Learn what will happen during the tribulation period from beginning to end
Your comments and questions are always welcome. To send comments and questions please click here to go to our main page October 23rd, 2001 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - "Israel defied its closest ally the United States Tuesday by rebuffing Washington's demands for an immediate pullback from its broadest military offensive against the Palestinian Authority. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said after meeting President Bush in Washington that the U.S. leader had asked Israel to withdraw from Palestinian-ruled areas. Bush had also suggested that continued Israeli-Palestinian violence made it harder for him to maintain a coalition in the U.S. war on terrorism, Peres told reporters. Earlier, U.S. officials said they were pressing for Israel's ``immediate withdrawal'' from areas it seized after the assassination last week of a far-right Israeli cabinet minister. ``He (Bush) mentioned (a pullout) and we said that's our intention,'' said Peres, who held talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell before the White House meeting with Bush. ``And the minute the Palestinians will take over in their own hands the introduction of law and tranquillity and put in jail the main troublemakers we (should) be more than happy to redeploy our army to their previous positions.'' Washington, which hopes an end to fighting would boost Arab support for its Afghanistan campaign, had adopted a low-key response to raids Israel launched in or around six West Bank cities after Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi was killed. But the United States has taken an increasingly critical stance as the Israeli troops dug in and the death toll mounted in the past few days." (Megan Goldin) This is a very telling sign of the future. The U.S. has gotten in bed with a number of high profile Arab nations in exchange for their continued support and participation in the coalition against terrorism. What's ironic, many of these countries are heavy supporters of terrorists around the world. The U.S. has decided that inclusion of these nations is critical if they are to fight global terrorism. Unfortunately, they are successfully leveraging the moment to sway the U.S. away from supporting Israel in their own war against the PLO. For the sake of the coalition, will the U.S. abandon and sacrifice Israel to the Arab world? I see the day coming, as this war against terrorism drags on, that the U.S. will see Israel as a liability in its efforts to keep the coalition alive. I see a time when the U.S. will ask Israel to back off or face an uncertain future alone. I really don't see Israel leaving the West Bank. Expect continued violence in the region and more of the West Bank being seized by Israeli forces. It's only a matter of time until Israel possesses all of the West Bank, which I believe will spark a strong Arab retaliation. Could this be the attack that was predicted in Ezekiel 38 & 39? For many years I have believed that the U.S. would emerge as Mystery Babylon as described in Revelation 14, 17-18. There are many reasons I hold this view, but recently I have seen a major characteristic come to light. Of course, this country will be seen as a major financial, religious and military power of the last days. In fact, the Bible describes them as making the rest of the world wealthy through the import of their goods (Rev. 18: 16-19). But there is a description of Mystery Babylon found in Revelation 17:1-6 that I believe reveals the roots of this country: "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." It is important that we see Babylon as God does, a whore. God has called only three nations a whore. The first, of course, was Israel, the second being Nineveh (Nahum 3: 4), and the third Mystery Babylon (Rev. 17:1). To be labeled a whore by God has always meant one thing…they were at one time a nation committed to the Lord and had fallen away. Many times, this happened through making leagues with other nations, which eventually lead to spiritual adultery. Mystery Babylon will be no exception. For they to will be a great nation, blessed of God, only to prostitute themselves out to other nations and allow the gods of other countries to stand equal with the one and only true God. This used to be a nation under God, but in these last days has become a nation of many. Because of our multiple gods, we ask, which one is the true God? Are all these different gods the same God being called by a different name? Even today, during this tragic time, many civil liberty groups are fighting hard to keep prayer and any reference to the only true God off the air, out of school functions and especially out of the classrooms. As I watched broadcasts of American's gathering for services and prayer, I was shock to see many praying to a neutral god or some higher power. Most made no mention of Jesus, and far to often, were lead by spiritual delinquents who obviously did not have a relationship with the Lord. America has turned its back on God. It is my opinion, that this latest terrorist coalition with Israel's enemies will be the last straw. I believe that this will complete the acts of whoredom God has talked about in Revelation 17. God raised us up to be a great nation, a nation that has evangelized the modern world, the protector of Israel, only to turn its back on God and Israel in these last days. May we wake up and see our condition before it's too late.