UKRAINE REMEMBERS ISRAELI MASS MURDERS

1-Strong quake off Samoa generates brief Pacific tsunami threat. 2-Earthquake hits off India's Andaman Islands. 3-Tropical Storm Isaac forms in Atlantic. 4-Manila whipped by storm as it heads for Vietnam. 5-US welcomes EU expansion and calls for more. 6-Iran-EU nuclear talks positive but no accord. 7-Military Intelligence: Syrian Front Now Cause for Concern. 8-Allah imposes on Jerusalem's Jews. 9-Israel, U.N. hope for pullout by October. 10-Ukraine Remembers 34,000 Jews Mass-Murdered at Babi Yar. 11-Energy Ministers From 11 Countries Say Russian Energy Policy Raises Risks for Europe. 12-Vatican: Extremists undermining religion. 13-UN accelerates pace to choose successor to Annan.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Strong quake off Samoa generates brief Pacific tsunami threat by Marc Lavine Thu Sep 28, 8:12 AM ET

SYDNEY (AFP) - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.0 has struck the Pacific's Samoa islands region, sparking a brief tsunami threat that sent ripples but no big waves across the region. The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying a tsunami had been generated by the temblor, which struck at 0622 GMT between the Tongan town of Hihifo and Pago Pago in American Samoa.But the danger and fears about the potential size of the wave -- quickly subsided, with tidal swells of only eight centimetres (3.1 inches) recorded in Pago Pago, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) northeast of the quake's epicenter.

There is no danger and as it turns out, there probably was no danger, said Stuart Weinstein, deputy director of the tsunami warning center in Hawaii.I have not heard any credible story about any large tsunami generated by this quake. All of our sea level readings show that is a small wave of eight centimeters,he told AFP.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had issued a bulletin that a tsunami had been spawned by the undersea temblor, sending officials and journalists across the region scrambling for details.

Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter, the center said in the bulletin on its website, adding that if no wave was sighted within two hours, the risk would have passed.The quake, which the US Geological Survey separately measured at 6.7, struck at 0622 GMT about 195 kilometers (120 miles) east-southeast of Hihifo at a depth of 43.9 kilometres (27.3 miles) below the Pacific.Radio and television stations in Australia interrupted their news programmes with headlines about the possible tsunami, as correspondents raced to follow up, after two major tsunamis in Asia in the past eight years.In July 1998, a huge tidal wave spawned by a 7.0-magnitude quake killed up to 2,000 people in Papua New Guinea in the Pacific.

Then, on December 26, 2004, a 9.3-magnitude quake off Indonesia triggered a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean that wrought death and destruction in 11 nations, killing some 220,000 people.But Australian and Japanese geoscientists on Thursday quickly said the temblor generated only a small wave and that it was unlikely to cause major damage in coastal regions.It appears not to have caused any damage,Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepsen told AFP in Sydney.We can't say for certain because we don't know the geography of where the wave hit, but an eight-centimetre surge would not indicate a major tsunami.He said people would most likely have felt a mild shaking from the quake.Officials in the Southeast Asian nations of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were alerted to the tsunami scare, but all reported that their countries were not expecting any tidal wave.

The Japanese weather agency, which closely monitors earthquakes around the Pacific, also said the tremor was unlikely to cause major destruction to coastal areas near the epicenter.

We've been watching the quake as well, but considering the size of the earthquake we don't think it would be anything like the Sumatra tsunami of December 2004, said Kiyoshi Sakuma of the Japan Meteorological Agency. It would be about 10 centimeters at most, even if the fluctuation of the sea surface gets bigger, he added.

The killer 2004 tidal wave prompted calls for a tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean region. Since then, experts at the Pacific tsunami alert center in Hawaii have been quick to warn of possible tidal waves to prevent officials in countries that could be affected from being caught unawares. A tsunami refers to a particular class of ocean waves. It has nothing to do with their height, but people tend to think that these are only really big waves,Weinstein said.

