will Russia Attack Israel?”

Violence Returns to Egypt

The BBC reported on March 6:

“Pro-democracy activists in Egypt have been attacked by men in plain clothes, armed with knives, outside the interior ministry in Cairo, reports say. It is the first such attack since the fall of Hosni Mubarak last month. Protesters have stormed ministry and secret police offices to obtain documents they say show evidence of repression under the former president…

“Dismantling the security apparatus has been one of the key demands of the protest movement, the BBC’s Magdi Abdelhadi in Cairo says. The events of the weekend have been described as the Egyptian storming of the Bastille, he says. The secret police apparatus was the nerve centre of the Mubarak government. Activists who stormed the Cairo headquarters told the BBC they had found evidence of a parallel state structure that monitored all aspects of life in Egypt.

“Mohammed Abdelfattah, a protester who raided the headquarters in Nasr City, said: ‘We found transcribed phone calls between university professors, political activists, opposition figures.’ Evidence of torture was also found, he added.”

Reuters reported on March 6:

“Egyptian soldiers, on the streets since the start of the uprising, fired into the air for several minutes to disperse the protesters. As they ran, the protesters were confronted by men they described as thugs… In the last two days, protesters have broken into 11 offices belonging to the state security apparatus across the country, seizing documents which they feared would be destroyed by officers to cover up abuses perpetrated by the force… The military council which has ruled Egypt since Mubarak stepped down warned against publication of documents taken from state security offices and urged their return.”

More Violence in Egypt

The Wall Street Journal reported on March 9:

“Clashes that broke out when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting against the burning of a Cairo church killed at least 13 people and wounded about 140, security and hospital officials said Wednesday. The Muslims torched the church amid an escalation of tensions between the two religious groups over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couple’s families. The officials said all 13 fatalities died of gunshot wounds.”

The Los Angeles Times wrote on March 9:

“Egypt suffered the deadliest unrest since President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster when clashes Wednesday between Muslims and Coptic Christians left 13 dead and 140 injured. The bloodshed, on the edge of a Cairo slum, renewed concern about the government’s willingness to protect the Christian minority. Army units intervened only after Muslims set fire to homes and businesses… Authorities said the dead were evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, and witnesses said the victims included a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the head… Egypt’s Coptic Christians, about 12% of the population, have long been subject to discrimination. No church can be built or repaired without a presidential decree. Copts have also been targeted in a recent series of attacks…”

It remains to be seen whether Egypt will ever become a democracy. The Bible shows that ultimately, Egypt will form a violent confederacy with Libya and Ethiopia (Ezekiel 30:3-5; Jeremiah 46:9). But we also need to realize that at the time when the Holy Spirit was poured out on early followers of Christ, people from Egypt and Libya were assembled (Acts 2:10), and later, Philip was sent to baptize “a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury” (Acts 8:27). We read that at the beginning of the Millennium, Egypt might not immediately follow God’s commands to, for example, keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:18), but the Egyptians will finally know the LORD (Isaiah 19:21); they will live in peace and harmony with modern Assyria or Germany, and with all the modern descendants of ancient Israel; and God will bless the Egyptians and recognize them as His people (verses 23-24).

Israel, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan Most Unpopular Countries

Haaretz reported on March 7:

“A poll conducted by the BBC revealed Tuesday that Israel is one of the most negatively viewed countries in the world, ranking at the bottom of the chart along with Iran, North Korea and Pakistan… 22 out of 27 countries leaned toward a negative view of Israel, headed by Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia. The countries which had the most positive view of Israel were the United States, Russia, Ghana, and China… many more Americans chose to rate Israel negatively in 2011, marking an increase of 10% since 2010. Moreover, negative perceptions of Israel grew stronger in Britain, Canada, Indonesia, Australia, Portugal, Spain, and Kenya.”

That Israel is perceived as one of the most unpopular countries is not surprising, as we are observing the development of the biblically prophesied fact that Israel will end up in total isolation.

Germany, Britain and Canada Most Popular Countries

The Telegraph wrote on March 6:

“Britain has been named as the second most popular nation in the world – being pipped to the top spot only by old rivals Germany… Britain’s positive rating for 2011 was 58 per cent, up from 53 per cent in 2010. Negative views of Britain decreased by two per cent, now standing at 17 per cent.

“Of the 27 countries polled, 24 were positive towards Britain while two, Pakistan and Mexico, have overall negative views. Those with the most positive views of Britain were in the United States, at 80 per cent. They were followed by Australia at 79 per cent and Canada at nearly 70 per cent. Germany was the most positively viewed nation, with 62 per cent of those surveyed rating its influence as positive… Canada was the third most popular of the countries polled, followed by Japan, France and Brazil. The US came seventh ahead of China, South Africa and India.”

Germany is destined to lead the coming United States of Europe, and that developing unity, as well as its leader, will be admired and followed and even worshipped (Revelation 13:3-4).  But it appears very likely that Britain will not be a part of that ultimate unity. In light of this, the next article is very interesting.

Britain to Eurozone: Count Us Out

The New York Times wrote on March 7:

“Do what you like. Just count us out. That, in essence, is the message that Britain is sending its European partners as the 17 countries that share the euro move toward closer economic integration this month. In a departure from half a century of British diplomacy, Prime Minister David Cameron has adopted a strategy of benign disengagement from the core project of the European Union to appease the numerous euroskeptics in his Conservative Party. Rather than seeking, like his predecessors, to shape and restrain European integration, he is watching from the sidelines as an inner circle of euro zone states begins separate annual summit meetings and moves forward with coordinating economic policy.

“Mr. Cameron has said Britain has a vital interest in the success of the euro zone, its biggest trade partner… But he is now effectively pulling up the drawbridge to the Continent by enacting a ‘United Kingdom Parliamentary Sovereignty Bill’ that would make any further transfer of power from London to Brussels subject to a national referendum. Britain chose not to adopt the euro when the Maastricht Treaty on monetary union was negotiated in 1991. But Labour governments from 1997 to 2009 were committed to adopting it — in theory, at least — if the economic conditions were right… Mr. Cameron, however, has pledged that Britain will never join the euro zone as long as the Conservatives are in power…

“Mr. Cameron’s ‘little Britain’ policy is already having consequences for both Britain and Europe. For one thing, it has left longtime British allies in northern and eastern Europe to fend for themselves. Sweden and Denmark — which, like Britain chose not to adopt the common currency — are now scrambling to strengthen links with the euro zone for fear of being left out of economic integration… Poland and other central European states saw Britain as their pro-enlargement, pro-market best friend when they joined the Union in 2004, but they are now racing to build closer ties with Germany and France to avoid being stuck in Europe’s slow lane.

“The Poles are furious because Britain’s drive to shrink the E.U. budget would reduce regional development funds earmarked for Warsaw and the other newcomers. Diplomats and analysts say Britain’s effective withdrawal from the economic and fiscal policy negotiations has even pushed France and Germany into each other’s arms.”

“North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb”

ABC News reported on March 9:

“The North [North Korea] is believed to be nearing completion of an electromagnetic pulse bomb that, if exploded 25 miles above ground would cause irreversible damage to electrical and electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, radio and radar, experts say… On top of disrupting major communication tools used by both civilians and the military, the waves would affect financial transactions and civilian airplanes dependent on radio signals…”

North Korea is a country to be watched. It will play an important role in the future and could be part of the confederacy, described in Ezekiel 38, aligning itself with Russia and other Far Eastern nations against Israel. For further information, please see our StandingWatch program, titled, “A Single Nuclear Bomb Could Destroy America.”

Earthquakes in Japan

The Associated Press reported on March 9:

“A series of powerful aftershocks shook the eastern coast of Japan early Thursday, briefly triggering a tsunami alert, in the wake of a strong earthquake that hit a day earlier… The country’s meteorological agency said Thursday’s temblors were likely aftershocks from a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit in the same area Wednesday, shaking buildings hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Tokyo and triggering a small tsunami. The series of aftershocks included a magnitude 6.8 quake… and a magnitude 6.1 temblor…”

We will hear more and more about earthquakes in diverse places (Matthew 24:7), as well as mass killings of all kinds of animals (Hosea 4:3), as the next article reports.

Millions of Dead Sardines in California

On March 9, dailybreeze.com wrote the following:

“Millions of sardines created a massive stink and an even bigger cleanup effort in Redondo Beach’s King Harbor Marina on Tuesday after they swam inside overnight, became trapped and died. Twelve to 18 inches of dead sardines blanketed the water’s bottom in Basin 1 off Marina Way. Another thick layer of dead fish coated the surface from the breakwall to the inner docks, surrounding boats and walkways.

“Authorities with the California Department of Fish and Game, along with other ocean biologists at the scene, declared the mass death a natural event. The fish, they said, sucked every drop of oxygen from the water and couldn’t breathe… authorities believe the huge school of sardines, perhaps blown in by the night’s 40-mph winds and crashing waves, swam into King Harbor and became disoriented. Those who chose other basins were fine, but the schools that headed into Basin 1 ‘backed themselves into a corner’ and were unable to find their way out… They quickly depleted the oxygen in the water and died.”

For more information, please see our StandingWatch program, “Birds and Fish Will Waste Away.”

Biblical Changes to Reflect Catholic Church’s Interpretations

Reuters reported on March 2:

“A new edition of one the most popular English-language bibles will offer substitutes for words… to better reflect modern understanding, a Catholic group said on Wednesday… Nearly 50 scholars from all faiths and a committee of Roman Catholic bishops have labored since 1994 over the first fresh edition of the New American Bible since 1970, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said.

“The changes go beyond a few words being altered, and include freshly-written notes that should help readers better understand the Catholic church’s interpretation of biblical concepts… In a change in a passage in Isaiah 7:14 that foretells the coming of Jesus and his birth to a virgin mother, the 1970 edition’s reference to ‘the virgin’ will become ‘the young woman,’ to better translate the Hebrew word ‘almah.’”

Note that the biblical wording is changed in order to help the reader better understand the Catholic Church’s INTERPRETATION of biblical concepts. But the Word of God is not a matter of private interpretation (compare 2 Peter 1:20).

Ash Wednesday’s Customs

The Times-Picayune wrote on March 9:

“Ash Wednesday [following Carnival or Marty Grass celebrations] marks the beginning of the season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection and fasting which prepares Christians for Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter, through which Christians believe they attain redemption. Ashes, marked in a cross on the forehead, are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the church.

“Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, Christians’ foreheads are marked with ashes to humble their hearts and remind them that life passes away on Earth. The ashes are made from the palms blessed in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with holy water.

“Lent is mostly observed by the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican denominations, and also by Roman Catholics.”

The Bible says nothing about Christians having to keep “Lent,” or “Ash Wednesday,” or “Easter.” It does not remotely suggest to bless ashes with “holy water,” and to “mark” the “forehead” with the sign of the cross. But notice what the Bible says about marking one’s forehead. Revelation 13:16, speaking about a religious power, states: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads…” God warns His people not to accept that mark (compare Revelation 14:9; 20:4). As we explain in our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy,” this mark has much to do with the rejection of God’s commandments and the acceptance of pagan customs and practices, falsely called “Christian.”

“Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?”

The Huffington Post wrote on March 3:

“At the height of the Iraq War in 2004, influential TV evangelist and former U.S. presidential candidate Pat Robertson said: ‘The entire world is being convulsed by a religious struggle. The fight is not about money or territory; it is not about poverty versus wealth; it is not about ancient customs versus modernity. No. The struggle is whether Hubal, the Moon God of Mecca, known as Allah, is supreme, or whether the Judeo-Christian Jehovah God of the Bible is supreme’…

“The fact of the matter is this: fearful people bent on domination have created the contest for supremacy between Yahweh, the God of the Bible, and Allah, the God of the Quran. The two are one God, albeit differently understood. Arab Christians have for centuries worshiped God under the name ‘Allah.’ Most Christians through the centuries, saints and teachers of undisputed orthodoxy, have believed that Muslims worship the same God as they do…

“After the fall of Constantinople (1453), the city named after the first Christian emperor and a seat of Christendom for more than 1,000 years, Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, a towering intellect and an experienced church diplomat, affirmed unambiguously that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, albeit partly differently understood…

“Whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God is also the driving question for the relation between these two religions globally. Does the one God of Islam stand in contrast to the three-personal God of Christianity? Does the Muslim God issue fierce, unbending laws and demand submission, whereas the Christian God stands for love, equal dignity and the right of every individual to be different? Answer these questions the one way, and you have a justification for cultural and military wars. Answer them the other way, and you have a foundation for a shared future marked by peace rather than violence.”

However, the real question is not whether Muslims and orthodox Christians worship the same God, but whether either of them worship the true God of the Bible. The sad answer is, none of them do. Among many problems, Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus Christ and, in effect, the only One through whom we can obtain salvation (Acts 4:12), and orthodox Christians deny, in effect, that Jesus Christ became a man and died and was dead in the grave for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:39-40), and they falsely worship the Holy Spirit as God, the third person of a “Trinity.” For more information on what the Bible teaches, please read our free booklets, “Is God a Trinity?”, “God is a Family” , and “Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery.”

“Europe Has Failed the Arab World”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 28:

“For weeks, a blossoming democratic movement in North Africa has been toppling one dictator after the other — first in Tunisia, then in Egypt, now possibly in Libya. During this whole period, the reaction of Europe’s governments can best be described as paralyzed. While Gadhafi’s regime was ordering its forces to fire upon its own people, the reactions of the political elites — whether in Brussels, Berlin, Paris or Rome — were unsure, divided and without a plan.

