IRAN IS ROOT OF ALL EVIL

North France tornado kills three AUG 4,08 The tornado wreaked havoc as it tore through Hautmont.

A tornado has wreaked havoc in a small town in northern France, killing three people and injuring nine. A woman in her 70s died when her house collapsed late on Sunday in Hautmont. A deputy mayor and his wife were also crushed in their own home. The storm devastated two streets in Hautmont, which has 16,000 residents.

Roofs were ripped off, trees uprooted and cars overturned. Rescuers are still picking through the rubble in case any more residents were buried alive. There was a deep roaring sound, like a bombing raid Erick Filleur, Hautmont resident.

In pictures: French tornado

The tornado also swept through three other small towns nearby, where the damage was not so severe: Maubeuge, Neuf-Mesnil and Boussieres-sur-Sambre. A 76-year-old man committed suicide after his house was demolished by the storm, AFP news agency quoted Suzanne Thiefaine, an official with the Hautmont mayor's office, as saying.

Deep roaring sound

The tornado tore through 10km (six miles) of the Nord region of France on Sunday at around 2300 local time (2100 GMT). It cut a swathe through Hautmont, where hundreds of homes were damaged within minutes, said Ms Thiefaine. Five hundred homes in Hautmont alone were damaged, 100 of those were uninhabitable, she said.

Another 200 homes were damaged in the other three affected towns, she added. My roof blew off, all the windows are broken, 75-year-old Leon Denoyelle told the French news agency AFP in Hautmont. There was a deep roaring sound, like a bombing raid, local resident Erick Filleur was quoted as saying. Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets and food to shocked residents, as 200 rescue workers used sniffer dogs to scour the affected area for survivors. France's Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie was heading to the area to survey the damage, ministry officials said.

Houston, Sabine ship channels open with limits AUG 5,08

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The Houston and Sabine Pass ship channels were open Wednesday but with restrictions on ship size after being shut Monday by Tropical Storm Edouard, the U.S. Coast Guard and ship pilots said. The limits will allow most ships to transit the Houston channel, according to the Coast Guard. Bulk crude carriers will be prevented from moving through Sabine Pass channel, ship pilots said.A total of 33 ships were waiting to enter the 53-mile (85-km) waterway to Houston, the busiest U.S. petrochemical port, and two ships were waiting to exit, according to the Coast Guard.

Ships with a draft of 38 feet or less can move in or out of the Houston Ship Channel, while ships with a draft of 35 feet or less can move to the port of Texas City, according to the Coast Guard.At the Sabine Pass Channel, which serves refineries at Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, ships with a draft of 30 feet or less can enter or exit the waterway, according to the Sabine Pass ship pilots association.It could be Friday before the restrictions are lifted at the Sabine Pass channel, the ship pilots association said.At Houston, a survey by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for the Houston channel's construction and maintenance, must take place before the restrictions will be lifted.The limits allow for checks for possible damage or debris that the storm moved into the waterways as it passed over the Texas coast on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba and Richard Valdmanis Editing by John Picinich)

Stormy day today; cooler weather coming Mark Avery AUG 6,08

Midwest

A cold front moving through the Midwest will bring more clusters of thunderstorms from the Central Plains through the Ohio Valley today. These thunderstorm complexes will bring the potential for locally heavy rain, damaging winds, and large hail from the Nebraska Panhandle to the coal fields of eastern Kentucky. Near the Great Lakes, an upper level trough will be digging in, enhancing the chance of showers and thunderstorms near the Lakes. As the front heads southward, shower and thunderstorm chances move south with it; by tomorrow, rain will be limited to areas near the front from Kansas through Missouri's Ozarks and into Kentucky. Behind the front, cooler temperatures will spread across the region. Friday should be mainly dry with near or below average temperatures. A few showers and storms will return to the Plains over the weekend. Highs today will range from the 70s in northern Minnesota through Upper Michigan to the upper 90s in southwestern Kansas.

South

A few strong storms are also possible in portions of the Tennessee Valley today as that front moving southward from the Midwest begins to impact the Southeast. In Texas, scattered thunderstorms will develop and move around the remnant surface low and upper level disturbance from former Tropical Storm Edouard. Some locally heavy rains are possible, but the limited coverage from rainfall will lead to only spotty drought help. As the cold front continues to sink south, the chance of strong storms will extend from the Carolinas westward to the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The front will reach the Gulf Coast by late week, with rain chances being limited to the Florida Peninsula over the weekend. Highs today will range from the 80s in the Southern Appalachians and in areas of Texas being impacted by any Edouard-associated rains, to the 100s from South Georgia through South Carolina.

West

Unseasonably warm weather will continue in the Pacific Northwest today. Elsewhere in the West, scattered thunderstorms will develop with locally heavy rain possible especially in the Four Corners. A few storms, particularly in Oregon and Northern California, may produce dry lightning that will start wildfires. An upper level trough will be moving into the Northwest late in the week and over the weekend, bringing an end to the unseasonably warm weather in the Pacific Northwest. Shower and thunderstorm chances will lull some on Friday, being confined mainly to the Southwest, before increasing in the Rockies and High Plains as the Northwest trough heads east. Highs today will range from the 60s along the Northern and Central California Coast to the 100s in the Desert Southwest.