Earthquake hits off India's Andaman Islands 57 minutes ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale has struck off India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were badly hit by the December 2004 tsunami. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.The intensity of the earthquake was moderate. It was recorded north of the Andaman Islands this evening,an official at the Indian Meteorological Department said Thursday.No tremors were felt in the archipelago a chain of more than 500 islands in the Indian Ocean the official said.The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was 257 kilometers (160 miles) east of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman Islands and 384 kilometers (238 miles) west of Mergui in Myanmar.The 2004 tsunami was triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Tropical Storm Isaac forms in Atlantic 1 hour, 46 minutes ago

MIAMI (Reuters) /Tropical Storm Isaac, the ninth of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday but was no immediate threat to land. The center of Isaac was about 665 miles east-southeast of Bermuda at 11 a.m. and the storm's predicted path would keep it out to sea well east of the British territory, the U.S.National Hurricane Center said.Isaac was moving northwest at about 8 mph (13 kph). It had sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph) and was not expected to reach hurricane strength during the next four days.The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November, has been milder than experts predicted, partly due to the development of El Nino conditions in the eastern Pacific.

The warm-water phenomenon tends to dampen hurricane activity in the Atlantic by increasing wind shear, which disrupts storm formation.Forecasters had predicted an above-average season following last year's record-breaker, which saw 28 tropical storms, 15 of which became hurricanes. The average season has about 10 tropical storms, six of which develop into hurricanes.One of last year's hurricanes, Katrina, swamped New Orleans, killed 1,500 people on the U.S. Gulf Coast and was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Manila whipped by storm as it heads for Vietnam By Dolly Aglay
Thu Sep 28, 7:06 AM ET

MANILA (Reuters) Typhoon Xangsane weakened over the Philippines on Thursday but fierce winds and driving rains killed at least eight people, displaced nearly 5,500 and devastated parts of the central islands and Manila. Xangsane, which swept into the center of the country on Wednesday with winds of up to 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts of 160 kph, is expected to strengthen again over the South China Sea, drawing power from its warm waters.The storm roared through the capital Manila, emptying the sprawling streets as most of the city's 12 million residents took shelter from uprooted trees, overturned trucks and cars and other flying debris.It sounded like a train passed on the roof,said one occupant of a fourth-floor apartment.Then the roof in one of our rooms was gone. I can now see the sky.

The center of the storm was about 100 km (60 miles) west of Manila and moving further west out to sea at 22 kph. Xangsane is expected to reach the Vietnam coast early on Sunday.It will likely regenerate to a typhoon when it reaches the South China Sea, weather specialist Renato Molina told Reuters.But the weather bureau said it had spotted a new depression thousands of kilometers to the east of the Philippines which might develop into a storm and enter the country's area of responsibility by Saturday.Violent winds and seas stranded around 3,500 ferry passengers and killed at least eight people. A further five were feared dead after heavy rains triggered a mudslide south of Manila.Rescue efforts have been hampered by power failure, blocked roads and cut communication lines, forcing dozens of people in the central Philippines to take refuge on roofs.Six provinces in the central Bicol region, famed for its coconut plantations, were left without electricity as high winds toppled power lines.

Our people are doing their best to restore power. Hopefully, we will restore electricity by early evening,said Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla. He said the outage was partly due to voluntary shutdown of plants to avoid storm damage.

TOO DANGEROUS

Xangsane brought Manila to a near standstill with all flights and sea travel in and out of the city canceled. The international airport reopened at around 3 pm (0700 gmt) after the runways were cleared of debris.Public offices were shuttered and local trading in the peso and shares was canceled. Government offices and schools will remain closed on Friday while a clean-up gets under way.

Power was interrupted in wide areas of the main island of Luzon, including Manila, forcing the suspension of train services. Taxi drivers were reluctant to take to the road.It's too dangerous, said one cab driver, Armando Legaspi. Trees were falling left and right.

So many things were flying out there. Visibility was also poor and I was so afraid the wind could flip my car.Agriculture officials said an initial estimate showed 60 million pesos ($1.19 million) worth of crops, particularly fruit trees, had been destroyed.Xangsane was the 13th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, disaster officials said.

