5 SIGNS OF MAHDI'S RETURN

2ND CORINTHIANS 5:6-8 JERRY INSTANTLY WAS TAKEN BY ANGELS TO GOD AT DEATH
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

BREAKING NEWS

PRAY FOR JERRY FALDWELL HE WAS FOUND UNCONCIOUS IN HIS OFFICE IN LINCHBERG VIRGINIA.
HES IN GRAVE CONDITION REPORTS.

JERRY FALWELL HAS DIED. ITS 1:30 IN THE AFTERNOON. 73 YEAR OLD JERRY HAS DIED. A SAD DAY IN CHRISTIAN HISTORY JERRY WAS A MORAL LEADER.

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.

GENESIS 1:5,14
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE LAST GENERATION.

LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

PSALMS 122:2-9
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

PSALMS 137:5-7
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom (Jordon) in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

AT 6:00 PM ISRAEL CELEBRATES JERUSALEM DAY. THE DAY GOD GAVE JERUSALEM FOREVER TO ISRAEL AND SOON TO BE THE WORLD CAPITAL.

THERE ARE 2 ELECTS THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL.

ISRAEL ON EARTH DURING TRIBULATION 7 YR PEACE TREATY

ISAIAH 42:1
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, (Israel) in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

ISAIAH 45:4
4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

ISAIAH 65:9,22
9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect (Israel) shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

ROMANS 11:28
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, (Israel) they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

THE CHURCH ELECT

1 PETER 1:2
1:2 Elect (Christians) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Thousands of youngsters evacuated from moorland amid flood fears. 3-The Nation's Weather. 4-Hamas kills 8 at Gaza border crossing. 5-Jordan's king set to meet Olmert. 6-Anti-Semitism on rise in parts of Europe: study. 7-Muslim Religious Ban on Leaving Israel. 8-Artifacts From Time of Kings David and Solomon Revealed. 9-Five signs of the Mahdi's return?

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.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Tue May 15 11:00 AM EDT

MAY 15,07
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 3.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.2 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA

MAY 14,07
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 VERMONT
MAP 3.1 BERING SEA
MAP 5.2 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
MAP 2.7 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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.

Thousands of youngsters evacuated from moorland amid flood fears Sun May 13, 7:11 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - The army said it was evacuating thousands of youngsters, many of them by helicopter, from moorland in southwest England on Sunday after their annual trek was called off due to concerns about rain-swollen rivers. Some are friends of Charlotte Shaw, a 14-year-old girl who died after falling into a swollen stream on March 4 during training for the two-day, army organised expedition on Dartmoor which involves 2,400 youngsters nationwide.Four hundred teams, each with six members, began long treks Saturday over rugged terrain, but the army, citing deteriorating weather conditions and a high dropout rate of 15 percent, called off the event late Saturday.The weather forecast indicates that the rivers, which are already at their peak, will become increasingly swollen, it said in a statement.Around 200 youngsters have already been evacuated from the moor by two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters, with the rest waiting in their tents or walking back, the army said.

The helicopters carrying the teams were arriving back into Okehampton battle camp at regular intervals from 6 am (0500 GMT) Sunday and all the youngsters were expected to have left the moor by mid-afternoon.Army spokesman David Hamilton said more than 700 personnel, including military and the Dartmoor Rescue Group, were involved in the weekend's activities and the recovery of the teams.Jenna Drew, 17, was on a team completing a 55-mile (88-kilometre) route, the longest of three possible treks, when she was airlifted back to camp early Sunday.I'm really, really devastated. We really wanted to finish. I think we could have done it if we had been allowed to go on. Obviously the safety of everyone is their main priority, Drew said.The annual treks began in 1959 after several officers in the army, which has used Dartmoor for training for years, decided it would be a good challenge for young civilians.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Tue May 15, 5:59 AM ET

A balmy day dawned over the Northeast and Southwest early Tuesday, while storms stalked the Great Lakes, Rockies and Mississippi Valley. A stormy system was expected to push through the Great Lakes toward the Northeast, with a cold front sweeping across the Plains, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys.Apart from the rain, cooler air was expected to spread across the Midwest. The stormy weather should move to the East Coast and Gulf States on Wednesday.Low pressure was to remain in the Gulf of Mexico, keeping scattered showers and thunderstorms over southern Florida.