Northeast

A cold front and upper level trough will bring the chance of heavy rain and cool temperatures over much of New England and the eastern third of New York State today. After the cold front moves off the coast, the upper trough will continue to dig into the region, keeping the chance of rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast through the weekend. The trough will begin to lift out on Sunday bringing a return to near average highs. Highs today will range from the 60s in much of New England to the 90s in southern New Jersey and areas south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

South China evacuates nearly 400,000 as storm approaches AUG 6,08

BEIJING (AFP) - China evacuated nearly 400,000 people and called thousands of vessels back to port as a severe tropical storm lashed its southern coast late Wednesday, state media and government agencies said. Severe Tropical Storm Kammuri made landfall in China's Guangdong province, packing strong winds, the local weather observatory was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.

There were no immediate reports of damage, Xinhua said.

The storm was expected to later head west along the densely populated coast, according to the website of the China Meteorological Administration.Kammuri hit Hong Kong earlier Wednesday, unleashing winds of 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour at its centre, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.The ferocity prompted Chinese officials to step up the emergency response level.

Guangdong, along with neighbouring Hainan island and Guangxi's Zhuang region, decided to evacuate 388,000 people from their homes, Xinhua said.The three areas also ordered a total of 57,800 vessels back to port, according to Xinhua.(We should) ensure all these people be evacuated to safe places in order to guarantee the people's lives, Chen Lei, the minister for water resources, said in a statement on the department's website.Torrential rain has affected huge parts of southern and central China in recent months, taking a heavy toll in life and material damage.

Quiet in Atlantic, but Pacific stirring a bit Buzz Bernard
AUG 6,08

The Atlantic Basin, now that Edouard has moved inland over Texas and is dissipating, is quiet. But forecasters are tracking a couple of disturbances in the tropical Pacific. In the eastern Pacific, a fairly well organized cluster of thunderstorms and showers several hundred miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, could form into a depression at any time as it pushes toward the WNW at 10 to 15 mph. In the central Pacific, a disturbance about 950 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, is moving westward at about 10 mph and being monitored for further development. That does not appear to be imminent, however. In the western Pacific, Tropical Storm Kammuri has spun inland over Mainland China west of Hong Kong. Steady weakening will ensue.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

FULL CONTAINMENT
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=9121240&src=news

Weather sparks new Calif. wildfire worries AUG 6,08

FORBESTOWN, Calif. - A wildfire threatening rural homes in northern California more than doubled in size as flames were driven by unpredictable wind, forcing firefighters to briefly retreat. The loss of valuable firefighting time allowed the two-day-old blaze near Forbestown in the picturesque Feather Falls area to grow from 1,000 acres to more than 2,500 acres in just a few hours Tuesday, said Anthony Brown, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.Elsewhere in Northern California, four firefighters were injured when their helicopter went down late Tuesday while fighting the remnants of a wildfire, said Shasta-Trinity National Forest spokesman Mike Odle. Two of them were in critical condition Wednesday at the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento and the others were in serious condition at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, he said.They were working a wildfire that mostly contained after covering nearly 25 square miles in Trinity County. The crash site was about 15 miles northwest of Junction City, west of Redding.Containment of the blaze near Forbestown fell from 30 percent to 20 percent, Brown said.All the work of the fire crews came to a cease because of safety reasons, Brown said. When they retreated, it allowed the fire to consume a bigger area.People were evacuated from homes between the middle and southern forks of the Feather River, which feeds into Lake Oroville, about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

Temperatures were expected to reach the triple digits Wednesday, Brown said.Outside Yosemite National Park, the blaze that charred about 53 square miles, or 34,000 acres, was nearly completely contained by Tuesday evening, fire officials said. It had destroyed at least 28 homes and cost nearly $37 million to fight.

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.(TRADE 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).

Iran delivers message to European Union - Summary
Posted : Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:53:34 GMT Author : DPA

Tehran - Iran on Tuesday delivered a message to the European Union in Brussels and allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to send an inspection team to Tehran, ISNA news agency reported. An unnamed Iranian official confirmed that a message was delivered to the EU officials in Brussels through Iranian ambassador Ali-Asghar Khaji but said that the message was not, as initially reported by the local media, a reply to the world powers offer. The official told ISNA that the delivered message was just the text of Sunday's phone contact between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili.

EU officials confirmed they had received a letter from Iran, but refrained from commenting on its contents. Letter from Iran received, a curt message from the office of the EU's highest foreign policy official, Javier Solana, said. So far phone contacts between Solana and Jalili - and his predecessor Ali Larijani - have never been forwarded by Iran to the EU side or at least never reported by the local state media. The official added that Iran and the 5+1 (five United Nations veto powers plus Germany) would continue their talks upon previous agreements reached between the two sides. Tehran insists that there has been no deadline by the 5+1 for Iran to deliver a clear response to the world powers' offer and just wants the talks to be continued and settled through both the 5+1 and Iranian proposals. ISNA further reported that IAEA chief inspector Olli Heinonen will come to Tehran on Thursday for a three-day visit for holding talks with Iranian officials on behalf of IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. ISNA did not say whether Heinonen and his team would inspect nuclear sites in Iran.