Storms regularly hit the archipelago of about 7,000 islands. In the worst disaster in recent years, more than 5,000 people died in the central province of Leyte in 1991 in floods triggered by a typhoon.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

US welcomes EU expansion and calls for more
27.09.2006 - 17:29 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS /The US has welcomed the EU's decision to expand to include Bulgaria and Romania from January and urged the bloc not to stop there but to continue and make good on promises to Balkan states and Turkey.

State department spokesperson Sean McCormack called the green light for Sofia and Bucharest welcome news for those two countries as well as the EU.He went on to say that the EU is wrestling with these issues of expansion and at what pace to take the talks that they have ongoing with a variety of other countries.While noting that enlargement is something for the Europeans to decide on, Mr McCormack stressed that Washington certainly would encourage the EU to continue to keep open a European horizon for a number of states, including those in the Balkans and Turkey, as well.

The US has long been a supporter of Turkey's bid to join the EU causing some anger in 2002 when it openly pushed member states to begin talks with Ankara a NATO member and ally of Washington.Similarly, in April, Nicholas Burns the US under-secretary for political affairs, said Our business in Europe isn't finished because the Balkans remains an island in the heart of Europe that is not connected to the great transatlantic institutions: EU and NATO.Europe has tended to react to the US statements on enlargement with an irritated shrug at what it sees as Washington meddling in internal European affairs. This time around, US enthusiasm for enlargement comes just as the bloc looks set to close the doors for some time after Romania and Bulgaria join.Earlier this week, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said that there should be an enlargement pause from January until the bloc agrees a new institutional settlement.

The current impasse over the EU constitution already looks near impossible to break with countries reluctant to pick out different aspects of the document which was the result of years of haggling and painstaking compromise.Adding two new countries bringing the total to 27 to the decision mix is not going to make the situation any easier.Meanwhile, public opinion across several member states has become sceptical about the benefits of further enlargement with 12 new countries having joined the bloc in under three years by January and several more lining up.Reflecting a general frustration in some quarters at the way Europe is continuing with enlargement despite not having sorted out some of its more fundamental problems, leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, on Wednesday said a true Europe is at risk.He said that the parliament was being hypocritical by saying yes to Bulgaria and Romania although their EU progress report contained a raft of caveats. Mr Cohn-Bendit said MEPs would not have given the green light to Turkey under similar conditions.This latest enlargement, whose terms and rhythm should
have been better thought out, risks a renationalisation of the thoughts, policies and practices of member states, according to the MEP.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

Iran-EU nuclear talks positive but no accord by Fabien Novial
2 hours, 15 minutes ago,Sept 28,06

BERLIN (AFP) Talks between Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana have failed to produce an accord but both men said the meeting was positive and constructive.

It has been a long, constructive negotiation,Larijani told reporters at the end of two days of meetings in the German capital.We have been able to arrive at some positive conclusions,he said Thursday.Today we have discussed modalities with the aim of coming back to the main negotiations as soon as possible.In a businesslike press conference, Solana told reporters: We have been progressing. We will have a new contact in the middle of next week.Sources close to the talks said the contact could take place over the phone and did not necessarily mean they would be meeting face to face.

A defiant president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed Iran's stance on its nuclear programme was unyielding.The Iranian nation will not bend one inch against any (international) force and pressure,he told supporters in a speech in the city of Karaj just outside Tehran broadcast on state television.Ahmadinejad said that world powers had been seeking to impose unjust conditions on Iran's enrichment of uranium, a sensitive process that the West wants the Islamic republic to suspend.Why are they insisting that we stop it (enrichment) even for one day? Why should we pretend to stop it even for one day? he asked a cheering crowd of thousands of people packed into a local stadium.

Ahmadinejad claimed that Western powers had initially demanded that Iran must suspend uranium enrichment indefinitely but told the crowd that faced with your resistance they corrected their position.A few months ago they told us 'only a three months (suspension), then we can have negotiations.But we told them why three months? Three months represents a great loss.

Larijani was to hold talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier later on Thursday at the request of Solana.The Berlin talks were the first time Solana and Larijani had met for more than two weeks.During that time European diplomats have tried to ratchet up the pressure by warning that time is running out for Iran to agree to UN Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment activities and thus avert possible United Nations sanctions.

