JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
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.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
04/16/2015-Catholics worldwide increase to 1.254 billion-Venezuelan faithful in St. Peter's Square-A new edition of the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, the Vatican statistical yearbook and the 2015 Pontifical Yearbook have published updated data. Vocations are doing slightly better in Italy but there has been a drop in the US-Iacopo Scaramuzzi-vatican insider
vatican city-The number of Catholics in the world is rising. In the period between 2005 and 2013, the number of baptised individuals increased from 1.115 billion to 1.254 billion, with an overall increase of 139 million faithful. The number has grown in Africa in particular, in proportion to the demographic increase in America and Asia, while in Europe the figure remains stationary in Europe. This is some of the data contained in the 2013 Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae which was officially published today along with the 2015 Pontifical Yearbook.The statistical data contained in the Annuarium Statisticum referring to the year 2013, provide a concise analysis of the main dynamics relating to the Catholic Church in 2.989 ecclesial areas around the planet. In the period spanning 2005 to 2013, a note says, the number of baptised Catholics in the world increased rapidly, with a percentage increase of over 12%. Within the same space of time, they went from almost 1.115 to 1.254 billion, with an overall increase of 139 million baptised Catholics. Since the world population rose from 6.463 to 7.094 billion, the global percentage of Catholics rose from 17.3 to 17.7. But these figures give a summary of very diverse situations across continents. In Europe the situation is stationary which is mainly attributable to a well known demographic trend on this continent: Europe’s population is currently going through a stable phase and is expected to sharply decline in the coming decades. In 2013, baptised faithful whose number had increased slightly compared to the previous year, totalled 287 million and have increased by 6.5 million since 2005. The situation in Africa is more dynamic. Here, Catholics increased by 34%: In 2005 there were 153 million of them while in 2013 this figure rose to 206 million. This trend, which is only partly attributable to purely demographic factors, reflects a real increase in the presence of baptised Catholics, the note says. Indeed, while Catholics represented 17.1% of Africa’s population in 2005, eight years later they represented 19% of the continent’s population. The situations recorded in America and Asia are somewhere in between Europe’s and Africa’s. In America and Asia there has been a significant rise in the number of baptised Catholics (+10.5 and +17.4% respectively), but is completely down to the demographic development witnessed over the same period. In fact in relative terms, Catholic representation in America has remained stable at 63% of the population while in Asia Catholic representation has gone from 2.9% in 2005 to 3.2% in 2013. The number of baptised Catholics per 100 inhabitants is stable in Oceania although in relation to absolute values which are significantly lower.Amongst the other data, the statistical yearbook highlights that members of the apostolate such as bishops, priests, permanent deacons, religious who are not priests, professed women religious, members of secular institutes, lay missionaries and catechists numbered 4.762.458 at the end of 2013, with a positive variation of just under 300.000 units compared to 2005.The yearbook shows a slow but gradual process of substitution of missionary bishops with local leaders. Considering the percentage relationship between bishops who are not from a given continent and the total number of bishops, one notices that in the period between 2005 and 2013, this value has dropped in Oceania, Africa and America but has increased in Europe and Asia, albeit slightly.The total number of priests – secular and religious – was 415.348 at the end of 2013. There was a 0.3% increase compared to the previous year, when the number of Catholics reached 414.313. The increase was witnessed across all territorial areas except North America and Europe, where the body of priests diminished in the space of one year, by 1.4% and 1.2% respectively. In 2013, 44.3% of priests lived in Europe – where just under 23% of the world’s Catholics lived - 29.6% lived in America where 49% of the world’s Catholics were present, 14.8% lived in Asia, where 10.9% of the world’s Catholics were present, 10.1% lived in Africa where 16.4% of the world’s Catholics were present and finally, 1.2% of priests lived in Oceania, where 0,8% of the world’s Catholics were present. There is a strong growth in the number of permanent, diocesan and religious deacons both on a global scale and in individual continents. In 2005 there were 33.391 of them and over 43.000 in 2013, with a positive variation of 29%. The group of professed religious who are not priests grew by 1% between 2005 and 2013. In 2013, Africa and Asia together, accounted for over 36% of the total (that was compared to 31% in 2005). Professed women religious dropped by 1.3% between 2012 and 2013. Throughout this period, their number decreased from 760.529 in 2005 to 693.575 in 2013, with a variation of -8.8%. In this case too, the decline affected three continents (Europe, America and Oceania), with a significant variation (-18.3% in Europe, -15.5% in America and 17.1% in Oceania). In Africa and Asia, however, the increase was sustained at above 18% in Africa and 10% in Asia.After a period of a constant and sustained increase in the number of priestly vocations which peaked in 2011, in the final two years there was a trend reversal, with a 2% decrease over two years. There was a sharp decrease in North America and especially in the US, with a 5.2% drop between 2011 and 2013. In Europe there was a 3.6% decrease over two years. The countries that contributed to this phenomenon were mainly Poland (-10%), the UK (-11.5%), Germany (-7.7%), the Czech Republic (13.0%), Austria (-10.9%), France (-3.5%) and Spain (-1.8%). On the contrary, there has been a rise in the number of vocations in Italy (+0.3%), in Ukraine (+4.5%) and in Belgium (+7.5%). The trend is stationary in Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
