SPAIN KEY FRONT CHURCH-STATE BATTLE

PSALMS 20:1-9 PRAY THIS FOR ISRAEL EVERY DAY OF THIS WAR
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

WATCHOUT SYRIA NOW THAT LEBANON HAS FIRED 4 ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL AND HITTING A SENIOR CITIZEN HOME. REMEMBER SYRIA THIS PROPHECY HAS NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED AND MUST BE.

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

IRAN AND RUSSA ARE DEFINATELY WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE ARAB,MUSLIMS I CAN TELL. LOOKOUT RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS IF USE COME AGAINST ISRAEL,GOD WILL NOT STAND FOR IT,KING JESUS THE GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WORLD WILL PROTECT ISRAEL AND KEEP EVERY PROMISE TO THEM.

ISRAELS INHERITED LAND IN THE FUTURE

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.

Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.

ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.

Ceasefire elusive despite Sarkozy-Mubarak proposal
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today JAN 6,09 @ 09:17 CET

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France announced on Wednesday (7 January) that Israel and the Palestinian Authority had accepted a joint Franco-Egyptian ceasefire plan, hailing the step forward. The president is delighted by the acceptance by Israel and the Palestinian Authority of the Franco-Egyptian plan presented last night in Sharm el-Sheikh by President Mubarak, reads a statement from Mr Sarkozy.However, as fighting continued, it subsequently appeared that Israel had only agreed to the principles behind the proposal, while the Hamas governors of the Gaza Strip did not figure in the French president's statement.The challenge now is to get the details to match the principles, said Israeli spokesman Mark Regev, according to the BBC.

Details of the proposal remain sketchy, but it is believed that the ceasefire plan would include some language around a halt to the smuggling of weapons through the Egypt-Gaza border and an opening of border checkpoints between Gaza and Israel.
Egyptian and Israeli senior officials are to meet on Thursday to discuss details of the proposal.Separately on Wednesday, in a letter to the Czech Republic, which currently chairs the European Union's six-month rotating presidency, the Netherlands and Denmark suggested that the EU organise a mission to monitor Gaza's southern border to prevent the weapons smuggling.Such a mission could offer watertight control and monitoring of the Egyptian-Gaza border, the letter reads.An early, permanent ceasefire will be possible only if Israel believes that Hamas will not again arm itself with rockets, said Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen.It will then be possible to reopen Gaza's borders for humanitarian and economic assistance, which are so urgently needed, he said.Meanwhile, the Dutch government has rejected imposing sanctions against Israel for its war on Gaza. In written answers to MPs suggesting the move, Mr Verhagen and development minister Bert Koenders said such action is not necessary, reports Radio Netherlands.

Israel temporarily halted its military operations for three hours on Wednesday to facilitate humanitarian corridors permitting the delivery of food and fuel. The Gaza government for its part said it would also pause its shelling of Israel during the lull.The UN Relief and Works Agency however rejected the three-hour halt to fighting as insufficient for delivery of supplies.The Israeli assault and Hamas rocket fire resumed shortly after the clock ran out on the pause.

Israeli police say rockets fired from Lebanon Thu Jan 8, 1:11 am ET

JERUSALEM – Israeli police say at least three rockets have been fired into northern Israel from Lebanon.Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the rockets fell Thursday around the town of Nahariya, five miles south of the Lebanese border. Rescue services say least one person was lightly wounded.Israeli defense officials say the military has been on alert for rocket attacks by Lebanon's Hezbollah militia since Israel intensified its offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.At the same time as northern barrage six rockets from Gaza hit towns in southern Israel.

Lebanese prime minister condemns rocket attacks By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 8, 4:46 am

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanon's prime minister has condemned rocket attacks on Israel from his country as well as the Jewish state's retaliation.In a statement Thursday, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora says the attack from south Lebanon was designed to undermine stability.The brief cross-border exchange was the first since Israel launched an offensive against the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 27.

No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket firing. Israel launched shells into southern Lebanon in retaliation.Hezbollah and Israel fought a brutal 34-day war in 2006.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — A Lebanese government official says his country is trying to determine who launched rockets from southern Lebanon into Israel.The official also says Lebanon is committed to a U.N.-brokered truce that ended the brutal 2006 war between the militant group Hezbollah and Israel.The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.As many as three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into Israel on Thursday. Israel responded by firing mortars across the border.There were no serious injuries in either attack.The cross-border exchange was the first since Israel launched an offensive against the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 27.

Israelis arrive in Egypt for cease-fire talks By OMAR SINAN, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 8, 5:19 am ET

CAIRO, Egypt – Israeli representatives arrived in Cairo Thursday for Egyptian-brokered talks on a cease-fire proposal after the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on action to end the escalating crisis in Gaza.Egypt's top diplomats said Wednesday that talks would be held separately with representatives of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas on the Egyptian-French cease-fire initiative.Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, and Shalom Turjeman, a top aide to Israel's prime minister, arrived Thursday morning. The official Egyptian news agency MENA said the delegates will discuss the basic details on how to implement the initiative.Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said there would be no meeting between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, whose arrival date in Cairo is uncertain.Israel's 13-day offensive in Gaza has killed hundreds of Palestinians, and with roughly half of the dead civilians, international efforts to broker a cease-fire have gained steam.Aboul Gheit said Egypt will be asking Israel and Hamas for a temporary cease-fire that would lead to a consolidated permanent cease-fire. Then, he said, negotiations would take place with the European Union and the Palestinian Authority, which lost control of Gaza, on how to open the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian-Gaza border.Israel's government said earlier that it viewed the proposal positively but stopped short of acceptance. A Hamas official said the Islamic militant group, which rules Gaza, was not ready to either accept or reject the plan, which he claimed favored Israel.

Meanwhile, the U.N.'s most powerful body was divided Wednesday on taking action. The U.S., British and French ministers, as well as the Arab negotiators, extended their stay in New York and scheduled another closed-door session Thursday morning.Arabs are insisting on a legally binding resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli troops while the U.S., Britain and France want a weaker statement emphasizing that a durable cease-fire requires guarantees on reopening border crossings and preventing arms smuggling to Hamas.There is no unanimity today on either of those text, France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the current council president said after closed consultations, and because we want to go forward in a common approach we have decided to continue our talks and our negotiations.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met into the night with counterparts from key Arab and European nations over the Security Council's next step. She emerged saying: We believe that there is still work to do. That view was echoed by the Saudi and Egyptian foreign ministers.Rice applauded the Egyptian-French cease-fire proposal and said she had talked with both the Israelis and Arab envoys about the importance of moving that initiative forward.Israel and the U.S. consider Hamas, which took control of Gaza in June 2007, a terrorist organization and Israel says it launched the current air and ground offensive because of persistent Hamas rocketing that has traumatized southern Israel.Israel and the United States are demanding that border monitors destroy tunnels that Hamas has used to smuggle arms into Gaza from Egypt.In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Palestinian Authority supported the cease-fire initiative, but the administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has no sway in Gaza. Sarkozy did not mention Hamas.Israeli officials were noncommittal on the plan. Israel welcomes the initiative of the French president and the Egyptian president to bring about a sustainable quiet in the south, government spokesman Mark Regev said in Jerusalem.A Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said only that the group was considering the proposal, along with other ideas presented by Turkey and by Arab states.In a potential warning sign, Hamdan complained that the initiatives mostly favor Israel.Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer and John Heilprin at the United Nations, Christine Ollivier and Jamey Keaten in Paris and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Egypt and France propose plan to end Gaza conflict By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jan 7, 12:24 am ET

UNITED NATIONS – A cease-fire initiative Tuesday to halt the increasingly bloody Israeli offensive in Hamas-rule Gaza won support from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on rival sides to follow up on the proposal.Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the initiative seeks an immediate cease-fire by Israel and Palestinian factions for a specific period to allow secure corridors for delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and give Egypt time to continue efforts to reach a permanent cease-fire.Egypt is inviting the warring Israeli and Palestinian sides for urgent meetings to resolve issues underlying the fighting, including securing Gaza's borders, reopening all crossings and lifting the Israeli siege, Mubarak said.The U.N. Security Council held a high-level emergency meeting late Tuesday as international pressure mounted for an end to the 11-day Israeli offensive in Gaza that has killed nearly 600 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, and injured at least 2,500, according to U.N. and Palestinian officials.

Israel says it launched the air and ground attack to end Hamas rocketing that has traumatized southern Israel. Hamas, a militant Islamic group which the U.S. and Israel consider a terrorist organization, wrested control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in June 2007.At Tuesday's four hour council meeting, virtually every Arab speaker denounced the Security Council's failure to adopt a legally binding resolution to stop the Israeli offensive and demand a durable cease-fire.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the council's deafening silence placed a big question mark over its credibility and the entire system of international security.Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the Egyptian and French presidents launched their initiative, which the league's 22 members support, because of the council's procrastination.We do not see any contradiction between that initiative and the work of the Security Council, he said. In fact, they both complement each other ... since our objective is the same.To try to spur speedy council action, Libya formally circulated a revised Arab draft resolution Tuesday that, in party, calls for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the opening of all crossings into Gaza.But the draft makes no mention of a key U.S. and Israeli demand — for border monitors to destroy tunnels that Hamas has used to smuggle arms since seizing control of Gaza. In fact, it never mentions Hamas by name.

