Calvary Prophecy Report

In a final thrust to persuade reluctant Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to enter direct talks with Israel, the EU coupled strong exhortations on Wednesday to Abbas to immediately begin them, with statements designed to give him confidence that once at the negotiating table, he will have strong support for a number of his key positions (Jpost.com).

The Arab League has approved the move from indirect to direct talks, but only if Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas feels the conditions are right.  At the same time, the US is very much in favor of the move and is exerting heavy pressure on Abbas to support it. However, Mr. Abbas has made it clear he is  not willing to make the transition without an extension of the building freeze past the September 26th deadline.  

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says any attempt at extending the settlement building freeze would be political suicide and would bring down his government.  Foreign Minster Avigdor Lieberman agrees. “Our position from the first days of this government was that we must start immediately from day one with direct talks without preconditions, with everything open to discussions and every side putting its agenda and vision on the table. But it is impossible in advance to agree to a specific agenda on the 1967 lines, settlements or refugees,” Lieberman said (Jpost.com).

I have to believe after all the posturing and debate the settlement freeze will continue.  I also believe, with the blessing of the Arab League for Abbas to go forward with direct talks, both the US and EU will succeed in pressuring him to sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.  If not, global military analyst project a bleak second half for 2010.

In other news, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced that the Iranian military will conduct war maneuvers in the western part of the country in a few days.  Ahmadinejad said the maneuvers were in direct preparation for what he believes will be a time of war by November of this year.  "They have decided to attack at least two countries in the region in the next three months," Ahmadinejad, who did not elaborate, told Iranian television (World Tribune).  "They" meaning the US and Israel.  Whether or not the US would actually take part in such an attack is debatable, but they could supply crucial intelligence and backup. 

One-third of US Republican congressmen have voted to pass a resolution that calls for Israel to use “all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran”.  Certainly, with critical midterm elections around the corner this could be seen as a political move as opposed to real action. “Obviously we are reaching silly season in Washington with the elections in November,” NIAC's founder-president Trita Parsi told RN, a news venue that focuses on Russian issues. He added that “there have already been some signs that Israel is going to be a major element that some Republicans will use to get both voters as well as finance, donations to campaigns, away from the Democrats (IsraelNationalNews.com).”

There is talk again in the Arab world of a one-state solution due to the belief that even if direct talks do proceed they will ultimately end in failure.  Many believe the one-state alternative may be the only solution that will work.  But such talk has Israel worried and for good reasons:

"Proponents of a two-state solution warn that without tangible progress in the peace talks, the window of opportunity for creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel will close, leaving the one-state solution as the only option remaining on the table - an option they caution bears in it the seeds for future conflict with Palestinians, demanding once they achieve a demographic minority that the state be secular rather than Jewish in character (DW-World)."

This is what I believe.  Eventually, Israel and Palestine will sit down to direct talks, but no progress will be made until the Lord is ready.  For years, we have seen these talks take small steps forward only to fall into various pitfalls.  That will not change until the Lord is ready to take His children home (rapture).  But once the rapture takes place, the man of sin will be revealed (II Thessalonians 2:3-8) and he will bring about a temporary peace (Daniel 9:27).

Will Israel attack Iran?  Frankly, I do not see Israel attacking Iran, but the Bible does support Iran, Russia, and a host of other Islamic nations attacking Israel (Ezekiel 38 & 39).  I believe this attack will take place very soon and could be the catalyst that sets the rapture in motion.