WND EXCLUSIVE-Pope again stokes World War III fears-'Heinous crimes committed against Christians daily in bloody massacres'-apr15,15
NEW YORK – At a time when Christians worldwide are facing persecutions of historic nature, Pope Francis, in his homily delivered Sunday at Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City, expressed concern that “World War II is upon us” and urged Christians to proclaim their faith fearlessly, without concern for the consequences.“The path of the Church is openness, to speak frankly, with liberty,” Pope Francis said, reading from New Testament scriptures of the days after the Resurrection of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and gave them the courage to go forth and proclaim their faith without fear.Pope Francis based his homily from the Acts of the Apostles, recalling the words of Saint Peter and Saint John expressing the courage they felt after the Resurrection when the Holy Spirit had descended upon them, urging them to shed their fear of reprisals, going forth openly into the world to proclaim, “We can speak openly now of what we have seen and heard Jesus do.”“Even today, the message of the Church is the message of the openness in the path of Christian courage,” the pope said. “These two apostles, Peter and John, as the Bible says, found they had the courage without having to be told what to do. The Bible conveys this in simple words, translated as ‘courage,’ ‘openness,’ ‘freedom to speak,’ and ‘to not be afraid” to say what they felt. Even in the original, the Bible has so much significance with the simple assurance that all our fears will pass when we find the courage to express our faith in Christ openly.”The pope’s homily at the Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City followed a High Mass celebrated in the St. Peter’s Cathedral to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 massacre of the Armenians by the Turks, in which the pope caused uproar in Turkey by utilizing the Armenian genocide of a hundred years ago to explain that Christians once again are seeing “heinous crimes committed against Christians daily, in bloody massacres and the madness of destruction.”“I fear we are already in World War III,” Pope Francis said, explaining that genocides such as happened to the Armenians in World War I and were repeated with the atrocities of Hitler and Stalin in World War II are being repeated today.“I fear World War III is upon us when we hear daily the muffled cries of our brothers and sisters who are killed in unimaginable violence. These martyrs, simply because they believe in Jesus Christ or because of their ethnicity, are forced to abandon their land or be murdered horribly – decapitated, crucified, and burned alive.”In reporting on the pope’s homily at Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City, the Vatican Radio noted the hero of the story is the Holy Spirit.“The message is not that we should go forth proselytizing our faith as if we were engaged in advertising to get others to join with us in our spiritual society,” Pope Francis said. “No, this will not work, it is not truly Christian.“What is Christian,” he distinguished, “is to have the courage to proclaim Jesus Christ, as Christ explained in ‘the mysterious dialogue’ with the Pharisee Nicodemus, the courage to be ‘born again,’ through the action of the Holy Spirit. The path of Christian courage is the path of proclaiming our astonishment at the word of Jesus Christ that keeps our faith alive and moving ahead.”The pope explained that when Jesus speaks of being “born again,” Jesus means for us to understand the Holy Spirit brings upon us, as he did coming upon the Apostles after the Resurrection, the courage to proclaim our faith openly without fear of consequence.“We hear his voice come upon us as he came upon the Apostles like the wind, descending upon them as they huddled in that room after Christ died, giving them the courage to turn to God and not flee, but instead face their fears squarely and proclaim His Word totally openly, boldly, without fear,” Pope Francis said.“Only the Holy Spirit has the power to change the history of our lives, to place us in union with Jesus Christ,” he concluded. “That courage of our faith in Jesus Christ must come from the Holy Spirit, because only God has the power to transform without instruction simple men like Peter and John, removing their fear and imparting unto them even the courage to proclaim their final witness to Jesus Christ, even if it meant surrendering their lives in martyrdom.”Pope Francis ended his homily reminding the faithful the mission of the Church after Easter is to prepare believers to receive the Holy Spirit “in the celebration of the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, recalling the history of salvation, being willing to ask for the grace to receive the Holy Spirit to give us too the courage to announce to the world Jesus Christ.”The pope’s homily at the Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City followed a High Mass celebrated in the St. Peter’s Cathedral to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 massacre of the Armenians by the Turks, in which the pope caused uproar in Turkey by utilizing the Armenian genocide of a hundred years ago to explain that Christians once again are seeing “heinous crimes committed against Christians daily, in bloody massacres and the madness of destruction.”
