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)
ISRAEL WARNS EUROPE THAT PALESTINE RECOGNITION MAY BE MET WITH WEST BANK ANNEXATION.
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a
witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have
heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment
come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one
hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all
the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood
afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping
and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich
all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one
hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast
their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be
removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to
deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy
their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the
stumblingblock of their iniquity.
MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16
And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,
free and bond, (SLAVE) 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 16:1-2
1
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels,
Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the
earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth;
and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the
mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
3 PART PLAN TO MAKE YOU A PUPPET OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER (ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT CREW)
1-GET PEOPLE ADDICTED TO COMPUTERS.(MICRO-CHIPS INSIDE)
2-PUT COMPUTERS ON YOUR BODY (3D ETC) (MICRO-CHIPS INSIDE)
3-PUT A MICROCHIP INSIDE YOUR BODY. (COMPLETE) (TOTAL MICRO-CHIP CONTROL OF YOU)
I
KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP
WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2,
19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS
DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE
CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD
TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN
WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO
GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK
WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA,
KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS
A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM
5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A
POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E
(BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A
SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO
"GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING,
-TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα,
στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German
stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in
or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves
and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded
or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general
they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped
themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling,
Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.)
Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says
he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils,
hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of
Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary,
servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage
cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)
THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo
THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.
LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16
When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be
for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will
increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him
had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the
midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines
and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
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.
Isaiah 57:21
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
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.
Ephesians 2:2
2 Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air,(LIBERAL GODLESS AIR WAVES) the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience:
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3-7
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
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.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4
3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed,(EU WORLD DICTATOR)the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so
that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is
God.
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which
thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but
receive power as kings one hour with the beast.(SOCIALISM)
13 These have one mind,(SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it
were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2
And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a
bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU)
and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
2 THESSALONIANS 2:9-12
9 Even him,(EU WORLD DICTATOR) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,(THE
FALSE RESURRECTION BY THE WORLD DICTATOR) that they should believe a
lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
GENESIS 49:16-17-POSSIBLY A JEW FROM DAN KILLS THE DICTATOR AT MIDPOINT OF TRIB
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
REVELATION 13:1-10
1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS
DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the
mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and
great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw
one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly
wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after
the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4
And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the
beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is
like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE
RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him
a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto
him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to
blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in
heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and
to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the
earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of
life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth
with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and
the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH
AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON
EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD
(JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore
and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the
people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end
thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations
are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the
week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS)
and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the desolate.
THE WORLD DICTATOR
REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it
were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2
And I saw, and behold a white horse:(EU WORLD DICTATOR) and he that sat
on him had a bow;(PEACE) and a crown was given unto him:(WORLD LEADER)
and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH
WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT
ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES
ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR,
COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3
COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT
STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR
PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A
LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like
unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth
as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat,
and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM
SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it
were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the
world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION.
JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED
AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS
IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE
EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and
to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16
And he (FALSE POPE) causeth all,(WORLD SOCIALISM) both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or
in their foreheads:
DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do
according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things
against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither
shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN
JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify
himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of
forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall
he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant
things.
39 Thus shall he (THE EU DICTATOR) do in the most strong
holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god,
whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause
them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for
gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the
south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and
the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind,
with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall
enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5_pMvLZd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 7:23-25
23
Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth
kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all
kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and
break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this
kingdom are ten kings(10 DIVSION REGION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall
arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be
diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3
NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the
most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are
come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and
understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT-NEW AGE MOVEMENT) shall
stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own
power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall
prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his
hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall
destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of
princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36
And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall
exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS
JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall
magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate
shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew
not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and
pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a
strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and
increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY
LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19
And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their
armies,(UNITED NATIONS TROOPS) gathered together to make war against him
that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED
CHRISTIANS)
REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when
the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of
thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw,
and behold a white horse:(EU WORLD DICTATOR) and he that sat on him had a
bow;(PEACE) and a crown was given unto him:(WORLD LEADER) and he went
forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I
stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and
upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE
IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10
HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE
BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF
THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES
RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE
EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE
7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard,
and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a
lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great
authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES
FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to
death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after
the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A
LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK
OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO
BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it
was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them:
and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he
(FALSE POPE) causeth all,(WORLD SOCIALISM) both small and great, rich
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads:
DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do
according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things
against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither
shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN
JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify
himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of
forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall
he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant
things.