Fars news agency had earlier Tuesday reported that Iran has presented its reply to an offer by world powers to resolve the dispute over its nuclear activities. The offer by the five United Nations veto powers plus Germany is for far-reaching economic cooperation with Iran, including the field of civilian-sector nuclear power, in return for a pledge by Tehran to refrain from uranium enrichment activities. On Monday, the United States warned that Iran would face new Security Council sanctions if it did not accept the offer of fresh talks and incentives. US State Department acting deputy spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said Tuesday that the US government had received a copy of the Iranian response but could not provide details of its content. The United States and other major powers including Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia will hold talks on how to proceed, and Tehran could face more sanctions. We are looking for a clear, positive response from Iran. And in the absence of that, we are going to have no choice but to pursue further measures against them, Gallegos said. The Security Council's five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany were united in their threat to slap additional economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran if its reaction to the new offer was not positive, Gallegos said. Iran met with a delegation of the permanent Security Council members plus Germany on July 19 in Geneva. Meanwhile the commander of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards on Monday reiterated his warning that if Iranian nuclear sites were attacked by either the US or Israel, Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz for an unlimited time period. General Mohammad-Ali Jafari has several times warned in recent months that Iran would use all possible options if militarily attacked, including a blockade of the main oil routes in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. A major part of regional oil exports are piped through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and a blockade could trigger a worldwide energy crisis.

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)

Estonia urges EU peacekeepers for Georgia
PHILIPPA RUNNER 05.08.2008 @ 07:28 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Estonia has called for EU soldiers to be sent to Georgia after a flare up in fighting in the country's breakaway South Ossetia region, with the European Union increasingly keen to get involved in Georgian peacemaking.I talked with my colleagues from Sweden and Finland. We think...the current president of the European Union, and the European Commission should closely follow the developments and react if necessary, Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet said in a statement on Monday (4 August). Peacekeeping in these regions is a suitable undertaking for the European Union, he added, noting that the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, will visit Georgia shortly.The Estonian statement comes after a shoot out between the Georgian army and separatist forces in South Ossetia over the weekend left six people dead and 22 wounded, with the Russian foreign ministry warning that the threat of large-scale hostilities...is growing real.Rebel authorities in South Ossetia said the casualty figures were higher and that they are evacuating thousands of women and children to the neighbouring Russian province of North Ossetia, in claims rubbished by the Georgian government. Actions are being undertaken to create an illusion of large-scale armed conflict, as if we were on the brink of war...The Russian foreign ministry is obviously orchestrating and facilitating this process, Georgian re-integration minister, Temur Yakobashvili, said. All this is being done to derail the peace process in which the international community is becoming increasingly involved.

As in previous years, Moscow deems the month of August propitious for staging military incidents in Georgia, while European officials take their vacations, Vladimir Socor, an analyst for US-based NGO, Jamestown, said. Georgia is strategically important to the European Union due to plans to bring in extra oil and gas from Central Asia through the South Caucasus to reduce energy dependency on Russia, with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline already supplying Caspian oil to Europe since 2006.Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has also started inching toward NATO membership and hopes to eventually join the EU.But its tiny South Ossetia enclave - home to between 40,000 and 70,000 people - has the potential to spark wider instability. Russia has given passports to most of the inhabitants and maintains its own peacekeepers in the hotspot, while rebels in Georgia's larger breakaway territory of Abkhazia have already pulled out of German-sponsored conflict resolution talks due to the South Ossetia skirmish. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in July floated a new peace plan for Abkhazia and Georgia that might inject a greater European presence into the current negotiating format, which is dominated by Russia and has done little to calm tensions over the past few years. Also last month, EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby explained the EU would not deploy soldiers in Georgia until hostilities calmed down and all parties, including Russia and the rebel leaders, requested an EU force. But at the same time, if there is a request, if there is an interest I believe that the European Union, given the importance that we pay to Georgia and to this region, would be willing to consider making a contribution, he said.

Some analysts believe the situation is beginning to thaw after some 15 years of tense ceasefire, as separatist authorities weigh up the option of semi-autonomous rule in a prosperous Georgia against continued isolation and increasing Russian domination.That's why they have quietly reached out to Western capitals. An EU high representative, with a significant staff and peacekeeping contingent, would likely be welcomed by the Abkhaz, Brussels' Institute for Strategic Studies experts Borut Grgic and Alexandros Petersen wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,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.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Olmert, Abbas to review progress made in Washington talks AUG 5,08

(RTTNews) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet in Jerusalem Wednesday to discuss the outcome of the U.S.-mediated Middle East peace talks held between the two sides in Washington last week.Olmert will host the meeting in his house, reports quoting Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Tuesday.The meeting comes in line with Olmert's pledge to continue with the peace process despite his decision to resign, which was announced last week.Israel's foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who led the Israeli delegation during the Washington talks, also vowed that the political turmoil in her country would in no way affect the fate of the peace talks.Reports quoting Palestinian sources said that during the negotiations, Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Quriea reached an understanding on several permanent status issues and on declaring an agreement reached between the two sides before the year-end.For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