The Security Council scheduled another meeting Wednesday morning.Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit read Mubarak's statement in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt to the council.Mubarak also renewed Egypt's invitation to the Palestinian Authority and all Palestinian factions to try again to achieve Palestinian reconciliation, a move considered essential for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The Egyptian president said the Israelis and Palestinians should also be willing to discuss border security and other issues that led to the conflict with the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers which includes the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia.French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters at a joint news conference with in Sharm-el-Sheik that he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to inform him of the initiative.He said Mubarak invited Israel to come discuss the question of border security ... (and) that could be in the hours ahead.I have good hope that the reaction of Israeli authorities will allow us to imagine an end to the operation they have undertaken in Gaza, that is not only a cease-fire but a withdrawal, Sarkozy said. At U.N. headquarters, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told members a halt to violence is the immediate priority.We are awaiting the Israeli response and we harbor hope that it will be a positive one, Kouchner said. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev said at U.N. headquarters that Israel takes the Egyptian-French initiative very, very seriously.In Jerusalem, Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, told AP: We are holding off comments on that for the time being.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Security Council that the United States, Israel's closest ally, understands the urgency of an end to the fighting and is working around the clock to achieve it. In this regard, we are pleased by, and wish to commend, the statement of the president of Egypt and to follow up on that initiative, Rice said. But she cautioned that any solution must include an end to Hamas rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel, the opening of all borders in Gaza, and an end to arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory. I express my support for the plan set in motion today by president Mubarak and president Sarkozy, Abbas told the council. A Hamas delegate who attended talks Tuesday with Egypt's intelligence chief said Hamas representatives would discuss Mubarak's proposals. He did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev defended the country's military action in Gaza, saying Hamas has no interest in making peace and only wants to inflict terror on Israel and tyranny in Gaza, where its forces hide among innocent civilians. Associated Press Writers Rebecca Santana and Salah Nasrawi in Cairo, Mark Lavie in Jerusalem and John Heilprin at the United Nations contributed to this report.

For Vatican, Spain is a key front in church-state battle
By Rachel Donadio Published: January 6, 2009

VALLADOLID, Spain: The Macías Picavea primary school hardly looks like the seat of revolution. But this unassuming brick building in a sleepy industrial town has become a battleground in an intensifying war between church and state in Spain.In an unprecedented decision here, a judge ruled in November that the public school must remove the crucifixes from classroom walls, saying they violated the nonconfessional nature of the Spanish state.Although the Roman Catholic Church was not named in the suit, it criticized the ruling as an unjust attack on a historical and cultural symbol — and a sign of the Spanish state's increasingly militant secularism.If the judge's ruling was the latest blow to the Catholic Church's once mighty grip on Spain, the church's response showed Spain to be a crucible for the future of church-state relations in Europe.For Pope Benedict XVI, who has staked his three-year-old papacy on keeping Europe Catholic, Spain, with its 90 percent Catholic population and rich history, represents a last hope in an increasingly irreligious continent.

Atheists send their own message, on 800 buses
That hope is quickly dimming. Since 2004, the Socialist government of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has legalized gay marriage and fast-track divorce, and it is seeking to loosen laws on abortion and euthanasia.But in response, the church and religious Catholics have been pushing back, seeking a greater voice in public life. The result is that the church is in a full-throated war with the government.As such, Spain represents not only the Catholic Church's past in Europe, but perhaps also its future: an increasingly secular country with a muscular Catholic opposition, or what Benedict has called a creative minority, smaller in number but more ardent in faith.At stake is the vision of the country: Will Spain join the rest of secular Europe or stand as a final Catholic foothold? I'd say that certainly there's a worry; it would be naïve to deny it, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said of Spain. It's a critical point in the church's confrontation against secularization in Europe and in the Western world.For the Feast of the Holy Family, an estimated 158,000 people on Dec. 28 attended a Mass and rally in Madrid in favor of the family.The march appeared to be more low-key than past events. Before the 2007 elections, the church got into hot water when some of its rallies were seen as endorsing Zapatero's rightist opposition.Today, the Spanish prelates are trying hard to be for the family rather than against the government, but it is a delicate balance.If the church becomes too hostile to the government, it could compromise the logistics and public financing required for Madrid to host the Vatican's biennial World Youth Day in 2011, a choice of venue that underscores the church's focus on Spain.In a recent interview in Madrid, the secretary general of the Spanish Bishops Conference, Msgr. Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, said it was important for the church to use all the means at its disposal to promote and defend its fundamental rights.

He called the 2005 law legalizing gay marriage and adoption very strange and very irrational and very unjust.The implications are broader, since Spain, with its 42 million Catholics, remains a touchstone for Latin America. South America alone has 324 million Catholics, the world's largest concentration.The church is also concerned that Spain could set a precedent for European Union legislation. The Vatican last week said it would reassess its relationship with Italian law, so as to avoid adhering to Italian and European Union social polices that it opposed.The church also fills a vacuum in the Spanish right. The center-right Popular Party is weak and has never been particularly engaged in religious issues.Today, one of Zapatero's strongest and most persuasive rightist opponents is a Rush Limbaugh figure: Federico Jimenez Losantos, a former Communist turned rightist and a professed nonbeliever who hosts a morning radio show on La Cope, the country's second most popular radio station — which happens to be owned by the Spanish Bishops Conference.With his harsh criticism of Zapatero's policies, Losantos is inevitably seen as fanning the flames of church-state tensions.Losantos acknowledged that his show creates problems between the bishops and the government. But at the same time, a lot of regular people say, Good thing there's the Cope; at least someone is in the opposition.History looms large. During the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939, leftist Republican forces killed many clerics. But during Franco's four-decade dictatorship, Catholicism was the official state religion.Until after Franco's death in 1975, women could not open bank accounts without their fathers or husbands co-signing. Today, they hold many of the highest political offices in the country.Spain changed very, very quickly, said José María Contreras Mazarío, the director of religious affairs at the Justice Ministry. Today, he said, Spain isn't Catholic theoretically, culturally or politically.In an increasingly multicultural society, he said, the government wants to revise its definition of religious liberty so all religions are effectively equal.Indeed, many see the church as a reactionary force trying to hold the country back.The army evolved after Franco, said Carlos Parrado, the president of the Association of Secular Schools, which filed the lawsuit asking that the crosses be removed from the Valladolid school. The church never evolved in this way.In many ways, Spain represents a profound paradox, said George Weigel, a Vatican expert and biographer of Pope John Paul II. On the one hand, the ancient altar-and-throne alliance in Spain ill prepared the church to withstand the hurricanes of modernity, so when the winds hit after the death of Franco, just about everything collapsed.

On the other hand, he said, it's striking that many of the new and vital renewal movements and new Catholic communities emerged out of Spain.Opus Dei, founded in Spain in 1928, has 30,000 members in Spain. More than 70 percent of Spaniards baptize their children, even if far less than 30 percent of the public regularly attends Mass. In spite of its social policies, the Spanish government continues to direct significant state financing toward Catholic schools and hospitals.Some say the intense debate benefits both sides: the church can raise its voice, and the government can change the subject from the economic crisis.It remains to be seen how the debates will play out. Media reports said fast-track divorce had not taken off, but not because of church pressure. Times are tough, and divorce is expensive.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH
http://www.pmw.org.il/

YAHOO NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video

MIDEAST CONFLICT NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/1874;_ylt=A0wNcxFdg6xIgbkAwD6z174F

ABC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461

FOX NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3074

FOX BUSINESS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3045

AP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2529

BBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2918

REUTERS VIDEO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2704

AFP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3091

CNBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3245

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS THU JAN 08,2009

09:30 AM -9.16
10:00 AM -106.57
10:30 AM -88.25
11:00 AM -48.18
11:30 AM -79.64
12:00 PM -105.53
12:30 PM -88.01
01:00 PM -83.15
01:30 PM -111.74
02:00 PM -93.26
02:30 PM -64.42
03:00 PM -46.35
03:30 PM -70.56
04:00 PM -27.24 8742.46

S&P 500 909.73 +3.08

NASDAQ 1617.01 +17.95

GOLD 858.60 +16.90

OIL 42.37 -0.27

TSE 300 9222.62 +101.30

CDNX 899.47 +11.15

S&P/TSX/60 558.19 +7.42

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow -60 at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -9 at high today.
Dow -106 at low today.