Iran defied the Security Council's August 31 deadline for it to stop uranium enrichment, which makes fuel for civilian nuclear power reactors but also, in highly refined form, the raw material for atomic weapons.Iran insists its enrichment work is solely for peaceful purposes.The negotiations were given a fresh chance after Washington, under pressure from Europe and China, backed down on its demand for immediate sanctions against Iran for failing to meet the August deadline. The deal offered by the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany calls on Iran to accept a package of incentives in exchange for it halting enrichment. The Washington Times reported Tuesday that the Islamic republic was close to agreeing a secret deal that would see it suspend enrichment for 90 days to allow it to hold further talks with European nations.

However there was confusion over whether Iran is considering such a step. European diplomats said Larijani made an offer at his last talks with Solana on September 9-10 in Vienna, but several Iranian officials have denied any suspension is on the cards.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said ahead of the latest round of negotiations she had wished Solana luck, but warned that Iran could not prolong the process of negotiations indefinitely. I just said clearly this will not go on very much longer,Rice said.

Obviously, if we can come out of this with an Iranian decision to suspend its enrichment completely and verifiably, then we would be on a course for negotiations. That is the course we would all like to pursue. According to European diplomats, Western powers have set the start of October as a final deadline for Iran to give its definitive response to the Security Council offer.

Military Intelligence: Syrian Front Now Cause for Concern
By Yechiel Spira(INN)

Changing its long-time assessment regarding the Syrian threat, military intelligence now believes Damascus might launch a military action against Israel. For the first time in many years, IDF intelligence officials are signaling concern that President Bashar al-Assad’s administration may be contemplating a military offensive across Israel's northeastern border. Officials emphasize that though Syria has not taken any operational steps towards a military action, the situation cannot be ignored.Meanwhile, Knesset Speaker MK Dalia Itzik (Kadima) says Israel must not miss the opportunity to enter into dialogue with Syria.

Itzik insists that Assad has repeatedly exhibited a willingness to enter into negotiations with Israel, and that if Jerusalem turns her back on such statements, the opportunity for dialogue could be lost forever. Itzik continues to encourage senior government ministers to take Assad’s statements seriously and begin opening diplomatic channels that could lead to a peace agreement.

Peres: The Syrian Administration Opposes Peace

Vice Premier Shimon Peres, currently in London, stated that Bashar al-Assad is providing refuge for a wanted terrorist Hamas politburo leader Khaled Meshal. It is Meshal who is preventing the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, Peres explained, adding that even the PA (Palestinian Authority) Hamas-led administration wishes to release Shalit at this point. If his father Hafez [al-Assad] would only have come to Camp David with Sadat, the Golan Heights would have already been in his hands for years.

They are opponents of peace,stated Peres. Military intelligence over the past year has discarded Assad's statements calling for peace. Both the governmental and the intelligence communities were in agreement, during the Sharon administration, that such calls have not been sincere, and were nothing more than Syria’s ploy towards compelling Israel to retreat from the Golan Heights, which Israel liberated in the June 1967 Six Day War.

Itzik’s Statements UndermineAmerican Policy

Some analysts point out that Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik’s calls to open a dialogue with Damascus openly undermine American policy. Her repeated statements come at a time when the United States is working to enlist support for calls to impose sanctions on Syria, seeking to isolate Damascus from the world community.U.S. Secretary of State Rice has been signaling Jerusalem to refrain from such open statements at this time while the State Department is seeking to enlist allies to pressure Assad into backing down. The U.S. accuses Syria of supporting terror,as does Israel. Analysts explain that remarks such as those made by the Knesset Speaker are most unwanted at this time, especially given Syria’s willingness to permit Hizbullah weapons to reach southern Lebanon and thus infuse life into the terror organization. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Amir Peretz has approved the appointment by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz of Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkott as the new Northern District Commander. Eiskenkott is currently the IDF’s Chief of Operations.