“They asked themselves whether they should send in troops or impose sanctions. They worried about a massive influx of refugees and whether it was appropriate to get involved in what could turn out to be a long civil war…

“Granted, the French, Germans and British succeeded in safely bringing thousands of their citizens back home who had been stranded in the chaos of civil war. But, for days, the Europeans could not agree on a proposal to freeze the bank accounts of the Gadhafi clan. It was only last Friday, after more and more military units had deserted the despot, that the EU finally agreed to impose some rather timid sanctions…

“On Sunday, Italian Foreign Minister Frattini announced that a friendship treaty that Italy and Libya had signed in 2008 was ‘de facto suspended.’ The treaty includes a non-aggression clause…

“The upheaval on the other side of the Mediterranean has caught the Europeans unprepared. For decades, they have fawned over the despots of North Africa because they promised both oil and protection against African refugees and Islamist terrorists… In Germany, production slowdowns in Libya have caused gas prices to climb to €1.57 per liter ($8.17 per gallon), up from €1.49 per liter in January, and prices are expected to continue to rise. If the pro-democracy unrest should also spill over into oil-rich Saudi Arabia, experts predict that oil prices could reach new all-time highs, which would have disastrous effects on growth and employment in Europe…

“What we are now witnessing is a historic turning point bringing with it opportunities and risks no less significant than those that attended the collapse of communism two decades ago… when it comes to European ties to countries in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, national interests are more important than European ones…

“On Monday, EU member states finally signed off on concrete sanctions against Libya, including an arms embargo and a travel ban on leading officials of the Gadhafi regime. They will also freeze the regime’s assets, a step that the Swiss already backed some time ago…

“All the embarrassing bickering in Europe is a setback for Ashton, who should, as the EU’s foreign policy chief, in theory be Europe’s main diplomatic voice. But, more than anything, the British diplomat has merely been an observer of all the wrangling among the EU’s foreign ministers…

“The EU is not only deeply divided in foreign-policy matters. The wrangling is at least as fierce when it comes to the issue of how the refugees from North Africa should be dealt with…

“Although it’s very possible that the Gadhafi government is on its last legs, it cannot be ruled out that Libya could be on the verge of a civil war that could last months. For this reason, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has demanded that, if necessary, the international community must also be willing to intervene militarily on a massive scale…

“However, such efforts could quickly turn Western involvement into war. In Germany, at least, political parties are unanimous in their opposition to this scenario. Given Germany’s involvement in Afghanistan, which is already unpopular domestically, there is little desire to get caught up in a second military conflict. Still, it will be extremely difficult to maintain this stance if the conflict spreads or if Gadhafi employs poison gas, as some former loyalists now fear. The question is whether Europe would be able to sit back and watch while genocide is committed on its border. The EU doesn’t yet have an answer.”

That EU Council chief Herman Van Rompuy and EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton are European misfits, was clear from the start. But the Bible prophesies that a strong European leader will arise in Europe, and that the European core nations will give him their votes, so he can speak with one voice. He will not be reluctant to resort to military means, and then things will change dramatically on the world scene. As the next articles show, America recognizes that it cannot rely on divided Europe. But will America become the world leader again, which it once was? The Bible predicts that it will not, and that Europe will indeed become THE leading political and military power in the world.

Military Action Against Libya?

The New York Times wrote on February 28:

“The Defense Department has begun repositioning Navy warships to support possible action against Libya… Military planners are working on a wide range of options, said to include everything from imposing a ‘no-fly zone’ over Libya to halt warplanes from attacking civilians to evacuation of wounded and innocents…

“While any American military action would be described as humanitarian assistance, it no doubt would indirectly apply even more pressure to a regime already fighting rebels from its own military who are supporting a popular revolt against the authoritarian rule. Pentagon officials said the United States certainly would seek an international consensus for action… the scope and pacing of planning underway is a substantial increase from just a week ago, when officials in Washington said that the most likely military action would come from regional states, such as Italy or France.

“Officials said that the Obama administration had realized that only the American military could lead across a full range of options to halt the violence… The American military has a large force of warships and combat and cargo aircraft available across Europe.”

Airstrikes, but No Ground Troops?

The EUObserver wrote on March 1:

“Fighter jets, aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, a no-fly zone over Libya and arming the rebels are all options being weighed up by the US and its EU allies, as a defiant Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is continuing to cling onto power and is ordering airstrikes on towns and arms depots.

“Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday… British Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK is ‘taking the lead’ in isolating the ‘illegitimate’ Gaddafi regime, including by military means… In France, Prime Minister Francois Fillon confirmed that ‘all options are on the table,’ including a no-fly zone. A military option is being ‘evaluated by the French government,’ he said…

“The US and a number of European countries, including Britain and Germany, have already flown military aircraft into the Libyan desert to help with evacuation efforts…

“As Russia and China seem unwilling to back the idea of a no-fly zone in the UN Security Council, the US and its European allies may go for a Nato decision instead… British military air base in Cyprus could be used to enforce the no-fly zone, as well as Italy’s base in Sicily.

“Foreign intervention – as long as no troops are deployed within the country – seems a valid option for former Gaddafi regime members who have defected to the opposition as well. ‘… If we found that no solution was reached on Gaddafi’s part or his aides to put an end to these massacres, then all our fellows here in Darna, Al Baida, Ghuba and Benghazi are firm and certain that air strikes must be launched, provided that no jetfighter will land on Libyan territories,’ former Libyan interior minister Abdel Fattah Younes, who stepped down last week, told Al Jazeera on Monday.”

No Stomach for Military Intervention?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on March 3:

“The West has no stomach for military intervention in Libya, but also no clear ideas about ending the crisis before it becomes a full-fledged civil war…

“As violence in Libya continues with no end in sight, the debate about a possible military intervention by the West has heated up. But the international community is cautious about getting dragged into the conflict… Western diplomats told the Associated Press that some NATO members were drawing up contingency plans for a no-fly zone, should the international community decide on such a step.

“Getting a no-fly zone approved by the UN Security Council would be tough, given that Russia — a veto-holding permanent member — has already opposed such a move. On Wednesday, too, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates also called for an end to ‘loose talk’ about military intervention, saying that a no-fly zone would also entail a military attack on Libya.

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘Those who hoped that the political upheaval in Libya would follow a similar straightforward pattern as in Tunisia and Egypt now face being proved wrong. Gadhafi has regained his composure militarily and is using his remaining power to start a campaign of revenge against the revolutionaries…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘… the UN is an organization that represents the world as it is, not the world as it should be. In the struggle to find compromises, democrats have to deal with autocrats, raw material producers with consumers, and freedom-lovers with sponsors of terror…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Colonel Gadhafi strikes back. With an attack on the oil and port city of Brega, the Libyan dictator has shown that he means [to carry out]  his vicious threats against the insurgents… The present situation does not… require endless debates in citizens’ committees. Rather, it needs readiness for military action. … Time is on Gadhafi’s side.’”

The Wall Street Journal added this comment on March 3:

“The rebels are calling for foreign airstrikes as they fend off the offensive by forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi, but senior U.S. defense officials are lowering expectations of an international military intervention in the country… The U.S. and allies have discussed the prospect of imposing a no-fly zone over the North African country to prevent Col. Gadhafi from using air forces to strike at protesters. But Mr. Gates made clear Wednesday that the U.S. military would have to launch pre-emptive strikes to destroy Libya’s air defenses if President Barack Obama ordered the imposition of a no-fly zone.”

On the other hand, Reuters reported the following on March 3:

“French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France and Britain would support the idea of setting up a no-fly zone over Libya if Gaddafi’s forces continued to attack civilians.”

No Support for Gadhafi’s Opponents?

Haaretz wrote on March 1:

“U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said on Tuesday that the United States will maintain political and economic pressure on Muammar Gadhafi until he steps down as Libyan leader… Rice also said it was premature to talk about providing material support to Libyan rebels who are fighting to oust Gaddafi, saying no clear-cut unified opposition has yet to coalesce.”

German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Resigns

BBC News reported on March 1:

“German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has stepped down after he was found to have copied large parts of his 2006 university doctorate thesis. Mr Guttenberg, considered until recently a possible candidate for chancellor, has already been stripped of his PhD… The plagiarism scandal led to him being nicknamed Baron Cut-and-Paste, Zu Copyberg and Zu Googleberg by the German media. But Ms Merkel had continued to stand by him…

“Mr Guttenberg told reporters in Berlin that he was relinquishing all his political offices and he thanked the chancellor for her support, trust and understanding… According to Konrad Jarausch, a political scientist at the Free University in Berlin: ‘It’s bad for Merkel and she stuck with him far too long.’…

“By Tuesday the newspaper Die Welt reported that the number of academics who had signed the letter objecting to his continued role in the government had climbed to 51,500. One of the most blistering comments came from law professor Oliver Lepsius, who succeeded his doctoral supervisor at Bayreuth. ‘We have been taken by a fraud. His brazenness in deceiving honourable university personnel was unique,’ he wrote.”

The Local wrote on March 1:

“Guttenberg’s departure will deprive the chancellor of his star power as her conservatives face six state elections this year. ‘This is a big loss for Angela Merkel,’ political scientist Gero Neugebauer told news agency AFP. ‘She is losing an important election campaigner … Nobody else can excite the same level of interest and excitement.’”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on March 1:

“Guttenberg leaves behind a Defense Ministry in the middle of its furthest-reaching reforms in years. In recent months, Germany eliminated mandatory conscription in favor of a purely professional army but has recently struggled in the attempt to recruit enough new soldiers to fill the gap. There had likewise been talk that Merkel herself was dissatisfied with the progress of the reform.”

In this context, The Local added on March 1:

“According to military documents from early February, the number of volunteers interested in enlisting in April is currently just 10 percent of the target… The statistics have raised fears in the Bundeswehr that the end of conscription could endanger the readiness of German forces… The ministry plans to start an enlistment campaign this month to get the numbers up.”

Guttenberg’s Successor Sworn In

Deutsche Welle reported on March 3:

“German President Christian Wulff on Thursday officially swore in new ministers of defense and interior after the resignation of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg created a shake-up in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet earlier in the week. Wulff accepted Thomas de Maziere as successor to Guttenberg as defense minister, while Hans-Peter Friedrich assumed de Maziere’s previous post as interior minister… [He] laid out the challenges de Maziere will face in his new position. ‘You are the commander of our armed forces and are responsible for our soldiers who are currently deployed abroad,’ the president said. ‘You will also have many other important tasks, including carrying out the reform of the military.’

“Wulff officially relieved Guttenberg of his responsibilities as defense minister, wishing him ‘new success.’ ‘I thank you for your exceedingly engaged service to our country and give you the utmost respect,’ Wulff said. Guttenberg has also resigned from his post in the German parliament.”

Turkey in the Outfield…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 28:

“Thousands of Turkish immigrants gave Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a rock star welcome in Germany on Sunday in a show of national pride that remains fervent, even after decades spent in Germany. He told them they remain part of Turkey, and urged them to integrate into German society — but not to assimilate…

“They have come from all over Germany to see him live, some 10,000 people. They say things like: ‘The Germans will never accept us, but we have Erdogan’… One  woman says: ‘Erdogan… is our savior.’ Some 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, most of them descendants of Turks invited by the government in the 1950s and 1960s as ‘guest workers’ to make up for a shortage of manpower after World War II…

“In a newspaper interview published ahead of his speech, Erdogan urged Merkel to drop her opposition to Turkey’s accession to the EU. ‘Never have such political obstacles been put in the path of an accession country,’ he said… And then he repeats the sentence that caused such a stir at a speech he held in Cologne three years ago. He warns Turks against assimilating themselves. ‘Yes, integrate yourselves into German society but don’t assimilate yourselves. No one has the right to deprive us of our culture and our identity.’

“Erdogan knows that this statement amounts to a provocation in Germany… And he has brought along a gift for his compatriots — a kind of light-weight dual citizenship. The so-called ‘Blue Card,’ which gives Turks with German citizenship certain rights in Turkey, is to be upgraded. Holders of the card will, in the future, have the same rights as Turkish citizens in dealings with authorities and banks…

“It was a speech that did nothing to reinforce any feeling of belonging to Germany — Erdogan steadfastly appealed to the Turkish national pride of people who have been at home in Germany for four generations.”

Erdogan also told his audience that Germans of Turkish descent, living in Germany, should learn German, as Chancellor Merkel had said, but only after they have learned Turkish—a statement which has prompted a furious reaction from German politicians and the German people.

The EUObserver added on February 28:

“Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused German society of ‘xenophobia’ and the German government of ‘discrimination’ ahead of a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel… on Saturday, in an interview with the regional daily, the Rheinische Post, the Turkish premier came close to accusing Ms Merkel’s political party of racism… Mr Erdogan’s remarks come in the context of a worsening political climate for migrants in Germany.

“Last October, Ms Merkel said that multiculturalism had ‘utterly failed’… In September a top central bank official, Thilo Sarrazin, resigned after saying that Arabs and Turks were stupid and exploited the welfare state.

“Mr Erdogan’s comments also come after an awkward visit by French leader Nicolas Sarkozy to Ankara on Friday. Mr Sarkozy… told [the] press at a meeting with Turkish President Abduallah Gul that Turkey would ‘destabilise’ the EU if it joined.”

