BISHOPS CALL FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN PEACE-FAVOUR UN INTERVENTION

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

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

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).

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

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

DANIEL 11:21-23
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.

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

JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

GENESIS 25:20-26
20  And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22  And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)

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

Israel approves 1,400 new housing units over Green Line

Most of the construction planned for settlements across West Bank; Lapid, Herzog criticize development

By Lazar Berman January 10, 2014, 12:00 pm 1-The times of Israel

The Ministry of Housing and Construction announced Friday that it had approved tenders for 1,400 new housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.According to Ministry spokesman Arik Ben Shimon, 801 units were approved for West Bank settlements, including 227 in Efrat, 169 in Elkana and 40 in Ariel.

In addition, Karnei Shomron would see an additional 86 units, Alfei Menashe 78, Adam 75, Beiter Illit 24, and Emanuel 102.The Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, over the Green Line, would see another 600 units built.Friday’s announcement had been expected after Israel released 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners in late December, part of a deal made last summer when Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resumed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously issued similar construction announcements to blunt criticism at home of prisoner releases, as many of those released were convicted of killing Israeli civilians and soldiers.This time, the announcement was apparently postponed until after a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was in the region last week.Kerry has been pushing a framework agreement, as part of his efforts to nudge Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu closer to a full treaty that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.Finance Minister Yair Lapid decried the announcement, calling it “empty.”“This is not only a bad idea,” he said, “but is also one that Yesh Atid will do everything it can to ensure it remains only a bad idea that is not carried out.”Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog also attacked the announcement, tying it to the recent release of Palestinian prisoners as part of ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.Herzog said that Netanyahu could have chosen to freeze settlement construction instead of freeing prisoners, which Herzog called “immoral,” but the prime minister would not compromise on building settlements.“The prisoner release was turned into a real estate deal,” said Herzog.The Palestinian Authority also came out strongly against the move.“This shows Israel’s clear commitment to the destruction of peace and imposition of an Apartheid system,” said chief Palestinian negotiator Seab Erekat, according to a statement released by the PLO negotiating team.“The recent announcement by the Israeli government of new settlements in occupied State of Palestine is a slap to Mr. Kerry’s efforts and a clear message by Israel’s Prime Minister: ‘Don’t continue with your peace efforts,” the statement continued.“We call on the United States and the rest of the international community to exert further efforts to halt the Israeli plans which aims to destroy the chances for the two state solution.”In addition, another 532 units that had been approved for construction in the past, but did not attract offers from builders, are to be put back on the market. The units are to be situated in the neighborhoods of Pisgat Ze’ev, Ramot, and Neve Yaakov, all of which sit over the Green Line.In November, the Housing and Construction Ministry announced that it had approved the sale of land for some 1,700 apartments over the Green Line, including some 700 new apartments in Jerusalem and 1,030 in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The Ministry said then that the announcement was in keeping with its policy of approving increased housing construction as a measure to help reduce the cost of housing nationwide.The policy “has led to fast growth in construction starts that now stands at an annual rate of 43,000 [new] apartments, higher than the demand for new apartments each year,” according to Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel.Ariel promised to further increase the rate of construction of new apartments “throughout the country… in order to bring about a dramatic change in the cost of apartments.”Ariel is a senior member of the Jewish Home party.

01/ 8/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Christians to come together at the Holy Sepulchre on 25 May

Francis with Bartholomew I

The plan for Francis’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land is beginning to take shape. A delegation representing the Community of Sant’Egidio has commemorated the historic meeting between Paul VI and Athenagoras 50 years ago

