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December 29, 2005
Israel
Rules Out Strike On Iran - For Now
General Dan Halutz, Israel's chief of staff,
has ruled out the prospect of a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear
installations in the near future.
Nuclear
Iran Wouldn't Benefit Russia
Russia has no interest in Iran obtaining nuclear weapons...
EU
Launches First Satellite In Galileo Navigation Program
KRON 4 Bay Area Wed, 28 Dec 2005 0:41 AM PST
PARIS The European Union has launched the first satellite in its planned Galileo
navigation project.
Comments
Another year is fast approaching its end. Many prophetic events are
forming but have still yet to materialize. Here is a list of events that
we as Christians should be following and could see come to pass in 2006.
1. Israel will turn over most of the West Bank and East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. Israel has backed away from banning Arab citizens from voting in the upcoming Palestinian elections. This is a very bad move in that it sends a wrong message to the world that East Jerusalem should be a part of a Palestinian state. If Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wins re-election look for him to spin off both the West Bank and East Jerusalem to the Palestinians.
2. The creation of a Palestinian state. Recently, President Bush said that one of his goals before he leaves office was to bring peace to the Middle East by creating a Palestinian state. If all goes as planned this may come to pass in 2006.
It amazes me that a recent poll found that nearly two-thirds (65%) of Palestinian residents applauded attacks by Al Qaeda on U.S. and European targets even though the vast majority of their support comes from these two countries.
3. The discovery of the Ark Of The Covenant. Every year someone claims they have either seen or knows the whereabouts of this ancient Biblical shrine. Personally, I believe the original Ark Of The Covenant is still with us under the care of the Levitical priesthood. I also believe that scripture supports this. Take a look at Jeremiah 3:16:
"And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more."
This verse speaks of the millennium when Christ will reign which will make the Ark Of The Covenant obsolete. In fact, they won't even remember or visit it anymore. I must say that many believe that the mention of the Ark in this verse is said to be talking about the original Ark of Solomon's day. Soon we may find out if that interpretation is correct.
4. The rebuilding of the temple. The Bible is clear that midway through the tribulation period the antichrist will enter into the Jerusalem temple (not built yet), desecrate it, and declare himself to be God (Matthew 24:15, II Thessalonians 2:4, and Revelation 11:1). In order for this to take place the temple must be rebuilt. Recently, the blue priestly robe was unveiled. Could 2006 be the year that this prophecy will come to pass? Certainly, there's no scripture that says it must be rebuilt during the tribulation period.
5. Preparation for the start of the European Neighborhood and
Partnership Instrument (ENPI). For
those who are unaware of what this policy is it is a mutual agreement between
the E.U. and a host of neighboring nations.
Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are included in this agreement.
The
way it works is the E.U. has allowed each participating country to become a part
of the E.U. culture and society. They
can become as intergraded into the E.U. structure as they desire, stopping just
short of membership. But membership
is a future option if it works for both countries.
Israel
has agreed to go forward with the first steps of E.U. integration.
In undertaking this plan they have agreed to the statues of their Action
Plan. The Action Plan has a set of
core objectives that they feel each country must come in line with before they
can be considered. Peace with
bordering nations and the elimination of nuclear weapons within participating
countries are two key points of the core agreement.
Look for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to come in line with these
objectives.
Between now and 2007 Israel and the Palestinian Authority will work with the European Union to come in line with the core objectives. This will be important for both countries if they are to be considered for substantial E.U. financial assistance starting in the new budget term from 2007 to 2013.
Some believe that one of the seven year budget periods will one day turn out to be the seven year tribulation period. I don't necessarily believe that the tribulation period will begin in 2007 but it could happen in a future seven year block.
I have a hard time believing that the tribulation period will begin before a powerful E.U. president is elected. It's my belief that there will be a gap between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation period. This would give satan time to reveal his antichrist (II Thessalonians 2:3) and false prophet. It may also be the time during this gap that the Russian-Arab Alliance attacks Israel. If you remember, following the battle, it will take Israel seven years to burn all the weapons this alliance will bring against them. Some believe they will burn them from the beginning to the end of the tribulation period, but I find that unlikely since they will be scattered the last half of this seven year period.
6. A vast oil deposit will be discovered in Israel. Whether it be this year, the next, or five years down the road, I believe Israel will discover oil. Unfortunately, I have no proof positive scripture to back this assumption up other than a few vague references (Deuteronomy 33:24; Genesis 49: 22-26) that could mean anything, but none the less, I still believe it will happen.
As stated earlier, at some future time, Russia will rise up and attack Israel. That is a scriptural fact (Ezekiel 38 & 39)! The Bible says that they will be mesmerized with the wealth of Israel unable to resist taking a spoil. In fact, God will place hooks into their jaws and lead them down to the slaughter (Ezekiel 38:1-4).
The big question is what does Israel possess that will one day lead them to attack? At this point and time not much. They only have five million residents and a total land mass about the size of Lake Michigan. In my opinion oil is the only spoil that could possibly entice Russia to attack Israel.
I want to wish everyone a happy new year and please continue to send me in articles that you find of interest.
Pastor Malone