Out West, mostly sunny skies with seasonal temperatures was expected. The California coast was to be cool and clear, while the Desert Southwest was to remain hot and dry.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Monday ranged from a low of 22 degrees at Stanley, Idaho, to a high of 109 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (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.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS)whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

CIVIL WAR BREAKING OUT IN GAZA NOW, WATCH FOR THE EU TO BRING IN THEIR RAPID REACTION TEAM AT SOME POINT TO GUARENTEE THE PEACE OF ISRAEL AND THE ARABS.

Hamas kills 8 at Gaza border crossing By IBRAHIM BARZAK, AP MAY 15,07

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas gunmen on Tuesday ambushed rival Fatah forces near a key crossing along the Israeli border, killing eight people in the deadliest battle yet in three days of factional fighting. The incident briefly drew Israeli gunfire, threatening to drag Israel into the conflict at a time when its prime minister said his country was ready to discuss an Arab initiative that offers peace for land.At least 20 people, including 11 total on Tuesday, have died in the fighting, bringing life in Gaza to a standstill and pushing the fragile Palestinian unity government closer to collapse. Hamas and Fatah formed the union to end months of violence. Tuesday's fighting began when Hamas gunmen approached a training base used by Fatah forces that guard the crossing, officials said.

The base was set up in part by a U.S. security team sent to train Palestinians on how to check cargo and bags at crossings.

The Islamic militant Hamas force attacked the base with rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, said Ahmed al-Kaisi, spokesman for the pro-Fatah Presidential Guard: We consider this a serious provocation and a crime committed in cold blood.When another Fatah security unit arrived to provide backup, they were ambushed by Hamas gunmen, witnesses said.A jeep full of security men that came under fire veered off the road and crashed. Hamas forces then riddled it with gunfire, said one witness, who gave only his first name, Jamil, out of fear for his safety.Hospital and security officials said eight men were killed in the ambush.As the fighting raged, Israeli troops opened fire at two gunmen who approached the border, the army said. Palestinian officials said one man was killed.

He was identified as a member of the Presidential Guard, who apparently was trying to help his comrades.Witnesses also said three Israeli tanks approached Karni, and the Hamas force quickly withdrew. Israel also closed the crossing, which is the passage for cargo going in and out of Gaza.Hours after the Karni incident, another security officer loyal to Fatah was killed in a clash with Hamas gunmen in Gaza City, Fatah officials said. Another man was killed in a separate fight, but it was not immediately known to which side he belonged.Israel has remained silent throughout the latest Palestinian infighting, but the border incident illustrated how fragile the situation is. Israel has been debating whether to take large-scale military action in Gaza in response to repeated rocket fire aimed at southern Israel.In Jordan, King Abdullah ll held high-level talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert aimed at breathing life into an Arab peace initiative that offers Israel recognition in return for land.

Olmert said his country was ready to discuss the initiative, but Abdullah told him that Israel first had to take concrete steps to improve relations with the Palestinians, and urged him to set a firm timetable for doing that, said Amjad Adayleh, information director at Jordan's royal palace.

The plan would give Israel full recognition in exchange for a total withdrawal from lands it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and the creation of a Palestinian state. Israel has welcomed the plan as a good starting point for negotiations, but objects to several provisions.The Arab peace plan was first floated by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and renewed in March at a meeting of the Arab League. Arab leaders have urged Israel to seize the new opportunity.Abdullah also told the Israeli leader at their meeting in the seaside resort of Aqaba that he was worried about reports Israel is planning new settlements or to expand existing ones, Adayleh said, but Olmert called such reports baseless.Abdullah also urged Olmert to lift an economic blockade on Palestinians, making it easier for them to cross borders and immediately unfreeze all Palestinian money held by Israel. Adayleh said the meeting focused on the Arab land-for-recognition plan and Abdullah told Olmert that all the Arabs are committed to the peace initiative and they have a real intention for a comprehensive peace if Israel accepts that.Before the talks with Abdullah, Olmert told a conference in Petra, Jordan, of Nobel laureates and Israeli and Arab youth that Israel was ready to listen to Arab views.

