ANCIENT SEAL FOUND IN JERUSALEM

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)

ISAIAH 30:10-15
10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.
15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

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

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

REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)

ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

ISAIAH 60:9-10
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and 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.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.

POSSIBLE ROBOT OR CLONE

DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge(CYBER) shall be increased.

REVELATION 13:13-15
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

REVELATION 14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Ancient seal found in Jerusalem linked to ritual
By MATTI FRIEDMAN | AP – DEC 25,11

JERUSALEM (AP) — A rare clay seal found under Jerusalem's Old City appears to be linked to religious rituals practiced at the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago, Israeli archaeologists said Sunday.The coin-sized seal found near the Jewish holy site at the Western Wall bears two Aramaic words meaning pure for God.Archaeologist Ronny Reich of Haifa University said it dates from between the 1st century B.C. to 70 A.D. — the year Roman forces put down a Jewish revolt and destroyed the second of the two biblical temples in Jerusalem.The find marks the first discovery of a written seal from that period of Jerusalem's history, and appeared to be a unique physical artifact from ritual practice in the Temple, said Reich, co-director of the excavation.Very few artifacts linked to the Temples have been discovered so far. The site of the Temple itself — the enclosure known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary — remains off-limits to archaeologists because of its religious and political sensitivity.

Archaeologists say the seal was likely used by Temple officials approving an object for ritual use — oil, perhaps, or an animal intended for sacrifice. Materials used by Temple priests had to meet stringent purity guidelines stipulated in detail in the Jewish legal text known as the Mishna, which also mention the use of seals as tokens by pilgrims.The find, Reich said, is the first time an indication was brought by archaeology about activities in the Temple Mount — the religious activities of buying and offering and giving to the Temple itself.The site where the seal was found is on the route of a main street that ran through ancient Jerusalem just outside the Temple compound.Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, a biblical archaeologist not connected to the dig, said the seal was special because it was found right next to the Temple and is similar to what we see described in the Mishna.
It's nice when we can connect an activity recorded in ancient sources with archaeological finds,he said.The seal was found in an excavation run by archaeologists from the government's Israel Antiquities Authority. The dig is under the auspices of a broader dig nearby known as the City of David, where archaeologists are investigating the oldest part of Jerusalem.The City of David dig, located inside the nearby Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan and funded by a Jewish group affiliated with the settlement movement, is the Holy Land's highest-profile and most politically controversial excavation.Follow Matti Friedman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattifriedman

Arab Spring villains bombard EU with lawsuits
23.12.11 @ 17:15 By Andrew Rettman

BRUSSELS - The year of the Arab Spring has seen an extraordinary number of anti-EU lawsuits, including by the late Colonel Gaddafi, who lost.Eighty two people, entities or groups of entities hit by EU visa bans and asset freezes took the EU to court in 2011.The number is a staggering increase compared to previous years: there were just seven cases in the whole period from 1999 (the first-ever case) to 2009 and 15 cases in 2010.The bulk (37) of the 2011 lawsuits come from the circle of ex-Cote-d'Ivoire leader Laurent Gbago. One of them is by his wife, Simone, who said she should get off because the war was a force majeure.Iranian banks and shipping firms lodged 14 cases.Most of the rest came from Arab Spring countries Syria (10), Libya (6), Tunisia (6) and Egypt (3).Gaddafi had the chutzpah to try to stop France from giving €259 million of his loot to the Transitional National Council in Benghazi. The EU court rubbished his appeal as being manifestly inadmissable.Businessmen and companies are more litigious than politicians.

The first ever case was filed by Serbian supermarket baron Miroslav Miskovic, an associate of the late dictator Slobodan Milosevic, in 1999.Syrian billionaire Rami Makhlouf has filed five cases. In one of them he wants €50,000 damages and €7,500 in legal costs. He said the EU ban does not promote peace and security and that it endangers his means of support and right to life.One interesting case concerns Syrian tycoon Tarif Akhras.Akhras said that after the EU put him on its blacklist Syrian rebels made death threats against him and his son, an armed man tried to murder him and someone else tried to kill his son-in-law. He fled Homs for Damascus in October and then left Syria for a place which he is keeping secret for security reasons.He lost the case. The tribunal said he is a natural target because he is related to Assad's wife. It added that the EU is not responsible for things that happen in a situation approaching civil war and anarchy.Meanwhile, Belarusian arms trader Vladimir Peftiev has brought four cases.He said the EU failed to prove that he is funding President Alexander Lukashenko and wants protection under the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Sorry, but ...

Just three plaintiffs won in 2011 - Cote D'Ivoire oil baron Kadio Morokro, its former foreign minister Youssoufou Bamba and an Iranian firm, Hanseatic Trade Trust & Shipping.The EU has not paid anyone a cent in damages in the past 12 years, however.The above list of cases does not include people on a separate EU register of terrorist entities.But a case brought by Philippino intellectual Jose Maria Sison in 2007 set an important precedent. Sison got off the terrorist register. But the court ruled the EU is liable for damages only if there is a sufficiently serious breach of law and an inexcusable or intentional error, taking into account the complexity of the situations to be regulated.Judges in Luxembourg have ever since said the EU can be forgiven if it makes a slip when dealing with complex regimes.