Israel to free Palestinian prisoners to Abbas By Adam Entous AUG 6,08

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed on Wednesday to the release of 120 to 150 Palestinian prisoners later this month as a gesture to President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian officials said. The meeting between the two leaders was the first since Olmert, dogged by a corruption scandal, threw U.S.-sponsored peace talks into turmoil by announcing that he would resign as prime minister once his centrist Kadima party chooses a new leader in September.Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas wanted the prisoner release, slated for August 25, to include long-serving inmates, women and children as well as political leaders, a reference to uprising leader Marwan Barghouthi, who is seen as a possible successor as president.Israel declined to say how many of the 11,000 or so Palestinians in its custody would be released. Erekat said Israel agreed to release 120 to 150, and possibly more.

In response to a request by Abu Mazen (Abbas),... the Israeli side will be releasing Palestinian prisoners towards the end of August as a sign of good faith and a confidence-building measure towards the Palestinians, Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said after the meeting at the prime minister's residence.Israeli sources said releasing Barghouthi was an option but stressed that no decisions had been made.The Hamas Islamist group, which controls the Gaza Strip, included Barghouthi, Hamas leaders and hundreds of other prisoners on its list of Palestinians it wants freed in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid two years ago.Some Israeli officials see the release of Barghouthi to Abbas as preferable to freeing him to Hamas as part of a deal over Shalit that Egypt is trying to help broker.I'm not talking about names, Regev said when asked if Barghouthi could be among those freed to Abbas.

STATEHOOD GOAL

Israel released 429 Palestinians as a gesture to Abbas after the resumption of peace negotiations in November at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland.At their meeting on Wednesday, Olmert and Abbas discussed how to press ahead with the peace talks that had set a goal of reaching a Palestinian statehood agreement by the end of 2008.It could take months for a new Kadima leader to form a new government, leaving Olmert in the role of caretaker prime minister. He has vowed to press ahead with talks with Abbas and indirect negotiations with Syria until he leaves office.But with Olmert on his way out and rivals jockeying to replace him, few see much chance of a breakthrough before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January.From a political standpoint, Olmert is looking for an honorable way to get off the stage,... trying to create an atmosphere that shows he did all he could, said Shmuel Sandler of the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies.Gaza-based analyst Hani Habib said: Talking about a Palestinian state now is like selling illusions to the people.Abbas's authority has been undermined by the violent loss of the Gaza Strip to his Islamist rivals in Hamas.Months of meetings, closely shepherded by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have produced little visible progress on key issues such as control of Jerusalem and the future of millions of Palestinian refugees. The talks have been hampered by continuing violence, mainly in Gaza but also in the West Bank, and by continuing expansion of Jewish settlements in and around Jerusalem. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, and Ori Lewis, Allyn Fisher-Ilan and Joseph Nasr in Jerusalem; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Samia Nakhoul)

Iran is root of all evil: Israel PM contender Wed Aug 6, 4:23 AM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz, a contender to succeed the prime minister, denounced his native Iran on Wednesday as the root of all evil and said its nuclear program constituted a threat to world peace. Mofaz was speaking a day after he launched a campaign for a party leadership election next month that will lead to the replacement of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Opinion polls show that Mofaz, a deputy prime minister and transport minister, is a frontrunner in the contest to lead the centrist Kadima party but trails Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Olmert, dogged by a corruption probe, said last week he would step down once a successor for the party leadership was chosen.The Iranians are the root of all evil, Mofaz said in a live interview on Israel Radio, adding that Tehran's nuclear program would pose a threat to Israel's existence.He urged the West anew to impose stiffer sanctions on Tehran to pressure Iran to stop a nuclear program that Israel believes is intended to produce atomic weapons. Iran says the developments are for civilian purposes only, to produce energy.Israel is widely believed to have assembled the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal which experts say comprises as many as 200 warheads.Israel does not discuss its nuclear capabilities under a strategic ambiguity policy designed to ward off enemies while avoiding the sort of provocation that can trigger arms races.Mofaz, who was born in Tehran before many Iranian Jews moved to the new state of Israel, accused his native country of trying simply to bide its time, by rejecting Western proposals to stop enriching uranium.This has been the Iranian strategy for years, to bide their time and continue with their enrichment, Mofaz said.