We heard about the Arab peace initiative and we say come and present it to us. You want to talk to us about it, we are ready to sit down and talk about it carefully, he said. In the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the immediate implementation of a security plan to halt the internal fighting. We must do that ... without any reluctance or delay, to put an end to civil strife and the ghost of internal fighting, he said in a speech marking the anniversary of the uprooting of many Palestinians in the 1948 Mideast War fought over Israel's founding. The plan calls for rival security forces to operate under a joint command. A majority of the 80,000 security officers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are loyal to Abbas, while Hamas set up its own 6,000-member militia last year. Associated Press Writer Jamal Halaby contributed to this report in Petra, Jordan.

Jordan's king set to meet Olmert By JAMAL HALABY, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 15, 6:58 AM ET

PETRA, Jordan - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed his country's readiness Tuesday to discuss an Arab peace initiative and find ways to implement such a plan. Olmert said after arriving for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II that Israel was ready to sit down and talk about it carefully and was willing to listen to Arab views.We heard about the Arab peace initiative and we say come and present it to us. You want to talk to us about it, we are ready to sit down and talk about it carefully, he told a conference in this ancient city.Describing the plan as very interesting, Olmert said we are ready to cooperate to find the appropriate manner to implement. If the Arab countries want to present their peace initiative, we will be more than happy to sit down and listen carefully.Olmert invited the 22 leaders of the Arab nations that are ready to make that kind of peace with Israel, to come to Israel, where ever they want and to sit down with us and start talk and present their ideas.

He added that if they were willing to invite him somewhere for talks, then I'm ready to come.Olmert arrived in Petra for a rare high-level meeting with Abdullah on the sidelines of a conference involving Nobel Laureates and Israeli and Arab youth on ways to solve conflicts in the Mideast.We are ready to come and to invite Arab leaders without preconditions from us or their side, Olmert said.The Petra meetings came as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for immediate implementation of the government's security plan to halt lawlessness and internal fighting.Earlier, Hamas gunmen attacked rival Fatah forces at a key crossing along the Israeli border, killing seven people and drawing fire from nearby Israeli troops.

Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, urged rival Palestinian factions on Tuesday to end the chaos that threatens to unravel the Palestinian unity government. Ahead of the meeting, however, the Palestinians indicated it would take time to set up a meeting between Olmert and Abbas.I think it will take time before they meet again. The Israelis are not ready. All we've been told it that they are willing to prepare for the next meeting, Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said.Jordan, along with Egypt, were the first Arab countries to make peace with Israel and are charged with promoting the Arab-initiated peace deal to the Jewish State, which has welcomed it as a good starting point but objects to several key provisions.The peace process is frozen, but what we are looking for is seeing a real serious step from the Israeli side to sit at the table to negotiate what the roads map and the Arab peace initiative are calling for, Rdeneh added.Ahead of Olmert's meeting with Abdullah, his spokeswoman Miri Eisin said the two leaders planned to break away from the conference and travel to the king's palace in the southern Jordanian resort of Aqaba for their talks.

Abdullah regards the Arab peace plan as a historic chance and will make it the focus of his talks with Olmert.The Arab peace plan offers Israel full recognition in exchange for a full withdrawal from lands it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and the creation of a Palestinian state. Israel has welcomed the plan as a good starting point for negotiations but has objected to several key provisions. The Arab peace plan was proposed in 2002 and renewed in March at a meeting of the Arab League in Saudi Arabia. Arab leaders have urged Israel to seize the new opportunity.