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

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

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

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

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

US has found 5,000 missiles in Libya
AFPAFP – Fri, Dec 23, 2011

Missiles and shells lie on the ground at an ammunition storage bunker built in the mountains near the southern Libyan town of Waddan, in the oasis of Joffra, November 1. US experts sent to Libya to recover weapons left over by the regime of fallen leader Moamer Kadhafi have found about 5,000 surface-to-air missiles, the State Department said Friday. (AFP Photo/Philippe Desmazes)US experts sent to Libya to recover weapons left over by the regime of fallen leader Moamer Kadhafi have found about 5,000 surface-to-air missiles, the State Department said Friday.The exact number is difficult to say, said spokesman Mark Toner, as there is no actual inventory and a number were destroyed in NATO air strikes this year.We support the Libyan government as it works on this... to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate the militias. It's clearly a high priority for them, Toner said.The State Department was still trying to evaluate how many missiles existed in the north African nation, which can pose a danger to civilian aircraft, Toner said.But he refused to confirm rumors that the United States was seeking to buy back some of the weapons which might have been looted from open stockpiles in the chaos of the unrest which toppled Kadhafi earlier this year.I just would say that as we deal with the challenge of destroying (such missiles) MANPADS, we are looking at a variety of methods, he added.

Russia build 100 ton ballistic missile named Satan

In connection with the plans of the United States to develop the air defense system in Europe, in close vicinity to Russia's borders, and because of the unwillingness of the US side to provide any guarantees, the Russian Federation continues to take measures to preserve parity in the field. In particular, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will be renovated with the help of state-of-the-art Topol-M and Yars complexes during the upcoming ten years. In addition, Russia will pass into service a new intercontinental missile of enormous power.The decision about the creation of the new silo-based missile system with a liquid-fuel heavy missile has been made. The complex will have increased possibilities in overcoming the prospective missile defense system of the United States, Sergei Karakaev, the commander of the missile troops said.

The new missile, the mass of which is going to make up 100 tons, is said to replace the world-known Voevoda ICBM. In the West, this missile is known as Satan. In the meantime, Russia has already started working to create the middle-class newly equipped missile. The new missile is to be passed into service in 2015, RIA Novosti reports.Russia does not stand against the US missile defense system. Russia stands against the creation of the missile defense system, which would be directly aimed against Russia to potentially reduce the possibilities of the Russian nuclear containment forces,the official stated.

http://www.english.pravda.ru/russia/poli...missile-0/

I can't help but think of prophecies...

Moscow, eyeing U.S. missile defense plans, announces work on 100-ton monster missile By Laura Rozen | The Envoy – Tue, 20 Dec, 2011

During campaign season, it never hurts for a presidential candidate facing a frustrated public to display toughness and resolve in the face of an old and familiar adversary. And it also doesn't hurt to throw in some shock-and-awe--say, a ballistic missile nicknamed Satan.This appears to at least partly explain why on Monday Russia announced that it had successfully tested a short-range interceptor missile; part of its ongoing effort to develop a domestic missile defense system, according to Russia's RIA News Agency. (The Russian Defense Ministry has provided a video of the missile's launch on its website.) Russia also announced it is working on the development of a 100-ton ballistic missile slated for release in 2015, Pravda reports. Russia recently held contested parliamentary polls and is due to hold presidential elections in March. Russia watchers note the political backdrop to the announced plans and their part in the wider narrative agenda: resurgent Russia's determined opposition to American missile defense plans in Eastern Europe.In connection with the plans of the United States to develop the air defense system in Europe, in close vicinity to Russia's borders, and because of the unwillingness of the U.S. side to provide any guarantees, the Russian Federation continues to take measures to preserve parity in the field,Pravda reports.Russia does not stand against the U.S. missile defense system, Sergei Karakaev, the Russian Defense Ministry commander of the missile troops, was cited by the paper.Russia stands against the creation of the missile defense system, which would be directly aimed against Russia to potentially reduce the possibilities of the Russian nuclear containment forces.