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -0.08%,Nasdaq +1.40%,S&P +0.38%.
Nasdaq,S&P have biggest 2 day drop since nOV 1-2,2008.
Stocks lower after Wal-mart disappoints.
4 ROCKETS CAME FROM LEBANON INTO NORTHERN ISRAEL TODAY.
1 ROCKET HIT AN ISRAELI SENIOR CITIZEN HOME.
Macy's closing 11 stores.
1.2 TRILLION DEFICIT IN THE STATES WILL BLOSOM TO 2 TRILLION BY THE END OF 2009.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow -9 points at high.
Dow -117 points at low.

Natural Gas Inventories -47 BCF.
CRUDE PERFORMANCE
5-YR +27%,1-YR -57%,1-MONTH -6%.
Markets at beginning of Obama Economic speech,11:14AM -43.01 points.
Markets at end of Obamas Economc speech,11:32AM -87.69 points.
Jobless claims week ending January 3,2009,-24,000 to 467,000.

MARKETS IN THE LAST HOUR
-More risk to upside here?
-Lots of bad News this week:ADP,WAL-MART.
-But S&P down only 2.8% after 8% rally.
BULLS:
-To go down,big news must be REALLY bad for long time.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS

Dow -9 at high.
Dow -117 points at low.
Dow -0.3% today.
Dow falls 0.4% over first 5 trading days of 2009.
S&P +0.3% today.
S&P up 21% from OCT low.
S&P ends at days high.
S&P gains 0.7% over first 5 trading days of 2009.
Nasdaq +1.1% today.
Nasdaq gains 2.5% over first 5 trading days of 2009.
Stocks closed mixed today.

FIRST 5 DAYS
Dow up rest of year-up 68%,down 58%.
Dow Down down rest of year-up 32%,down 42%.
Total annual return-Up 6.96%,Down 6.82%.

CNBC YOU HAVE TO INVENT A COAT WITH A HEATER IN IT FOR POOR ERIN SHE IS ALWAYS OUTSIDE FREEZING WHILE DOING INTERVIEWS.

BUCKSHOT THE BULL IS CUTE BUT SAD I MUST ADMIT. BUT AT LEAST ERIN KEPT BUCKSHOT HAPPY BY PETTING HIM WHILE SHE WAS FREEZING.

WORLD CENTRAL BANK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnsfZwwswZE

WORLD CENTRAL BANK STORIES
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=world+central+bank&meta=

Recession Woes Again Batter World Markets
By Tom Rivers London 08 January 2009

Following Asia's lead, European markets are down Thursday due to persistent worries about the length and depth of the unfolding global recession. In Britain, yet another large central bank interest rate cut was announced to combat the downward economic trend. Bank of England seen in City of London, 08 Jan 2009

Given the scale of the economic problem, the Bank of England has been spurred into yet another base rate cut, its fourth in as many months. This one, half-a-percentage-point drop, brings interest rates here down to 1.5 percent. That is the lowest level seen in the 315-year history of the Bank of England.Senior economic advisor Ian McCafferty from the Confederation of British Industry welcomes the confidence-building move, but he says other tools must also be used to get money moving again in the economy.We do need to cut the cost of borrowing in order to help stimulate the economy, but I think there is a growing recognition that we actually need other measures as well, what is known in the jargon as quantitative easing, as a way of helping getting credit flows going again. And it is not only the cost of credit, but also the availability of credit that needs to be addressed, he said.David Buik from the London investment firm BGC Partners agrees interest rate cuts alone cannot solve the problem of a lack of cash flow in the system.It is not about interest rates anymore, the bank will also want to leave a little bit left in their locker, he said. "The banks at the moment are frozen. There is no money coming out, there is a limit to how much interest rates can help people.In London, Paris and Frankfurt the markets were all down for the second day running.Earlier, the Asian markets all posted falls. Announced job cuts added to the economic woes there. The electronic component manufacturer TDK plans to shed some 8,000 jobs worldwide amid what is expected to be its largest ever annual loss.Tokyo's Nikkei average lost nearly 4 percent. A similar drop was seen on Hong Kong's main index.In Europe, unemployment continues to rise. In Spain, it jumped more than expected in December to top the three million mark for the first time in a dozen years.Under this backdrop of economic gloom, analysts say pressure is mounting for a deep European Central Bank rate cut next week.

A look at economic developments around the world
By The Associated Press – JAN 8,2009

A look at economic developments and stock-market activity around the world Thursday:

KIEV, Ukraine — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says Russia will charge Ukraine the full market price for natural gas and will agree to pay a higher, market-based fee to ship that gas over Ukrainian pipelines. Putin has blamed corruption in Ukraine for the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute that cut gas supplies to the European Union this week. He urged the European Union to quickly send observers to Ukraine to oversee the transit gas shipments to Europe.

LONDON — The Bank of England cut interest rates by a half percentage point to 1.5 percent, the lowest level in its 315-year history, taking the bank into uncharted territory as it attempts to ward off a prolonged recession. The central bank is nearing the limits of conventional monetary policy after trims totaling 3.5 percentage points since the beginning of October amid Britain's bleakest year since the early 1990s recession. Meanwhile, administrators for Waterford Wedgwood PLC, the collapsed maker of classic china and crystal, said they had reached a tentative agreement with U.S. private equity firm KPS Capital Partners over the sale of many of the company's assets. The company filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this week after failed attempts at a restructure or a sale. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed 2.14 points lower at 4,505,37.

TOKYO — Japanese electronics component maker TDK Corp. said it would cut 8,000 workers and post its biggest net loss ever this fiscal year, due to falling orders and a stronger yen. The company — known to consumers for its DVDs, audio tapes and other recording media — will cut the jobs as it closes four factories outside of Japan. Meanwhile, media reports said Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will slash more than 2,000 temporary jobs in Japan by the end of March as the country's fourth largest automaker struggles in the face of a severe slump in sales worldwide. The Nikkei 225 stock average lost 362.82, or 3.9 percent, to 8,876.42, snapping a seven-day winning streak as the yen traded higher.

BERLIN — Commerzbank AG said it will get 10 billion euros ($13.5 billion) in fresh capital from a German government rescue fund, leaving the government with a 25 percent stake. The German government put together its rescue fund, worth up to 500 billion euros, last fall. Meanwhile, official statistics showed that in November, German exports declined 10.6 percent from October and 11.8 percent from the previous year — the sharpest month-on-month drop since the country's reunification in 1990. Exported goods and services were worth 77.1 billion euros ($104.7 billion) in November. Germany is one of the world's top exporters, and foreign trade has been a key driver of its economy over recent years. The DAX was 57.56 points, or 1.2 percent, lower at 4,879.91.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Confidence in the EU economy sank to a record low in December, the European Commission said, while official data confirmed the 15-nation euro zone officially slipped into recession in the third quarter. The Commission reported that its economic sentiment indicator (ESI) slumped sharply in December for both the EU and the euro zone — to the lowest levels since the series was launched in January 1985. The Commission also said its euro zone business climate indicator fell to minus 3.17 in December, again its lowest level since January 1985. Separately, the statistics office Eurostat confirmed that the euro zone economy slipped into a recession in the third quarter of 2008, while unemployment rose for the fourth month running during November.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is moving closer to recession, the government said, as key indicators worsen amid a shrinking global economy. South Korea's economy grew 3.8 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year and the Bank of Korea predicts growth will slow to 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter. Economists say that year-on-year growth of anything less than 2-3 percent is considered a cause for alarm in South Korea and signifies that the economy is in deep trouble. The Kospi index shed 1.8 percent

NEW DELHI — Top executives of beleaguered Indian outsourcing company Satyam Computer struggled to reassure investors, employees and clients after its chairman resigned Wednesday following an admission he cooked accounts and inflated profits for years. The scandal has shaken investor confidence and prompted Indian business leaders to urge authorities to beef up corporate governance. It comes at a delicate time for India's information technology companies, which are struggling against a global slowdown and waning economic growth at home. India's IT firms derive 40 percent of their global revenues from financial services clients.

BEJING — The number of travelers to China dropped by 2 million in 2008 — which was supposed to be a banner year for tourism, but became one dampened by Olympics-related security measures and the global economic crunch. It was the first decline in visitor numbers since the deadly SARS outbreak in 2003. In corporate news, shares of Lenovo Group tumbled after the world's fourth-largest computer maker warned it expects a loss for its latest quarter and will lay off 11 percent of its work force and cut executive pay. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index declined 2.3 percent, or 45.83 points, to close at 1878.18.

HONG KONG — Bank of China shares tumbled after Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's foundation sold more than $500 million worth of shares in the lender, becoming the latest investor to cut its investment in China's banking sector. Meanwhile, struggling investment firm Royal Bank of Scotland said it may also sell its own stake in the Chinese lender. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 571.55 points, or 3.8 percent, to 14,415.91. Elsewhere in Asia, Australia's benchmark dropped 2.3 percent and Taiwan's key index lost 5.3 percent.