While saying it has positive elements, Israel has objected to major provisions of the plan, including the call to evacuate all captured lands and to repatriate millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Israel says such a large influx of Palestinians would destroy Israel's character as a Jewish state. Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2000 after the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising
against Israel. Subsequent efforts to restart peace talks, including the 2003 U.S.-backed road map peace plan and a recent U.S. push to bring the sides back to the negotiating table, have made little progress.

Progress on Arab-Israeli peace could be a welcome boost for Olmert who has been under increasing criticism back home after a scathing government commission report on his performance during Israel's summer war with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla. There have been widespread calls for him to resign. The conference in Petra, a city carved into rose-red stone and built by the Nabataean culture some 2,000 years ago, is hosted jointly by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development and the New York-based Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Four Israeli schoolchildren hand picked by their government will join Palestinian students and youth from Kuwait, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.

No details were provided about the youth. Associated Press writers Amy Teibel and Dale Gavlak contributed to this report. On the Net: King Abdullah II Fund for Development: http://www.kafd.jo Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org Petra conference: http://www.petranobel.com

Anti-Semitism on rise in parts of Europe: study By Allyn Fisher-Ilan
Mon May 14, 9:01 AM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An increasing number of Europeans believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their home countries and have too much influence in world finance, a U.S. group monitoring anti-Semitism said on Monday. A large number of Europeans continue to be infected with anti-Jewish attitudes, holding on to classic anti-Semitic canards and conspiracy theories, Abraham Foxman, director of the Washington-based Anti-Defamation League, told reporters.These attitudes help legitimize anti-Semitism, including violence against Jews, and give us great concern, he said.

A survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League in France, Spain, German, Poland and Italy in March and April found that negative stereotypes about Jews had gained ground in these countries since 2005.The study measured responses to these statements: that Jews are more loyal to Israel than their country, that they have too much power in the business world and financial markets and that they talk too much about the Nazi Holocaust of World War Two.

In all countries studied, with the exception of Italy, the poll found an increase since a survey in 2005 in the percentage of Europeans who felt Jews held Israel above their own states.

In Poland and Spain, about 60 percent of those surveyed expressed that sentiment, up from about 50 percent two years ago. In Germany the figure was 51 percent, with 48 percent in Italy and 39 percent in France.Foxman called the dual loyalty allegation a classical canard of anti-Semitism and a tenet of Hitler's ideology that Jews had sold out Germany for their own interests.One in four of the some 2,700 people surveyed said their attitudes toward Jews are colored by events in the Middle East, Foxman added.

Of these, 52 percent said they held a lower opinion of Jews as a result.Foxman pointed to what he called an emergence of a significant relationship between anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiments or criticism. But he said it was too soon to draw any direct parallels from the survey.The study did not tabulate incidents of anti-Semitic violence in Europe. Tel Aviv University in Israel said in findings
published in April that the numbers of attacks against Jews had doubled worldwide last year compared with 2005.Most of the rise in violence was reported in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and France, the Tel Aviv study said.

Muslim Religious Ban on Leaving Israel
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 15,07

Yet another Islamic religious ruling forbidding Moslems from leaving the Holy Land has been issued, this time from the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine. Recently, the Hamas-affiliated Association of Religious Sages of Palestine publicized its ruling forbidding emigration from the lands of the Palestinian Authority. The Mufti of Jerusalem has now joined in with his own ban, released on Monday, May 14. The rulings are an indication of the great fear in the Arab world that young people from the Palestinian Authority are increasingly seeking their fortunes abroad. The latest ruling, entitled, No permission to emigrate from the land of Palestine, reads as follows:

There is much talk these days in our land of Palestine about emigration, and especially among the young, and this because of the difficult security and economic situation, and out of a desire to find a living in other lands.