The field tests come a month after Russia's outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev declared that he was walking away in protest from U.S.-Russian missile defense negotiations. The United States is unwilling to provide a written guarantee that the system would not be used against Russian nuclear forces, the Union of Concerned Scientists' Elliot Negin wrote at the Huffington Post Monday. [Medvedev] warned that, if the United States carries out its plans to build it without such an assurance, Russia would site missiles in its westernmost Kaliningrad region and consider walking away from the New START agreement.(The strategic arms reduction treaty, signed last year, calls for the United States and Russia to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear arms by a third over the next seven years.)Medvedev's throwing down the gauntlet on missile defense talks with the West also played to a delicate moment in Russian domestic politics, analysts say.Medvedev has served since 2008 as the Kremlin-approved placeholder for Russian president Vladimir Putin after the latter served two terms as president and moved over to serve a term as prime minister. However, Putin, a former KGB colonel, announced in September his plans to run for president again in March.But things haven't gone as smoothly as Putin planned. Putin's United Russia party barely claimed a majority in contested Russian parliamentary polls held Dec. 5 that many Russians and international observers believed were rigged. Protests ensued, with another major demonstration scheduled for Dec. 24.Putin typically has consolidated his power by pursuing campaigns against nefarious foes -- Chechen extremists, Russian oligarchs, and now the West, Anya Schmemann, a Russia watcher at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Yahoo News Tuesday. This is a time-tested tactic in Russia. The Russian government's threat in November to target missile defense sites fits into this category--blustery talk for a domestic audience. However, the Russian public has become more savvy in recent years and Putin's effort to blame the United States and Clinton for supporting the protests and criticizing the elections was mocked in the streets.

Russia's military establishment is concerned about losing parity with the United States on the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads that it maintains, the Ploughshare Fund's Joel Rubin told Yahoo News Tuesday. By developing a new heavy missile, a perverse outcome is taking place, where Russia is attempting to not fall further beneath New START levels in order to satisfy the concerns of its military establishment.Of course, tough-guy posturing on the well-worn grooves of the Cold War axis is not unique to Moscow. On Saturday, President Obama's nominated envoy to Moscow, Michael McFaul, was finally confirmed after Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois lifted a weeks-long hold on the nominee.Kirk lifted his objections after the White House wrote him a letter assuring him that it will not provide Russia with sensitive information about our missile defense systems that would in any way compromise our national security,Agence-France Press reported.Specifically the White House told Kirk that under no circumstances' would the United States provide hit-to-kill technology and interceptor telemetry to Russia.

Anti-Putin protests draw tens of thousands
Associated PressBy LYNN BERRY and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV | AP – DEC 25,11

People protest against the December 4 parliament elections in Moscow. The posters …Demonstrators rally to protest against election fraud in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in the Russian capital Saturday in the largest protest so far against election fraud, signaling growing outrage over Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of Russians jammed a Moscow avenue to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule, in the largest show of public outrage since the protests 20 years ago that brought down the Soviet Union. Gone was the political apathy of recent years as many shouted We are the Power! Saturday's demonstration, bigger and better organized than a similar one two weeks ago, and smaller rallies across the country encouraged opposition leaders hoping to sustain a protest movement ignited by a fraud-tainted parliamentary election on Dec. 4.The enthusiasm also cheered Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who closed down the Soviet Union on Dec. 25, 1991.I'm happy that I have lived to see the people waking up. This raises big hopes,the 80-year-old Gorbachev said on Ekho Moskvy radio.He urged Putin to follow his example and give up power peacefully, saying Putin would be remembered for the positive things he did if he stepped down now. The former Soviet leader, who has grown increasingly critical of Putin, has little influence in Russia today.But the protesters have no central leader and no candidate capable of posing a serious challenge to Putin, who intends to return to the presidency in a March vote.Even at Saturday's rally, some of the speakers were jeered by the crowd. The various liberal, nationalist and leftist groups that took part appear united only by their desire to see Russia without Putin, a popular chant.

Putin, who gave no public response to the protest Saturday, initially derided the demonstrators as paid agents of the West. He also said sarcastically that he thought the white ribbons they wore as an emblem were condoms. Putin has since come to take their protests more seriously, and in an effort to stem the anger he has offered a set of reforms to allow more political competition in future elections.Kremlin-controlled television covered Saturday's rally, but gave no air time to Putin's harshest critics.Estimates of the number of demonstrators ranged from the police figure of 30,000 to 120,000 offered by the organizers. Demonstrators packed much of a broad avenue, which has room for nearly 100,000 people, about 2.5 kilometers (some 1.5 miles) from the Kremlin, as the temperature dipped well below freezing.A stage at the end of the avenue featured banners reading Russia will be free and This election Is a farce.Heavy police cordons encircled the participants, who stood within metal barriers, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.Alexei Navalny, a corruption-fighting lawyer and popular blogger, electrified the crowd when he took the stage. He soon had the protesters chanting We are the power! Navalny spent 15 days in jail for leading a protest on Dec. 5 that unexpectedly drew more than 5,000 people and set off the chain of demonstrations.Putin's United Russia party lost 25 percent of its seats in the election, but hung onto a majority in parliament through what independent observers said was widespread fraud. United Russia, seen as representing a corrupt bureaucracy, has become known as the party of crooks and thieves, a phrase coined by Navalny.