04/16/2015-Francis dedicates mass to Ratzinger on his 88th birthday-Francis and Benedict XVI pray together (March 2013)-Today Benedict XVI celebrates his birthday and to mark the occasion, Francis offered this morning’s mass in St. Martha’s House to him. “Those who do not know how to dialogue do not obey God”-Domenico Agasso jr-vatican insider
ROme-Pope Francis is in no doubt that those who are not able to speak and listen, do not obey the Lord and want to silence anyone who preaches the newness of God, Vatican Radio reports. Today’s liturgy of the day was about obedience: “Obedience often brings us along a path that is not the one I think should be, but along another path,” Francis said. But what does it mean to obey? It means “to have the courage to change paths when the Lord asks this of us”. “The one who obeys has life eternal,” while for “the one who does not obey, the wrath of God remains upon him”.In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the priests and leaders order the disciples of Jesus to stop preaching the Gospel to the people: they became infuriated, they are “full of jealousy,” because miracles took place in the presence of the disciples, the people followed them, “and the number of believers grew.” They put the disciples in jail, but in the night, the Angel of the Lord freed them and they returned to proclaiming the Gospel. When he was arrested and questioned again, Peter responded to the threats of the high priest: “We must obey God rather than men.” But he priests did not understand.“But they were teachers,” Francis pointed out, “they had studied the history of the people, they had studied the prophecies, they had studied the law, they knew all about the theology of the people of Israel, the revelation of God, they knew everything, they were teachers, and they were incapable of recognizing the salvation of God. But why this hardness of hard? Because it is not a hardness of the head, it is not simple stubbornness. Here it is hardness… And one can ask: What is the path of this stubbornness, this total stubbornness, of head and of heart? “The history of this stubbornness, the journey,” the Pope emphasized, “is that of closing in on oneself, is that of not dialoguing, it is the lack of dialogue”.“They didn’t know to dialogue,” he said, “they didn’t know to dialogue with God, because they didn’t know to pray and to hear the voice of God, and they didn’t know to dialogue with others. ‘But why did they understand in this way?’ They only interpreted how the law could be more precise, but they were closed to the signs of God in history, they were closed to the people, to their people. They were closed, closed. And the lack of dialogue, this closure of the heart, brought them to the point of not obeying God. This is the drama of these teachers of Israel, of these theologians of the people of God: they didn’t know to listen, they didn’t know to dialogue. Dialogue takes place with God and with the brethren.The sign that reveals that a person “does not know to dialogue,” “is not open to the voice of the Lord, to the signs that the Lord does among the people,” the Pope said, is the “fury and the desire to silence all those who preach in this case the newness of God, that is that Jesus is Risen. There’s no reason, but they reach this point. It is a sorrowful journey. These are the same people that paid the guards at the sepulchre to say that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus. They did everything they could to not open themselves to the voice of God.”Francis concluded today’s mass inviting faithful to “pray for the teachers, for the doctors, for those who teach the people of God, that they would not be closed in on themselves, that they would dialogue, and so save themselves from the wrath of God, which, if they do not change their attitude, will remain upon them”.Today, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turns 88 and Pope Francis dedicated this morning’s mass in the St. Martha House chapel to his predecessor, expressing his special wishes: “I would like to remind you all that today it is Pope Benedict XVI’s birthday. I have offered this mass to him and I invite you to pray for him, that the Lord may sustain him and give him much joy and happiness”.Today’s occasion, Vatican Radio reports is “a happy occasion which the Pope will be spending in Mater Ecclesiae, the Vatican monastery, where he has lived a life of prayer since his resignation from the Petrine ministry. Joseph Ratzinger has been receiving many wishes, also via the social networks.”