PARIS — The French government is planning to inject a second tranche of 10.5 billion euros ($14.38 billion) into some of the nation's largest banks in an effort to spur lending. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said the aid would be distributed by the end of the first quarter. Late last year, the government injected six of France's largest banks with a first tranche of 10.5 billion euros ($14.38 billion), part of a 360 billion euros bailout package for French financial institutions announced last year, and is aimed at getting banks to continue lending despite the financial crisis. Meanwhile, at a conference here on the future of capitalism, German Chancellor Angela Merkel singled out the American budget deficit and China's current account surplus as problems upsetting the global economy, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy, leading the two-day conference with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, blamed financial speculators for encouraging a system fueled on debt. The CAC-40 was 21.76, or 0.7 percent, down at 3,324.33.

MEXICO CITY — Mexican consumer prices rose at their fastest pace since 2001 last year. Annual inflation quickened to 6.5 percent in December, nearly double the gains seen in 2007 and above the 6 percent forecast, the central bank said. The rise was fueled by high food and energy costs. Meanwhile, growth dropped to 1.6 percent at the end of the third quarter, its lowest rate since 2003. That combination of price gains and a slowing economy has put Mexico's central bank in a bind: Policy makers can't raise interest rates to combat inflation without risking a further blow to growth. Mexico's stocks traded down 1.9 percent to 21,698 in the afternoon.

BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil's government will spend $152 billion to build housing for poor families in the next 15 years. Finance Minister Guido Mantega said the measure aims to help poor Brazilians and also stimulate the economy by creating construction jobs. The housing will be made available to families earning up to $870 a month, or five times the minimum wage. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry said coffee output in Brazil is expected to drop by as much as 20 percent this year because of adverse weather and weak investment amid a tough world financial climate. The Ibovespa stock index was up 1.2 percent at 41,301 in afternoon trading.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Canadian metals miner Teck Cominco Ltd. is cutting 1,400 jobs around the world, or 13 percent of its work force, to help it deal with a global sell-off in commodities. The Vancouver-based company, the world's largest producer of zinc and metallurgical coal, said the cuts will also help eliminate redundancies after its acquisition of Fording Canadian Coal last year. The S&P/TSX index rose 0.7 percent to 9,189 in afternoon trading.2009 The Associated Press.

Sarkozy, Merkel, Blair call for new capitalism JAN 08,09

PARIS – French President Nicolas Sarkozy hit out Thursday at financial speculators for having perverted capitalism, which he said should be overhauled with a new role for governments and moral values.Speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a conference on the future of global finances in Paris, Sarkozy criticized an immoral system where the logic of the markets excuses everything, where money follows money.Merkel said financial markets require new rules — but said other global economic imbalances need to be addressed, singling out the U.S. budget deficit and China's current account surplus.She deplored the mountains of debt that we are accumulating to combat the crisis. But she recognized, for the moment, there is no other possibility.Blair, who is co-chairing the two-day conference, urged global leaders to look at the crisis as an opportunity to create a better future.

Ukrainian, Russian gas companies hold talks By LYNN BERRY and MARIA DANILOVA, Associated Press Writers JAN 8,09

MOSCOW – The heads of Russian and Ukrainian gas companies held an unexpected meeting in Moscow early Thursday to discuss the dispute that has caused an energy crisis in Europe, but both sides said no breakthrough was reached as they flew on to Brussels to meet with the EU.Natural gas supplies from Russia through Ukraine to Europe remained cut off for a second day, leaving several countries scrambling to secure alternative energy sources to cope with a cold snap.The meeting between Gazprom's Alexei Miller and Naftogaz's Oleh Dubina was their first since negotiations broke down on New Year's Eve over prices for 2009 and Ukraine's debt.The talks were unexpected because the two men flew to Brussels from Moscow on Thursday to meet with EU officials. A Naftogaz spokesman said Dubina and Miller could return to the Russian capital to continue talks.So far no compromise has been reached, spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky said.Gazprom stopped all gas shipments to Ukraine on Jan. 1 but kept supplies flowing to Europe through Ukraine's pipelines until Wednesday, when all deliveries stopped.The cutoff has left more than a dozen countries struggling to cope in the depths of winter. Factories shut down in eastern Europe, schools closed and tens of thousands of people scrambled to find other ways of keeping warm.

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has pressed the prime ministers of Russia and Ukraine for a quick resolution to the standoff.If this matter is not solved, it will raise very serious doubts about the reliability of Russia as a supplier of gas to Europe and Ukraine as a transit country, he said Wednesday.Europe depends on Russia for one-quarter of its natural gas, and about 80 percent of that is shipped through pipelines crossing Ukraine. Other smaller pipelines run through Belarus and Turkey.Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey all reported a halt in Russian gas shipments by Wednesday. Germany and Poland reported substantial drops in supplies.Barroso said Ukraine and Russia both agreed to accept international monitors that could verify the flow of gas, a concession from Ukraine that would meet one of Russia's conditions for resuming gas supplies. Russia has accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas meant for European customers.Russia is also demanding that Ukraine pay significantly more for its gas. Last year, Russia charged Ukraine $179.50 per 1,000 cubic meters, about half what it charged its European customers.Russia's last offer before talks broke down was $250, but President Dmitry Medvedev said late Wednesday that Moscow would now insist that Kiev pay European prices without a discount.Naftogaz deputy chief Volodymyr Trikolich said Thursday his company continues to insist on a price of $201 per 1,000 cubic meters and wants to raise the transit fee from $1.7 to $2 per 100 kilometers of transit.Medvedev also demanded full payment of Ukraine's $600 million debt to Gazprom, which Ukraine has said it will not pay until the issue is settled in arbitration courts.Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandr Vondra, whose country holds the EU presidency, ruled out the possibility of EU countries paying any of Ukraine's debt.I don't think that is what we need to do, Vondra told reporters at an EU foreign ministers' meeting Thursday in Prague. Ukraine, which has a vast underground storage system full of natural gas, says it can weather the dispute until early April. However, the Ukrainian capital, like many areas in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, has already experienced heating problems with residents being forced to bundle in winter clothes and turn on electric heaters to keep warm. Gazprom, meanwhile, is losing substantial income during a peak season for gas consumption. It also will soon see an excess of gas in its system, which will create storage and other problems. France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in a statement late Wednesday that the suspension of Russian gas supplies was totally unacceptable. He urged the EU to press Russia to respect its engagements on supplies to Europe and to press Ukraine to guarantee the transit of gas across its territory.

US, European interbank lending rates drop again JAN 8,09

LONDON – The cost of three-month loans between banks fell further Thursday ahead of key interest rate decisions.The interbank lending rate on three-month loans in dollars — known as the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor — dipped over 0.04 percentage points to a tad above 1.35 percent, according to the British Bankers' Association.Meanwhile, the rate for three-month loans in euros — known as the European Interbank Offered Rate, or Euribor — decreased around 0.04 percentage points to just below 2.72 percent. The equivalent rate for pounds fell around 0.07 percentage points to just above 2.50 percent.Interbank rates are important because they affect the cost of loans in the wider economy, for both businesses and individuals. Rates have been high during the financial crisis as banks have hoarded cash and worried that other lenders might collapse and not pay them back.All three lending rates remain above the levels markets think benchmark interest rates will be in three months time.Though the U.S. Federal Reserve cannot cut its benchmark rate further from the current 0-0.25 percent, the European Central Bank is widely expected to reduce their rates after a raft of downbeat economic activity data and lower-than-anticipated inflation.The Bank of England cut its main rate by half a percentage point Thursday to 1.50 percent, after the Libor rates were fixed, and is widely predicted to reduce borrowing costs further in the months to come.

Harper less gloomy on economic crisis JAN 8,09

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper was less gloomy about the economy in an interview released on Thursday, saying Canada was in a strong economic position compared with others and should be able to exit the recession relatively quickly.The comments to Maclean's magazine were noticeably more cheerful than those he made in an interview in mid-December, when he said he was very worried about the economy and speculated about the possibility of a depression.Harper, who as recently as mid-October said he had a plan to avoid recession, now concedes there is no chance Canada can escape the global economic crisis. Ottawa has already made clear it will run budget deficits for the next few years.The minority Conservative government will unveil a budget on January 27 and Harper has said it will include a stimulus plan that could be worth as much as $30 billion.The underlying reality is that Canada enters this recession in a pretty strong position compared to most western industrialized countries, he told Maclean's.We're entering the recession later. All the indications are that it will not be as deep here and we should be able to come out of it sooner, he said.

Harper needs the support of at least one other political party to pass the budget. The official opposition Liberals -- angry at what they say is his mishandling of the crisis -- signed a deal with two other parties last month to bring down the government.Harper escaped defeat by having Parliament suspended until late January and then promised the budget would include the type of major stimulus measures opposition parties were demanding.The Liberals have since softened their attacks and few political observers think Harper will lose power over the budget. Harper -- who won a strengthened grip on power in an election last October -- said he did not want to go to the polls again.My strong preference is to govern and I think to go through several more months of election, of a new government being formed, all the things that that takes, all the delays, would serve no useful purpose to the economy right now, he told Maclean's.The government, which has run budget surpluses for more than a decade, is promising any stimulus measures will be as short-lived as possible.