Andrea Tornielli jerusalem The ecumenical meeting in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre has been set for 25 May and will in all likelihood take place before the empty tomb. “This is a really important event, especially bearing in mind where it is taking place; a place in which divisions between Christians are in some way encrypted. It is also important because all Christian denominations present in the Holy Land will be there,” said Valeria Martano, who is part of a delegation of the Community of Sant’Egidio currently in Jerusalem to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the embrace between Paul VI and Athenagoras.Pope Francis and Bartholomew, who are guests of the Orthodox metropolitan in Jerusalem, could enter the Basilica together and embrace one another before meeting the representatives of other rites, for example, Catholics, Orthodox, Armenians, Copts, Ethiopians and Anglicans. “The climate set by the meeting which took place between Paul VI and the Patriarch of Constantinople half a century ago was different,” Valeria Martano told Vatican Insider. Martano is the author of the documented biography on Athenagoras, titled Athenagoras the Patriarch (1886-1972). A Christian caught between the crisis of cohabitation and ecumenical utopia. We often focus on how much work is yet to be done and lose sight of the things that have been achieved. I think Francis’ meeting with Bartholomew I will be an epiphany of communion and a new opportunity for a wider and more inclusive embrace…”Martano added that Paul VI’s historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1964, “made the Orthodox world realise how willing Catholics were to move the focus back to the Church of Jerusalem. With the visit to the Holy Land, the first visit he has decided on himself - last July’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro had already been planned by Benedict XVI - Francis is showing once again that Rome’s focus if moving back to the very roots of the Gospel, starting from the empty sepulchre.As Francis confirmed last Sunday, the three legs of his journey will be Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. A few more details have been revealed about the trip which is still being planned. Despite the initial controversy over the brief duration of the pilgrimage (which is only going to last 3 days, as Paul VI’s did back in 1964) this seems to have been dispelled, partly because everyone has now understood the spirit of the visit. The Pope will arrive in Amman, where he is expected to dine with some Syrian refugees. On Sunday morning he will leave Jordan by helicopter and head for the territories under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority, to celebrate a mass in Bethlehem. “The Sant’Egidio delegation, myself included, have been in contact with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Jewish world has expressed its appreciation regarding the Pope’s decision to come on a Sunday and not on the Shabbhat,” Martano said. 
Francis is expected to leave Bethlehem by helicopter and fly to Tel Aviv airport. From here he will make his way to Jerusalem for the much awaited ecumenical meeting on Sunday afternoon. This meeting will be the highlight of the whole trip and is the only event the Pope specifically referred to when he announced his visit. Efforts are being made to organise a meeting with Jewish religious leaders in the old Rabbinate building near the Western Wall.

01/ 9/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Bishops of the Central African Republic discuss building peace together

Bishops call for peace in the Central African Republic

The Central African Republic's Bishops’ Conference has presented 23 proposals for exiting the crisis. These include favouring UN intervention, disarming the militia, organizing new elections and reviewing the nation’s relations with neighbouring Chad

Davide Demichelis Rome  “For a united and peaceful Central African Republic.”  The Central African Republic has issued a powerful document encompassing the reflections of each of the country’s ten bishops.“We urgently need to form a new Republican army, plan elections, establish a commission of inquiry to shed light on human rights violations and disarm the militia” that are spreading terror across the country. The bishops listed as many as 23 key points for bringing the country out of the crisis, with an emphasis on the need “to disarm and repatriate the Chadian and Sudanese mercenaries” who were the first to invade the Central African Republic and spark disorder a little over a year ago. Intervention from the UN’s Blue Helmets is required to ensure a return to peaceful co-existence, the resumption of dialogue and the encouragement of tolerance and forgiveness. The national Bishops’ Conference also underlined the need to review “relations with neighbouring countries, especially Chad.”Only this will “recreate the right conditions for peaceful co-existence.” The foreign communities present in the country were largely evacuated. Bishops emphasised how devastating it was to see brothers and sisters who had been living in the country for decades leave. It is also discouraging hearing our fellow countrymen saying they want to leave their homeland.The crisis that is putting the Central African Republic to the test “has exposed our limits and our inability to resolve our problems on our own.” In the document issued by the Central African Republic’s Bishops’ Conference the country’s bishops express their gratitude to the Central African Multinational Force (FOMAC and MISCA) and to the French armed forces that intervened to guarantee peace. But now the Bishops’ Conference is once again focusing its attention on Chad, pointing out that “certain incidents highlight the ambiguity of the role played by Chadian forces in this international Force.”  But looking ahead, “the crisis cannot be resolved without the efforts of the men and women of the Central African Republic. In fact, the real battles that  need to be fought are in fields of development, economic revival, poverty, extreme poverty and impunity.”The clashes between Seleka militiamen and the anti-balaka self defence groups have dragged the country “into a spiral of revenge and counter-revenge which has been keeping civilians hostage,” the nation’s bishops said. Finally, they criticised once again those who mistakenly interpret these clashes as religious wars: “We would like to reiterate that not all those who are anti-balaka are Christians and not all Christians are anti-balaka. The same goes for Muslims and Seleka militia. National and international media tend to give a denominational slant to a crisis that is above all political and military.”

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,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
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: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
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;(ISRAEL) 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,(OIL IS IN 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.