04/17/2015 -Papal visit to US: Francis is considering a stop in Cuba-Raul Castro, Francis and Obama-The possibility of a visit to Havana at the end of the Pope’s trip to US cities – Philadelphia, Washington and New York - is being looked into-andrea tornielli-vatican insider
vatican city-Seventeen years after John Paul II’s historic visit to the island in January 1998 and Benedict XVI’s in March 2012, which was just as important, another Pope may be about to step foot on Cuban soil – the first South American Pope in the history of the Catholic Church. The Vatican is looking into the possibility of prolonging the Pope’s visit to the US next September, by one or two days in order to allow him to make a quick stop-over in Havana. After a decades-long “cold war”, the Caribbean island of Cuba is re-establishing diplomatic ties with Washington, partly thanks to Vatican mediation.The news was revealed by American sources and was re-printed by the Wall Street Journal. Today, the director of the Holy See press office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, stated: "The Holy Father has taken into consideration the idea of carrying out a leg to Cuba on the occasion of his upcoming visit to the United States. However, contact with the authorities of the country is too much at an early stage to speak of this stop as a decision taken and of a project in operation.” It is too early therefore to say whether the trip will go ahead. What is certain, is that Francis is thinking about it and contact has been established in order to make this additional stop possible. The Pope’s scheduled visit to the US will see him attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia as well as a joint session of the US Congress, meeting Barack Obama at the White House and addressing the United Nations.In recent days, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, attended the seventh Summit of the Americas organised by the Organization of American States. The summit was held in Panama and attended by Obama and Raul Castro. Parolin read out a message from Francis which said: it pleases me to express my closeness and encouragement so that sincere dialogue will bring about mutual collaboration that unites efforts and overcomes differences in the path toward the common good.” “I pray to God that, through sharing common values, you arrive at commitments of collaboration in the national and regional environments that address the problems with realism and transmit hope,” the Pope added.Next week, another close collaborator of the Pope’s will also be heading off to the Caribbean island: Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, who was Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba from 1993 to 1999 and as such was directly involved in the preparations for John Paul II’s trip as well as contacts with the Cuban government which was then led by Fidel Castro. Cardinal Stella’s visit has a pastoral purpose linked to his new office and will include meetings with bishops, priests and seminarists.
04/15/2015-President Rivlin visits Christian leaders in Jerusalem-President Rivlin: "Religious freedom is a value dear to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. I reaffirm our obligation to freedom of worship for all denominations and communities. We shall not allow hate crimes against people or buildings of faith"-President rivlin's Spokesperson-vatican insider
jerusalem-President Reuven Rivlin today (Tuesday), visited the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem in the Old City, for a meeting with the heads of Christian Churches in Israel. The President was received warmly by Greek Patriarch Theophilos III, who presented the President to the assembled Church leaders. This is the first visit of an Israeli president to the site since the visit of President Navon over 30 years ago.Greek Patriarch Theophilos III began by welcoming the President, "We are grateful for your visit during this season when the Christian community is celebrating the festival of Pascha (Easter). The close relationship between Passover (Pesach) and Easter (Pascha) is an important reminder to us all of the deep bonds that unite the children of Abraham. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have lived here side-by-side for centuries, always seeking mutual understanding, for the mutual wellbeing in our region. In the particularly turbulent current situation of the Middle East, we know there is no better alternative than to live together in genuine harmony. We wish to acknowledge and commend you, Mr. President, for the strong stance you have taken against religious bigotry of any kind, and for the actions you have taken against crimes targeting religious shrines, monuments and holy places."Following his address, the Patriarch presented the President with a beautiful menorah (candelabra), and a copy of "Duties of the Heart" by 11th Century Jewish philosopher, Bahya Ibn Pakuda. The President thanked the Patriarch, and noted that, as the Jewish community had just finished celebrating the festival of Passover, "When the People of Israel were slaves in Egypt, the first thing Moses asked for was not to ease the hard work, but for the freedom of worship. The trigger to the Exodus from Egypt was the demand of the Hebrews to 'Let us worship our God'."The President stressed, "Religious freedom is a value dear to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. And I am proud of our obligation, and I reaffirm that obligation to freedom of worship for all denominations and communities. We cannot allow hate crimes against people or buildings of faith. An attack on your holy sites is like an attack on our holy sites, and Israel's law enforcement must deal with such crimes accordingly. We live in a complex political and religious reality, especially here in Jerusalem - the microcosm of the Middle East. It is our shared duty to have proper and respectful communication between us. For many years our relations have been maintained through the status-quo. The status-quo is not only a formal obligation, it is an expression of understanding and of the delicate balance of living in a diverse community. I believe that, despite the differences and challenges, we can all establish trust, partnership and mutual respect as people of faith."Following the President's address, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal spoke. He said, "We pray that during your term in office, peace will be implemented between peoples, based on justice, dignity, and security. There is a great threat to the Christian communities in the Middle East. Yet there is an embarrassed silence about Christians being crucified, beheaded, stoned and shot in country after country. We must lament the slaughter of Christians in the presence of the indifference of world leaders. We hope and pray that God will impart peace on our peoples in the Middle East, and across the world."At the conclusion of the gathering, the President presented the Greek Patriarch with an engraving of an ancient coin from Jerusalem, before signing the visitors book quoting the Book of Psalms (122:6), "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love her prosper."