Harper said he was very wary of launching initiatives that could lead to protracted budget deficits.Obviously the risk the government faces is that this becomes an excuse for permanent long-term spending that is in fact not simulative, it's just simply big government that becomes a burden on the economy, he said.(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Cooney)

German mogul kills self over financial meltdown By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jan 6, 6:31 pm ET

BERLIN – German billionaire Adolf Merckle threw himself in front of a train after his business empire, which included interests ranging from VW cars to pharmaceuticals to cement, ran into trouble in the global financial crisis, his family said Tuesday.The 74-year-old's body was found Monday night on railway tracks at Blaubeuren in southwestern Germany, prosecutors in nearby Ulm said in a statement. They described the death as a railway accident and said there was no evidence that anyone else was to blame.His family, which had reported Merckle missing after he failed to return home Monday, issued a brief statement saying he took his own life. A person close to the investigation, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said Merckle left a suicide note. Its contents were not divulged.Merckle's holding company, VEM Vermoegensverwaltung, recently had been in talks with banks to secure credit after its business interests ran up high levels of debt, and also lost value amid the global financial crisis.The company declined to say how much it needed, or to comment on German media reports that it might have to sell some of its interests.

In addition, the holding company recently said it had suffered heavy losses on shares of automaker Volkswagen AG, which fluctuated wildly last fall as fellow car maker Porsche SE moved to increase its stake in the company.Adolf Merckle lived and worked for his family and his firms, the family statement said.The distress to his firms caused by the financial crisis and the related uncertainties of recent weeks, along with the helplessness of no longer being able to act, broke the passionate family businessman, and he ended his life, it said.Merckle's business interests included generic drug maker Ratiopharm International GmbH and cement maker HeidelbergCement AG.Merckle helped turn his grandfather's chemical wholesale company into one of Germany's biggest pharmaceutical wholesalers, Phoenix Pharmahandel, in which he held a 57 percent stake.He used his wealth, estimated by Forbes last year to be $9.2 billion, to take stakes in HeidelbergCement and Ratiopharm. HeidelbergCement shares were down 5.8 percent at euro31.39 ($43.18) in Frankfurt trading after news broke of Merckle's death.Merckle also owned stakes in companies that made a wide array of goods from all-terrain vehicles, software to textiles.

The governor of Merckle's home state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Guenther Oettinger, said the region had lost a great entrepreneurial personality who built up a business of European significance.Merckle was awarded Germany's highest decoration, the Bundesverdienstkreuz, in 2005.Despite his wealth and prominence in corporate Germany, Merckle mostly avoided publicity. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, and four children.Associated Press Writer Oliver Schmale contributed to this report from Stuttgart, Germany.

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).

Czechs prepare for possible second Irish No
HONOR MAHONY Today JAN 8,09 @ 09:07 CET

The Czech EU presidency is preparing a contingency plan for one of the most sensitive areas in the EU institutional set-up in case Ireland rejects Europe's new treaty for a second time later this year.According to the Irish Times newspaper, Prague is working on a plan for how to reduce the size of the European Commission should Irish voters once again vote No in autumn.The Czechs are preparing a plan B to deal with the issue of the number of commissioners in the even of a second Irish No (Photo: Portuguese EU Presidency)On the composition of the commission we have to be ready for both possible scenarios: One scenario is that the Lisbon Treaty enters force at the end this year or we have to act and co-operate in the EU under Nice, deputy prime minister Alexander Vondra told the newspaper.The rules of the Nice Treaty state that if the number of EU member states reaches 27, the number of commissioners would then be reduced. The EU's pending set of new rules, known as the Lisbon Treaty, however allows the continuation of one commissioner per member state if all EU governments unanimously agree to it.

As part of a patchwork deal hammered out late in 2008 in the aftermath of Ireland's No, Dublin has already secured a deal to invoke this one-commissioner-per-state agreement. The Irish government hope this and other parts of the deal will act as an incentive to persuade Irish voters to say yes to the Lisbon Treaty.If they vote No again, the bloc will remain with the Nice Treaty and a quick solution to the commissioner issue will have to be found so that the next EU commission, which ends its term in autumn, can be put in place.One solution that has been touted would be for all member states to maintain a commissioner except for the country that holds the position of EU foreign policy chief. At the moment, this would mean that Spain would lose its commissioner.Having a national in the EU's executive is important to member states – particularly small ones - who believe it means keeping a power channel at the heart of Brussels decision-making, although commissioners are supposed to act independently of their nationality.Meanwhile, Ireland is not the only country with a continued question mark over the Lisbon Treaty.The Czech Republic has also not ratified the document. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a eurosceptic and strong opponent of the treaty, on Wednesday repeated his opposition in a message directed to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso I hope that Mr Barroso will visit our country more frequently and that I will change (his opinion) and he will very soon join my camp in the matter of the Lisbon Treaty, he said according to Czech news agency CTK.The treaty still has yet to be passed by the Czech parliament.

Arms exports to Israel from EU worth €200m
LEIGH PHILLIPS 07.01.2009 @ 18:14 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European Union member states authorised the export of €200 million in arms exports to Israel in 2007, the latest figures from Brussels disclose, with France far and away the Jewish state's biggest European weapons supplier. According to the EU's 2008 report on arms export licences, published in December for the 2007 calendar year and consolidating the accounts that member states must annually submit, 18 member states authorised a total of 1,018 such licences to Israel worth €199,409,348.France, Germany and Romania were the top three exporters. France issued export licences worth €126 million, Germany authorised €28 million and Romania €17 million, the EUobserver can reveal.In response to calls from opposition politicians that the UK government halt its arms exports to Israel and push all other EU member states to do the same, a British foreign office spokesperson said: We do not approve any defence related exports if we judge that there is a risk that they will be used for external aggression or internal repression. We routinely refuse export licences where we believe that there is a risk of this. Any application relating to Israel is considered on this basis," the spokesperson continued.

EU arms code of conduct

The EU has maintained an arms export code of conduct since 1998, but it is overseen at the member state level, not in Brussels, so if Mr Brown were to push for such a move, he would have to convince the 26 other member states.In 2007, €12 million in small arms and ammunition were exported to Israel by Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Romania and the UK.Another €23.5 million in light weapons, meaning those that require two to three people to operate them, such as bombs, torpedoes and explosive devices, were supplied by the Czech Republic, Germany, Romania and Slovenia.Belgium, France and Romania also sent Israel €18.5 million worth of aircraft and related material. Paris is responsible for €10 million of this sum.In a fourth, very broad category of armaments in the EU's consolidated report, electronic equipment - referring to electronics specifically modified for military use, navigation and guidance equipment, and satellite jamming systems, some €94 million was exported by France (€89 million) and Germany (€5 million).The rest of the €200 million consists of weapons that fall into other minor categories beyond small arms, light weapons, aircraft and electronics.Italy, traditionally a major arms exporter, only supplied Israel with €0.5 million in weapons in 2007. Spain, also a leading trader in the sector also sold Tel Aviv just €4.5 million worth of armaments.

Sweden, another major European weapons producer, along with eight other EU member states, delivered nothing to the Jewish state.Across the EU, only 28 export licences were refused as a result of human rights, internal security or regional stability reasons.Kaye Stearman, of the UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade, told this website: The UN and impartial observers have regularly documented how Israeli military actions have violated international humanitarian law. Although the UK's own Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria is supposed to assess the impact of arms sales on regional peace, security and stability, and the country's human rights record, it seems that this is ignored in the case of Israel.

Britain must immediately stop selling arms, including arms components, to Israel and also stop buying arms from Israeli companies - arms that have been tested in the laboratories of the occupied territories.

Israel believes war won't harm EU relations upgrade
LEIGH PHILLIPS 07.01.2009 @ 17:42 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Despite the carnage wrought by Israel on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, the Jewish state's ambassador to the European Union, Ran Curiel, has said that the conflict should not have any effect on the planned upgrade of relations between Israel and the EU.I don't expect any change to the process of upgrading relations, he told a group of journalists in Brussels. The positions of Israel and the EU are actually converging.In June last year, the EU-Israel Association Council - the body headed by foreign ministers that conducts the bilateral relations between Israel and EU - announced an upgrade in relations between the two parties.Accelerated negotiations were subsequently launched on the specific nature of the upgrade in three areas; increased diplomatic co-operation; participation in European plans and agencies; and possible Israeli integration into the European single market.We have done this [the assault on Gaza] reluctantly and without a choice, he said. Our citizens are daily exposed to a sort of game of Russian roulette from the Hamas rockets. I don't know of any country that could allow its citizens to be subjected to such imminent danger without reacting.We are not fighting the Palestinian civilians, but Hamas, which is on the EU terror list.