Expression of this can be found in the rush to the gates of the embassies and consulates of the Western nations with requests for visas in order to reside permanently in those countries Based on [the ruling of the prophet Muhammed and his friends], emigration from the blessed lands to live permanently in other countries is not permitted in terms of religious law. The people living in these areas must remain in their places of residence, and not leave them to infiltrators and conquerors, and they will thus perform an act of honor, and will be a support for the Al-Aqsa mosque... and will merit the good tiding of the prophet...Regarding temporary travel to other lands for the purpose of study and work, this is permitted as long as there is a determination to return and live in the blessed lands after the stage of study and work.

Tens of Thousands

PA officials reported last November that in the preceding four months, foreign and Arab diplomats had authorized the entry of 10,000 PA residents to their countries, and that another 45,000 emigration requests were under similar consideration. Similar statements were made in October.

Artifacts From Time of Kings David and Solomon Revealed
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (INN) MAY 15,07

In honor of Jerusalem Day, which begins Tuesday night, archaeologists revealed a number of seals from the time of the Biblical Kings David and Solomon. The seals, along with other recently uncovered artifacts, were displayed for the first time on Monday, at a conference marking 40 years since the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem by the modern State of Israel. The City of David area was a commercial and trading center.The Bible-period artifacts were unearthed during archaeological excavations underway in Ir David, the City of David, below Jerusalems Old City to the east. The specific artifacts on display on Monday were found at the Beit HaMaayan (well-house) dig, overseen by Haifa University's Archaeology Department Director, Professor Ronny Reich. The greatest scientific and public interest was focused on more than 100 seals and signet rings, used as a means of authentication for written papyrus documents, from the time of the reigns of Kings David and Solomon. The seals bear various markings that, when deciphered, indicate the sender of the document and his or her location. The large number of such seals, archaeologists explained, indicate that the City of David area was a commercial and trading center.

Several hundred leaders of Israel's industry and the economy took part in the Jerusalem gathering at which the artifacts were displayed. Similar seals and signets have been found at various excavation sites around Jerusalem over the past decade. Some of those seals bear names of royal advisors and servants mentioned in various Biblical accounts of the reigns of Jewish monarchs. In 2005, a Hebrew University archaeologist and a leading authority on ancient Jerusalem,Some seals bear the names of royal advisors mentioned in various Biblical accounts.Dr. Eilat Mazar uncovered a clay seal in what she claimed served as the residential palace of Jewish kings from King David until the destruction of the First Temple, for a period of 450 years. That seal, dated from about 580 BCE, bears the name Yehuchal Ben-Sheleimiya, who is identified as a royal envoy and court minister sent by King Zedekiah to the prophet Jeremiah (in chapters 37 and 38 of the Bible's Book of Jeremiah).

Several years earlier, another circa-580 BCE royal seal was found at the same site. It had the name of Gemaryahu, son of Shafan, who is also mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, and who was a top official in the court of King Zedekiah's predecessor, King Yehoyachim. Another seal found among dozens of others bears the name of Azaryahu Ben-Hilkiyahu, a member of a priestly family, who served in the Temple before Jerusalem's destruction (according to I Chronicles, 9:10).

NEW DETAILS OF AHMADINEJAD'S APOCALYPTIC BELIEFS:
Five signs of the Mahdi's return? Also, part two of Dobson interview runs today.
By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., May 15, 2007) First, the good news: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Jordan's King Abdullah II will meet today in Petra and Aqaba to discuss peace.

Olmert is expected to personally invite the King to visit Jerusalem to discuss the future of the region. Now, the bad news: Olmert will return from Jordan to oversee a major IDF war games exercise as Israeli intelligence officials warn him that this summer could see a major war. Latest warning signs: The New York Times is reporting this morning that Iran is enriching uranium faster and on a much larger scale than previously known. According to a new report by the IAEA, Iran could have 3,000 centrifuges operating by June - enough to make one bomb's worth of material every year. Tehran may...be able to build an additional 5,000 centrifuges by the end of the year, for a total of 8,000.