Mofaz, a former head of the Israeli military, has been one of Israel's most outspoken ministers against Iran.While he supports diplomacy to resolve the standoff with Tehran, Mofaz said in June an Israeli attack to halt the project may be unavoidable unless a deal was reached.Israel's security cabinet met behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss its intelligence assessments that Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon have been rearming with rockets since a 2006 war.Some 1,200 Lebanese and 159 Israelis died in that month-long war. Israel launched an air campaign and then invasion after Hezbollah staged a lethal cross-border raid against a military patrol.Security officials said ministers discussed reports the guerrillas were seeking to obtain anti-aircraft missiles to fire at Israeli warplanes that fly over Lebanese territory on reconnaissance missions.(Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Samia Nakhoul)

Israel's Barak predicts more strikes on Gaza Tue Aug 5, 6:43AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Israel will return to its pattern of military strikes on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip despite the ongoing month-old truce, army radio reported on Tuesday. Those who miss the operations in the Gaza Strip, don't worry, they will come, Barak told a Labour party event in Jerusalem, without elaborating.A spokesman for Hamas, which violently seized power in Gaza in June 2007 and is pledged to Israel's destruction, called the remarks ridiculous and said the Islamist movement was prepared for all options.Barak's remarks reflect the state of confusion of the Israeli occupation in dealing with Hamas and the Gaza Strip, and the vacillation between an aggressive escalation and the truce, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.In June, Israel agreed to an Egyptian-brokered truce with Palestinian militants in Gaza that has virtually halted the near daily rocket and mortar attacks launched from the impoverished territory on southern Israel.But Israeli officials remain wary of the deal and suspect Gaza's Hamas rulers and other armed groups are using the calm to train and rearm with weapons smuggled through a vast network of tunnels under the border with Egypt.Israel had also said the truce depended on progress in releasing Gilad Shalit, an Israeli corporal seized by Gaza militants in a deadly cross-border raid on June 25, 2006.Israel's army chief said on Monday that the military knows Shalit's location and the identity of those holding him, raising the possibility that Israel could seek to extract him through military means.

The army later insisted that General Gabi Ashkenazi meant only that Israel knew Shalit was being held by Hamas in Gaza.Israeli officials have in the past ruled out a rescue mission, saying that Shalit's exact location was unclear and that such an operation would be extremely risky.Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect negotiations through Egyptian mediation on a prisoner swap expected to include the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons in exchange for Shalit.But Israel has so far refused to release the prisoners demanded by Hamas, who include several people implicated in deadly attacks on Israelis.

Libya says Mediterranean Union will divide Africa
RENATA GOLDIROVA 05.08.2008 @ 07:29 CET

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi has reaffirmed his critical stance towards the Union for the Mediterranean - the brainchild of French President Nicolas Sarkozy - saying it will divide the 53-nation African Union. We have good relations with European countries, with the European Union, but I do not accept integration into the Union for the Mediterranean, Colonel Gaddafi said on Monday (4 July), AFP reports.Libya's head of state - once isolated by the West - added he did not agree with cutting up Africa for hypothetical prospects with Europe referring to a possible split between north African countries and the rest of the African Union. Muammar Gaddafi was the only leader who refused to attend the launch of the Mediterranean union in Paris in July. Mr Sarkozy's plan brings together 43 states - the 27-member EU as well as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Monaco and Mauritania.

The aim is to boost ties between the EU and its southern neighbours. At the moment, it is focussed on six specific projects, including the cleaning up of Mediterranean pollution, the development of maritime and land highways and the setting up of a joint civil protection programme on prevention and response to disasters.But Muammar Gaddafi, who came to power in 1969 and has become the Arab world's longest serving leader, has labelled the participation of African countries in the Mediterranean project a violation of resolutions by the African Union.In addition, he has accused the EU of wanting to dominate its southern partners, once under European colonial rule.

[Comment] The thorny question of the EU treaty and the Czech Republic ELINE DE RIDDER 05.08.2008 @ 07:32 CET

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - On the first of May 2004 the Czech Republic joined the European Union. Although this festive day lies more than four years ago, reality still needs to sink in with many Czech politicians. A large segment of the Czech political elite makes no secret of its discontentment with EU membership. These politicians fiercely oppose further European integration, and consider the whole European project a major threat to Czech sovereignty. The most ardent Euro-sceptics are to be found in the Civic Democratic Party (CDP). Following the example of their charismatic leader President Klaus, several party members are fighting a battle on a new front: Over the Treaty of Lisbon.Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty has encountered serious delay in the Czech Republic. While the lower house of parliament has voted in favour of the document, the Upper House seems to cause a problem. In April a group of CDP-Senators decided to put the Lisbon Treaty to the Constitutional Court. As a result the ratification process in Prague has been suspended. But the verdict of the Constitutional Court is not the only element which could put a spoke in the wheels of Czech ratification. The upcoming vote in the Czech Senate and the signature of the president – both necessary for the Treaty to become law - constitute a bigger threat.

President Klaus - by far the most outspoken eurosceptic in Central-Europe - made no secret of his pleasure at the Irish No. While the office of the Czech president is largely honorary, his signature is needed to round up the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty. But Mr Klaus's bark is often worse than his bite. It is very unlikely he will risk being scapegoat of the entire EU by blocking the ratification after a positive vote in parliament. More significant however is the fact the president still has considerable influence on a large segment of the Civic Democratic Party. After the Irish referendum the harsh language of Mr Klaus was echoed by several party members. CDP holds a majority in the Czech Senate where voting on the Lisbon Treaty still needs to take place. The vote in the Czech Senate is scheduled at the end of the year, after the Constitutional Court has ruled on the compatibility of the Lisbon Treaty with the Czech constitution. Even if its verdict is positive, it is hard to predict the outcome of the vote in the Upper House. Czech senators however might want to think about the consequences of a No vote – something that would lead to serious repercussions for the Czech Republic itself.