And remember, the upgrade is not a gift to Israel. Europe may think it is doing a favour to the recipient country, but we don't think so. The upgrade is of mutual interest to both Israel and the EU.However, the language coming from Brussels on the upgrade is slightly cooler than it was before the 27 December Gaza invasion, which has killed at least 640 Palestinians and injured 2,850, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Gaza invasion doesn't help

Jan Sliva, a spokesman for the Czech EU presidency, said: It is too early to say whether the conflict will have an effect on the upgrade of relations [between the EU and Israel], but obviously it doesn't help.Another EU official also warned that the decision to upgrade relations with the Jewish state was only a preliminary step and any movement further in this regard depends on conditions on the ground.

Nevertheless, Mr Curiel, who was in Israel when the EU peace delegation arrived in Israel on Monday, said that their discussion suggested a converging agenda regarding the current conflict.I didn't feel differences between us and our EU interlocutors, he said. A majority of the member states want the upgrade to go ahead.Of course, the conception of the EU is that it doesn't like violence anywhere, he continued. The EU was founded on the renunciation of the use of force to settle disputes, while Israel is still living in a neighbourhood where it has no choice but to do so.He did say however that where the EU emphasises the need for a cease-fire, Israel emphasises the need for a cessation of terror.We have made it clear to the EU that they should not be calling for an end to violence on both sides.He added that he had been happy with the language the Czech EU presidency has been using. [Czech foreign minister] Karel Schwarzenberg has called for a ceasefire, but saying that first the shelling must stop.

Focus must be on Hamas

Israel's requirements for a cease-fire are fourfold: an end to the shelling, a halt to the smuggling of weapons via Egypt, the prevention of Hamas re-arming and, fundamentally, the ambassador insisted, There must be no increased legitimacy for Hamas.He said it was too early to speak of a role for the international community in the dispute, but that in terms of bring weapons smuggling to an end, this is mainly an Egyptian responsibility, but they may need assistance and equipment and there, Europe can come in.For this, we have no problem approaching Europe now. This is something that was not the case five or six years ago.There was too much mistrust historically - Europe's history, both its shadows and its light, and too much criticism, he said. It was a very shallow interchange. For our part, Israel was also content to just say those old anti-semites. It was very black and white, but now we've introduced a lot of grey to the relationship.The key was a change in Europe's attitude to Israel, the ambassador believes, after the attacks of 11 September in the United States and a greater understanding of terrorism in the world.Israel is now looking to considerably closer ties to Europe. We were a strong supporter of the Barcelona Process [established to tighten relations between the EU and the Maghreb and Mashriq regions] from the start and now the Union for the Mediterranean.

Joining the EU

In the distant future, even joining the EU may be an option. I don't think it should be excluded as a vision, but it's not in the cards yet due to Israel's special situation.In 2007, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's then minister of strategic affairs, suggested Israel should apply for membership of the 27-state bloc within five years.

At the same time, neither EU nor Israeli leaders have seriously considered the option, but according to a February 2007 poll by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German centre-right think-tank, 75 percent of Israeli citizens believe their country should become a member.The ambassador did acknowledge however that there is opposition to the upgrade amongst MEPs. There is some resistance in the parliament - some, but I would not say a lot. Some voices are negative; some positive.He later visited the parliament to speak to both supporters of Israel's actions and opponents because it is not our supporters that we need to convince.An EU-Israel summit is scheduled in the first half of this year under the Czech presidency.

Miracles and support while Israel fights for peace
January 4, 2009 INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS

Israeli troops have entered Gaza to fight the Hamas terrorists face-to-face and bring an end to rocket fire on innocent people in Israel. Thousands of our boys are currently fighting in the Hamas-created hell called the Gaza strip, leaving their mothers, fathers, and other loved ones at home, praying with all their might for God's cloud of glory to protect them on this unavoidable, yet terrifying, mission. And it is not just relatives who worry about our troops. Since our country is so small, every Israeli knows that each life is precious, and every child is like our own.We Israelis yearn for peace. We have signed treaties, negotiated with enemies, and even evacuated our own citizens from their homes in Gaza, hoping that our neighbors will see our desire to live peacefully side-by-side with them, and will respond by changing their violent ways. However, because of terrorists’ refusal to renounce violence, peace has remained just a dream for us.

In the past seven years over 7,000 rockets have landed in Israel, wounding and killing scores of our people. Throughout all of this, Israel has not responded harshly – not because we are weak, but out of our desire, perhaps naïve, to find a peaceful solution. We know we have enemies, but we would much rather work together with them than fight them. A famous Rabbi was once quoted as saying that when our enemies fire a bullet they pray to God for it to hit its target, yet when we Israeli's fire a weapon we pray to God that Messiah comes before that bullet causes harm to anyone.It is because our foundation is godly, and our intentions holy, that the cries of disproportionate response against Israel seem so absurd. After enduring years of rocket fire, terror, and deadly threats, and trying for so many years to bring a peaceful end to this bloody conflict, these accusations are particularly painful for Israelis to hear.The terrorists are extending their reach, and every day rockets land closer to where I am sitting in Jerusalem. No one has any idea if and when they will stop. Nearly a quarter of Israel’s residents are currently living in bomb shelters, scared for their lives because of Hamas’s terrorist tactics of firing rockets into civilian neighborhoods. Many people have been killed in the past week, including a defenseless young mother of four. Hundreds more have been sent to the hospital, suffering varying degrees of injury. No one is immune from this horrendous threat, and we all feel the pain of Israel’s southern residents. Each time another rocket lands, the shrapnel penetrates our souls and we cry out louder, begging to see God’s mercy revealed.Every day I travel with Fellowship staff through the war zone of southern Israel, filling the many needs that arise, and witnessing rockets falling nearby. We don’t sit in our safe buildings outside the range of the rockets, but experience the pain with the people of Israel – the shortness of breath and pumping heart one feels when a rocket lands just yards away. We sit next to the immigrants and elderly in the bomb shelters, telling them that Christians in America stand with them, and will provide all they are lacking in this time of war.

Prior to the war, The Fellowship funded the renovation of bomb shelters that are saving Israeli lives. They are now equipped with, beds, heaters, food, and other necessities. New emergency trauma centers are operational in war torn areas. I believe that The Fellowship’s work is divinely blessed – and the success in our efforts is the proof! Just yesterday, when crucial aid provided by The Fellowship was brought to an elderly woman living in Sderot, she told me with tears streaming down her cheeks that this help is another miracle to add to my list. In Israel we don’t just believe in miracles, we rely on them. Stepping outside her building and seeing the remnants of a rocket that fell just hours before in a parking lot less than 200 yards from this helpless old lady’s apartment, I understood exactly what she was talking about.Hope and courage are the attributes that we see repeatedly in our role models from the Bible, and those are the attributes that we all aspire to possess. When Joshua entered Israel he was not greeted with peaceful neighbors and open arms, but rather war and violence. He was commanded by God to fight – and, like him, we must fight for our survival on this ancient land of Israel that God promised to the Jews.But there is one important difference between our fight and Joshua’s. Today, we Israelites are not fighting alone. With each rocket and every desperate request for aid, we have Christians standing by our side with their arms open, providing for all of the needs that otherwise would not be met. We have encouragement through love and prayer, and physical sustenance through sacrificial giving by friends like you. We have The Fellowship to bridge us together and connect all the pieces.Thank you for your support during this most critical time. With prayers for peace, and safety and success for our soldiers in combat,Yael.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE JAN 8,09

The Book of Revelation is the culmination of Bible prophecy - the point at which all the prophecies of the ages converge and find their ultimate fulfillment. Revelation discloses the future of the Jew, Gentile, and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Within its pages are specific details concerning the Savior's return, the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom and, finally, the eternal state of both the saved and the lost.The word revelation comes from the Greek apokalupsis, meaning an uncovering or unveiling. For this reason, the Book of Revelation is also known as the Apocalypse. In either case, the definition reflects the fact that God has made known to mankind those eternal, supernatural truths and realities which man, on his own, could never realize or discover.The Book of Revelation is the final work of the New Testament and the Revelation of Jesus Christ which details world history from the time of John (the Early Church Age) to eternity. It constitutes God's last special revelation to mankind this side of heaven. Simply stated, Bible prophecy and Revelation are history written in advance. They form God's description of future facts and events. Such prophecy is completely trustworthy because God is Omniscient, He knows all things, whether they be actual or merely possible, and He knows them perfectly from all eternity. Acts 15:18 states: Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. Thus, the Almighty is able to fully and accurately describe the future in advance of its actual occurrence.