We have enough people here to take the Kremlin,Navalny shouted to the crowd.But we are peaceful people and we won't do that — yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is ours.Protest leaders expressed skepticism about Putin's promised political reforms.We don't trust him,opposition leader Boris Nemtsov told the rally, urging protesters to gather again after the long New Year's holidays to make sure the proposed changes are put into law.He and other speakers called on the demonstrators to go to the polls in March to unseat Putin. A thief must not sit in the Kremlin,Nemtsov said.The protest leaders said they would keep up their push for a rerun of the parliamentary vote and punishment for election officials accused of fraud, while stressing the need to prevent fraud in the March presidential election.Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov was among those who sought to give the protesters a sense of empowerment.There are so many of us here, and they (the government) are few, Kasparov said from the stage.They are huddled up in fear behind police cordons.The crowd was largely young, but included a sizable number of middle-aged and elderly people, some of whom limped slowly to the site on walkers and canes.We want to back those who are fighting for our rights, said 16-year-old Darya Andryukhina, who said she had also attended the previous rally.

People have come here because they want respect,said Tamara Voronina, 54, who said she was proud that her three sons also had joined the protest.Putin's comment about protesters wearing condoms only further infuriated them and inspired some creative responses. One protester Saturday held a picture montage of Putin with his head wrapped in a condom like a grandmother's headscarf. Many inflated condoms along with balloons.The protests reflect a growing weariness with Putin, who was first elected president in 2000 and remained in charge after moving into the prime minister's seat in 2008. Brazen fraud in the parliamentary vote unexpectedly energized the middle class, which for years had been politically apathetic.No one has done more to bring so many people here than Putin, who managed to insult the whole country, said Viktor Shenderovich, a columnist and satirical writer.Two rallies in St. Petersburg on Saturday drew a total of 4,000 people.I'm here because I'm tired of the government's lies,said Dmitry Dervenev, 47, a designer. The prime minister insulted me personally when he said that people came to the rallies because they were paid by the U.S. State Department. I'm here because I'm a citizen of my country.Putin accused the United States of encouraging and funding the protests to weaken Russia.Putin's former finance minister surprised the protesters by saying the current parliament should approve the proposed electoral changes and then step down to allow new parliamentary elections to be held. Alexei Kudrin, who remains close to Putin, warned that the wave of protests could lead to violence and called for establishing a dialogue between the opposition and the government.Otherwise we will lose the chance for peaceful transformation,Kudrin said.Kudrin also joined calls for the ouster of Central Election Commission chief Vladimir Churov.

Putin has promised to liberalize registration rules for opposition parties and restore the direct election of governors he abolished in 2004. Putin's stand-in as president, Dmitry Medvedev, spelled out those and other proposed changes in Thursday's state-of-the nation address.Gorbachev, however, said the government appears confused.They don't know what to do, he said.They are making attempts to get out of the trap they drove themselves into.Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva and Jim Heintz contributed to this report.

Gorbachev urges Putin to step down after protests
Associated PressAP – DEC 25,11

MOSCOW (AP) — Mikhail Gorbachev, who resigned as Soviet president 20 years ago Sunday, has urged Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to follow his example and step down.
Gorbachev says if Putin stepped down now he would be remembered for the positive things he did during his 12 years in power.The former Soviet leader spoke on Ekho Moskvy radio Saturday after a demonstration against Putin drew tens of thousands in Moscow. It was the largest show of public outrage since the protests in 1991 that brought down the Soviet Union.The 80-year-old Gorbachev carries little weight in Russia today. And while many Russians have grown weary with Putin's rule, his opponents are split among numerous groups. They have no clear leader who could challenge Putin in the March presidential election.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators on Saturday cheered opposition leaders and jeered the Kremlin in the biggest show of outrage yet against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule.The Moscow demonstration was even bigger than a similar rally two weeks ago, signaling that the protest movement ignited by the fraud-tainted Dec. 4 parliamentary election may be growing. Protests were also held in dozens of other cities and towns across Russia.Rally participants densely packed a broad avenue, which has room for nearly 100,000 people, about 2.5 kilometers (some 1.5 miles) from the Kremlin, as the temperature dipped well below freezing. They chanted Russia without Putin! A stage at the end of the 700-meter (0.43 mile) avenue featured placards reading Russia will be free and This election Is a farce. Heavy police cordons encircled the participants, who stood within metal barriers, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.Alexei Navalny, a corruption-fighting lawyer and popular blogger, electrified the crowd when he took the stage. A rousing speaker, he had protesters shouting We are the power! Navalny spent 15 days in jail for leading a protest on Dec. 5 that unexpectedly drew more than 5,000 people and set off the chain of demonstrations. Since his release, he has helped to further galvanize the opposition.Putin's United Russia party lost 25 percent of its seats in the election, but hung onto a majority in parliament through what independent observers said was widespread fraud. United Russia, seen as representing a corrupt bureaucracy, has become known as the party of crooks and thieves, a phrase coined by Navalny.We have enough people here to take the Kremlin, he shouted to the crowd.But we are peaceful people and we won't do that — yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is ours.