The other serious contender for the post was IDF Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yoav Gallant. At the end of the year, Central Commander Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh will also be resigning from his post. Eisenkott, 46, has been serving in the IDF for 27 years. He spent most of his years in the Golani Brigade, and served as military secretary to Prime Minister/Defense Minister Ehud Barak. He is viewed as a respected member of the General Staff. Some critics oppose the appointment, explaining that Eisenkott is one of a number of senior officers who will be questioned and debriefed by the Winograd Commission investigating the war in Lebanon. This they explain may lead to further embarrassment following his new appointment. Others explain that Eisenkott was a model of stability and professionalism during the war, an anchor on the General Staff who continued acting in a professional fashion despite the chaos that prevailed in senior military circles. Officials in the Northern Command expressed satisfaction over the appointment.

ISRAELS TROUBLE

JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.

DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

Allah imposes on Jerusalem's Jews
By Ryan Jones,September 27, 2006

Fearing violence by Muslim mobs fired-up by the Ramadan sermons now being delivered daily atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount, Israeli authorities have instructed Jewish residents of parts of the capital's Old City to remain indoors during the evening hours.

Local Jews complained that police should be enforcing the law equally among all citizens, rather than cowering in fear at the mere hint of Muslim hostility.But in a further sign that many Israeli officials are more interested in appeasing the followers of Mohammed than in protecting the religious rights of their fellow Jews, police arrested a Jewish prayer leader for blowing his shofar (ram's horn) at the Western Wall during the recent Rosh Hashanah holiday.

Biblical Lens:

then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord.(Deuteronomy 12:11). As the site where the Almighty chose to make His name abide, the Temple Mount stands at the center of the Middle East conflict.While much of the peace process negotiations that appear in the mainstream media focus on various pieces of land throughout Judea, Samaria and Gaza, most in Israel understand that control over the Temple Mount is the final and largest hurdle to reaching a settlement.Israel's enemies who are driven by the enemy believe that solidifying their hold on the Temple Mount, the heart of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel, will end Israel's hopes, rooted in biblical promises, concerning the arrival of a divine savior and the presence of the LORD.

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. ... And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.(Ezekiel 43:2, 4, 5)

The necessity of a restored Temple prior to the coming of Messiah is also alluded to in the New Testament:Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.(2 Thessalonians 2:1, 3, 4)

This building is often wrongly referred to as the temple of the anti-Christ. While it is occupied for a time by the man of sin, it is still clearly referred to by scripture as the temple of God. And it is clear that this temple, and not Allah's gold dome, must be situated atop the Temple Mount prior to the return of God's manifest glory to that hill.Viewed through this lens, it becomes understandable
why the enemy is investing so much effort in ensuring the Jews never regain full control over the Temple Mount or feel they have a right to rebuild their temple to the God of Israel. Sadly, many spiritually-blind Israeli officials desiring to be accepted by a politically correct world are assisting in this effort by making those Jews faithful to the Word of God feel unwelcome anywhere near His Holy Hill.

But the Psalmist reassures us:

Why do the gentiles rage and the people imagine a vain thing? He Who sits in heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision (and say): Yet have I set My king upon My Holy Hill!'(Psalm 102:16)

Prayer Points:

Pray that those Jews who already today understand the central importance of Jerusalem and God's Holy Hill will be rewarded for their faithfulness with divine protection, blessing and increased courage;

Pray that those Jews who today are blindly assisting the enemy of their people and their God will, sooner rather than later, have their hearts and their eyes opened by the only One who can do so.

Sept. 28, 2006, 7:00AM
Israel, U.N. hope for pullout by October
By LAURIE COPANS Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

JERUSALEM Several disagreements regarding the deployment of Lebanese and U.N. forces in southern Lebanon have delayed a final Israeli troop withdrawal from that country, Israeli military officials said Thursday.But the problems were expected to be quickly worked out in ongoing security talks, and Israeli and U.N. officials said they hoped for a full Israeli pullout next week.The unresolved issues involved security arrangements for an Arab village that straddles the border, and the coordination between U.N. war rooms that will be set up on each side of the border with each country's army, the military officials said on condition of anonymity, since they were not authorized to talk to the press.

The Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon is a key component of a cease-fire that took effect Aug. 14, ending 34 days of fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia based in southern Lebanon.The truce is outlined in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for an international force of 15,000 troops to join 15,000 Lebanese soldiers in patrolling southern Lebanon to prevent a further outbreak of violence.Alexander Ivanko, a spokesman for the U.N. force known as UNIFIL, denied reports of a disagreement between Israeli and U.N. officers over the international force.Israeli officials said earlier this week that UNIFIL had refused in pre-withdrawal talks to commit to Israel's demand that the U.N. forces stop or disarm any Hezbollah militants who approach the border. UNIFIL has said the Lebanese army was responsible for any efforts to disarm Hezbollah and its job is merely to assist the Lebanese army in that.

Ivanko said the United Nations expected the Israeli withdrawal to be completed by the end of the month.That is the force commander's understanding and we are working very actively on ensuring that that happens,he said.Other Israeli military officials, speaking privately, said that only minor details still need to be worked out, but it would be difficult for Israel to complete the withdrawal by the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which begins Sunday at sundown.At the height of the fighting, Israel had as many as 30,000 troops in Lebanon, but has pulled most of them out since then cease-fire and withdrawn to the border area. The army declined to say how many troops remained, but the number was reported at several thousand.Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said Wednesday that Israel was still trying to iron out the last details on the deployment of Lebanese and U.N. forces before pulling its last troops out of south Lebanon.

We haven't completed negotiations,Halutz told an Israeli Cabinet meeting Wednesday. We are delaying the transfer of territory until the understandings are worked out.But Halutz said the final details should be concluded in a day or two.Halutz also warned that Hezbollah would not be allowed to use surveillance equipment near the border.

Any military equipment that will be in the hands of Hezbollah, including intelligence gathering equipment, is from Israel's perspective a violation of the agreement,Halutz told the ministers, according to a participant in the meeting. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel would withdraw as
soon as the U.N. and Lebanese forces fulfill their commitments.We have no interest in staying in Lebanon, Regev said.Israel was primarily concerned about the enforcement of two clauses in Resolution 1701: The international arms embargo on Hezbollah and the ban on the group's armed presence in south Lebanon, Regev said.

Ukraine Remembers 34,000 Jews Mass-Murdered at Babi Yar
By Hillel Fendel(INN)

Some 1,000 religious and political leaders and others took part in an impressive memorial ceremony for the nearly 34,000 Jews massacred in just two days at Babi Yar 65 years ago.

The memorial event took place yesterday (Wednesday) at the infamous ravine outside Kiev, Ukraine, where the myriads of Jews were systematically machine-gunned to death. The slaughter continued for 48 hours, on Sept. 29-30, 1941. The Nazis marched the Jews from Kiev in groups of ten, ordered them to strip naked, and then machine-gunned them to death, leaving them to fall dead into the pit.Among those who took part in the ceremony were witnesses to and survivors of the Nazi massacres at Babi Yar and elsewhere, liberators of Kiev, and those recognized as Righteous Gentiles for their Holocaust-era heroism.A conference entitled Let My People Live! sponsored in part by the Government of Ukraine was held at the memorial ceremony.

The conference was also organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation and Yad Vashem. President Moshe Katzav and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko addressed the gathering.The World Holocaust Forum stated that the goals of Let My People Live! include memorializing the victims of Babi Yar and other mass-murder sites, uniting world leaders in confronting manifestations of xenophobia and anti-Semitism, and more. A Pan-European Holocaust Educational Program for Teachers has been inaugurated as well. Yad Vashem, which has collected the names of 3.5 million Holocaust victims thus far, has the names of only 3,000 Jews less than 10% known to have been killed at Babi Yar. Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev told Haaretz that more than 90% of Jewish victims killed in western and central Europe are known, 35-40% of those killed in Romania, Hungary and Poland and only about 20% of those killed in the former Soviet Union.