The Reaction of the German Press

The following are excerpts from comments in the German press about Prime Minister Erdogan’s speech, as adapted from Der Spiegel Online, dated March 1:

“The tabloid Bild writes: ‘Erdogan is a demagogue, a nationalist. And he hammered his message, which is as simple as it is fatal, into the heads of 10,000 people: You are and will remain Turkish — never forget that. By saying that, though, he is torpedoing efforts to integrate close to 3 million people with Turkish roots in Germany that cost German taxpayers millions of euros each year. Efforts to ensure that their children learn German right from the beginning so that they later have opportunities to get a job or a traineeship. But Erdogan doesn’t care about that. He’s in the middle of an election back home and any means to campaign is fine by him. That is shabby and irresponsible!’

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘In order to knit together the Turkish community, Erdogan painted a picture of the spectre of a steadily growing xenophobia. And he knows exactly what kind of effect such rhetoric has. The higher the wall of Turkophobia in Germany is perceived to be, the less prepared the Turks will be to integrate — a step many don’t want to take anyway…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘Erdogan’s appearance creates the impression that Turks living [in] Germany are in danger of becoming a persecuted minority. He again spoke of the threat of forced assimilation and Islamophobia that can be compared to anti-Semitism. Does Erdogan even know what he is talking about? As little as the rally had to do with the realities of German integration policies, it did show a man who divides the world into a good and bad that [he] is unable to even differentiate between at home. The methods and ways that Erdogan’s party deals with Christians in Turkey approximate what he is trying to accuse Germany of doing…’”

Overall, Erdogan’s speech was met in Germany with indignation. Muslim Turkey will never be allowed to become an integral part of “Christian” Europe. The Bible indicates that Turkey will not belong to the core nations of Europe.

Terror Attack in Germany

The Local reported on March 3:

“Arid Uka, the 21-year-old Kosovar who has admitted to killing two US airmen in Frankfurt, was a loner only recently turning to radical Islamist ideology, according to investigators. German federal prosecutors continue to piece together a profile of the man responsible for what is increasingly believed to have been a terrorist attack on US military personnel at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday…

“Armed with a Belgian Fabrique Nationale semi-automatic pistol and a large quantity of ammunition, the ethnic Albanian attacked a bus used to transport US military personnel outside the airport terminal. He shot dead one US airman in front of the bus before also killing the driver. Two other servicemen were seriously injured. He then fled into the terminal building before being subdued and arrested. The man admitted early on during his interrogation that he wanted to kill US soldiers. Working at the airport’s international postal centre, Uka knew his way around the facility, and likely observed the US military bus service beforehand.

“…he had recently started calling himself a jihadist named ‘Abu Reyyan’ on the social networking website Facebook. Under his Islamist handle he spread jihadist hymns on YouTube online, professed hatred of Jews and Shiite Muslims and took part in violent computer games. Within just four or five weeks, Uka is thought to have established contact to radical Islamist preachers including the Moroccan Sheik Abdellatif and German Muslim extremist Pierre Vogel. Though his family are devout Muslims, they are not considered to be Islamist radicals.”

Der Spiegel Online added on March 3:

“… the jihadists claim to have been in contact with acquaintances of Arid U… [who] has left his own cache of digital clues pointing to his adherence to radical Islamism. Two weeks prior to the shooting, he posted a link on his Facebook wall to a jihadist battle hymn… A fair number of his 125 Facebook friends would also seem to be sympathetic to radical Islamism… Some of the connections, however, are of particular interest to investigators, especially those with well-known figures in the Islamist scene. ‘He seems to have belonged to an unstructured militant-Salafist environment,’ said a source familiar with the investigation.

“Salafists are pious Muslims who place particular emphasis in emulating as far as possible the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the first generation of his followers. It is a movement that has been growing for years. While most Salafists are more political than they are militant, there is a segment with significant crossover with the jihadist-terror scene. Several of Arid U.’s contacts appear to come from this gray area…”

None of this will help to increase German sympathy for devout Muslims living in Germany.

“There Will Be Another Hitler Some Day”

On February 28, Der Spiegel Online conducted an interesting interview with Ewald von Kleist, 88, a former officer in the German Wehrmacht and the last surviving member of the July 20, 1944 plot against Hitler. We are bringing you the following excerpts from his comments:

“It’s true that, after Sept. 11, 2001, the United States declared war on global terrorism. But against which country? Why is this a war? And who is the enemy?… Al-Qaida is a chimera. There’s no organization, and there’s no country you can wage a war against. Instead, we’re waging war against an idea… Risking the lives of German soldiers is only justified when our vital interests are threatened. Exactly what those vital interests are has to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Then, we have to determine whether we have the means to achieve our goals…

“Obama’s idea of a world without nuclear weapons is nonsense… We can all recall the images of Iranian children with green headbands running straight into Iraqi machine-gun fire. Their parents allowed this to happen because they believed their children were fulfilling the will of Allah… Some time ago, (al-Qaida leader Osama) bin Laden said: ‘The difference between us is that you love life and we love death.’ I’m afraid he’s right…

“One of the last things Hitler said was: ‘We will slam the door shut behind us with a loud bang.’ He wasn’t able to do it at the time, but who can say whether an Iranian leader won’t feel the same way some day? Or look at Pakistan: What happens if there is regime change and the Islamists get their hands on nuclear bombs? There will be another Hitler some day…

“Goebbels once told me that, when it comes to propaganda, you just have to keep repeating the same thing over and over again until people can’t bear to hear it anymore — and then you say it again… he was very clever, diabolically clever.”

Ewald von Kleist is right—there WILL BE another Hitler someday. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Ugly Past of U.S. Human Experiments

The Associated Press reported on February 27:

“Shocking as it may seem, U.S. government doctors once thought it was fine to experiment on disabled people and prison inmates. Such experiments included giving hepatitis to mental patients in Connecticut, squirting a pandemic flu virus up the noses of prisoners in Maryland, and injecting cancer cells into chronically ill people at a New York hospital…

“Inevitably, [these experiments] will be compared to the well-known Tuskegee syphilis study. In that episode, U.S. health officials tracked 600 black men in Alabama who already had syphilis but didn’t give them adequate treatment even after penicillin became available…

“Some of these studies, mostly from the 1940s to the ’60s, apparently were never covered by news media… Many prominent researchers felt it was legitimate to experiment on people who did not have full rights in society — people like prisoners, mental patients, poor blacks. It was an attitude in some ways similar to that of Nazi doctors experimenting on Jews…

“It was at about this time that prosecution of Nazi doctors in 1947 led to the ‘Nuremberg Code,’ a set of international rules to protect human test subjects. Many U.S. doctors essentially ignored them, arguing that they applied to Nazi atrocities — not to American medicine. The late 1940s and 1950s saw huge growth in the U.S. pharmaceutical and health care industries, accompanied by a boom in prisoner experiments funded by both the government and corporations. By the 1960s, at least half the states allowed prisoners to be used as medical guinea pigs.

“… in the last 15 years, two international studies sparked outrage… U.S.-funded doctors failed to give the AIDS drug AZT to all the HIV-infected pregnant women in a study in Uganda even though it would have protected their newborns… The other study, by Pfizer Inc., gave an antibiotic named Trovan to children with meningitis in Nigeria… Critics blamed the experiment for the deaths of 11 children and the disabling of scores of others. Pfizer settled a lawsuit with Nigerian officials for $75 million but admitted no wrongdoing.

“Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general reported that between 40 and 65 percent of clinical studies of federally regulated medical products were done in other countries in 2008, and that proportion probably has grown. The report also noted that U.S. regulators inspected fewer than 1 percent of foreign clinical trial sites.”

Human nature being what it is, and Satan, the mass murderer and destroyer, being the real god of this present evil world and the ruler over ALL nations, no country and no people is exempted from conducting horrible atrocities against fellow human beings. Only a change of heart could bring about real change—but that change will only come with the return of Jesus Christ.

Common Biblical Misconceptions

Newsmax reported on March 1:

“Christian Broadcasting Network founder and ‘The 700 Club’ host Rev. Pat Robertson believes the present world will end someday — but not at the behest of nuclear-armed Iranian strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although alarmed about Iran’s headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons, Robertson… can’t bring himself to believe that God would let Iran’s president trigger a nuclear holocaust.

“Asked whether unrest in the Middle East and Iran’s nuclear ambitions could be seen as a prelude to Armageddon, Robertson cited Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, who predicts in Ezekiel 38:5 that a coalition of other nations will rise up against Israel in a final battle ‘that’s made up of what looks like Russia, Turkey, Iran, the Sudan,’ and other nations. ‘So it’s all shaping up, and they are going to invade Israel in “the latter days,”’ Robertson tells Newsmax in the exclusive interview. “So that to me is one of the most key prophetic signposts that we have available to us. And it’s coming to pass.’”

However, Ezekiel 38 does refer to events which will occur AFTER Christ’s return—not before—and they speak of an invasion of Asiatic nations attempting to fight against the descendants of the ancient houses of Israel and Judah, after Christ freed them from slavery and captivity and brought them back to the Promised Land. For more information, please read our Q&A on Ezekiel 38.

No Place in British Courts for Christianity

On March 1, 2011, the Telegraph reported the following:

“There is no place in British law for Christian beliefs, despite the country’s long history of religious observance and the traditions of the established Church, two High Court judges said yesterday… [They] made the remarks when ruling on the case of a Christian couple who were told that they could not be foster carers because of their view that homosexuality is wrong.

“The judges underlined that, in the case of fostering arrangements at least, the right of homosexuals to equality ‘should take precedence’ over the right of Christians to manifest their beliefs and moral values… the judges said Britain was a ‘largely secular’, multi-cultural country in which the laws of the realm ‘do not include Christianity’… The ruling… is the latest in a series of judgments in which Christians have been defeated in the courts for breaching equality laws by manifesting their beliefs on homosexuality.”

Truly, British society has turned the truth of the Bible upside down…

And Now… Bloodbath in Libya

Bloomberg reported on February 24, 2011:

“’It’s a massacre in there,’ said Mohamed Yehia after he crossed into Egypt at the northwestern town of Salloum, speaking of the deadly crackdown by Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. ‘He is crazy. The world must know what he’s doing to his people.’ Yehia, 23, is one of thousands of Egyptians working in Libya who gathered their belongings and left the oil-rich country yesterday after Qaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, this week accused foreigners, including Tunisians and Egyptians, of inciting the ongoing revolt…

“Many of those arriving said they had seen mercenaries from Africa and elsewhere, some dark-skinned and some fair, some speaking French. They had been deployed to attack anti- government protesters in Libyan cities, including the capital, Tripoli, and Benghazi, which has seen some of the worst violence since the uprising began last week, the eyewitnesses said… ‘First the police attacked the protesters, but after they saw many of their people being killed, they sympathized and joined them. The army too,’ said Yehia.”

Europe’s Weak Response

Deutsche Welle reported on February 21:

“In a joint statement the European Council called for ‘an immediate end to the use of force against protesters and for all parties to show restraint’…

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted by her spokesman as being ‘shocked’ at the ‘great brutality’ employed by Libyan security forces against the protesters… Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had harsh words for the Libyan leadership. ‘Nothing and nobody justifies the use of violence, murder and manslaughter to crush peaceful demonstrations,’ he said. ‘Anybody who seeks to intimidate citizens by threatening Libya with civil war shows that they are finished’… [The Local added on February 22 that Westerwelle also told broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday: “We can’t stand by and watch people be murdered.”]

“Italy, which has the closest business links with Libya among EU countries, appeared to be sending out contradictory messages with Foreign Minister Franco Frattini saying the EU should not ‘interfere’ in Libya… However, he suggested that Italy would not stand by and watch if reports of a self-proclaimed Islamic Emirate in Benghazi turned out to be true. ‘Would you imagine having an Islamic Emirate on the borders of Europe? This would be a really serious threat,’ Frattini said…

“The Libyan fallout is likely to be felt across Europe as oil prices continued to soar…”

In that regard, MoneyNews.com reported on February 22:

“Time magazine’s intelligence columnist reported on Tuesday that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ordered his security forces to sabotage the country’s oil facilities, citing a source close to the government. In a column posted on Time’s website, Robert Baer said the sabotage would begin by blowing up pipelines to the Mediterranean…

“‘Among other things, Gadhafi has ordered security services to start sabotaging oil facilities,’ Baer wrote. ‘The sabotage, according to the insider, is meant to serve as a message to Libya’s rebellious tribes: It’s either me or chaos.’ The growing violence in Libya has forced a number of oil companies to shut in production in Africa’s third-largest oil producer and disrupted flows from the country’s export terminals.”

Europe will not want to stand idly by too much longer if their pocket books are affected by rising oil prices…

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Orders Killing of Gaddafi

AFP wrote on February 21:

“Influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa on Monday that any Libyan soldier who can shoot dead embattled leader Moamer Kadhafi should do so ‘to rid Libya of him.’ ‘Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr Kadhafi should do so,’ Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born cleric who is usually based in Qatar, told Al-Jazeera television. He also told Libyan soldiers ‘not to obey orders to strike at your own people,’ and urged Libyan ambassadors around the world to dissociate themselves from Kadhafi’s regime…

“Qaradawi has celebrity status in the Arab world… [and] has in the past defended ‘violence carried out by certain Muslims.’ The West accuses the cleric of supporting ‘terrorism’ because he sanctioned Palestinian suicide attacks in Israel. Britain and the United States have refused to grant him entry visas. The cleric, spiritual leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and longtime resident of Qatar, heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars.”