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
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,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
EU states renew call to label Israeli settler goods-By Andrew Rettman-euobserver-apr 17,15
BRUSSELS, Today, 18:18-Sixteen EU states have said products made by Israeli settlers should be marked in shops so that European consumers can decide whether to boycott them.The group - which includes France, Italy, Spain, and the UK - made the appeal in a letter to EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini on Monday (13 April).They said “EU-wide guideline on the labelling of settlement produce/ products … is an important step in the full implementation of EU longstanding policy in relation to the preservation of the two-state solution”.They noted that “expansion of Israeli illegal settlements … threatens the prospect of just and final peace agreement”.They add EU consumers have a right to “not being misled by false information” and “confidence in knowing the origin of goods they are purchasing”.They also the retail code should in the form of binding “legislation” and that it “benefit” Palestinian exporters.The initiative was co-ordinated by Belgium, whose foreign minister also signed the paper. The other signatories are Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Slovenia.An EU source said the letter is likely to be discussed in the margins of Monday’s foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.He added that the retail code, which is being put together by the European Commission on the basis of existing consumer and trade legislation, isn’t ready yet.“This letter comes after a similar one written to Mogherini’s predecessor [Catherine Ashton]. It’s just to check where we are with this and to make sure it stays on the agenda”.The letter to Ashton, in April 2013, had 13 signatories, however.For its part, Israel claims the settlements are legal and that their expansion isn’t to blame for lack of peace. It also says EU interventions make Palestinians less willing to negotiate and stem from deep-rooted anti-Semitism in Europe.The EU is currently waiting for the US, Israel’s main security sponsor, to decide whether to try to relaunch the Middle East peace process before the end of president Barack Obama’s second term.
But sources in Washington told this website the personal relations between Obama and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu are so bad that prospects of a new US initiative are low.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Internal market to be the EU's new integration project By Honor Mahony-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 15. Apr, 17:31-The European Commission is planning much stronger emphasis on integrating the EU's internal market in a bid to get member states focussing on practical issues after years of squabbling over how to address the economic crisis.“We need something which is common for everybody after being in crisis management mode for seven to eight years now. I feel very strongly that this could be very good for the European project,” said Jyrki Katainen, vice-president of the European Commission.In the coming months plans for an energy union, a capital markets union and a digital union will be unveiled. There will also be a single market strategy focusing on how member states are implementing laws."I do hope that this commission will be remember for internal market development. There is a economic need but also a political need," he said.Speaking to a group of journalists, the Finnish commissioner, in charge of growth and jobs, indicated this could heal the divisions that have arisen over the eurozone crisis, noting there is “no border line between south and north when it comes to internal market-related issues”.Katainen was at the forefront of this division in his past job as Finnish prime minister. His goverment took a hard line in its approach to Greece's second bailout, something which eventually resulted in Helsinki demanding collateral for its loans.More generally, the EU has seen northern countries such as Germany and the Netherlands push for deep spending cuts in bailout countries such as Greece, Portugal and Cyprus. The ideological split has been mirrored by deep differences in unemployment and poverty rates, which are generally much higher in southern member states.Katainen points to the political element of harmonising rules and standards across a series of sectors to make it easier for people and firms to more freely consume or do business."This internal market exercise is extremely important because it will be the first time in many years where we all concentrate on deepening European integration."However, it is being touted as more than integration for integration’s sake.The Finnish commissioner is in charge of 'selling' his institution's flagship €315 billion growth plan to investors around the EU, but he notes that over the long term "the biggest impact on growth will come from the internal market side".This focus will not only be about new proposals to break down barriers to the EU’s single market, but also clamping down on member states who don’t implement already-agreed rules."We are planning to get some stronger tools to monitor and to push member states to implement all internal market legislation," said Katainen."We should be as tough with implementation of internal market rules as we have been with fiscal policy rules," he added.At the moment, the European Commission regularly publishes a list of member states which have failed to transpose EU laws, but the monthly exercise has little effect.EU fiscal rules, tightened since the economic crisis, consist of a comprehensive monitoring and continuous assessment of governments attempts to stick to the deficit and debt rules underpinning the euro.