The recent protests in Moscow and other cities have dented Putin's authority as he seeks to reclaim the presidency in a March vote. The Kremlin has responded by promising a set of political reforms that would allow more political competition in future elections.But protest leaders say they will continue pushing for a rerun of the parliamentary election and punishment for officials accused of vote fraud. They say maintaining momentum is key to forcing Putin's government to accept their demands.We don't trust him, opposition leader Boris Nemtsov told the rally, urging protesters to gather again next month to make sure that the proposed changes are put into law. Along with liberals, the rally also drew Communists and nationalists.
Nemtsov called on the demonstrators to go to the polls in March to unseat Putin.A thief must not sit in the Kremlin, he said.Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov was among an array of speakers who sought to give the protesters a sense of empowerment.There are so many of us here, and they (the government) are few, Kasparov said from the stage. They are huddled up in fear behind police cordons.Many in the crowd were young.We want to back those who are fighting for our rights, said 16-year-old Darya Andryukhina, who said she had also attended the previous rally.

People have come here because they want respect, said Tamara Voronina, 54, who said she was proud that her three sons also had joined the protest.The protests reflect a growing public frustration with Putin, who ruled Russia as president in 2000-2008 and has remained the No. 1 leader after moving into the prime minister's seat due to a constitutional term limit. Brazen fraud in the parliamentary vote unexpectedly energized the middle class, which for years had been politically apathetic.No one has done more to bring so many people here than Putin who managed to insult the whole country,said Viktor Shenderovich, a columnist and satirical writer.Putin has accused the United States of fomenting the protests in order to weaken Russia and has said, sarcastically, that he thought the white ribbons many protesters wear as an emblem were condoms.In response to Putin's blustery rhetoric, one protester Saturday held a picture montage of Putin with his head wrapped in a condom like a grandmother's headscarf.We can't tolerate such a show of disrespect for the people, for the entire nation, journalist and music critic Artyomy Troitsky said in a speech at the rally. He wore a white gown that resembled a condom, mocking Putin's comment.

Although Putin has derided the demonstrators as Western stooges, he has also sought to soothe public anger by promising to relax his grip on the political scene.He has promised to liberalize registration rules for opposition parties and restore the direct election of governors he abolished in 2004. Putin's stand-in as president, Dmitry Medvedev, spelled out those and other proposed changes in Thursday's state-of-the nation address, promising to restore direct elections to fill half of the seats in parliament and ease rules for the presidential election.Some opposition leaders welcomed the proposals, but stressed the need for the protests to continue to force the Kremlin to quickly turn the promises into law.These measures are insufficient, said Arina Zhukova, 45, another participant in Saturday's rally.They are intended to calm people down and prevent them from showing up at rallies.The electoral changes, however, will only apply to a new election cycle years away, and the opposition has stressed the need to focus on preventing fraud in the March presidential election and mounting a consolidated challenge to Putin.Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who lost his seat after complaining about increased defense spending, surprised the protesters by saying the current parliament should approve the electoral changes and then step down to allow new elections to be held.Kudrin, who remains close to Putin, warned that the wave of protests could lead to violence and called for establishing a dialogue between the opposition and the government. Otherwise we will lose the chance for peaceful transformation,he said.In another sign of the authorities' efforts to stem the tide of public anger, the presidential human rights commission early Saturday echoed protesters' demands in a statement condemning violations in the vote and calling for the ouster of Central Election Commission chief Vladimir Churov.It said that allegations of widespread fraud have led to a moral and political discrediting of the election system and the lower house of parliament, creating a real threat to the Russian state.Vladimir Isachenkov and Lynn Berry contributed to this report.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2005/11/questions-ww3-whats-coming.html (WW3 COMPLETE HAPPENINGS)

AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

WARS AND RUMURS OF WARS.

MATTHEW 24:6
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

MARK 13:7
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

Kim Jong-Il's son hailed as supreme commander
AFPBy Park Chan-Kyong | AFP – Sat, Dec 24, 2011

North Korea's ruling party Saturday hailed the son of late leader Kim Jong-Il as supreme commander of the military, in the latest sign that the untested successor is tightening his grip on power.Experts said the move indicated that Pyongyang would maintain its Songun (military-first) policy, blamed for the deaths of thousands of people to starvation as the isolated regime diverts resources to its armed forces.
We will uphold Comrade Kim Jong-Un as our supreme commander and general and we will bring the Songun revolution to a completion, the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling communist party, said in an editorial.The newspaper urged Jong-Un, Kim's youngest son, to lead North Korea to eternal victory.It is the first time that the North's official media has used the title supreme commander -- a post previously held by his father -- for the new leader, already a four-star general despite only being in his late 20s.This shows that Jong-Un now has a firm grip on the military and the North is heralding this to the outside world, professor Kim Yong-Hyun of Dongguk University in Seoul told AFP.