And there are still many naïve politicians and newscasters who claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is a harmless, non-violent, peaceful organization…

A Middle East Without Gadhafi

Haaretz wrote on February 21:

“President Shimon Peres said Monday he believed Libyan leader Muammer Gadhafi’s reign was nearing an end. It was an ‘irony of history’ that Gadhafi had recently expressed his desire for ‘a Middle East without Israel,’ but that it now looked like ‘there will be a Libya without Gaddafi,’ Peres said at the start of a four-day visit to Spain…

“The official part of Peres’ visit, which will mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel, will begin on Tuesday… Israel and Spain established diplomatic relations on January 17, 1986, nearly four decades after the creation of the state of Israel. The lack of formal relations was attributed largely to Spain’s friendly relations with Arab countries during Francisco Franco’s 1939-75 dictatorship.

“However, as Spain joined NATO and the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union, in the 1980s, it began to increasingly seek a role as a mediator between Israel and Arab countries. Spanish-Israeli relations are also marked by the expulsion of all Jews who refused to convert to Christianity from Spain in 1492. King Juan Carlos has apologized for the expulsion, but descendants of the expelled Jews have demanded stronger gestures, such as being granted the Spanish nationality.”

Sadly, prophecy shows that Europe, including Spain, will again become very hostile towards Jews, and past atrocities will be repeated, and even worse things are supposed to happen.

Big Opportunity for the EU in the Middle East?

Deutsche Welle reported on February 21:

“The EU finds itself presented with an opportunity to lead in helping a number of Arab states move toward democracy… the EU will offer its ‘support to civil society, youth and enhanced economic cooperation’… the [new EU] declaration… will also include an offer of a ‘new partnership’ with Egypt and Tunisia…

“However, revelations over the extent of business ties, arms deals and energy reliance between EU member states and governments such as those in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain have led some analysts to question whether the policies of certain individual member states have been holding the EU back from taking a strong, unified approach…

“Italy has strong ties with Libya… while Greece also has strong business links… France has been exposed as having strong links to the former Tunisian regime, while Britain has deep investment in Libyan oil fields and lucrative arms deals with Bahrain… It is quite likely that an internal struggle is underway within the EU between the Scandinavian and Northern European countries horrified at the repression of demonstrators, and southern European Mediterranean countries more anxious to preserve investments and commercial relationships…

“…  it was the major powers inside the EU rather than the EU itself which led the calls for restraint when the protests began and issued statements on their own individual positions as the wave of unrest spread… this is a critical time for the EU in the region with many opportunities arising for it to establish a new set of relations through its immediate and future involvement. However, if the EU fluffs its lines again, the chance to lead in the remaking of the Middle East will be lost and its credibility irrevocably damaged.”

As the next article shows as well, the EU is still not totally unified, due to national interests of certain countries. The Bible says that even the final ten European nations or groups of nations will not be totally united, but they WILL obtain great strength in the military field (Daniel 2:40-43).

“The West Has No Leverage in Libya”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 22:

“Condemnation of the violence in Libya has been universal in Western capitals. But dictator Moammar Gadhafi shows no signs of calling a halt to the brutal repression of protests in the country. The West simply has no leverage in Libya… what can the West really achieve? So far, the collective indignation from all manner of government officials in Europe and North America has had precious little effect…

“The West, after all, has little influence in Libya. Oil riches make the North African country largely independent and diplomatic relations have long been difficult at best… Washington has little contact with Tripoli. Indeed, the country spent years on the black list of states which support terrorism. Only in 2008 were diplomatic relations re-established… the US doesn’t even have an ambassador in Libya. The last one was temporarily recalled after the WikiLeaks revelations.

“The US government is now also forced to rely on its European allies to exert pressure on Libya. Several EU states have working relationships with Gadhafi, not least as part of regular regional cooperation among the Mediterranean states. But the EU, once again, is divided in its approach. On Monday, EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels strongly condemned the regime’s crackdown on protestors. But they weren’t able to agree on any sanctions.

“Demands for punitive measures made by Finland and other Scandinavian countries were rejected. Italy in particular has resisted sanctions because the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi doesn’t want to endanger its close economic ties with its former colony. It is also worried about a new wave of refugees from North Africa…

“British Foreign Minister William Hague spoke to Gadhafi’s second son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, and demanded an end to the bloodshed. The British government is one of Libya’s main contacts in the West… In recent years, Gadhafi’s son has been an important link between the two governments. He owns a house in London, is in his mid-30s and studied for a Ph.D. at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 2003 until 2008. He was regarded as a friend [of] the West and as a reformer, and he moved in the highest circles in London. His contacts included Prince Andrew… Blair even called Gadhafi junior a ‘family friend.’ But Saif al-Islam seems to have turned radical in response to the uprising. London observers could hardly believe their ears when he declared in a speech on Sunday that the Gadhafis would fight ‘to the last bullet.’”

“Europe Should Intervene Militarily in Libya”

Der Spiegel Online reported on February 24 about the less than thrilled reaction of the German press to the indecisive stance of Europe and Germany towards the Libyan disaster:

“Gadhafi on Thursday showed no signs of giving in to the mass protests which have gripped Libya for over a week. While large parts of north-eastern Libya appear to no longer be under government control, the regime is still trying to beat back demonstrators…

“Several European governments are looking into options at their disposal to put an end to the ongoing violence in Libya. US President Barack Obama likewise said on Wednesday that his government was pursuing a ‘full range of options’ to pressure Gadhafi into stopping the attacks on demonstrators…

“German commentators argue on Thursday that it is time for Europe to take action.

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The time for indecision has passed… it is time for Europe to stop playing the role of gentle admonisher… Even sanctions — such as travel bans or the freezing of assets — wouldn’t be enough… Europe must issue a credible threat. The best thing would be a COALTION WITH THE ARAB LEAGUE, Egypt and the African Union — a coalition which, outfitted with an United Nations mandate, could MILITARILY RE-ESTABLISH PEACE in Libya….’

“The conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘… what about the United States? The global power has enough problems on other fronts. And Europe? There has been no lack of soft power, warm words and hot air… At least the European Union gathered the courage to stop all weapons deliveries to Libya which had been, hard as it is to believe, reliably delivered until now…. But what about sanctions? Threats of MILITARY OPERATIONS? The danger is in delay…”

These opinions are quite interesting, as according to the Bible, Europe WILL form a coalition with Arab nations (however, Egypt is not mentioned in that regard), and it WILL ultimately intervene militarily in the Middle East, undoubtedly with the stated desire to establish peace in the region. Europe recognizes that the “responsibility” for such action is placed on its shoulders. Due to its military engagement in other countries and its huge domestic problems, the USA is unable and unwilling to intervene militarily in countries such as Libya, and NATO just ruled out a military intervention in Libya, showing that Europe cannot rely on either the USA or NATO to take decisive actions.

Huge Demonstrations in Bahrain–Why Bahrain Matters…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 22:

“The Arab revolution has reached the tiny Gulf state of Bahrain, where Sunni rulers control a majority Shiite population. Western nations are following the protests with concern… The island nation has a smaller population than Munich, and more than half of its inhabitants are foreigners… the world is dependent on oil… and  two regional powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia, are both seeking to exert influence in Bahrain…

“About 70 percent of Bahrainis are Shiites. The Al Khalifa ruling family, however, is Sunni…

“[The Sunni kingdom of] Saudi Arabia is nearby; dangerously so, in fact. From Pearl Square in Manama, the Sheikh Khalifa Highway leads to the King Fahd Causeway, which connects the island nation with… Saudi Arabia…

“There are old family and tribal ties between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, where one-10th of the world’s total oil production is pumped out of the ground every day. For centuries, Eastern Province has also been home to Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority… This explains why the House of Saud is currently feeling nervous. If the fury among Bahraini Shiites spreads to their fellow [minority] Shiites in Saudi Arabia, the world’s most important oil-producing region could descend into conflict… Tehran already sees Bahrain as Shiite territory and, therefore, as a sort of 14th province of the Islamic Republic of Iran…

“Since the 1990s, the United States has used Bahrain as a base for the Fifth Fleet, a military force for the Gulf region that currently consists of 6,100 marines and civilian personnel. The fleet is the core of Washington’s Iran containment policy. Bahrain is ‘a place run by an oppressive and corrupt little regime, long coddled by Washington because the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is headquartered there,’ writes former CIA analyst Graham Fuller. And like in Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, the question that arises in Bahrain is how much longer the United States and Europe can afford such an ugly status quo.”

Bahrain’s Survival Threatened

The Washington Post wrote on February 23:

“… what happens in tiny Bahrain might have outsize repercussions… The Shiite-led protesters in Bahrain are demanding that their Sunni royal family grant them equal rights and an equal voice, and Saudi Arabia is worried their campaign might give ideas to its own large Shiite minority…

“‘Although we are friends, the [Bahraini] leadership is afraid of the Saudis,’ said one Bahraini observer with close ties to Bahraini security officials… Hamad is likely to tell Abdullah ‘we still don’t need’ Saudi military assistance, said the Bahraini observer…

“In recent years, an expanded American military presence has provided a counterweight to Saudi influence. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet is docked just south of Manama, somewhat easing Bahraini fears of a Saudi invasion, Bahraini observers said.

“‘Bahrain’s survival really depends on two countries, the United States of America and Saudi Arabia,’ said Mansoor al-Jamri, editor in chief of the independent Bahraini newspaper al-Wasat.”

If Bahrain fell into the “wrong hands,” grievous economic and military consequences might ensue for the USA and Europe.

USA Vetoes Resolution Condemning Israel…and Loses International Standing

Haaretz wrote on February 21:

“After hesitating until the very last moment, U.S. President Barack Obama decided to have his envoy veto the UN Security Council resolution condemning the settlements. The Palestinian-initiated proposal would have declared the Israeli settlement enterprise in the territories illegal. Fourteen members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, and only the U.S. veto kept it from being passed.

“The Palestinians lost the vote, but achieved their goal: They exposed for all to see the international isolation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration and embarrassed the U.S. administration by revealing it as two-faced.

“In explaining the veto decision, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, denounced the ‘illegitimacy’ of the settlements and stressed that Obama agreed with the resolution’s sponsors but had to oppose it for political reasons.

“Once again, the American superpower appeared to lose some of its prestige and international standing in order to defend the Israeli settlement enterprise, which enjoys the support of powerful patrons in Congress.

“Netanyahu celebrated his victory over Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but he should view the U.S. veto as a warning. The world’s patience over continuing construction in the settlements is wearing thin. The Palestinians are making suspension of building a prerequisite for negotiations, a position which has international support…

“Instead of fanning the flames in the region and further heightening Israel’s isolation he should work to defuse tension, to listen to the international community and to present a practical program for ending the occupation and the conflict. Instead of acceding to the demands of right-wing cabinet members and approving major building plans in the West Bank, he should recognize the diplomatic damage that the settlements cause Israel…”

No matter what the current US Administration is doing, it seems like it can’t win and find any support—not even in Israel. At the same time, Israel is finding itself more and more in total isolation.

Obamacare—Constitutional or Not?

Fox News wrote on February 22:

“A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit claiming that President Barack Obama’s requirement that all Americans have health insurance violates the religious freedom of those who rely on God to protect them. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian legal group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson, on behalf of five Americans…

“The case was one of several lawsuits filed against Obama’s requirement that Americans either buy health insurance or pay a penalty, beginning in 2014. Kessler is the third Democratic-appointed judge to dismiss a challenge, while two Republican-appointed judges have ruled part or all of the law unconstitutional. Kessler wrote that the Supreme Court will need to settle the constitutional issues.

“Three of the plaintiffs are Christians who said they want to refuse all medical services for the rest of their lives because they believe God will heal their afflictions. They say being forced to buy insurance would conflict with their faith because they believe doing so would indicate they need ‘a backup plan and (are) not really sure whether God will, in fact, provide,’ the lawsuit said. The two other plaintiffs have a holistic approach to medical care and prefer to pay for their health services out of pocket, in part because insurance often doesn’t cover their chosen methods of healing…

“Kessler rejected both arguments and ruled that Congress has the right to regulate health care spending under the Commerce Clause… She also said that anyone who objects to having health care for religious reasons can choose to pay the penalty instead…”

Same-Sex Marriages–Constitutional or Not?

The Associated Press wrote on February 23:

“In a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said Wednesday it will no longer defend the constitutionality of a U.S. law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.

“Attorney General Eric Holder said President Barack Obama has concluded that the administration cannot defend the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. He noted that the congressional debate during passage of the Defense of Marriage Act ‘contains numerous expressions reflecting moral disapproval of gays and lesbians and their intimate and family relationships — precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus the (U.S. Constitution’s) Equal Protection Clause is designed to guard against.’…

“He noted that the Supreme Court has ruled that laws criminalizing homosexual conduct are unconstitutional and that Congress has repealed the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy on gays in the armed forces.”