The Simon Weil Holocaust Research Fund in France, the Holocaust Museums in Paris and Washington, and the Zaka Organization are sponsoring a wide-ranging campaign to find other mass Jewish graves in eastern Europe. Last month, the remains of some 1,800 Jews murdered by Nazis in Ukraine were discovered in the pit that became their mass grave. The memorial events in Kiev were the brainchild of Russian Jewish leader and business magnate Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, JTA reports. Kantor said the idea came to him a few years ago when he noticed young boys playing soccer near the site of the Babi Yar massacre, oblivious to the travesties that occurred there decades before. Most people today simply don’t know what happened there,said Kantor, who is the
founder of the World Holocaust Forum, the president of the Russian Jewish Congress and the chairman of the Board of Governors of the European Jewish Congress. The recent memorial events aim to change that.

Energy Ministers From 11 Countries Say Russian Energy Policy Raises Risks for Europe Created: 28.09.2006,6 hours 7 minutes ago,MosNews

Eleven energy ministers warned of rising political and commercial risks to Europe’s energy markets as President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to unconscientious investors, Agence France Presse reported on Thursday .

The ministers note the recent developments in energy markets and the ever increasing potential risks of a political and commercial nature,the 11 Black Sea-region ministers said.The reliability of access to energy (is) subject at this stage to challenges and threats of both a short-term and long-term nature,they said in a statement.The warnings after a two-day summit of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation organisation (BSEC) came shortly after Russia rattled energy investors by threatening to shut down the world’s largest private oil and gas project.

Russia last week withdrew a crucial environmental permit for the $20bn (15.8bn-euro) Sakhalin-2 project in the Russian far east, citing environmental violations by the foreign companies running the project.Putin added a further warning yesterday, saying that the government would take action against companies that were too slow in developing their projects.I expect the (natural resources) ministry and the government as a whole to take such decisions, including toward companies that work unconscientiously or do not fulfill licence agreements,he said at a meeting with the minister for natural resources in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

Russian officials also hammered foreign firms developing Sakhalin-2 at a separate energy industry conference in Sakhalin yesterday.The warnings from the 11 energy ministers seemed to reflect conflicting interests in the Black Sea region, which Russian Energy Minister called an indispensable energy bridge between Europe and Asia.The region’s clearest conflict has been between Russia and its Western neighbor Ukraine, which have had tense energy relations since Russia cut gas to Ukraine on January 1 during a price dispute.Khristenko’s Ukrainian counterpart Yury Boiko was kept from the Sochi summit by tense talks in Moscow on a new gas supply contract.Analysts have said that Russia’s ultimate goal is gaining control over Ukraine’s gas transport infrastructure, while Khristenko said that achieving predictability was Russia’s main motivation.The worst sort of predictability is better than the best unpredictability,the minister said at a news conference.The Black Sea ministers also faced conflicts over competing pipeline projects, such as Russia’s plans to expand its Blue Stream gas pipeline through Turkey to Israel and possibly Europe, which would rival the planned Nabucco pipeline.

The planned Nabucco pipeline would bring natural gas from Iran and Turkmenistan to European markets without crossing Russian territory.Khristenko insisted that the Russian-Turkish Blue Stream gas pipeline had “proved its effectiveness both in financial terms and in terms of securing regional energy security.

Russia and Turkey have clashed over Blue Stream since the pipeline came online in 2003, however, and delivery volumes have been growing at a slow pace amid price disputes and lower demand projections from Turkey.The BSEC, which Russia is hosting this year, was formed in 1992 to co-ordinate the economic interests of Black Sea-region states such as Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The group is one of several regional organisations embracing countries bordering the sea, and holds numerous annual ministerial meetings to coordinate the group’s economic policies.Russia directs 30% of its gas exports to BSEC members. The group’s main members are Russia, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine.COMPANY NEWS,MosNews

Vatican: Extremists undermining religion
Posted 9/28/2006 6:01 AM

UNITED NATIONS (AP) The Vatican's foreign minister said Wednesday that misunderstanding between cultures is breeding a new barbarism and expressed hope that reason and dialogue would stop those who use their faith as a pretext for attacks.In a speech on the closing day of the U.N. General Assembly's ministerial meeting, Giovanni Lajolo said extremists are far from devout and undermine the very religion they claim to defend.Violent reactions are always a falsification of true religion,Lajolo said in a passage devoted to the pope's Sept. 12 speech at Regensburg University in Germany.Benedict XVI quoted words attributed to a 14th century Byzantine emperor: Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.