It also suggests that the North will continue with its Songun policy at least in the foreseeable future.North Korea on Monday described the untested Jong-Un as the great successor after announcing the death of his father at age 69.Experts said the latest acclamation is particularly significant because it came on the 20th anniversary of the declaration of Kim Jong-Il as supreme commander.The dynasty's latest ruler remains a figure of mystery to the outside world, which is seeking clues to future policy in the nuclear-armed nation.The son was appointed to senior military and party posts in September 2010, paving the way for a third-generation hereditary succession after the late Kim succeeded his own father Kim Il-Sung in the 1990s.The country's regular armed forces total 1.19 million and the regime has a policy prioritising the military's needs over those of civilians.The elder Kim perpetuated his power using an all-pervading personality cult inherited from his father, and the North's propaganda machine has cranked into action to burnish the image of Jong-Un.

State media reported Saturday that Kim Jong-Il's loving care for the North Korean people lingered even beyond his death, with residents in the capital enjoying a special treat of fresh fish.The late leader took steps on the eve of his demise to supply the rare luxury, and Jong-Un ensured the fish was rushed to the people while in mourning, according to the Rodong Sinmun.Salespersons and citizens burst out sobbing at fish shops in the capital, it said, carrying pictures of housewives shedding tears of gratitude.Kim Jong-Il presided over a 1990s famine that saw hundreds of thousands of people die, and there are still chronic food shortages in the impoverished communist state, particularly outside the privileged capital.
Activists in South Korea on Saturday sent 800 pairs of winter socks carried by balloons across the border to the North, where they can be exchanged for food. Temperatures fall well below freezing during the North's harsh winters.South Korea also confirmed that the wife of its late president Kim Dae-Jung would visit the North next week on an unofficial visit to pay respects.Former first lady Lee Hee-Ho, accompanied by Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jung-Eun, will cross the heavily militarised border and travel overland to Pyongyang, but will not stay for Wednesday's funeral, the government said.South Korea, in a conciliatory move at a time of high tensions, on Wednesday expressed sympathy to the North's people, but not the communist regime.It said it would permit only Lee and Hyun's delegation to visit the North to convey their private condolences. South Koreans must receive government permission for all contacts with the North.Kim Dae-Jung and Kim Jong-Il held the first-ever North-South summit in 2000, while the Hyundai Group pioneered cross-border business exchanges.

China announces currency swap with Pakistan
Associated PressBy JOE McDONALD | AP – Sat, Dec 24, 2011

BEIJING (AP) — China announced a currency swap with Pakistan on Saturday in a new step to gradually expand use of its tightly controlled yuan abroad.Beijing has begun allowing limited use of yuan in trade with Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in a move that could help to boost exports. It has signed swap currency deals with central banks in Thailand, Argentina and some other countries.The Chinese central bank said it agreed Friday with its Pakistani counterpart to swap 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) for 140 billion Pakistani rupees. It said the money would promote investment and trade but gave no details of how it would be used.Such agreements give central banks access to each other's currency but commercial banks still need to create systems to issue letters of credit and handle other transactions in those currencies before companies can use them.The United States and other trading partners complain Beijing's controls on the yuan keep it undervalued, giving its exporters an unfair price advantage and hurting foreign competitors at a time when the global economy is struggling.Some American lawmakers are demanding punitive tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing fails to move more quickly in easing its controls.

Expanded use of the yuan abroad would reduce costs for Chinese traders who do most of their business in dollars and euros. It also might increase the appeal of Chinese goods for foreign buyers who have yuan to spend.Beijing also has created a market for yuan-denominated bonds in Hong Kong. It said last week that some foreign investors who obtain yuan abroad would be allowed to invest them in China's stock markets.The Chinese central bank announced a currency swap agreement with Thailand this week and has carried out swaps with Argentina and Kazakhstan. It has pledged to lend yuan to some other countries' central banks in case of emergencies.Chinese leaders say they plan eventually to allow the yuan to trade freely abroad but analysts say it might be decades before that is completed.
People's Bank of China (in Chinese): www.pbc.gov.cn

Chinese oil giant acquires Canadian energy company
Associated PressAP – Fri, Dec 23, 2011

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese state-owned oil company has acquired Canada's Daylight Energy in the second major Chinese purchase of a Canadian energy company this year.
A unit of Sinopec Corp. and Daylight Energy Ltd. announced the 2.2 billion Canadian dollar ($2.1 billion) acquisition was completed Friday.China's state-owned energy companies, flush with cash from the country's economic boom, are acquiring oil and gas assets abroad in hopes of profiting from surging global demand.In November, state-owned CNOOC Ltd. acquired Canada's OPTI for $2.1 billion.