Heavy Defeat for Angela Merkel

Deutsche Welle reported on February 22:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) took a beating at Sunday’s state elections in Hamburg, obtaining just 21.9 percent of the vote – the party’s worst election results since World War II and a disappointment for Merkel as her party contests the first of seven crucial state elections this year. The opposition Social Democrats (SPD) won 48.3 percent of the vote, an increase from 34.1 percent in 2008. The SPD won 62 seats in the Hamburg state assembly, eking out an absolute majority…

“For Merkel, the result means the loss of three seats in the Bundesrat upper house of parliament, making it harder for her government to push through federal legislation. In the last election in the northern city-state in 2008, the CDU’s share of the vote was 42.6 percent, more than double Sunday’s score. The drop of 22.1 percentage points was the steepest decline ever between two elections for the CDU.

“The result in Hamburg, where Merkel was born, will also send a signal to voters before the other state votes, especially in the southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg where her CDU is also in danger of losing power in March.”

The mass-circulation Bild wrote on February 21:

“This election victory is a political tsunami!… For the SPD, the election year of 2011 could not have started any better. If the Social Democrats succeed in emulating their Hamburg success in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, we can look forward to some politically turbulent months.”

And Now… Guttenberg in Big Trouble…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 22:

“German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is under pressure to resign amid allegations he plagiarized parts of his Ph.D. thesis. Angela Merkel and other leading conservatives are worried the popular politician could fall, just when they need him to drum up votes ahead of crunch state elections…

“For days, fellow CSU members have been urging Guttenberg not to resign… everyone in the CSU knows that the future of their mandates and positions largely depends on this baron from the northern Bavarian region of Franconia…

 “The reaction in the media over the weekend and on Monday was generally devastating… Many Christian Democrats, including leading members of the party, feel that the entire affair could be extremely damaging. They sense that there could be much more to come…”

Deutsche Welle reported on February 23:

“German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg’s alma mater, the University of Bayreuth, on Wednesday revoked his doctorate in law amid allegations his thesis contained numerous plagiarized passages… [but] the committee did NOT determine whether Guttenberg’s infractions were intentional…
 
“The statement came after [Guttenberg had attempted to voluntarily relinquish his doctorate title and] German opposition lawmakers grilled Guttenberg over the plagiarism charges at a four-hour-long session in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin… ‘You have cheated, you have deceived, you have lied,’ said Thomas Oppermann of the Social Democratic Party. ‘I find it intolerable that the chancellor decided an impostor and liar should still belong to the cabinet.’

“On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had ‘full confidence’ in her defense minister… Several German law professors had accused Guttenberg of blatant plagiarism, listing up to 70 passages in which he did not correctly cite their work. As tempestuous as Wednesday was for the defense minister, his troubles are not over yet. State prosecutors in Bavaria have confirmed at least two criminal complaints have been filed against him. The complaints allege Guttenberg violated copyright laws, and lied in a previous sworn statement that his thesis was entirely his own work.
 
“Many of Guttenberg’s political allies are keen to see him remain in office, since he is Germany’s most popular politician by far. Guttenberg, who has been listed as a possible future chancellor, has dismissed opposition calls for him to resign.”

… Or Is He?

The Local wrote on February 23:

“German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has grown more popular despite a plagiarism scandal… 73 percent of people are happy with Guttenberg’s political work, compared to 68 percent before accusations he copied large chunks of this doctoral dissertation emerged. A similar number (72 percent) said his decision to give up his doctorate title was sufficient to allow him to stay minister. Only 24 percent of those surveyed said he should step down…

“Internet sleuths have set up a collaborative website, or Wiki, to comb through the 475 pages of zu Guttenberg’s work, concluding there was evidence of unattributed copying on 270 of them. When the 14 pages of content and 65 pages of footnotes are taken into account, this amounts to more than two-thirds of the dissertation…

“Media commentators on Wednesday were divided on whether the minister should step down.

“The leftist Tageszeitung wrote: ‘How can one go on believing such a man in the future, when he testifies on critical events, for example regarding the German army?… The fact that she [Angela Merkel] is prepared to keep a liar in the cabinet in order to preserve her balance of power isn’t just unworthy of her office. It is a scandal…’

“But the centre-left Süddeutsche Zeitung, while saying zu Guttenberg should be ‘ashamed’ of his actions, nevertheless said it could work in his favour. ‘Could the plagiarism affair even clear the path to the chancellery for him?’ asked the respected daily. ‘”Look,” says the baron to the people, “I’m one of you. A person who has weaknesses and who makes mistakes.”’”

Developments in Germany’s political landscape are of great importance. We know from Scripture that a strong political personage will arise in continental Europe, most likely in Germany, who will play a wide-ranging role in world affairs. We are certain that Angela Merkel is not that person; so we are to watch for further developments.

Gorbachev Dismantles Russian Myth of Democracy

The Associated Press reported on February 21:

“Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Monday described Russia as an imitation of democracy and accused its current rulers of conceit and contempt for voters, in his harshest criticism of the government yet. Gorbachev criticized Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his protégé, President Dmitry Medvedev, for saying that they will decide between them who should run for president in Russia’s March 2012 presidential vote.  ‘It’s not Putin’s business. It must be decided by the nation in the elections, by those who would cast ballots,’ Gorbachev said at a news conference…

“Gorbachev… called for a probe into last week’s statement by an assistant to the judge who convicted oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky who said that the judge did not write the verdict and read it against his will in the Moscow courtroom. Judge Viktor Danilkin found Khodorkovsky guilty in December of stealing oil from his own oil company and extended his prison term through 2017. The assistant, Natalya Vasilyeva, who is also the spokesperson for the court, said the verdict was imposed upon Danilkin when it became clear his own ruling would not please top Russian officials behind the politically driven case…

“Putin has been seen as the driving force behind the unrelenting legal attack on Khodorkovsky, who challenged him early in his presidency and has been imprisoned since 2003… Gorbachev also denounced the main pro-Kremlin United Russia party as a ‘bad copy’ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union…”

It is illusionary to think that Russia will ever become a democracy. Rather, it is destined to form a confederacy with other more or less non-democratic nations, such as China, Japan, India, North Korea, and Iran (Persia).

“Marital Status” Irrelevant for Church of England’s Clergy

Mail On Line wrote on February 19:

“The Church of England has infuriated traditionalists by dropping the requirement for clergy to disclose their marital status when they apply for new posts. Church officials say the changes have been introduced to mirror new secular employment and equality laws aimed at eliminating discrimination. But traditionalists say they further undermine the Christian view of marriage by hindering parishes from finding out whether candidates for jobs are divorced or in a gay ‘marriage’.

“One senior cleric said: ‘This opens the floodgates to divorce and remarriage being accepted as normal in the Church because they are no longer seen as a significant factor in appointments. It would also mean parishes being unaware until they have made their decisions that a clergyman’s personal life may be out of step with its position on issues such as civil partnerships. This is a slippery slope. It is another sign the Church is abandoning its traditional values.’

‘The Church has… bowed to liberal pressure over gay ‘marriage’ and ruled in 2005 that gay clergy can have civil partnerships but should refrain from sex…

“Rod Thomas, whose conservative evangelical group Reform represents 500 clergy, said the changes were unnecessary as the Church was not required to change its rules to reflect the rest of society.  ‘More significantly, the Bible makes clear that the personal circumstances of an individual are very important in deciding whether they should be leaders in God’s Church,’ he said.”

Sadly, the standards in our Western societies are so far removed from true Christianity, that nothing should surprise us anymore. The Church of England’s latest pronouncement is just one more proof as to how much our nations and religious leaders have turned their backs on God and His Word.

Christian Churches For Muslim Worship?

Fox News wrote on February 18:

“Two Protestant churches are taking some heat from critics for opening their church buildings to Muslims needing places to worship because their own facilities were either too small, or under construction… Dr. Alex McFarland, a Christian theologian and radio talk show host, charged these churches ‘have crossed the line from respect and tolerance, to … affirmation and endorsement…’ Dr. Jason Hood, an Evangelical theologian, says there are other ways Christians can share the love of Christ without building a bridge too far…

“McFarland says it’s good to remember the ‘political ramifications’ of Muslim-Christian interaction. ‘What if we went to Muslims and said “Hey, can we use your mosque for the worship of Jesus, the incarnate son of God, the one that said ‘no one comes to the Father but through him.”’ I doubt there would be a lot of reciprocity’. McFarland says the groups run the risk of creating something called ‘Chrislam’ – a combination of the two faiths that essentially ignores… the exclusive claims of both Christianity and Islam.”

The Bible seems to indicate that ultimately, prior to Christ’s return, one large religion, claiming to be Christian, will combine most religions under its umbrella.

Massive Space Storm Overdue

Mail On Line wrote on February 22:

“The world is overdue a ferocious ‘space storm’ that could knock out communications satellites, ground aircraft and trigger blackouts – causing hundreds of billions of pounds of damage, scientists say. Astronomers today warned that mankind is now more vulnerable to a major solar storm than at any time in history – and that the planet should prepare for a global Katrina-style disaster.

“A massive eruption of the sun would [send] waves of radiation and charged particles to Earth, damaging the satellite systems used for synchronising computers, airline navigation and phone networks. If the storm is powerful enough it could even crash stock markets and cause power cuts that last weeks or months… The chances of a disruption from space are getting stronger because the sun is entering the most active period of its 11 to 12-year natural cycle.

“The world got a taster of the sun’s explosive power last week when the strongest solar eruption in five years sent a torrent of charged plasma hurtling towards the world at 580 miles per second. The storm created spectacular aurorae and disrupted radio communications…

“Solar storms are caused by massive explosions on the sun. The explosions release waves of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation which smash into the Earth within minutes, disrupting radio signals and damaging the electronics of satellites. They are followed ten to 20 minutes later by a burst of energetic particles which cause even more havoc with satellites – and then 15 to 30 hours later by supercharged plasma which collides with Earth’s magnetic field. The plasma create the aurora – or Northern Lights – and can induce electrical currents in power lines and cables.

“Jane Lubchenco, head of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said: ‘This is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when and how big. The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, about 10 years ago, the world was a very different place. Cell phones are now ubiquitous; they were certainly around  but we didn’t rely on them for so many different things…’”

Christ prophesied that we can expect strange cosmic disturbances in the heavens, which will affect the earth (Luke 21:25;  compare Joel 2:30).

Big Earthquake in New Zealand

The Telegraph wrote on February 22:

“More than 150 are feared dead after a major earthquake hit Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s biggest cities, in what the prime minister described ‘New Zealand’s darkest day’… The Queen, who is also New Zealand’s head of state, expressed her sadness at the 6.3 magnitude quake, saying she was ‘utterly shocked’ by the news…

“A state of emergency was declared following the quake, which struck at 12.51pm on Tuesday local time (2351GMT Monday), when office blocks and shopping centres in the city centre were bustling with people… Officials fear the death toll could double amid reports that more than 200 were trapped in collapsed buildings and wreckage of homes. Bodies were seen lying in the streets, untended until emergency services were able to reach them… Mr Key, the prime minister who has flown to the city, described what he saw as ‘utter devastation’…

“William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said Britain stood ‘ready to provide any assistance that we can… The ties that bind the UK with New Zealand are very close…’

“The chaotic scenes were far different from last September’s ‘miracle’, when no one was killed in a 7.1 magnitude quake. Tuesday’s much shallower quake, just two miles below the surface… has been described as the worst earthquake to hit the country in 80 years.”

Christ prophesied that in these last days, we will hear more and more about “earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7).

Mysterious Death of 100 Pilot Whales in New Zealand

AFP wrote on February 22:

“More than 100 pilot whales died in a mass stranding at a remote New Zealand beach, conservation officials said Monday… Pilot whales up to 20 feet (6m) long are the most common species of whale seen in New Zealand waters.

“… Earlier this month, 14 [pilot whales] died after beaching near the South Island tourist city of Nelson and 24 perished last month near Cape Reinga in the country’s far north. Scientists are unsure why pilot whales beach themselves…”

It is interesting that this particular mass killing occurred just before a strong earthquake struck Christchurch.

“Frisians Ward Off Evil Spirits With Bonfire Festival”

The Local wrote on February 22:

“North Frisians lit their traditional Biikebrennen bonfires on Monday night, celebrating the new year and warding off evil winter spirits in one of northern Germany’s most important folk festivals. More than 60 fires burned in coastal communities along the North Frisian Islands in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, in addition to some in nearby Denmark’s South Jutland region…

“Communities in the area often save their discarded Christmas trees from which they build massive towers for burning. A strawman symbolizing winter is also often burned, which has led some historians to conjecture that the practice derives from the pagan midwinter feast.”

Pagan customs and traditions are prevalent in our “Christian” societies. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days.”

Anniversary of Execution of White Rose Members

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 22 about the anniversary of the execution of Hans and Sophie Scholl, members of the German White Rose movement. The following was stated:

“Hans and Sophie Scholl are among those most closely associated with the anti-Hitler movement in Nazi Germany. The young siblings from Munich were part of the White Rose, a resistance group committed to non-violence. From June 1942 to February 1943, they secretly printed anti-war leaflets with slogans like ‘Down with Hitler!’ and ‘Freedom!’ which they distributed to the public. The group has been praised by many prominent personalities, including anti-fascist German novelist and Nobel Prize-winner Thomas Mann. To this day, the White Rose stands for courage, bravery and political responsibility…
 
“‘Do you and your children want to suffer the same fate that befell the Jews?’ asks the fifth and second-to-last White Rose leaflet, which was written shortly before the group’s arrest by the Gestapo on February 18, 1943. ‘Do you want to be judged in the same way as your abusers? …Should we forever be the people hated and rejected by the whole world? No! So distance yourselves from the National Socialist subhumanness! Tear off the coat of indifference that covers your heart! Make a decision before it’s too late!’
 