Prague's presidency of the European Union

A No vote would severely damage the credibility of the Czech Republic as a valuable and constructive European partner. The Czech Prime Minister signed the Treaty in Lisbon last year and pledged to get it ratified in his country. Going back on this promise would make Brussels and other European capitals question the reliability of Czech declarations. A decision not to ratify the Treaty would lead to the isolation of the Czech Republic inside the European Union. This political fall-out would be particularly difficult to handle during Prague's presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2009. A lack of allies among other national capitals would lessen the chances for the Czechs to make a success of their presidency. It is possible to argue that without the Lisbon Treaty entering into force, the Czech Republic will be free to actually represent the European Union for half a year, instead of standing around watching while an EU President takes over the job. This new post is one of key innovations of the treaty, while the six monthly rotating presidencies will have a less prominent role, under the charter.But with no treaty in place, the Czechs will have to lead the Union in its search for an alternative. This is a task difficult to perform convincingly when the presiding country itself has voted down the Treaty. Last but not least, the Czech EU debate could easily mark the end of the incumbent Czech government. While the senior coalition party CDP is known for its Euro-sceptic stance, the Christian-Democrat and Green coalition parties are more moderate. As a result, Prime Minister Topolánek has to balance on a tight rope in an attempt to keep his government together. In case one of the parties carries out its threat of leaving the cabinet, the survival chances of the Czech Government – which does not have a majority in parliament – are minimal. Presiding over the EU without a government would further damage the credibility of the Czech Republic inside the EU. In short, the price to pay for rejecting the Lisbon Treaty will be high. While a delay in the ratification process can be dismissed as the growing pains of a junior EU member state, torpedoing the Lisbon project will not be easily forgotten. Therefore, Prague might think twice before consolidating its image as a European troublemaker.

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)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Russia appoints senior general as new envoy to NATO Mon Aug 4, 7:42 AM ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has appointed one of its most senior generals as new chief military envoy to NATO, the Defense Ministry said on Monday, stressing the importance of Moscow's ties with the Atlantic military alliance. Army General Alexei Maslov, chief commander of Russia's Ground Forces, will become the new chief military envoy to NATO, a Defense Ministry official told Reuters.

His appointment is meant to underline the importance Moscow attaches to its relations with NATO.Moscow fiercely opposes NATO's eastward expansion and views membership bids made by its ex-Soviet neighbors Ukraine and Georgia as a threat to Russia's national security.In January Russia's then president Vladimir Putin appointed firebrand nationalist Dmitry Rogozin as Russian ambassador to NATO. Before his appointment, Rogozin had called for Russia to re-arm to counter the threat from NATO.In June Russia's new president, Dmitry Medvedev, proposed reviewing the whole philosophy of maintaining security in Europe to provide equal security to all states without divisions into blocs.The 54-year-old Maslov, a career officer who has risen from tank platoon commander, will replace Vice-Admiral Valentin Kuznetsov, posted to Brussels since 2002.Army General Vladimir Boldyrev, until now the commander of Russia's Volga-Urals military district, will replace Maslov as new ground forces chief, the Defense ministry official said.(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Robert Hart)

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

ZECHARIAH 14:1-9 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Last update - 02:54 04/08/2008 Netanyahu: Kadima is selling Jerusalem to our enemies By Yair Ettinger and Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondents

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused rival faction Kadima of planning to make sweeping concessions over Jerusalem to the Palestinians. For the first time in the history of our nation, we come upon a development that we are unfamiliar with and that we cannot remember whereby the ruling party in our midst will come and offer up Jerusalem even to the worst of our enemies, Netanyahu said during an appearance at a Jerusalem conference commemorating 70 years since the founding of the Rabbi Kook Institute. Also in attendance at the event was Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who uncharacteristically showered praise on the Likud chairman. Yosef referred to Netanyahu as my dear, beloved friend who does a great deal for the Torah.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) on Sunday vowed to form a coalition government before local authority elections on November 11. Israel does not need general elections now, in light of the existential challenges facing us, Mofaz said, during his speech at an election rally for the Kiryat Ono municipal elections. Mofaz, who is locked in what is widely regarded to be a two-person race for the Kadima chairmanship against Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said last Friday that the latest poll numbers indicating an advantage in favor of his rival in the Kadima Party primaries in September are bound to change. I wouldn't advise anyone to base the future on polls, Mofaz said on Friday. [The polls] are a mood, and this will change. I'm sure that I will win the primaries.Livni would lead Kadima to victory over Likud if elections were held today, according to a special poll conducted by Dialog last Thursday on behalf of Haaretz. For all the bitter struggle between Livni and Mofaz, Thursday's poll, conducted a day after Olmert announced that he would not seek re-election as Kadima's leader, shows that the foreign minister is the only politician who currently has enough public support to defeat Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu. The poll of 503 Israelis, which has a margin of error of 4.1 percent, showed that in national elections, Kadima headed by Livni would win 26 seats in the Knesset, compared to 25 for Likud under Netanyahu. Netanyahu has consistently led in the polls for the past two years, but Thursday's survey seems to indicate that the political arena is changing.