Thousands enjoy merry Christmas in Bethlehem
Associated PressBy DALIA NAMMARI and DANIELLA CHESLOW | AP – DEC 25,11

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Tens of thousands of tourists and Christian pilgrims packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations Saturday, bringing warm holiday cheer to the traditional birthplace of Jesus on a raw, breezy and rainy night.With turnout at its highest in more than a decade, proud Palestinian officials said they were praying the celebrations would bring them closer to their dream of independence.Meanwhile, Christmas celebrations began to take place around the globe, with Pope Benedict XVI celebrating Christmas Eve Mass two hours before midnight at Vatican City and urging the faithful to look beyond the commercialization of the holiday and discover its true meaning.Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light,Benedict told congregants in a packed St. Peter's Basilica.Bethlehem, like the rest of the West Bank, fell onto hard times after the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation broke out in late 2000. As the fighting has subsided in recent years, the tourists have returned in large numbers.By late night, the Israeli military, which controls movement in and out of town, said some 100,000 visitors, including foreigners and Arab Christians from Israel, had reached Bethlehem, up from 70,000 the previous year.Thousands of Palestinians from inside West Bank also converged on the town.It's wonderful to be where Jesus was born, said Irma Goldsmith, 68, of Suffolk, Virginia. I watch Christmas in Bethlehem each year on TV, but to be here in person is different. To be in the spot where our savior was born is amazing.

After nightfall, a packed Manger Square, along with a 50-foot-tall (15-meter-tall) Christmas tree, was awash in Christmas lights, and the town took on a festival-like atmosphere.

Vendors hawked balloons and corn on the cob, and bands played Christmas songs and tourists packed cafes that are sleepy the rest of the year. As rain began falling in the early evening, many people cleared out of the square and raced to nearby restaurants.Festivities were to culminate with Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.Among the visitors were a surprisingly large number of veiled Muslim women with their families, out to enjoy an evening out in what is normally a quiet town.We love to share this holiday with our Christian brothers, said Amal Ayash, 46, who came to Manger Square with her three daughters, all of them covered in veils. It is a Palestinian holiday and we love to come here and watch.Israel turned Bethlehem over to Palestinian civil control a few days before Christmas in 1995, and since then, residents have been celebrating the holiday regardless of their religion.Pilgrims from around the world also wandered the streets, singing Christmas carols and visiting churches.It's a real treat to come here, said John Houston, 58, a restaurant owner from Long Beach, California.It makes me feel really good to see what I have been learning from the time I was a kid in Sunday school until today.

Houston said he was surprised by Bethlehem's appearance, which is a far cry from the pastoral village of biblical times. Today, it is a sprawling town of cement apartment blocs and narrow streets that combined with several surrounding communities has a population of some 50,000 people.Located on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is surrounded on three sides by a barrier Israel built to stop Palestinian militants from attacking last decade.Palestinians say the barrier has damaged their economy by constricting movement in and out of town. Twenty-two percent of Bethlehem residents are unemployed, the Palestinian Authority says. Israeli settlements surrounding Bethlehem have added to the sense of confinement.The Christmas season is essential for Bethlehem's economy, which depends heavily on tourism.Most visitors entering Bethlehem, including the top Roman Catholic official in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, had to cross through an Israeli-controlled checkpoint to reach town.Twal, a Palestinian citizen of Jordan, arrived in a traditional midday procession from Jerusalem, and later, celebrated Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity.In his homily, he referred to the Arab Spring, imploring Arab leaders to have wisdom, insight and a spirit of selflessness toward their countrymen and praying for reconciliation in Syria, Egypt, Iraq and North Africa.He also noted the Palestinian campaign to join the United Nations, and complained that the U.N. was less than united in its support for the now-stalled initiative. He also criticized the international community for pushing the Palestinians to re-engage in a failed peace process which has left a bitter taste of broken promises and of mistrust.

The patriarch lamented the Israeli barrier enveloping Bethlehem — let us tear down the walls of our hearts in order to tear down the walls of concrete — and prayed for peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.The Palestinians have subtly tried to draw attention to their plight with this year's Christmas slogan, Palestine celebrating hope, a veiled reference to their bid to win U.N. recognition. With peace talks at a standstill, the Palestinians are seeking membership as a state in the United Nations and recently gained admission to UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency.We are celebrating this Christmas hoping that in the near future we'll get our right to self-determination, our right to establish our own democratic, secular Palestinian state on the Palestinian land. That is why this Christmas is unique,said Mayor Victor Batarseh, who is Christian.Late Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a meeting of Christian leaders that he is committed to reaching peace with Israel, despite a three-year standstill in negotiations.I hope they will come back to their senses and understand that we are seekers of peace, not seekers of war or terrorism,said Abbas, a Muslim. The mosque, church and synagogue stand side by side in this Holy Land.Today, only about one-third of Bethlehem's residents are Christian, reflecting a broader exodus of Christians from the Middle East in recent decades. Overall, just 60,000 Christians live in the Palestinian territories, making up less than 2 percent of the population, according to Palestinian officials.At the Vatican, Benedict kicked off an intense two weeks of public appearances that will test the 84-year-old pontiff's stamina amid signs that fatigue is starting to slow him down.The Christmas Eve Mass was moved up to 10 p.m. from midnight several years ago to spare the pope a late night that is followed by an important Christmas Day speech. In a new concession this year, Benedict processed down the basilica's central aisle on a moving platform to spare him the long walk.