UK debate
Meanwhile, deepening the internal market could have other practical spin-offs, for instance, in relation to the UK’s domestic debate on the EU.The country is due to have a membership referendum in 2017 if the Conservatives get back into power after the May election.And London, traditionally one of the better pupils when it comes to putting in place EU laws, tends to frame its relation to the EU in terms of what the single market can bring the country.Some voices in the commission believe that showing results in internal market integration might take some of the heat out of the UK’s domestic EU debate - largely focussed on immigration - and give politicians something concrete on which to centre discussion.
Turkey says EP resolution on Armenia 'null and void'-By EUOBSERVER-16. Apr, 10:26
Turkey's EU affairs minister Volkan Bozkir has said a European Parliament resolution urging wider recognition of the Armenian genocide is "null and void for Turkey and the Turkish nation ... a slander". Turks murdered 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, but Ankara says it happened when they "fell ill" during "deportations".
Pro-Russia journalist gunned down in Kiev-By EUOBSERVER-apr 17,15
A journalist known for his pro-Russian views was shot dead in Kiev Thursday. Oles Buzyna was killed near his home by two masked men according the interior ministry. The ministry believes the murder is connected to the killing of Ukrainian MP Oleg Kalashykov Wednesday. Buzyna had edited the newspaper Segodnya.
EU sets 'decisive' 11 may deadline for Greece By Eric Maurice-apr 17,15-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:44-Forget the 24 April Eurogroup meeting in Riga. The new deadline to find an agreement between Greece and its lenders is now the next Eurogroup planned on 11 May.In an interview with the Financial Times Friday (17 April), EU commissioner for economic and financial affairs Pierre Moscovici said Greece must "speed up" work on reforms and that the 11 May meeting "certainly must be decisive"."The April 24 meeting in Riga must not be a wasted moment; it must be a useful moment in which we see concrete progress in catching up with those reforms".This the first time a top EU official has clearly indicated a date for an agreement on Greek reforms to unblock a €7.2 billon loan to the cash-strapped country.Before now, EU sources had said that the 24 April meeting was the date when Greeks expected a deal, but that the EU was waiting for a detailed list of reforms with an assessment of their cost and revenues. Moscovici’s statement indicates the EU is getting impatient with the left-wing government of Alexis Tsipras in Athens, but is also worried about the prospect of a possible default.Discussions with Greece have been "not precise enough. We are not talking about nothing. We are talking about things, but now we need to make progress," Moscovici told the FT.Meanwhile, a EU commission spokeswoman announced that the Brussels Group, comprising experts from Greece, the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will meet during the weekend to try to make progress in talks to agree on the set of Greek reforms.Tsipras said Thursday the disagreement were on "labour relations, the social security system, the VAT increase and the rationale regarding the development of state property".Eurozone officials complained that Greek representatives were still not being detailed enough about the state of the country’s finances.With Greece due to pay €4 billion in loan and bond repayments next month in addition to the monthly €1.5 billion in pensions and salaries, the risk of a default has increased.Greek daily Kathimerini reportedon Friday that central banks in neighbouring countries "have effectively quarantined Greece" in order to reduce exposure to a Greek default."The central banks of Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have all forced the subsidiaries of Greek banks operating in those countries to bring their exposure to Greek risk (bonds, treasury bills, deposits to Greek banks, loans etc. down to zero," wrote Kathimerini.The risk of a failure to reach a deal at next week's Eurogroup was highlighted by Greece’s finance minister Yanis Varoufakis."If our partners in the institutions say, 'No liquidity for you, no disbursements, no new contract,' then of course this [Greece’s financial situation] is unsustainable," he told the Huffington Postwebsite while in Washington.On Thursday, the IMF chief, Christine Lagarde, rejected the idea of giving Greece extra time to repay its debt.These worries explain why Moscovici believes the mid- May Eurogroup will be "decisive".He assured, however, that a default and Greece leaving the Eurozone was not an option in Brussels."Grexit would be bad for the eurozone as a whole; bad for Greek people; bad for the financial system; of course it would be bad. The financial risk could be addressed, but it would be bad. So no Grexit is our motto," he said.