Kadima members fuming at Livni
Senior Kadima members have harsh words for Livni for refusing to make a public promise to stay in Kadima even if she loses the party's leadership race. It is very strange that Livni, who prides herself on being among the party's founders, is unwilling to state explicitly that this is her home. It raises questions and looks really bad from a public standpoint, one prominent party member said. The issue arose in the past few days, prompted by a candidate declaration being drafted by Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik and MK Tzachi Hanegbi, the latter of whom who heads Kadima's committee for party affairs. The declaration includes a commitment to remain in the party, as well as a promise to reserve the second spot on the list for the candidate who takes second place in the primary.

Associates of Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said he is expected to support the document, and in any event intends to stay in Kadima, as he has announced previously. By contrast, Livni's confidants took the line that she intends to win, and isn't dealing with other things.Kadima's Knesset faction convenes Tuesday for the first time since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announced he would not seek reelection, and will discuss the candidate declaration.

At a campaign rally last night in Kiryat Ono a few hours after Mofaz returned from a visit to the United States, he announced that after winning the primary he would form a national unity government, even before the municipal elections scheduled for November 11. We don't need [general] elections at a time like this when such complex matters are on the agenda. We must form a national unity government and contend with these challenges, Mofaz said. The rally, which was held for Kadima's candidate for mayor of Kiryat Ono, Ami Kahlon, was attended by ministers and Knesset members, including Livni, who entered the hall only after Mofaz had exited by another door. Associates of both candidates said it was a mere coincidence, not an effort to prevent their meeting. Mofaz and Livni both showered praise on the young Kahlon, who is among the party's former Likudniks. Others who praised him at the rally were ministers Gideon Ezra, Roni Bar-On, and Ruhama Avraham-Balila, as well as MKs Hanegbi, Yohanan Plesner and Abraham Hirchson. Livni and Mofaz have been busy recruiting support from faction members, and have more meetings lined up with all of its ministers and MKs, with their eyes on the quadruple prize: Vice Premier Haim Ramon, Bar-On, Itzik and Hanegbi. These four have the power to influence the party rank-and-file, and the word is that all are still on the fence.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE AUG 5,08

The past three newsletters dealt with the Person, the presence, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We now want to discuss the program of the Holy Spirit for believers.

First, I want to make it unquestionably clear that ALL - ALL - of God's children are born into the family of God and BAPTIZED by the Holy Spirit the moment Christ is received. John 3:5 states: . . . Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This second birth makes all the newlyborn ones members of the family of God. John 1:12 says: But as many as received [Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons [and daughters] of God. Since one can only be a son or daughter through birth, it is clear that the placing into God's family by a second birth takes place at salvation. However, there is more to it because one is also BAPTIZED into the Body of Christ as the birth occurs. First Corinthians 12:13 states: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . .. This baptism takes place at salvation and happens to every believer. Theological accurateness will not allow the BAPTISM to be a subsequent or second work of grace but the original work of grace that occurs at salvation. It is erroneous for one who is saved to seek the BAPTISM when one's salvation produced the BAPTISM. In fact, . . . if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:9) and we . . . have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). Since ALL means ALL and since this text has to do with salvation, then ALL who are saved have the Spirit or they are lost. This Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, but He does not necessarily control each believer. Hence, there is a filling of the Spirit which every believer, after salvation, may enjoy many times. There is one BAPTISM, but many fillings. That is why the literal Greek for Ephesians 5:18 is: Be being filled with the Spirit.

Now the filling and the baptism are two distinct things. The BAPTISM is the placing of a redeemed sinner into the Body of Christ at salvation, and the FILLING is one's yielding to the INDWELLING Spirit's control. Let's delve deeper into the subject. Not only does every believer receive the BAPTISM at salvation, but he receives one or more of the GIFTS as well. Much is heard today about the Charismatic Movement. May I shock you and boldly say that every Christian is a charismatic! You see, the word charismatic or charisma only means a gift from the Holy Spirit. Every believer is a partaker of the Holy Spirit at salvation when the Holy Spirit baptizes him into Christ's body. It is at this baptism that the Spirit bestows a gift or His charisma upon every newborn child of God. Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 are the charismatic or gift chapters. Ephesians 4:11 describes gifted or charismatic ministers: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. The apostles were first because the church was built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). Once the foundation was laid and the original apostles died, this gift ceased. Prophets were next and the gift was not only foretelling the future but forth telling the facts of the gospel. Today gifted preachers giving forth the good news manifest this evidence of the Spirit. Evangelists, pastors, and teachers are self explanatory and are also recipients of the Spirit's gifts. This often explains the failures of men who seek the ministry as a vocation. They have never been called and charismatized by the Spirit and therefore fail. It is not a job, it is a holy calling.