“Franz Josef Müller, now 86, was a member of the White Rose. As a 17-year-old, he protested together with Hans and Sophie Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Christoph Probst, Willi Graf and university professor Kurt Huber against the crimes of the Nazi regime… the activities of the White Rose [spread] beyond just Munich in southern Germany, reaching all the way to Hamburg in the north… Most of the Hamburg-based White Rose members had an academic background…

“Traute Lafrenz [a medical student in the early 1940s, now aged 91] helped deliver White Rose leaflets from Munich to Hamburg, where they were to be distributed. She was arrested by the Gestapo and later freed by American soldiers. After the war, she immigrated to the United States, where she worked as the director of an institution for mentally handicapped children.
 
“Lafrenz… was not the only Hamburg resident arrested due to connections with the White Rose – over 30 others suffered the same fate. Eight of them did not survive the prosecution, including Hans Conrad Leipelt who had helped Lafrenz transport the leaflets. Many of the accused were demonstratively tried for high treason at the so-called People’s Court and sentenced to death.
 
“Thanks to errors in the investigation process, Franz Josef Müller received ‘only’ a jail sentence. After the war he studied law and became a teacher.”

Hans and Sophie Scholl, children of a Protestant pastor, as well as others paid with their lives for what they believed in. They had the strong desire to warn their fellow citizens and make them aware of the atrocities of the Nazi regime, but they did not resort to violent means in doing so. The Church of God has the duty and commission to warn the world of impending disaster, due to the way we live, but we must not resort to violence, either. How dedicated and zealous are WE to finish the Work which God has given us to do—even if it costs our lives?

Egypt and the Middle East in the News

We are publishing quite a few articles on the developments in Egypt and in the Middle East, to establish a few facts: Firstly, it is far from certain that the highly privileged army, which gained control through a putsch, will give up their power; secondly, the West has been a rather helpless bystander in the Egyptian developments and is still being viewed as loser, and it is also being blamed (especially the USA) for the political vacuum in the Middle East and the potential chaos or a (military or perhaps even radical Muslim) dictatorship which might arise, while many Western leaders seem to be willing to ignore the real dangers of the radical Muslim Brotherhood organization; and thirdly, Israel is on high alert and “ready” for all eventualities, realizing that it might end up in total isolation in the Middle East.

In the light of biblical prophecy, we also know this: Egypt will become hostile towards the state of Israel; Israel will be receiving a “wound” (a military defeat, Hosea 5:13) in a coming war; Europe, under German leadership, will enter into a confederation with some Arab nations against Israel, but Egypt is not listed as one of those allies (Psalm 83); Israel (modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel, including the USA and Great Britain; as well as modern descendants of the house of Judah, i.e. the Jewish people) and Egypt will ultimately be conquered by the core nations of a United States of Europe; and at the time of Christ’s return, descendants of the ancient house of Israel will be found as enslaved captives in Europe and (among other nations) especially Germany, while Jews will be found as enslaved captives mainly in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 28:68; Hosea 9:3; 11:10-11; Isaiah 11:11-12; 27:13). For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.” )

For additional biblical proof, please listen to Norbert Link’s half-hour video-recorded lecture,  “The Future of Egypt.”

Egypt’s “Misguided Quest for Democracy”

Reuters reported on February 12:

“Hosni Mubarak had harsh words for the United States and what he described as its misguided quest for democracy in the Middle East in a telephone call with an Israeli lawmaker a day before he quit as Egypt’s president… ‘He had very tough things to say about the United States,’ said Ben-Eliezer, a member of the Labor Party…

“‘He gave me a lesson in democracy and said: “We see the democracy the United States spearheaded in Iran and with Hamas, in Gaza, and that’s the fate of the Middle East,'” Ben-Eliezer said.

“‘They may be talking about democracy but they don’t know what they’re talking about and the result will be extremism and radical Islam,'” he quoted Mubarak as saying.

“U.S. support for pro-democracy elements in Iran has not led to regime change in the Islamic Republic, and Hamas, a group Washington considers to be a terrorist organization, won a 2006 Palestinian election promoted by the United States. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after a coalition government it formed with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas collapsed in a power struggle.

“Ben-Eliezer said Mubarak expanded in the telephone call on what he expects will happen in the Middle East after his fall. He contended the snowball (of civil unrest) won’t stop in Egypt and it wouldn’t skip any Arab country in the Middle East and in the Gulf. He said ‘I won’t be surprised if in the future you see more extremism and radical Islam and more disturbances — dramatic changes and upheavals,’ Ben-Eliezer added.”

Mubarak might be quite right with his assessments.

The West and Israel Lost an Important Ally

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 11:

“In the end, the refusal of pro-democracy protesters to back down sealed his fate. The people on the streets of Egypt insisted that Mubarak leave. But the West stood by the leader almost to the end, despite the fact that the despot had turned his country into a police state and plundered its economy… Mubarak was valuable to the West… US presidents, French heads of state, British prime ministers — all maintained close relationships with the Egyptian president. He was a welcome guest in Germany too and met with almost all of Berlin’s top politicians. Indeed, Germany had even been mentioned as a possible place of exile for Mubarak, before he put such speculation to rest.

“When then-German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher visited Cairo in 1982, Mubarak extravagantly praised the politician, ‘in the name of Allah the Merciful,’ as ‘my dear brother.’… The Mubaraks had a high opinion of Germany. In 2004, the University of Stuttgart awarded ‘honorary citizenship’ of the university to the president’s wife, Suzanne Mubarak, for her social commitment and her dedication to the rights of children and women. When the Egyptian president was treated for a slipped disk in a Munich hospital that same year, he was visited by a number of prominent politicians, including Bavarian Governor Edmund Stoiber, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder… In March 2010, he was received by Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, ahead of having a gall bladder operation in Heidelberg… Berlin never made genuine demands for reform. Instead, Mubarak was seen as a bulwark in the struggle against radical Islam…

“In Egypt, Mubarak has long been considered a tyrant. The country was under a perpetual state of emergency. Mubarak kept his grip on power using anti-terror laws and elections that were obviously rigged. He turned his country into a police state… It was Egypt’s economic decline, however, that fuelled the greatest anger… Reforms undertaken that were intended to consolidate the national budget largely benefitted the middle and upper classes. The suffering of the poor merely continued to grow — and with it, the rage… The Mubarak family’s riches are said to be worth around $40 billion, wealth accumulated through, for example, commissions received through defense contracts. Arab media outlets report that the money has been securely invested abroad.

“… many have never forgiven Mubarak for declaring peace between Israel and the Arabs as ‘his mission.’ All across the Arab world, some still continued to disparage Mubarak as a ‘Zionist’ or ‘lackey of the West’ right up to his resignation. Pious Muslims also considered him to be their enemy because of the repression of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.”

A Vacuum in the Middle East

The Washington Post wrote on February 12:

“President Hosni Mubarak’s decision to step down Friday after three decades in power presents the Obama administration with a political vacuum where a stalwart ally once stood, shaking up the Middle East in ways that present as much peril as promise for U.S. interests in the region… Mubarak leaves behind the rigid institutions and laws of a police state… and a powerful army with a large stake in who leads the country.”

Historic Shift in the Middle East

The Wall Street Journal wrote on February 12:

“The fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak marks a historic shift in the Middle East, away from the power structure America has leaned on for the past three decades and toward a new one still being shaped by a demographic and technological wave that the U.S. and its allies haven’t learned to control… the emergence of a Western-style civilian government is far from certain… Certainly in the short term, until the nature of the new Egyptian government becomes more clear, both the U.S. and its friends in the region face a set of problems and uncertainties.

“America’s Arab allies in the Persian Gulf, alarmed at the idea that Mr. Mubarak’s friendship with America wasn’t enough to save him and angry that the Obama administration didn’t do more to stand by him, may step back a bit from the U.S. Less friendly governments, such as Syria’s, are likely to conclude that one of Mr. Mubarak’s problems was that he was too close to Washington to satisfy those in the streets of Cairo, and become even less susceptible to overtures from the U.S.

“In Israel, which sees the Mubarak departure as a blow to the foundation of Arab-Israeli peace, hawkish parties skeptical of the peace process are likely to rise in power by stressing the unreliability of Arab partners. Israel’s willingness to take chances for peace with Palestinians is likely to diminish further amid the uncertain climate.

“One of the wild cards now is Iran. Its theocratic leaders may well read the Egyptian upheaval as a sign that the tides of history are moving in their direction—away from the U.S. and toward revolution. That could make them even more recalcitrant in the face of international demands that Iran curb its nuclear program and its support for radical forces… Ironically, Mr. Mubarak left power on the day Iran marked the 32nd anniversary of its own, quite different revolution.

“Indeed, in the long run, much of American foreign policy depends on how states in the region—friends as well as foes—handle the powerful new forces demography and technology have unleashed.”

The fact that Mubarak’s resignation occurred on the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian revolution is no “coincidence.” God is in control and He has a time table.

Israel’s Bleak Future

The New York Times wrote on February 12:

“As the streets of Gaza exploded with celebration on Friday night with masked Hamas militants marching defiantly to cheer the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Israelis reacted with quiet and deep concern because the regional leader on whom they had relied most was suddenly gone…

“’We don’t know who will be running things in the coming months in Egypt, but we have to keep two things in mind,’ one top official said. ‘The first is that the only example we have of this kind of thing in the region is Iran in 1979… The second is that if Egypt pulls back in any way from its peace with Israel, it will discourage anyone else in the region, including the Palestinians, from stepping forward…’

“Earlier this week, Mr. Netanyahu did speak publicly in Jerusalem about Egypt before the European Friends of Israel. He laid out three possible situations if Mr. Mubarak quit… ‘First, Egyptians may choose to embrace the model of a secular reformist state with a prominent role for the military. There is a second possibility that the Islamists exploit the influence to gradually take the country into a reverse direction — not towards modernity and reform but backward. And there’s still a third possibility — that Egypt would go the way of Iran, where calls for progress would be silenced by a dark and violent despotism that subjugates its own people and threatens everyone else’…

“Eli Shaked, a former ambassador to Cairo for Israel, gave a bleak analysis of Egypt’s prospects, saying by telephone that it had too few institutions, educated people and political parties to move to a democratic system…”

Israel Soon in Isolation?

Newsmax reported on February 11:

“George Birnbaum, an international political consultant who once served as chief of staff to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is warning that a domino-style collapse of moderate Arab regimes could lead Israel to war. Birnbaum, an expert in global politics, cited Friday’s collapse of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the growing turmoil in nearby Jordan as ominous signs for Israel…

“‘If that country [Jordan] goes, and in Bahrain and other countries, suddenly you’re going to find Israel in a similar position it was in 1948, where it’ll be isolated, surrounded by Islamic countries looking to see its destruction — with the one exception that Israel has the ability to defend itself this time. But that creates another problem,’ he added, ‘which is a regional if not greater war that the world will have to face.’ Birnbaum said Israel could be ‘in great danger.’”

Israeli Military Ready for All Eventualities?

AFP wrote on February 14:

“The Israeli military is ‘ready for all eventualities’ as the Arab and Muslim world undergoes ‘an earthquake,’ Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday just days after Egypt’s regime collapsed.

“‘An earthquake is shaking the whole Arab world and a large part of the Muslim world and we don’t yet know how these things will turn out,’ the premier said at a swearing-in ceremony for new army chief Major General Benny Gantz. ‘We are ready for all eventualities because we know that the foundation of our existence, and our capacity to convince our neighbours to live in peace with us, is based on the Israeli army,’ he said during a ceremony at his Jerusalem office.”

This kind of misguided trust is one cause for the biblically-prophesied fact that Israel will be defeated in a soon-coming war. The foundation of the peaceful and lasting existence of ANY country must be in God—not in an army. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?”

Egypt’s Military Coup

The Associated Press wrote on February 12:

“It was the people who forced President Hosni Mubarak from power, but it is the generals who are in charge now. Egypt’s 18-day uprising produced a military coup that crept into being over many days… ‘This is in fact the military taking over power,’ said political analyst Diaa Rashwan…

“The military was clearly torn between its loyalty to the regime and the millions of protesters. Mubarak is one of their own, a former air force commander and a hero of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. But as the president continued to defy the growing crowds and cling to power, the Egyptian army moved more definitively toward seizing control for the first time in some 60 years.”

Growing Concern Over Egyptian Army’s Goals

Deutsche Welle reported on February 13:

“The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces – a body of some 20 generals – is now Egypt’s executive body… The statement also confirmed Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi as Egypt’s de facto head of state…

“Protesters have demanded the immediate release of political prisoners, the lifting of a state of emergency used by Mubarak to crush opposition, the closure of military courts, fair elections and a swift handover of power to civilians. An army source said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will ban meetings by labor unions or professional syndicates, effectively forbidding strikes, and tell people to get back to work.“

Reuters wrote on February 14:

“About 2,000 people gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Monday, halting traffic only hours after military police and soldiers had cleared the last few dozen pro-democracy activists from the area… The army had appeared to be in full control of the square… Then hundreds of police marched through, unhindered by troops, saying they wanted to show solidarity with the revolution… ‘We and the people are one,’ chanted the policemen.”