EZEKIEL 39:1-8,11-21
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,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) 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 ATOMIC 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.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)(EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN THE JORDAN VALLEY)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye (MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL) shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.(RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS)
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I (GOD-JESUS) will set my glory among the heathen,(WORLD NATIONS) and all the heathen (WORLD NATIONS) shall see my judgment that I have executed,(AGAINST ISRAELS ENEMIES) and my (GODS) hand that I have laid upon them.(ISRAELS HATER ENEMIES)

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)

EZEKIEL 35:3-6,11-15
3  And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir,(ARABS) I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4  I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
5  Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred,(AGAINST ISRAEL) and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
6  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
11  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12  And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
13  Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14  Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.(ARAB,MUSLIMS)
15  As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir,(ARABS) and all Idumea,(ARAB,MUSLIMS) even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD KILLED IN OVERNIGHT RAID) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

AMOS 1:5
5  I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:(IRAQ) and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,(JORDAN) saith the LORD.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

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)

Exclusive: Iran, Russia negotiating big oil-for-goods deal

By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi

LONDON/ANKARA Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:30am EST

(Reuters) - IranRussia and Russia are negotiating an oil-for-goods swap worth $1.5 billion a month that would let Iran lift oil exports substantially, in defiance of Western sanctions that helped force Tehran to agree a preliminary deal to end its nuclear program.Russian and Iranian sources close to the barter negotiations said final details were in discussion for a deal that would see Moscow buy up to 500,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil in exchange for Russian equipment and goods."Good progress is being made at the moment with strong chances of success," said a Russian source. "We are discussing the details and the date of signing a deal depends on those details." The Kremlin declined comment."Our desire is to sign the deal as soon as possible," said a senior Iranian official, who declined to be named. "Our officials are discussing the matter with the Russians and hopefully it will be inked soon, regardless of whether we can reach a (nuclear) agreement in Geneva."It is not clear whether the deal would be implemented before the nuclear agreement, outlined in Geneva in November between Iran and six world powers, is finalized.Nor is it clear how Moscow will justify to other powers a barter deal that could jeopardize the nuclear negotiations by easing the economic pressure on Tehran. is one of the countries involved in the nuclear talks but, unlike the United States and the European Union, has not imposed sanctions on Iran.Technical nuclear talks between Iran and the European Union started on Thursday. The November deal was designed to halt Iran's nuclear advances for six months to buy time for a final settlement by May.U.S. and European sanctions have cut Iran's oil exports by more than half over the past 18 months to about one million barrels a day. Russia has no sanctions on Iran.Russian purchases of 500,000 bpd of Iranian crude would lift Iran's oil exports by 50 percent and provide a major boost to its struggling economy. At current oil prices near $100 a barrel Iran would earn about an additional $1.5 billion a month."Iran has to find a way to accommodate more exports: this is the reason behind this," an Iranian official said. "Both sides should rush for it. Russia will be able to guarantee a large amount of trade with its neighbor and Iran will be able to overcome its export difficulties."No details were available about the equipment and goods on offer from Russia.Given Russia is a major oil exporter, the Iranian oil would likely be exported from Iran on Russia's account, with Russian goods and equipment bartered in exchange.Most Iranian oil goes to Asia.Iran's biggest oil buyer is China, importing about 420,000 bpd in 2013. Unlike Iran's other oil buyers, China has not cut purchases much, despite efforts from the United States.Other major Asian buyers of Iranian oil including Japan, South Korea and India have cut imports sharply under pressure from Washington. Turkey and South Africa also have reduced or eliminated imports.(Editing Richard Mably and Giles Elgood)

01/ 9/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Open Doors NGO reports sharp increase in anti-Christian violence

Christians in Iraq

Open Doors ranks North Korea as top persecutor of Christians, followed by Somalia and Syria in its 2014 World Watch List. Meanwhile, Africa is beginning to feature more prominently among the 50 countries where the risk of persecution is highest