IMF refuses to soften Greek repayment programme-apr 17,15-euobserver-By Eric Maurice
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:26-A week ahead of the next Eurogroup meeting, chances for an agreement between Greece and its lenders seems to have all but faded, while a refusal, by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to delay any loan repayments indicates tough times ahead for Athens' financial planners.On Thursday (16 April), IMF chief Christine Lagarde ruled out giving Greece more time to pay back the €1 billion it owes to the fund in May.It was reported earlier in the day by the Financial Times that Greece had asked, informally, for extra time. The report was denied by the country’s finance minister Yanis Varoufakis." It’s clearly not a course of action that could be recommended in the current situation," Lagarde said at the IMF spring meeting, adding that delays "have been granted to a couple of developing countries, and that was not followed by very productive results"."Our advice to the Greek government is to get on with the work of improving the short and medium-term economic prospects," she said.The IMF refusal comes after the S&P rating agency said Greece risked default in mid-May if it fails to find an funding agreement with the Eurozone on 24 April.In addition to the the IMF loans, Athens will have to disburse the monthly €1.5 billion it owes for pensions and civil servants' salaries, as well as €2.8 billion in bond repayments.Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras told the Reuters news agency on Thursday that he "remain[s] firmly optimistic that there will be an [Eurogroup] agreement by the end of the month”."The Greek government is working hard," said Tsipras, adding there are "already many points of convergence between the two sides".Greece wants a "mutually beneficial solution, an honourable compromise with our partners: a compromise which will respect the recent popular mandate as well as the euro zone's operational framework," said Tsipras.But in Brussels, the 24 April informal deadline is increasingly being seen as impossible to meet, with the new deadline, the next Eurogroup meeting on 11 May, emerging as more likely.On Thursday, the European Commission spokesman said the executive is “not satisfied” with the progress in discussions between the Greece and the euro countries’ group, comprised of experts from the EU and the IMF.Tsipras himself recognised that the two sides still disagree on four crucial issues."There remain four points of disagreement in the fields of labour relations, the social security system, the VAT increase and the rationale regarding the development of state property," he said."Let me be clear: This does not have to do with a technical weakness but a political disagreement, which everyone was aware of in advance," he added.Speaking in Washington on Thursday, Varoufakis said Greece "will compromise" but will "not end up being compromised", adding that he hoped for a longer term agreement in June.Mean while, yields on Greek bonds reached new highs, climbing to more than 26 percent on two-year bonds and 13 percent on 10-year bonds.The evolution indicates growing fears of a Greek default on the markets, but could also make even more costly Greece’s next attempts to finance itself by auctioning short terms bonds.