Gifts For All Believers

The gifts that follow are signs all believers possess. I want to again emphasize that every believer receives at least one of the gifts of the Spirit. They are freely presented to all believers as a result of the BAPTISM that placed the gifted believer into the Body of Christ. Romans 12 speaks about this Body into which all God's children are placed and states in verses 4-8: For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing [yes, differing] according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity [or liberality]; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Now verse 3 states: . . . God hath dealt to EVERY man the measure of faith (emphasis mine.) Some have one of the gifts mentioned already. Others must find theirs in I Corinthians 12:8-11: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: BUT ALL THESE [Hear it again: ALL THESE] worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to EVERY MAN [How many? - EVERY MAN] severally as he [the Holy Spirit] will (emphasis mine).

It is not the gift one seeks that is important but the gift the Holy Spirit wills to give by grace. Please stay with the Book.

Different Gifts For All Believers

It is not God's will that all members of the Body should have the same gift. When one has three eyes or seven fingers, he is a misfit. So it is with the Body of Christ when there is an improper balance of gifts. That is why Paul says in I Corinthians 12:15-18: If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, l am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, l am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Every part of the body is needed and every member in Christ's body has a gift that fits into the program as needed. So we again find in verse 28: And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.We will consider the gifts in their totality before concluding the book. The point I want to make now is that every believer has at least one gift, and each believer's gift differs. Verses 29-31: Are all apostles? [The answer is obviously No!] are all prophets? [No!] are all teachers? [No!] are all workers of miracles? [No!] Have all the gifts of healing? [No!] do all speak with tongues? [No!] do all interpret? [No!] But covet earnestly the best gifts . . . .The gifts described as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers lead to prophesying, ministering, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, and showing mercy. Clergy and laymen may experience these gifts. These are so understandable that we will only explain the final listing of nine gifts, described in I Corinthians 12:8-10.

The gift of wisdom or the ability to speak with discretion. One may have an earned doctorate and be unwise in the usage of accumulated intelligence. On the other hand, one with a minimum of acquired textbook knowledge may have the ability to say the right thing at the proper moment.

The gift of knowledge or the ability to delve into the deep things of God and then communicate them with simplicity to hungry hearts.

The gift of faith or the ability to attempt the impossible for God. Joshua believed God and the sun stood still. Peter believed God and walked on the water. Since this is not a gift for all, do not foolishly launch out on some gigantic project for the kingdom and fall flat on your face. Be sure the venture is in the will of God (I John 5:14-15).

The gifts of healing are given to some, at times, who have the faith to trust God for miraculous healings. In Christ's day, healing generally was not produced by any virtue of the person healed but entirely through the gift of the healer. The dead were raised. What faith did they have? Nevertheless, they were resuscitated. On the other hand, there are times when the gift of healing is impossible, even though the healer may be very sincere. The problem? He has not sought the will of God for the one he is attempting to heal. First John 5:14 states: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. When one has not sought God's will and attempts to heal, it is all in vain. One goes through the motions and all is futile and hopeless. The Apostle Paul understood this well. That is why he left his helper, Trophimus, sick at Miletum (II Timothy 4:20). Epaphroditus also was left behind sick - nigh unto death (Philippians 2:27). Remember, God can heal anytime and anywhere when it is His will. The one enabled to heal will be given the faith to do the job properly, once God's will is made plain to him through prayer and the Word for each case.

The gift of miracles is the ability to win the lost for Christ. Do you know of any greater miracle than getting a man saved for all eternity? This is the reason: . . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . (Acts 1:8).

The gift of prophecy is the ability to tell forth the good news with power.

The gift of discernment is the ability to judge whether the message is from God or Satan. I John 4:1 says: . . . try the spirits . . . .

and 9. The gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues was the ability to speak in unlearned, foreign languages. Acts 2, verses 4, 6 and 8, state respectively: . . . they . . . began to speak with other tongues. Also: . . . every man heard them speak in his own language . . . and . . . how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? And again: . . . we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God . . . (verse 11). Some 14 or more languages were spoken and understood. In I Corinthians 14 the word unknown is in italics, meaning that it cannot be found in the original Greek text. Think of what could happen if missionaries received the original gift as they went to China, Japan, Germany, etc. Again, the point I want to make in closing this chapter is: All of God's people have the BAPTISM, and ALL HAVE ONE OF THE GIFTS - therefore, we are ALL CHARISMATICS. You do not believe it? The manifestation of the Spirit is given to EVERY MAN to profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7). Verse 11 states: But all these [gifts] worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to EVERY MAN severally AS HE WILL (emphasis mine). Again: . . . unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (Ephesians 4:7). If you, dear Christian, have still not located your gift, try helps in I Corinthians 12:28. If you help as a counselor, an usher, a choir member, a nursery worker, a bus captain, or a youth worker, and if God has given you a special knack in knowing how to do it, you have a gift. Because you have the baptism and the evidence, you are one who has the Holy Spirit and the evidence.

In the next newsletter I will discuss the filling of the Spirit. Although we have all of the Holy Spirit, He does not always have all of us. When He does, holy living becomes the believer's experience. One can have the baptism and the gifts and still be carnal because he does not have the filling. One can minister the gifts and be out of fellowship with God - evangelists, pastors, and teachers often do. It takes a Spirit-filled Christian to minister properly. The gift is for service; the filling is for spiritual service.