E.U. Leaders Agree To Revive Constitution Talks!

Palestinians Denounce U.S. Veto
(Reuters) - Palestinians accused the United States on Friday of granting Israel a license to kill by vetoing U.N. condemnation of its assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Israeli forces, taking action after the Islamic militant group said it would launch "earthquake-like" attacks to avenge Yassin's death, killed two Hamas frogmen who came ashore overnight near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians denounced the U.S. veto and thousands demonstrated in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to protest Yassin's killing.

Syria Calls for Tough Stance Vs. Israel
TUNIS, Tunisia - Despite the threat of U.S. sanctions, hard-line Syria led calls Friday for next week's annual Arab summit to take a tough stand against Israel in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin.

Damascus' insistence that Israel be punished for assassinating the Palestinian leader in a rocket attack March 22 in Gaza could become the focus of the two-day summit that starts here Monday, instead of an American-backed blueprint for Middle East political reform and attempts to revive a stalled Arab peace plan.

Iraqi Cleric: 9/11 Was A 'Miracle From God'
An influential Shiite cleric in Iraq called Israel's assassination of the spiritual leader of Hamas a "dirty crime against Islam" and the September 11 terror attacks "a miracle from God." Moqtada al-Sadr delivered a charged sermon at Friday prayers at a mosque near the holy city of Najaf.

Freak 'Hurricane' Hits Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - A child died in a collapsed house and seven fishermen were missing and feared dead early Sunday as a large spiraling storm lashed the coast of southern Brazil, Civil Defense officials said.

EU Leaders Agree To Revive The Constitution
EU leaders have committed themselves to reaching a deal on the Constitution within the first half of this year. Their pledge comes just three months after talks on the treaty collapsed in acrimony.

Comments
Despite making peace with Israel over twenty years ago, Egypt is still aggressively teaching anti-Israel curriculum in their school classrooms.   By now, they could have taught a whole school generation the principles of peace with Israel.  But I think we know what their real motives are.

Another point about the antichrist.  It's widely accepted that he will one day attack Israel and send about one-third of the Jewish population fleeing into the wilderness (Petra).  The other two-thirds will accept him as god or be killed.  

It's also possible that Israel will be deceived by the antichrist and agree, as part of the peace plan, to disarm.  This is entirely possible since the Bible is clear that he will come on the scene in the power of satan and deceive the world, falling just short of deceiving the very elect (Matthew 24:24, II Thessalonians 2).  It shouldn't be a surprise that the world will be tricked into following satan, he has been fooling the world for thousands of years.  If not for the plan of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we would be without hope period!

It looks like the E.U. leadership is serious about putting a constitution together within the first half of this year.  Again, I believe this is a key component of prophecy and will serve to bring in the first permanent leader of the E.U.  We may see who the first E.U. president is, but he may not turn out to be the antichrist.  The person who signs a peace treaty with Israel will be the antichrist.  I believe that we as Christians will be long gone by that time. 

I had a reader email me the other day to ask a few questions regarding the last trump theory.  This is a theory going around that states the rapture will take place at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which occurs well into the tribulation period. I won't go into the particulars of the theory, but essentially they believe that Christians will go through the majority of the tribulation period.  

My belief has not changed.  I still believe the Bible supports a pre-tribulation rapture.  I also believe that the U.S. is Mystery Babylon and will be destroyed in one day.  In fact, they won't know what hit them.  

Why did I bring up Mystery Babylon?  It's simple, the writer didn't want to know so much how I felt about the theory, but if I felt Christians (or himself) would be going through some of the tribulation period.  My belief is that Christians will not go through the tribulation period, but if they do, Christians in the U.S. will perish in one moment as part of the destruction of Mystery Babylon.  If we are raptured before the tribulation period begins so be it.  If not, the Bible states that not much will change up until Mystery Babylon's destruction.  This country will still be regarded as the riches nation in the world even in the midst of the worst period in history.  Take a look at the description of Mystery Babylon in Revelation 18.  

I can't wait until Palestine becomes a state along side of Israel.  Yes, it will happen!  Many are going to try and tag this as the peace treaty and the beginning of the tribulation period.  I'm sure I'll hear from plenty of pre-millennialist claiming they were right about the timing of the rapture.  But just because Israel makes peace or allows a state to be created doesn't mean that it is the peace treaty with the antichrist. There are many criteria that must be met before it can be deemed as such.

I will be touching this further as time goes on.

Pastor Malone