The Independent wrote on February 14:

“Two days after millions of Egyptians won their revolution against the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the country’s army – led by Mubarak’s lifelong friend, General Mohamed el-Tantawi – further consolidated its power over Egypt yesterday, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution…

“[There is] a growing concern among those who overthrew Mubarak that the fruits of their victory may be gobbled up by an army largely composed of generals who achieved their power and privilege under Mubarak himself… But a clear divergence is emerging between the demands of the young men and women who brought down the Mubarak regime and the concessions – if that is what they are – that the army appears willing to grant them… The army has promised to drop the emergency legislation ‘at the right opportunity’, but as long as it remains in force, it gives the military as much power to ban all protests and demonstrations as Mubarak possessed…

“As for the freeing of political prisoners, the military has remained suspiciously silent. Is this because there are prisoners who know too much about the army’s involvement in the previous regime? Or because escaped and newly liberated prisoners are returning to Cairo and Alexandria from desert camps with terrible stories of torture and executions by – so they say – military personnel…

“Now, of course, it is Egypt’s turn to watch the effects of its own revolution on its neighbours. Scarcely a family in Egypt was unaware yesterday of the third day of protests against the president in Yemen and the police violence which accompanied them. And it is remarkable that just as Arab protesters mimic their successful counterparts in Egypt, the state security apparatus of each Arab regime faithfully follows the failed tactics of Mubarak’s thugs.

“Another irony has dawned on Egyptians. Those Arab dictators which claim to represent their people – Algeria comes to mind, and Libya, and Morocco – have signally failed to represent their people by not congratulating Egypt on its successful democratic revolution. To do so, needless to say, would be to saw off the legs of their own thrones.”

Doubts About Army’s Direction

Der Spiegel wrote on February 14:

“With Hosni Mubarak out of power and the generals temporarily at the helm, Egypt appears to be on a path to democracy… German commentators have doubts about the army’s commitment to true change…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The generals of Cairo have been part of the Mubarak regime for 30 years: draped with medals and rewarded with privileges… The military owns land, its factories produce food, televisions and kitchen furniture. It is obvious that part of the income flows into the pockets of the men in uniform. And now these men are supposed to selflessly dismantle a regime in which they flourished?’

“Conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘Unlike in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, the regimes of Arabia are too different, they aren’t united by a common ideology…’

“The business daily Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘The demonstrators have welcomed the cold military putsch, they even demanded it, and the generals were all too happy to meet that request. But it’s unclear whether they will also stick to the second part of the deal and hold elections in half a year — a glance at history shows that that isn’t very likely…’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘Much of the army’s leadership was trained in the Soviet Union and will hardly be able to act as a convincing agent of change.’”

Open Defiance Against Egyptian Army

Haaretz reported on February 17:

“Millions of Egyptian cell phone users on Tuesday evening received the following text message from the ‘Armed Forces’: ‘The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces urges honest citizens to take part in efforts to reach a [safe] haven.’ This was a poetic way of warning the public against continuing to strike, continuing to close the country’s bank and stock market, and continuing slowdowns in industrial production.

“Despite these warnings, workers in key industries continued to stage strikes Wednesday. Some 18,000 workers in leading textile factories went on strike, as did maintenance and customs employees at Cairo’s airport. Because of the airport strike, 11 flights were canceled, news agencies reported. The demands of striking workers range from higher wages to the dismissal of senior executives over corruption charges…

“In an open act of defiance against the army, 31 human rights organizations issued a joint statement asserting that the committee appointed by the military council to change the constitution appears to include a coalition of members of the old regime and the Muslim Brotherhood. They also criticized the fact that not a single woman serves on this committee.”

Egypt No Safe Place for Women

The Associated Press wrote on February 17:

“Now the reported attack on a senior U.S. television correspondent during the final night of the 18-day revolt has shown that the threat of violence against women in Egypt remains very real. CBS has said its chief foreign correspondent, Lara Logan, went through a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating by a frenzied mob in the square during Friday’s celebrations of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster… Logan was released from a U.S. hospital and was recovering Wednesday in her Washington-area home, as her story raised issues often left unaddressed in the Middle East.

“An Egyptian security official said he was unaware of any investigation into the attack on Logan…

“Women in Egypt – and in many areas of the Arab world – are still afraid to report sexual assault or harassment, fearing they and their families will be stigmatized… Only rarely do women come forward. The killing of women by male relatives for perceived violations of a strict moral code are often either covered up by the families or the assailants, if prosecuted, face light sentences.

“Sexual harassment remains widespread in Egypt, and even women covered up by veils and long robes in strict Islamic dress say they are not immune. A 2008 survey by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights found that 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women in Cairo said they had been harassed…

“Police witnessing harassment have a history of not interfering or even joining in, going after female political activists in particular… A proposed law banning sexual harassment and outlining criminal punishment was never put to a vote to parliament. It’s unlikely to see any action during Egypt’s ongoing political turmoil, with parliament dissolved and elections not expected for several more months.”

Unfortunately, as CNN’s Piers Morgan reported on February 15, the same hostile anti-women environment is not only limited to the Middle East, but it also seems to be prevalent in the U.S. Army. It was claimed that the Army is engaging in a systematic cover-up, and sexually harassed female soldiers and officers are basically prevented from successfully claiming sexual harassment, including rape.

Ill-Advised Ideas

The Local wrote on February 14:

“The German government wants to help Egypt develop democratic institutions as it prepares for free elections, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry…

“‘This entire process should and must remain in the hands of Egyptians themselves, but we are ready to offer any help that might be desired,’ said Hoyer, a minister of state at the Foreign Ministry and member of the Free Democrats… He suggested sending election monitors to the country soon so that they could observe the process from the very beginning. According to him, election fraud often begins as early as the creation of voter rolls.

“Hoyer called on western nations to engage the Muslim Brotherhood in dialogue and said he had never understood the fear that many have of the organization. In addition, he added, a group that could get 20 to 30 percent of the vote in an election cannot simply be ignored.”

On February 15, Der Spiegel Online wrote the following about the “father figure” of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood:

“He is a hypermarket of dogma, dispensing advice on subjects ranging from mother’s milk to suicide bombing. But few have as much influence on Sunni Muslims as the Muslim televangelist Youssef al-Qaradawi. He says what the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt thinks — and he provides clues to how they might act… Qaradawi is the father figure of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s best-organized opposition group. The Brotherhood is sure to play a part in deciding what path Egypt will now take…

“Qaradawi advocates establishing a ‘United Muslim Nations’ as a contemporary form of the caliphate and the only alternative to the hegemony of the West. He hates Israel and would love to take up arms himself. In one of his sermons, he asked God ‘to kill the Jewish Zionists, every last one of them.’ In January 2009, he said: ‘Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by [Adolf] Hitler’… the mufti isn’t opposed to 100 lashes for gays and lesbians if that is the punishment imposed by a Sharia judge…”

In light of these facts, the words of former US President Jimmy Carter—as the ones of German senior official in the Foreign Ministry, Hoyer–are nothing short of shocking. Jimmy Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, but who has also been described as the worst president of the USA in recent times, said, according to The Statesman, dated February 15:

“‘I think the Muslim Brotherhood is not anything to be afraid of in the upcoming (Egyptian) political situation and the evolution I see as most likely,’ Carter said. ‘They will be subsumed in the overwhelming demonstration of desire for freedom and true democracy.’”

Some simply do not understand, as the next article proves as well.

Civil War in US Government?

Newsmax reported on February 13:

“Is a civil war brewing between the Obama White House and Hillary Clinton’s State Department? A New York Times story published this weekend suggests one may have erupted already.

“On Saturday, the Times, quoting numerous White House sources, sought to explain the Obama administration’s erratic policy statements during the Egyptian crisis. The paper reported that Obama was ‘seething’ over State Department officials’ statement suggesting that the administration did not want a quick transition of power in Egypt, with President Hosni Mubarak stepping down from his office immediately. Obama felt that the State Department ‘made it look as if the administration were protecting a dictator and ignoring the pleas of the youths of Cairo.’

“As Secretary Clinton and her special envoy Frank Wisner repeatedly called for an orderly transition that would include President Mubarak remaining in office for at least a period of time, Obama and his team studiously sought to undermine the State Department stance. The Times states that Mr. Obama ‘was furious’ about Clinton’s and Wisner’s statements, ‘as Mr. Obama was demanding that change in Egypt begin right away.’

“Secretary Clinton was not the only figure who opposed Obama’s view. Clinton was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who also were advocating that Obama adhere to a cautious and more traditional foreign policy approach toward the situation in Egypt… According to the Times, the Obama White House even recruited Democratic Sen. John Kerry to appear on ‘Meet the Press’ last Sunday to contradict Wisner’s statements that reflected Secretary Clinton’s views. Wisner’s comments ‘just don’t reflect where the administration has been from day one,’ Kerry said on the program.”

Confusion abounds, and America might be digging its own political grave…

Israel and USA Main Losers?

Haaretz wrote on February 12:

“The Muslim Brotherhood movement in Jordan, the country’s main opposition group, described Saturday the downfall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as a ‘historic victory’ with the United States and Israel as the main losers.”

Libya’s Gaddafi: Muslims Should Join Against the West

Haaretz reported on February 13:

“Palestinian refugees should capitalize on the wave of popular revolts in the Middle East by massing peacefully on the borders of Israel until it gives in to their demands, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Sunday. Gaddafi is respected in many parts of the Arab world for his uncompromising criticism of Israel and Arab leaders who have dealings with Israel…

“Gaddafi also issued a call to Muslim countries to join forces against Western powers. He said the world was divided into white, denoting the United States, Europe and their allies, and green for the Muslim world. ‘The white color has decided to get rid of the green color,’ Gaddafi said. ‘These countries should be united against the white color because all of these white countries are the enemies of Islam.’”

Libya is another country to watch. Historically, there have been strong alliances between Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia, and it is indicated in Scripture that a similar configuration could happen again compare Ezekiel 30:1-5; Jeremiah 46:1-2, 8-10).

Protests in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen as Unrest Sweeps Arab World

Haaretz reported on February 16:

“Inspired by revolts that have toppled Arab rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, protesters in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen have taken to the streets to demand the resignations of their own heads of state.

“Protesters in Bahrain poured into the Gulf kingdom’s capital on Wednesday to mourn a demonstrator killed in clashes with security forces. Over a thousand joined a funeral procession for the man, who was shot dead Tuesday when fighting broke out at the burial of another protester… Bahrain is considered the most vulnerable among Gulf Arab states to popular unrest… [Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.]

“Hundreds of Libyan protesters took to the streets of the country’s second largest city on Wednesday demanding that the government be ousted, in a sign that the unrest of the region has spread to the North African Arab nation…

“Government loyalists wielding batons and daggers clashed with anti-government protesters in the Yemeni capital on Wednesday. Police were unable to keep the two sides apart… The threat of turmoil in Yemen, which is struggling to quash a resurgent wing of al-Qaida and keep rebellions at bay in its north and south, pushed [President Ali Abdullah] Saleh to promise to step down in 2013 and offer dialogue with the opposition… Many say any uprising in Yemen would unfold slowly and with more bloodshed, in a country where one in two people own guns… Of the 23 million people in Yemen, often close to collapsing into a failed state, 40 percent live on less than $2 a day and a third suffer from chronic hunger.”

Iran’s Dictators–Afraid and Aggressive

The New York Times wrote on February 15:

“A day after the most significant street protests in Iran since the end of the 2009 uprising there, members of the Iranian Parliament called on Tuesday for the two most prominent opposition leaders to be prosecuted and sentenced to death for stirring unrest.

“The call came as confrontations between government authorities and protesters inspired by the Tunisia and Egypt revolutions continued to unfold elsewhere in the region, with violent clashes in Bahrain and Yemen.

“The protests in Tehran and other Iranian cities on Monday brought thousands onto the streets, defying an official prohibition and reviving memories of the mass protests that convulsed Iran after the disputed presidential election in 2009… Initial reports said one person died in the clashes.

“The Parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, accused the United States and its allies of providing support to the opposition following uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt…

“The size of the protests in Iran was unclear. Witness accounts and news reports from inside the country suggested that perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 demonstrators in several cities defied strong warnings and took to the streets.

“The unrest was an acute embarrassment for Iranian leaders, who had sought to portray the toppling of two secular rulers, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, as a triumph of popular support for Islam in the Arab world…

“The Iranian authorities have shown that they will not hesitate to crush demonstrations with deadly force. Other governments across the Middle East and the Persian Gulf also moved aggressively to stamp out protests on Monday.”

Deutsche Welle reported on February 16:

“The German government has condemned the Iranian regime for its crackdown on opposition protesters, calling it ‘especially worrying and disturbing.’… The regime has called a rally in Tehran for Friday to express ‘hatred’ against the opposition. Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert added that Germany was offering its full support for the protesters.

“US President Barack Obama… had harsh words for the Iranian regime, saying that unlike in Egypt, Iran’s response to protests has been ‘to shoot people, beat people and arrest people.'”

Haaretz wrote on February 17:

“The United States said Wednesday that it is monitoring two Iranian ships in the Red Sea which Israel said earlier in the day were set to cross the Suez Canal. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Wednesday that two Iranian warships planned to sail through the Suez Canal en route to Syria. He called the move the latest ‘provocation’ by Tehran and hinted at an Israeli response.”