Benedict appeared tired by the end of the Mass and a dry cough interrupted his homily.On Sunday, Benedict will deliver his traditional Urbi et Orbi speech, Latin for to the city and the world, from the central loggia of St. Peter's overlooking the piazza. Usually, the speech is a survey of sorts of the hardships and wars confronting humanity, and ends with the pope delivering Christmas greetings in dozens of languages.President Barack Obama was spending the holiday with his family in Hawaii. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama wished all Americans a merry Christmas and happy holidays, with a special message of thanks to U.S. troops, especially those serving in Afghanistan.Let's take a moment to give thanks for their service; for their families' service; for our veterans' service, the president said Saturday. Obama noted that with the Iraq war over, the last troops from that conflict are home for the holidays.Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield contributed to this report from Vatican City.

POISONED WATERS

REVELATION 8:8-11
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

Japan quake debris a jurisdictional mess for B.C.=Catastrophe created 18 million tonnes of debris The Associated Press-THE CANADIAN PRESS Posted: Dec 25, 2011 10:05 AM PT Last Updated: Dec 25, 2011 10:01 AM PT

Debris floats in the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Japan, in this U.S. Navy photo taken just a few days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Debris floats in the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Japan, in this U.S. Navy photo taken just a few days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (Steve White/U.S. Navy/Associated Press)

The B.C. government says it will begin working with national and municipal officials this January to prepare for the massive wave of debris heading to Pacific Northwest shores because of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.Meanwhile, residents in the B.C. coastal community of Tofino are bracing themselves for the sad arrival of detritus from the devastating disaster, even while they debate amongst themselves whether the ruins have already started reaching the shore.Julianne McCaffrey, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Management B.C., part of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has confirmed the government is creating a Provincial Tsunami Debris Working Group.She said the arrival of the debris, which some experts have argued covers an area the size of California, has raised some complex jurisdictional issues, which the working group will clarify, so officials hope to identify key members by Jan. 6 In most cases, the federal government has authority in the water and immediate shorelines, and in most cases the local authority becomes the lead if the debris washes ashore in areas above the high tide line, McCaffrey said in an email to The Canadian Press.Occasionally, in the case of hazardous or human remains, it becomes provincial jurisdiction — which has not happened, so we cannot speak to hazards or issues that do not exist.The provincial government's announcement comes as one U.S. expert confirms some flotsam, like 250-litre Japanese fishing buoys, has already landed on Pacific Northwest shores between Oregon and Alaska.

Computer models produced by the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii had predicted that by the end ofSeptember, the debris field was still about 483 kilometres northwest of the Midway Islands, but scientists confirmed in a December website posting that some objects, like the fishing floats, could have already arrived in Washington state.

Community divided

Meantime, locals in Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, wonder whether or not flotsam — like plastic water bottles with Japanese writing, toothbrushes and even socks tied to the tsunami — has already arrived.Debris float in the harbour near Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan a day after the earthquake, which killed more than 20,000 people.Debris float in the harbour near Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan a day after the earthquake, which killed more than 20,000 people. (Kyodo/Reuters)The massive flotsam field is tied to the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan March 11, a double disaster that left as many as 21,000 people dead and washed millions of tonnes of debris into the Pacific ocean.The tsunami also swamped the Fukushima nuclear-power plant, leading to fears that some of the debris could be contaminated by radioactive material.Perry Schmunk, mayor of Tofino, B.C., said he has no doubt that some of the debris he found on a recent beach walk with his family is tied to the tsunami. He plans to introduce a resolution to council this January calling for support from more senior levels of government.Schmunk said everything he has found has Japanese writing on it.The most alarming thing is in 10 minutes I saw more debris than I've seen in four years total, he said.Schmunk said a town like Tofino is not equipped to deal with such a massive influx of flotsam, noting it doesn't have enough staff nor enough space in the local landfill.I am . . . of the opinion that we need to be prepared for the worst, he said.

Debris not always from earthquake

Yet others in town are not entirely convinced flotsam from the tsunami has arrived.
Jeff Mikus, a commercial fisherman for more than 20 years, said he's definitely not convinced the flotsam is from the tsunami, saying he hasn't seen any more debris on the shores or in the water than normal.I think people are just looking more now because, you know, it's coming, he said. People are more aware of it so they start seeing stuff on the beach and they think, oh, God, and they see a little bit of, you know, some kind of Asian writing of some sort, he said.Mikus said he regularly finds plastic floats, corks, water bottles and shampoo bottles, and added that most of the fishing gear he buys in B.C. is made in Japan and has Japanese markings on it.Mikus also said people forget how many ships pass Vancouver Island and some of the debris could be coming from them.You'd think you'd see a lot of stuff that would have a lot more growth on it, algae and barnacles and whatnot after floating around in the ocean that long,he added. The few pictures I've seen of stuff doesn't look like it's been in the water that long.Mikus said he believes the bulk of the flotsam is still a long way away.There might be a massive cleanup going on here in a year or two.