Muslims angered by the remarks took to the streets in Indonesia, Turkey and Syria. Churches were attacked in the West Bank; an effigy of the pope was burned in Iraq; and a nun was shot dead in Somalia in an apparently related attack.Lajolo reiterated the Vatican's view that Benedict's remarks were misinterpreted. He said the pope has sought only to promote rational dialogue and understanding.Benedict has expressed regret for offending Muslims and said they did not reflect his personal views, but he has not offered a complete apology as some had sought.Lajolo suggested that the anger may also lie in the lack of understanding between religions, and a schism between reason and faith.As the Pope affirmed, were reason to turn a deaf ear to the divine and relegate religion to the ambit of subcultures, it would automatically provoke violent reactions,Lajolo, who also serves as president of the Governatorate of the Vatican City State, told the assembly.

It falls to all interested parties to civil society as well as to states to promote religious freedom and a sane, social tolerance that will disarm extremists even before they can begin to corrupt others with their hatred of life and liberty,he said.Lajolo referred to the story of the Tower of Babel, saying the confusion of tongues in the Biblical city was a symbol of fracturing and hostilities in the
contemporary world.Human pride hampers the acknowledgment of one's neighbor and the recognition of his or her needs and even more makes people distrusting,he said.Today, that same negative fundamental attitude has given rise to a new barbarism that threatens world peace,the Vatican minister said.Terrorists bent on rejecting the best achievements of our civilization are one example, Lajolo said.Major powers, in their attempt to make the world more fair, may also occasionally slide into believing that this can only be achieved by force, he said.It can go so far as to regard the possession of nuclear weapons as an element of national pride,he said.,The Associated Press.

UN accelerates pace to choose successor to Annan By Evelyn Leopold
Thu Sep 28, 3:23 AM ET

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is moving quickly to select a successor to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in October, a procedure that favors front-runner South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon. A third informal poll is set for Thursday and another, more revealing poll on Monday will indicate which of the seven candidates is backed or opposed by any of the veto-bearing council members the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. A candidate needs at least nine votes and no veto.The campaigning for votes has been intense, with nominees speaking at various forums in New York and traveling around the globe to secure the post of the world's top diplomat.We are at the point where we should make a decision,U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said on Wednesday, saying governments had had all year to nominate a candidate to replace Annan, whose term ends on December 31.

Most diplomats believe the United States favors Ban and a quick vote would confirm his front-runner status.On Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Chris Hill called Ban a very, very consummate professional,after a congressman alleged the South Korean was too pro-China.Only Britain has spoken against the rush to close the process, arguing that two candidates Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and former Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani had entered late and should have the chance in straw polls, council members said.Britain, they said, also wanted to keep the race open for any other candidate who might want to run.

A REAL CHOICE

Using colored ballots to distinguish between the five permanent council members and the 10 nations elected for two-year terms, could, for all practical purposes, end the contest after Monday's poll.But on Thursday afternoon, council ambassadors will mark ballots to encourage, discourage or express no opinion as in the previous two straw polls.In the last informal poll, Ban received 14 out of 15 favorable votes, ahead of Shashi Tharoor, an Indian novelist and the U.N. undersecretary-general for public information, who got 10 positive votes.The other three candidates are Surakiart Sathirathai, Thailand's deputy prime minister; Jordan's U.N. ambassador, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein; and Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka, a former U.N. undersecretary-general for disarmament.

Tharoor said the next balloting would be crucial.

I was second in both the two straw polls because I do believe that many ambassadors and many governments are looking for a real choice,Tharoor said in an interview. But I acknowledge, as a realist, that if Mr. Ban consolidates his lead Thursday, it could be all over.The secretary-general's job has changed over the years, but Bolton said the first priority was to be the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and institute management reforms.Even Ban had some qualms about that. He told the Asia Society on Monday that many of the administrative operations would be left to a deputy. In an interview last week, he spoke of playing a bridging role between developed and developing nations but stressed the need for reform.The Security Council selects the new secretary-general, who then has to be confirmed by the 192-member General Assembly. U.N. tradition deems that the next U.N. leader come from Asia.