EU hiring 'myth-busters' on Russian propaganda By Andrew Rettman-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 16. Apr, 18:20-The EU foreign service is recruiting a handful of new experts to help counter Russia’s anti-Western propaganda.The job description, sent out on 20 March to EU states’ embassies in Brussels, says their task will be “correction and fact-checking of misinformation/myths”.It will also involve “development and regular updating of EU ‘narrative’ via key messages/lines to take, articles, op-eds, factsheets and infographics, with an emphasis on communicating the benefits of the EaP”.The EaP, or Eastern Partnership, is an EU policy on closer trade and political ties with six former Soviet countries.The new staff are to be Russian speakers and to do “analysis/monitoring of reporting on EU policies” in Russian language media.The group - between two and five people - will also prepare press “materials” in Russian.They’ll be initially hired for one year and paid at least €4,350 a month. But they’ll be paid by whichever EU countries put them forward because EU institutions have not earmarked any money for the project.The job description notes they should be former journalists or press officers and know their way around “social media”.The move comes after EU leaders, in March, tasked the foreign service “to challenge Russia's ongoing disinformation campaign”.They said the EU should “prepare, by June, an action plan on strategic communication in support of media freedom. The establishment of a communication team is a first step in this regard”.Russia’s media machine was on show on Thursday (16 April) when president Vladimir Putin held his annual Q&A session with the general public.Most questions focused on Russia’s economy, the rising cost of food and medicine, or problems with housing and social services.Putin said in Moscow that EU economic sanctions “have an impact” and that “it's highly unlikely that [they] will be lifted anytime soon”.He claimed the EU and US imposed them “to restrain our growth” and that they “have nothing to do” with the conflict in Ukraine, because “the Russian army is not in Ukraine”.He predicted the Russian economy will return to growth in two years.He also claimed the US forced EU leaders to boycott his 9 May military parade in Moscow, a WWII memorial event.The TV show, which included glamorous female presenters and questions from starry-eyed children, was broadcast, with live translation, by RT.The Kremlin’s media flagship has a budget of $300 million a year, employs 2,000 people in 16 countries, and airs shows in English, French, German, and Spanish.It is said to reach 700 million households worldwide and it makes the EU counter-project look tiny by comparison.But the new group of EU foreign service specialists is just one of several measures.The job description notes they’ll work together with the EU’s foreign embassies and relevant departments in the European Commission.The EU Council, which represents member states, is also co-ordinating groups of diplomats who will liaise with the EU foreign service cell.“We’re thinking how best to make use of whatever this team of myth-busters produces. One idea is a virtual network, anchored in the Council’s communications department, to distribute materials to member states”, an EU official said.A second EU official noted the EU foreign service cell “is only one element”.He said there will be “a wide range of EU activities aimed at communicating on EU policies and programmes, supporting independent media and media diversity … and promoting freedom of the media throughout the neighbourhood”.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror(ISM), consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Iraqi forces fight IS militants at gates of Anbar provincial capital-Reuters-apr 17,15-yahoonews
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces fought Islamic State militants at the gates of the western city of Ramadi on Friday, and local authorities warned it was in danger of falling unless reinforcements arrived soon.Police sources and provincial council members said the militants were no more than half a kilometer from the center of the capital of Anbar province, and many residents were rushing to leave, waving white flags."The situation in Anbar is critical," council member Sabah Karhout told Reuters. Two deputy governors of Anbar echoed his alarm and said the U.S.-led coalition was not conducting enough airstrikes to help save the city.A spokesman for the Defense Ministry played down the threat to Ramadi and said the army would soon launch a counter-offensive to reverse Islamic State advances in the area.The Sunni Islamist militants have been making inroads near Ramadi since last week, when the government announced a new offensive to recapture Anbar, large parts of which Islamic State has held for the past year.The insurgents suffered a major defeat this month when Iraqi troops and Shi'ite paramilitaries routed them from the city of Tikrit, but are now striking back in Anbar and at the country's largest refinery in Baiji.(Writing by Isabel Coles; editing by Andrew Roche)
Deadly car bomb targets U.S. consulate in Iraq's Erbil-Reuters By Isabel Coles-apr 17,15-yahoonews
ERBIL (Reuters) - A car bombing at the entrance to the U.S. consulate in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region killed at least one person and wounded five others on Friday the local mayor said.The State Department said no U.S. personnel were killed in the blast that it said was caused by a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device" that went off right outside the entrance to the heavily guarded compound.Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan is an important partner in a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants who have seized swathes of Iraq.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.A Reuters witness heard the blast which was followed by brief gunfire. Such attacks are rare in Erbil, a haven of relative safety in a country torn apart by insurgency and sectarian strife where, in many areas, bombings are a daily occurrence." A car bomb exploded outside the entrance to the U.S. consulate," Nihad Qoja, the mayor of Erbil's city center, told Reuters. "It seems the consulate was the target."He said the bomber had killed one person and wounded five others. It was not immediately clear who had been killed.The blast produced a plume of black smoke that rose high above the Ankawa district, a predominantly Christian neighborhood packed with cafes that is popular with foreigners.Kurdish peshmerga fighters have driven back Islamic State in northern Iraq with the help of U.S.-led coalition air strikes.The last major attack in Erbil was in November, when a suicide car bomber blew himself up outside the entrance to the governor's office in the heart of the city, killing five. Islamic State claimed responsibility(Writing by Oliver Holmes and Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Alison Williams)