Giorgio Bernardelli Rome Over the course of the past year, persecution against Christians has increased across the whole world and Africa is gradually becoming “a battlefield for Christian Churches” too. This was revealed by the 2014 World Watch List, the annual report on the state of anti-Christian violence across the world, introduced in 1997 by international evangelical NGO Open Doors.Research is based on the monitoring of fifty countries where Christians are believed to face the highest risk of persecution. Each country scores points based on various criteria such as news regarding single acts of violence, the daily repression experienced by faithful through laws or acts of intimidation which prevent the exercise of religious freedom. Korea ranked top of the list of countries that are most hostile towards Christians for the twelfth year running. It is the only country where the persecution level is “absolute”. It is followed by another twelve countries where the persecution level is “extreme”. Topping this list is Somalia (which moved from fifth to second place), followed by Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, the Maldives, Pakistan, Iran and Yemen. 
But ranking aside, what Open Doors was keen to draw attention to was the overall worsening of the situation of Christians in the world: twelve months ago, all fifty countries put together scored a total of 2683 points. This year, this figure has shot to 3019. In other words, it is as if the global situation has worsened by 12, 5%.Another clear trend that has emerged is Africa’s increasingly prominent presence on the persecution map: Somalis is not the only country that has seen a surge in violence. The Central African Republic, a country which until last year showed no signs of a need for monitoring now ranks 16^th in the list of countries where faith has the highest cost. The ongoing civil war is partly to do with this. 18 African countries feature in the Open Doors list of 50 countries where the risk of anti-Christian persecution is highest and there are 36 countries where Islamic radicalism is responsible for the persecution of Christians.In the twelve months accounted for in the Open Doors World Watch List, 2123 Christians were killed and 1044 violent persecution cases were recorded. Not surprisingly, the highest number of victims was recorded in Syria (1213), followed by Nigeria (612), while the highest number of violent attacks was recorded in Egypt (167 cases), followed by India (125) and Nigeria (118).Open Doors draws attention to the fact that one of the fifty countries being monitored is Colombia. Colombia’s Christians are certainly not a minority but Open Doors has ranked them 25^th in the list of countries where persecution is classed as “severe”, because of the lootings and murders against those who oppose the rebel guerrillas and other criminal activities. Meanwhile, China comes 30^th and has been included in the list of countries where persecution is “moderate”.

01/ 8/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Francis: “Baptism is not a formality”

Francis at the General Audience in St. Peter's Square

Today the Pope began the first of a new series of audiences on the sacraments for the new year. During the General Audience, the President of the Italian Bishops’Conference introduced the Sampdoria football team to the Pope, who also met the Conference’s secretary, Nunzio Galantino

Iacopo Scaramuzzi vatican city Baptism is not simply “a rite for the naming of a child” but "an act which deeply touches our lives.” Pope Francis kick started the new year at today’s General Audience, with a new series of catecheses on the sacraments, starting with baptism. This follows his catecheses on the Creed in the run up to Christmas. On the Feast of the Lord’s baptism this coming Sunday, the Argentinean Pope will baptise some children in the Sistine Chapel.“We may ask ourselves: Is baptism really necessary to live a Christian life and follow jesus?” Jorge Mario Bergoglio asked. St. Peter’s Square was bathed in winter sunshine during today’s General Audience attended by thousands of faithful. “Isn’t baptism a formal act of name-giving performed by the Church? People may ask themselves this question… and the words of the Apostle Paul may help to shed some light on this,” the Pope said:  “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” So baptism is not a formality; it is "an act which deeply touches our lives. A child who is baptized is not the same as a non- baptized child, a baptized person is not the same as a non-baptized person.”Pope Francis then returned to a subject that is very dear to him: people’s baptism dates. As he has done on a couple of occasions before, the Pope asked those present whether they remembered the date of their baptism and gave them a piece of advice.  Or rather a "task". He asked them to look up the date of their Baptism when they go home today, "ask what the date of your Baptism was and thus you will know the date of this beautiful day.” Otherwise, you risk not knowing the date and seeing it simply as an event that once took place in the past  - and not even through your own decision but through your parents’ – and therefore has no bearing to the present.” The Pope asked the crowds: “Can a person baptise him or herself?” Faithful responded “no” because throughout history, people have always baptised one another, it is a “chain of grace”. “It is an act of brotherhood, an act of affiliation to the Church.”Pope Francis presided today’s General Audience as a simple shepherd before the busy month ahead. February is the month of the Consistory, the meeting of the General Secretariat of the Synod and the meetings with the Council of Cardinals and the cardinals who are looking into the administrative and economic problems of the Holy See. Francis did his usual round of St. Peter’s Square, greeting faithful and giving a “lift” to a priest friend of his whom he saw from a far.At the end of his catechesis, he spent over an hour greeting faithful, kissing children and talking to the sick and married couples. Among the crowd was Fr. Alessandro De Sanctis, a 96 year old priest who had seen seven Popes in his lifetime. Among those accompanying the disabled was Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, a member of the Comission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See.The President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, brought some Genoese priests and some players from Italian football club Sampdoria (“You’re great, eh! Set an example to young people,” Bergoglio told them) to meet the Pope. Francis also thanked the performers of Liana Orfei’S Golden Circus  after they put on a short performance in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. He invited them “as they travel from city to city, to be messengers of joy and brotherhood in a society that needs these things so much.” Before the General Audience the Pope received the Secretary General of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Mgr. Nunzio Galantino.