The Unwanted Consequences of the Middle Eastern “Revolution”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 15:

“The mass influx of migrants to Italy’s Lampedusa island following the popular uprising in Tunisia is fast becoming a problem for all of Europe… On Tuesday, the Italian government formally requested €100 million ($135 million) in aid from the European Union to help cope with what it has called a humanitarian crisis on the Mediterranean island…

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… Tens of thousands of people from the nations of North Africa, and tens of thousands more from sub-Saharan Africa who may use the Mediterranean countries as transit states, could soon make their way to Europe…’”

New York City Capital of Diseases

The New York Times wrote on February 10:

“When New York City’s health department revealed last weekend that three people had contracted cholera, it was a reminder that the city is not just a world capital of arts, business and the like — but also of exotic diseases. If a disease has cropped up in the world, there is a good chance it will eventually find its way to New York City through the diverse travelers who cross the city’s borders… In 2002, bubonic plague, more commonly associated with the 14th century, found its way to New York City through two travelers who came from a ranch in New Mexico, where the disease is endemic in flea-bitten wild animals like prairie dogs…

“Malaria is a steady presence in New York City, with about 200 cases a year — a far greater incidence than that of another mosquito-borne disease, West Nile, which infected 42 New Yorkers.” Christ warned that because of our sins, our cities will be plagued with disease (Deuteronomy 28:27, 35, 61).

Attack on USA with WMDs Certain

Newsmax reported on February 15:

“The probability that the U.S. will be hit with a weapons of mass destruction attack at some point is 100 percent, Dr. Vahid Majidi, the FBI’s assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, tells Newsmax. Such an attack could be launched by foreign terrorists, lone wolves who are terrorists, or even by criminal elements, Majidi says. It would most likely employ chemical, biological, or radiological weapons…”

Germany Takes Over…

As we reported in our last Update (No. 479), Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext are planning a merger. The following articles say more about this outstanding and extraordinary endeavor:

The New York Times wrote on February 15:

“NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse agreed on Tuesday to a $10 billion all-stock merger, combining two of the world’s biggest stock exchanges into a trans-Atlantic powerhouse. The union of the operators of the New York Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the biggest example of consolidation among exchanges, as established players contend with smaller electronic markets that have seized market share… But the deal has stoked fears that New York and its iconic Big Board are ceding prominence as a major financial capital… Mr. Francioni of Deutsche Börse will be chairman of the combined company, while Mr. Niederauer of NYSE Euronext will be chief executive. Deutsche Börse will hold 10 seats on the 17-seat board of the combined company, because its shareholders own about 60 percent of the merged exchange operator’s shares… One of the biggest remaining questions is government approval…  The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.”

On February 15, the German mass tabloid Bild wrote with glowing praise: “Deutsche Boerse takes over power at Wall Street.”  It continued: “Under German leadership, the new Number 1 in the world is forming.” It also said that “the Americans are afraid of the German take-over.” They said that some American papers had the headlines, “The Germans Are Coming.”

Der Spiegel Online added on February 15: “The Germans are playing the role of the senior partner and want to dominate the world market in the future…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 16:

“Many traders on the New York Stock Exchange were taken by surprise last week when the news ticker announced that Wall Street was planning to merge with the operator of the Frankfurt stock exchange, Deutsche Börse. At first, many traders thought the New Yorkers would be buying up the Germans. When they found out it would be the other way around, more than a few turned a little pale… ‘Wall Street is… an American icon that’s going to be taken over by the Europeans,’” one trader said.

The article continued:

“The Blue Room, one of the trading areas, is tipped to become the ‘Hofbräuhaus’ beer hall. In the cafeteria, the beloved pastrami sandwiches are rumored to be about to give way to wiener schnitzel. People are joking that they had better sign up for German language classes… The stock exchange in New York has been in existence since 1792. It was under a Buttonwood tree not far from ‘Wall Street’ that the first traders signed an agreement and began to trade commercial paper. Two centuries later, New York is still considered the finance capital of the world, although it’s not sitting on its throne [as] confidently as it once did.”

Euro Will Rise, and Dollar Will Devalue Fast

International Business Times wrote on February 7:

“While many on Wall Street are quite pessimistic about the prospects of the euro currency, [Douglas Borthwick, head of trading at Faros Trading, a foreign exchange advisory and execution firm] thinks there are fundamental reasons to believe the dollar will devalue even faster. Below are the five points of his long-euro/short-dollar thesis.

“1. The US is in a weaker fiscal shape than Europe. 
“2. There is still plenty of ‘flight to quality’ remaining in the dollar.
“3. The value of the euro is being talked down by officials from core Europe.
“4. There is more to the story of Latin American/Asian central banks buying the dollar to devalue their currencies.
“5.  The natural course of action for the US to take is to devalue the dollar.”

A Two-Speed Europe…

AFP wrote on February 11:

“A Franco-German pact for closer economic policy coordination in the eurozone must not lead to the creation of a ‘two-speed’ Europe, the EU’s budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski warned Friday. ‘Now we are almost on the crossroads towards a two-speed Europe,’ Lewandowski said, referring to plans by Germany and France for unified, cross-border policies in a bid to start governing the 17-nation eurozone economy as one.

“Non-euro members, such as Bulgaria, Poland and others ‘should try to keep the door open, to be part of the decision-making machinery and the future of the eurozone,’ said the Polish-born commissioner. ‘We should not allow — after being “in”– to be “out” again because the eurozone is constructing a sort of internal European Union,’ he said.

“Germany and France have recently drawn up a six-point programme covering a wide range of topics from wages, corporation tax to bank bailouts, to help start governing the 17 economies that share the single currency as one… Leaders of the 17-nation eurozone are to hold a special summit in mid-March to discuss ways of avoiding a replay of the debt crises that shook the single currency last year. Non-euro countries have not been invited to attend.”

The EU Is at a Turning Point…

The Economist wrote on February 10:

“When Germany and France disagree, everybody complains about paralysis in Europe. When they agree, the protest is about unacceptable diktats. So when Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy pushed an EU summit in Brussels to approve their ‘competitiveness pact’, which calls for closer co-ordination of economic policies among countries using the euro, an outcry was only to be expected. Yet its vehemence took them aback.

“Over a long and bad-tempered lunch, almost every other EU leader railed against something. Ireland rejected the idea of aligning EU corporate taxes (or at least the tax base) as a danger to its low-tax growth model. Belgium and Luxembourg resisted calls to abolish their system of index-linked wages. The Baltics said they should not raise their pension age as fast as west Europeans because their people tend to die younger. Poland denounced plans for separate summits of euro-zone leaders for being divisive. From Stettin to Trieste, many easterners feel, a curtain is descending again. This time it bears the symbol of the euro…

“Whatever the details, one thing is clear: the EU is at a turning-point. The debt crisis is forcing the 17 euro-zone countries to pool economic sovereignty to a degree that was unthinkable before. And their relationship with the ten non-euro outsiders, ranging from eurosceptical Britain to east Europeans who are keen to join the single currency, has been thrown into doubt…

“In a different era, all this might have caused great worry in Britain and, as a result, generated even more tension within the EU. But the new British government, deeply hostile to further EU integration, seems content to stand aside even as the euro zone binds itself closer. If that means a two-speed Europe, so be it: Britain thinks its outer lane, presently inhabited by the likes of Poland and Sweden, is faster.

“By tradition Germany is strongly pro-European… By her own history, as a daughter of East Germany, Mrs Merkel is averse to division within Europe… Mrs Merkel will not allow the euro to collapse… Germany will make itself heard—at a time of crisis, the euro zone needs its biggest creditor. But to be followed, Germany still needs the support of France. Mrs Merkel has yielded to Mr Sarkozy on matters of form, even if the substance is mostly German. For domestic reasons, both leaders want to show they can lead Europe, and even to dictate terms… Some complaints from fellow Europeans may be a necessary part of saving the euro and leading its members towards greater integration…”

The Bible shows that out of the EU, ten nations or groups of nations (“core Europe”) will emerge (Revelation 17:12-13; Daniel 2:41-43). These will in all likelihood be composed of nations which have adopted the euro, while those outside the eurozone will not be part of it. This is not to say that all nations presently within the eurozone will constitute the ten groups of nations; nor, that all the current eurozone members will remain in the eurozone. Also, we can expect more bickering going on even within the current and future eurozone countries, as the ten leading nations or groups of nations are described as partly strong and partly fragile (compare again Daniel 2:42). But they will be united in their fight against the returning Jesus Christ (Daniel 2:34, 44; Revelation 17:14).

The Financial Times reported on February 14:

“David Cameron, Britain’s prime minister, has been warned by his coalition allies that he risks sidelining Britain in a two-speed Europe if he adopts an ‘empty chair’ policy while eurozone countries led by France and Germany take key economic decision.”

Based on Scripture, we believe that Great Britain will not join the eurozone and that it will adopt an “empty chair.” We don’t foresee that Britain will ultimately even remain to be a part of the EU, and hostility will develop between continental Europe (especially core Europe) and Great Britain. In this regard, the next article is very interesting.

Britain Stands Up to Europe

The Daily Mail wrote on February 14 about the “Day we stood up to Europe: In an unprecedented move, MPs reject European court’s ruling that prisoners must get the vote.” It continued:

“MPs mounted an historic defence of Britain’s sovereign right to make its own decisions last night by defying demands from the European courts to hand prisoners the vote. They voted overwhelmingly to maintain a 140-year-old ban on convicts ¬taking part in elections because, they said, those who commit a crime have ‘broken their contract with society’.

“The decisive stance plunged Parliament into an unprecedented stand-off against the European Court of Human Rights… After six hours of impassioned debate, MPs voted by 234 to 22… to defy a ruling from the ECHR that the ban must be overturned. Dozens of Conservative backbenchers lined up to insist that after decades of toeing the line, the time has come for Britain to tell unelected Strasbourg judges that they have overstepped their authority.

“Experts said the vote left Britain’s relationship with the European court in ‘uncharted territory’. It places the Prime Minister under intense pressure to launch a defining challenge against Strasbourg…

“Britain’s Parliament, for too long supine in the face of the erosion of its powers and prerogatives by European institutions, has finally struck back… Britain has taken a small but significant step towards regaining control of her destiny.”

Multiculturalism Has Failed

The Telegraph reported on February 11:

“French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday declared that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it. ‘We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him,’ he said in a television interview in which he declared the concept a ‘failure’.

“Prime Minister David Cameron last month pronounced his country’s long-standing policy of multiculturalism a failure, calling for better integration of young Muslims to combat home-grown extremism. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Australia’s former prime minister John Howard and former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar have also in recent months said multicultural policies have not successfully integrated immigrants.”

As a consequence, the struggles between “Christian” Europe (especially Catholic Europe) and Islam (especially radical Islamists) will continue.

Mother Durga or Mother Mary?

On February 17, The Huffington Post published the following interesting article. The parallels between Mother Durga and Mother Mary are unmistakable. Of course, the Bible prohibits worship or adoration of either one:

“The Devi Mahatmya or the Great Glory of the Goddess is a 5th century myth that offers potent teachings relevant to this day and age. The heroine of this story about the victory of good over evil is Durga, Goddess of Divine Justice, Invincible Power, and Impenetrable Compassion. Her name, Durga, means fortress, and speaks to the unassailable essence of our inherent nature. Durga is also known as the Remover of Fear and Difficulty for she always comes to the aid of any who call on her in distress…

“Goddess Durga… is the impenetrable place of calm within our hearts from which we can choose actions that promote harmony and unity rather than selfish harmful acts… Mother Durga promises to return whenever any of her children are in distress. As we face crises on both a personal and planetary level, might we call on this ancient divine female force of compassion and courage to help us confront and transform that which threatens the wellbeing and contentment of all beings on this planet?

“The Devi Mahatmya teaches that the grace of goddess is unconditional and will never be withheld from anyone… We need only invoke Durga to help us remember our true nature and that divine love conquers all.”

Rather than worshipping the true and merciful loving God of the Bible, many are looking for “compassionate” substitutes—such as the “Virgin Mary” or Far Eastern “goddesses.”

Biggest Solar Flare in Years

CBS reported on February 16:

“… after years of relative quiet on our nearest star, activity has picked up as of late, resulting in a solar flare that marks the strongest since 2006… After the initial blast of radiation accompanying the coronal mass ejection (CME) — the first of its magnitude to occur in the new solar cycle of activity — a huge cloud of charged particles is headed toward Earth…  meteorological officials say the flare has disrupted radio communications in southern China. Scientists have pointed out that activity on the sun is now ramping up ahead of an expected solar maximum around 2013.”

Rare Earthquake in Germany

The Local wrote on February 14:

“An earthquake measuring at least 4.4 on the Richter scale shook the Rhine-Main region on Monday. According to local authorities, earthquakes of such magnitude are rare in Germany… The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 1:43 pm and lasted several seconds, was located near the town of Nassau an der Lahn, some 28 km east of Koblenz. Some stations were reporting the earthquake at 4.8 on the Richter scale.

“No damage has been reported although the trembler did set off several alarms and gave people far into the neighbouring state of Hesse a good shaking… The area lies along a seismically active zone associated with the Rhine Rift Valley, which stretches from Basel in Switzerland to the Benelux countries.

“Serious earthquakes are rare in Germany, though blasting in coal mining areas of Saarland is known to trigger tremors. A quake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale in Saarwellingen in 2008 reportedly knocked over chimneys and caused power outages, sparking protests against coal mining.”