Current international events reflect exactly the conditions and happenings predicted throughout the Bible for the last days of this age. Yet, comparatively little prophetic teaching and preaching are currently taking place. This is probably due to the fact that this field of endeavor involves a great amount of research and study (see II Timothy 2:15). Millions more prefer not to have prophecy explained to them because they would rather live by the world's standards and dictates. As individuals who are seeking satisfaction and rewards in this life, they are obviously not anxiously anticipating Christ's return.As we walk through the Book of Revelation together, remember that this special message has been given to reveal God's truth, not conceal it; and to clarify God's eternal purpose, not mystify it. I will not present an elaborate outline or engage in the use of heavy theological terminology. My goal is a simple verse-by-verse analysis. I trust that, as a result, each reader will gain a clear understanding of the blessed truths that the Book of Revelation contains.

Chapter 1

Verse 1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

We begin our study by immediately recognizing that the noun is revelation, singular, not revelations, plural. This term comes from the Greek word Apokalupsis and means an unveiling or uncovering. It is often used in the epistles as a manifestation (Romans 8:19), a coming (1 Corinthians 1:7), a revealing (2 Thessalonians 1:7), and an appearing (1 Peter 1:7). The Book of Revelation, then, concerns the unveiling or appearing of our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not the unfolding of the story of St. John the Divine, or even of prophetical truth, but rather the message of the appearing of Christ. This appearing takes place at the Rapture (chapter 4, verse 1), as well as at the hour of His return to earth when every eye shall see Him (chapter 1, verse 7).Secondly, we see that this revelation was given to Jesus Christ, as is everything, for Jesus said, All things are delivered unto me of my Father (Matthew 11:27). They are presented unto Him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. The term shortly in the original means rapidity of action once there is a beginning. This certainly pictures the present hour when signs pointing to His return are beginning to appear with alarming frequency. These truths, then, are sent and signified by Christ's angel unto John, the writer of the book, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Notice that the first four letters of the word signified spell SIGN. Why? The Book of Revelation is a study of signs. There is the sign of the Holy Spirit presented as seven spirits (verse 4) and the sign of the seven golden candlesticks and the seven stars (verse 20). Thus, through signs, we come to an understanding of this gloriously revealed portion of Scripture.

Verse 2: [John] bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

This statement is self-explanatory.

Verse 3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Verse three proves that the apocalypse is not some deep, mysterious, confusing book. God would not be an omniscient, all-knowing God if He promised a special blessing to those who read, hear, and keep what they read and hear, if they were unable to comprehend the truth. No, the Book of Revelation is understandable and fills the heart with joy once one sees its glorious message concerning the Savior.One reason that readers and hearers are to keep that which they have heard is because the time of Christ's return is at hand. The words at hand mean imminent. Near and imminent are not synonymous. Imminent means impending. Hence, the event could happen immediately or within ten minutes, ten months, or even ten years. Imminence is always the meaning of at hand when speaking about the return of the Lord. For example, Romans 13:12 says, The night is far spent, the day is at hand [imminent]. Philippians 4:5 declares, Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. And 1 Peter 4:7 says, But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. Thus, the next event on God's calendar, the return of Christ for His Church, may happen momentarily. That is why we, as Christians, should keep our eyes fixed heavenward, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).

Verse 4: John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his throne;

John now focuses his attention on seven local churches located in a land area called Asia. This is not Asia as we know it today, but probably a portion of Turkey. Only seven churches are mentioned, although there were undoubtedly more in existence. Seven is God's number of perfection. The number also pictures seven different sets of conditions reflecting the history of God's people through the Church Age.God's salutation, found in nineteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, is presented here as well: Grace be unto you, and peace. It is not peace and grace but grace and peace, because this is God's program for sinners. They cannot have peace until He has shown them His lovely grace. God must show His unmerited favor and love, called grace, before one can experience peace. This grace is shown through the sacrifice of Calvary and is freely bestowed upon all who believe and receive Christ. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). When grace has done its job, peace follows: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). This peace was made through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20). Thus, Romans 15:13 states: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.Only Jesus can give this peace. An unsaved psychiatrist is unable to do the job. Psychiatrists need the same peace that they strive to give. Thus, we must turn our problems over to the Son of God.We also find that the message of grace and peace is from the entire Trinity. First, the Father which is, which was, and which is to come; then from the seven Spirits which are before the throne (a designation of the blessed Holy Spirit in all of His holiness, for seven means perfection)...

Verse 5: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

The question is often asked, Why is Christ the first begotten from the dead, when Lazarus and others were raised first? The answer is simple. Others were raised to life, but they died again. They were raised from physical death to physical life only to eventually die a second time. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to immortality—never to die again! He is the first to have been resurrected with a new never-dying body. This is why Christ should be the first that should rise from the dead (Acts 26:23)...and why He only hath immortality (1 Timothy 6:16).Five times Christ is called the first begotten or the firstborn from the dead. Another five times He is called the only begotten. The term only begotten refers to His incarnation, whereas first begotten (or firstborn) refers to His resurrection. For instance, he bringeth in the first begotten into the world (Hebrews 1:6). [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [first begotten] of every creature (Colossians 1:15). And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn [first begotten] from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).Romans 8:29 declares, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn [yea, the first begotten] among many brethren. Think these verses through carefully so that no cultist can trip you up on the terms first begotten and firstborn, in his attempts to make the eternal Christ have a beginning. No, praise God, Christ is from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2). Yea, He is one with the everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6).The Lord Jesus Christ is also called the prince of the kings of the earth. This, of course, refers to the future, when the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) returns to earth as the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16). This glorious event will be the fulfillment of Psalm 2:6, which states: [I have] set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. At that time the Lord Jesus shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth (Psalm 72:8).

Verse 6: And [He] hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Verses 5 and 6 contain three glorious statements concerning Christ's work on our behalf: (1) He loved us; (2) He washed us from our sins in His own blood; and (3) He hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. The order is beautiful. Let's examine it in detail.

First, the Lord Jesus had to love us in order to wash us and make us kings and priests. However, it is even more thrilling when one sees that His love is in the present tense, meaning that He continues loving those He has washed. This is why John 13:1 triumphantly declares, [Jesus], having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Can you understand such love? Oh, that you may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge (Ephesians 3:18,19). This love is forever. That is why Paul declared in Romans 8:37-39: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.The love which Jesus Christ has bestowed upon each born-again believer should manifest itself in daily living, for He said to His own, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:34,35). This love for you and me brought Christ from heaven's glory to the cruel cross of Golgotha's hill. Love made Him shed His blood for the remission of our sins.

Secondly, He washed us! Some do not like the teaching about the blood. They want to earn heaven by their own meritorious works. However, being whitewashed is not the same as being washed white. There is a vast difference! It is not less toil that solves the difficulty, it is no toil. Listen to God: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5).When one trusts in the merits of Christ's shed blood, his sins are gone, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). Isaiah 38:17 declares, Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. God says, I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins (Isaiah 44:22). Yes, He has cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Oh, come to Jesus and He will lift all your load. Here's proof! To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins (Acts 10:43). It matters not how far astray the wayward son or daughter has gone, the blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).Thirdly, because of His love and the washing of regeneration, Christ is able to make us kings and priests unto God and his Father. Priest is the title of every believer. It is also the reason one does not need a minister to help him get closer to God. If you have been born again, you are a priest in the eyes of the Almighty. You can bring your own petitions to God. One is not heard any more rapidly because he has been ordained by men, for all born-again believers are on the same level. All are members of a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that [we] should shew forth the praises of him who hath called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). What a calling! Thank you, Jesus. John adds, To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen

FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Searching for security in a world without meaning

Take a walk down main street in your hometown, or visit the local shopping mall. Look at those around you, and study the faces in the crowds coming out of sports arenas or entertainment auditoriums. Notice how few seem to be really enjoying themselves, or laughing, genuinely having a good time.Even if they put up a jovial front with those around them, watch how soon the laughter dies and the smiles fade when they are alone again and confront the reality of daily living. For too many individuals, the world seems to be a grim and joyless place.My husband, Jack, and I hear from so many people each week, and often they say, I can’t stand to watch the TV news anymore. Everything that’s on is bad or ugly. The way the world is going is frightening and depressing. The more I see and hear, the more baffled, bewildered, and befuddled I get! A good many of these folks go on to say, We just couldn’t make it through the week without seeing the Jack Van Impe Presents telecast. It’s the only good news we hear. You always have a message of hope-that God is still in control!

What does it all mean?

Baffled! According to the dictionary, means confused, puzzled, frustrated.Bewildered speaks of losing one’s bearings, being perplexed and overwhelmed by the complexity and the multitude of considerations. Befuddled means to muddle about, virtually stupefied, unable to cope with the complications.

Have you ever had feelings like these?