There are new reports this week that Iran may join Central Asian military alliance with Russia. Syria has just moved up its schedule for a major military exercise. It was planned for the late summer and early fall. Now it will begin in May and run through July. This has intensified speculation among intelligence analysts that Syria could be preparing for a summer war. Palestinian leaders, meanwhile, are marking the catastrophe of Israel's rebirth by vowing to recapture Jerusalem. The European Union is boycotting Jerusalem Day, which marks the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem coming back under Jewish control for the first time in 2,000 years. Meanwhile, an Israeli newspaper is running a big story this morning entitled, If the Bomb drops..., giving people details of how to protect oneself in case of a nuclear attack. In that context, if you're looking for some light summer reading, you might want to skip The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran by Yossi Melman, a leading Israeli investigative journalist, and Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born Mideast analyst who works closely with the BBC, Voice of America and the Los Angeles Times. But if you're interesting in revealing new insights into Ahmadinejad's apocalyptic religious beliefs, look no further.

Major American news outlets like CBS's 60 Minutes, NBC News, CNN and Time have covered Ahmadinejad extensively -- even interviewed him exclusively this year -- yet keep missing the big story: the end of the world theology driving his foreign policy. But Melman and Javedanfar get it and report it in detail.

Excerpts from their new book:

* Ahmadinejad is the first Muslim leader who has prayed for the hastening of the return of the Shiite Messiah, known as the Mahdi, at teh U.N. General Assembly, an act that reinforced his conviction that he was carrying God's words and acting on behalf of the Messiah....Never before had an Iranian leader so publicly acknowledged his messianic beliefs. (p. 42)

* The Ayandeye Roshan (Bright Future) Institute, based in Qom, specializes in theological research about the Mahdi. It points to at least five 'distinct signs' that need to happen before the Mahdi appears. (p. 43-44)

1. The first is the rise of a fighter from Yemen called the Yamani, who attacks the enemies of Islam.

2. The second sign is the rise of an anti-Mahdi militant leader named Osman Ben Anbase, who will also be known as the Sofiani. He will be joined by another anti-Mahdi militant called Dajal, whom many Muslims clerics have compared to the Antichrist. The uprising of Sofiani will precede the appearance of the Mahdi in Mecca by exactly six months. These two forces, known as the forces of evil, will occupy Syria and Jordan and advance from there....[for] an epic battle near the city of Kufa, in the Shiite heartland of southern Iraq.

3. The third distinct sign will be voices from the sky. The most distinct voice will be that of the Angel Gabriel, who will call the faithful to gather around the Mahdi.

4. The fourth sign will entail the destruction of Sofiani's army.

5. The fifth and final sign is the death of a holy man by the name of Muhammed bin Hassan, called Nafse Zakiye, or the pure soul. Fifteen days after he is killed, the Mahdi will appear in Mecca. The Mahdi will appoint Jesus Christ as his deputy. People will recognize the Mahdi because there will be an angel above his head shouting, This is the Mahdi. Follow him. The Mahdi will be wearing a ring that belonged to King Solomon and will hold the wooden stick that Moses held when he parted the Red Sea. His army of 313 will grow into 10,000, fifty of whom will be women.An additional indicator of the Mahdi's arrival, say the religious scholars to whom Ahmadinejad is listening, will be the death of 80 percent of the world's population in a massive war.The authors note that Ahmadinejad is telling associates time is very short, noting that in 2005, he made the timetable more specific, saying the Mahdi would reappear in 2007. He thus increased government funding for the leading Islamic school that teaches about the coming of the Mahdi by 1,000% to $3.5 million.

With Iran now able to enrich uranium, it could become nuclear in 2007, the authors conclude. If that happens, Iran's nuclear arsenal might give the regime the confidence it needs to start a war, which could then become the 'platform' that Ahmadinejad has said he wants to create for the reappearance of the Mahdi.NOTE: I leave Thursday for a week in Israel. Will send updates on the situation from there. WEBLOG with the latest on events in the Middle East and Russia, including links to articles mentioned in this story, and a link to the audio of my interviews with Dr. Dobson on radical Islam.
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