Certainly there seem to be more concerns and problems in the world today than ever before in human history. Perhaps many of them were there but we just didn’t know about all of them. Today’s communications technology makes us aware of conflicts and trouble going on in every part of the world.One thing we do know is that Jesus didn’t say that if we saw wars or famines or pestilences or persecutions, His coming is near. In Matthew 23:33, He said, when ye shall see ALL these things, know that it is near, even at the doors (emphasis mine). It seems to me that all the signs are now there! Lately I’ve been asking the people I meet in my weekly activities about what issues they are concerned about and I feel sure that what they’ve told me probably includes the same things that trouble you. I believe the world once again has plunged to the low point of being as it was in the days of Noah, when the earth was totally corrupt and filled with violence. So surely this means that it’s time to look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28).

When and where will terrorists strike again?

The number one thing on people’s minds, I think, is the threat of international terrorism. The 9/11 attacks certainly changed the outlook of all Americans. And the later terrorist attacks in England and other European countries have made millions of other people realize that the whole world is vulnerable. Most thinking people now realize that it’s not a question of if there will be major terrorist attacks again, but when! Another concern is the growing threat of nuclear war. It seems everyone is talking about nuclear proliferation involving more countries, like North Korea and Iran. And of course, huge nations like India, China, and Russia are flexing their muscles and saying, you can’t tell us what to do. So there are opportunities for confrontation on every corner. There’s no peace in the world at all.In fact, there have been more wars in the twentieth century than in all prior centuries put together. In the last two thousand years it’s constantly been nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. As a result, millions have died from warfare, including genocide-the systematic slaughter of entire ethnic groups, as well as from starvation and famines. But the frightening part today is that more nations have nuclear weapons that could wipe out entire continents!

Is the world getting too warm?

There is also a growing concern around the world about global warming. Many scientists believe that the impact of mankind’s pollution is upsetting the delicate balance of nature. Our oceans and waterways are becoming fouled, and the very atmosphere is being damaged. The resulting increases in average temperatures, say the experts, might already be affecting weather patterns, producing record numbers of violent storms like typhoons, hurricanes, and tsunamis. They say the warming trend ultimately could kill most marine life, destroy agricultural food production, and eventually melt the remaining glaciers and ice packs, putting more low-lying land under water. Not everyone agrees with these dire predictions, but while the debate rages on, more and more people are becoming fearful of what the future holds.

Is sickness and disease getting worse?

In addition to these major concerns, there is heightened awareness of the expansion of both new and old diseases. Cancer, heart disease, mental disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other deadly maladies affect millions. In America, the cost of medical care is so great that even major corporations are saying they cannot afford to provide health insurance for employees. Often the elderly have to choose between buying food or the prescription drugs that help keep them alive! Worldwide, diseases once thought to be eradicated are coming back with a vengeance, especially in poverty-stricken areas where there is poor nutrition and virtually no hygiene. AIDS and HIV-related disease have literally decimated the populations of many African nations, producing millions of AIDS orphans.Add to these fears the problems of animal disorders like Mad Cow disease and avian (or bird) flu that could threaten food supplies and perhaps even pose the threat of infecting humans.World health experts have no answers, no workable plans to conquer the threatened pandemics of killer diseases. No wonder there is a growing universal lack of confidence.

The curse of pharmakeia

Perhaps these things help explain why so many have turned to drugs and alcohol in their desperate attempts to cope with such grim problems in their world. It seems obvious that the war against drugs is over-and we lost! Drug trafficking appears to be almost unrestrained, not only in the United States but worldwide. And the abuse is not limited to illegal drugs, but also to over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs as well. The battle against drug abuse of all kinds seems almost hopeless. In 2003 there were 1.74 million arrests for illegal drug abuse in the U.S.-probably only a small percentage of the people actually involved! The Bible refers specifically to this problem in Revelation and Galatians using the Greek word pharmakeia, which is the source word for our term, pharmacy. Sometimes the word has been mistranslated as sorcery or witchcraft, but many biblical scholars, including my husband, Jack, believe the scriptures are actually referring to drugs and drug abuse! The number one drug problem-or substance abuse-in America is alcohol! Over 50 million Americans are dependent on alcohol-500,000 of them between the ages of 9-12! Our citizens spend $90 billion a year on booze-and $5.5 billion of it is spent by students. Alcohol is involved in half of all U.S. driving fatalities, 40 percent of all industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries.The problem certainly is not isolated to America. There are similar-or worse-statistics for virtually any country in the world. Throughout Europe alcoholic beverages are served freely to children, and in certain areas in Russia alcoholism has helped to produce extremely high unemployment.

Without natural affection-why?

Space does not permit me to list all the other issues that trouble people today-things like the decay of morality, virtue, and values that has produced unprecedented sexual promiscuity, and the alarming rise of physical and sexual abuse against children, women, even animals! Hardly a week goes by without a major news report of a father destroying his whole family, or a mother maiming or killing her children-a direct fulfillment of the prophetic sign that people will be without natural affection. Spousal abuse is epidemic. There are 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect every week in America. And how often do you read news accounts or see TV reports of pets or livestock being tortured, abused, and killed?
No wonder so many can’t stand to read the newspaper or watch the evening news! No wonder people are baffled, bewildered, and befuddled by the goings on in their neighborhood, their city, their world. How can one understand, rationalize, or explain what is happening? How can one deal with the resulting confusion, perplexity, anger, and frustration, or cope with the endless barrage of bad news and challenges that defy human solution?

Has anyone you know tried to end it all?

Sadly, suicide is on the rise-it is the eleventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Suicide deaths outnumber homicide deaths by a five to three margin, numbering 29,350 in the year 2000. And among children, adolescents, and young adults, the suicide rate is escalating. Suicide was the third leading cause of death of youngsters in both the 10-14 and 15-24 age ranges. And older adults, who comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, account for 18 percent of the suicide deaths! So suicide knows no age boundaries, striking victims from childhood to age 85.These statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are alarming. But America is not the only nation with this problem. Suicide rates are soaring around the world. In fact, Japan is the number one country in the world for total suicides.So we can see that people around the world are in deep despair, feeling baffled, bewildered, befuddled...and totally hopeless. Feeling that life is not worth living, too frightened to face the future, they destroy themselves. How tragic! How my heart aches for those whose pain and desolation sweeps them to utter destruction.

Is there no hope for the world and its people?

Oh, yes! There is hope and healing and deliverance! This is my Father’s world, and He is still in control. Man’s wisdom may fail. Scholars and scientists may admit defeat. Politicians can seldom deliver on their promises of peace. But God is all powerful. And He is never baffled, bewildered, or befuddled! God has given us His wisdom and direction-His mind-on every subject in His Word, the Holy Bible. He gave us the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17) as guidelines for happiness and success. The commandments were not to restrict us or make us unhappy, but to keep us from things that could hurt us.Then, Jesus told us not to fear when we saw today’s world conditions coming to pass. Don’t be terrified! Don’t be anxious! Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (Matthew 24:6, Luke 21:9, John 14: 27).We know that human agencies and alliances can never solve the problems of the world. They never get it quite right. For example, on the front of the United Nations building in New York City is a scriptural quotation from Isaiah 2:4-they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. The implication is that this is what the U.N. will accomplish.There’s just one problem-they left out God. In the previous verses (see 2:2,3), Isaiah says these things will happen in the last days when people begin to say, Come, let us go up to the house of God-He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.The Word of God is quite specific that the answers mankind is seeking will not come from the U.N., the European Union, or any other earthly alliance. Acts 4:12 says, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.Yet, we can clearly see where the world is headed. Paul-Henri Spaak, the founder of the European Common Market and the general secretary of NATO, emphatically declared in a speech:We don’t want another committee-we already have enough of them. What we want is a man of such stature that he be capable to gain the alliance of peace-the politics to pull us out of the economic chaos into which we are sinking. Send us this man, and be he god or the devil, we will welcome him!

This is the baffled, bewildered, befuddled mindset that will usher in the Antichrist. For the day will come-and soon-when such a man will emerge out of the European Union and bewitch the political leaders of the world. He will announce a grand scheme for universal peace and prosperity that the world’s leaders will agree to, and draw up a seven year contract. All nations--even Israel--will sign it. But in the middle of the peace, after three and a half years, everything falls apart and deadly conflicts break out again, culminating in the prophetic battle of Armageddon, in Israel’s Valley of Megiddo.Then, thank the Lord, Jesus does come back and stops all the warfare before mankind destroys the whole world and all its inhabitants.It’s all spelled out for us in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Everything we need to know is there so we can do all God wants us to do. As we rely on the Word and seek God in prayer every day of our lives, we can live in calm assurance. As we keep out attention focused on Him, we can have peace in the midst of the storm.How can you overcome the desperate feelings of being baffled, bewildered, and befuddled in today’s world? George Mueller wrote, The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; the beginning of faith and trust is the end of anxiety.In the following newsletters, we will explore together how to overcome the obstacles and challenges of modern life that can keep you from living in quiet confidence and strength. As we discover how to deal victoriously with the world’s complications and confusions, you will be able to affirm, in the words of an old, old gospel song-

Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand,
But I know Who holds the future,
And I know Who holds my hand.