39 Thus shall he (THE EU DICTATOR) do in the most strong
holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god,
whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause
them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for
gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the
south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and
the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind,
with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall
enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
We
shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only
question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or
consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February
1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in
1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a
man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection
to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten
to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept
him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
No
one will enter the New World Order... unless he or she will make a
pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will
take a Luciferian Initiation.- David Spangler Director of Planetary
Initiative United Nations.
Should States Ban Mandatory Human
Microchip Implants? A new report examines the rise of pre-emptive bans
on mandated human microchip implants, noting that 13 states have
recently enacted such a ban, despite no companies currently requiring
the technology.January 05, 2025 • Dan Lohrmann
The Carnegie
Council for Ethics in International Affairs has released a report
entitled, "The Rise of Preemptive Bans on Human Microchip Implants,"
looking primarily at how some states are preparing for an increased
prevalence of this technology.Notably, more states are enacting
pre-emptive bans to prevent employers from requiring that their workers
be microchipped.“U.S. states are increasingly enacting legislation to
pre-emptively ban employers from forcing workers to be ‘microchipped,’
which entails having a subdermal chip surgically inserted between one’s
thumb and index finger," wrote the authors of the report.
"Internationally, more than 50,000 people have elected to receive
microchip implants to serve as their swipe keys, credit cards, and means
to instantaneously share social media information. This technology is
especially popular in Sweden, where chip implants are more widely
accepted to use for gym access, e-tickets on transit systems, and to
store emergency contact information.”But why are these states taking
this proactive action to ban microchip implants before any evidence has
emerged of widespread misuse? According to Mississippi state Sen. Kevin
Blackwell (R), who proposed a state bill to pre-emptively ban human
microchip implants in 2024 despite no employers in his state currently
requiring it, this technology poses a risk to employees’ rights.
Blackwell said, “Technology today is advancing at a rapid pace and as a
legislator we need to be aware of the use and misuse of this [microchip
implant] technology.”OTHER PERSPECTIVES ON MICROCHIP IMPLANTS-At the
same time, and on the other end of the spectrum, Elon Musk, who is the
CEO of Neuralink, praised the many advances of human brain interfaces
and the first human trials to help people overcome various diseases.
This video from one year ago showcases some of the ongoing cases.Also in
2024, Musk predicted that "hundreds of millions" of people will have
his brain chips within the next 20 years.The promise-happy billionaire
has not only declared that Neuralink is going to be full steam ahead,
but that patients will be outperforming pro gamers within two years. And
that's not even his wildest claim. Musk reckons Neuralink is going to
have to speed up human brains so that AI doesn't get "bored."Reuters
reported in August that Neuralink implanted a second trial patient with a
brain chip.What are the potential benefits of this new technology in
the medium term? I asked Google Gemini that question. Google Gemini
responded: "Neuralink's future plans include:
Brain-to-computer
interfaces — Neuralink hopes to create direct brain-to-computer
interfaces that allow people to control digital devices with their
thoughts.
Treating neurological disorders — Neuralink could treat
neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, memory loss, addiction,
insomnia, schizophrenia, and seizures.
Restoring movement —
Neuralink could help people with paralysis or amputations control
exoskeletons and prosthetics to restore movement.
Merging with
artificial intelligence — Neuralink's long-term vision is to combine
human consciousness with artificial intelligence.
Human enhancement — Neuralink could enhance cognitive abilities and memory.
Robot limbs — Neuralink could implant robotic limbs derived from Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot.
Digital
autonomy for people with quadriplegia — Neuralink's goal is to restore
digital autonomy to people with quadriplegia due to spinal cord injury
or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
High-performance interface —
Neuralink's goal is to provide a high-performance interface that
enhances the control of digital devices for people with quadriplegia.
Neuralink's
current device is called the N1 Implant, which is a brain-computer
interface (BCI) implant that records neural activity."
WHAT
ABOUT HACKING MICROCHIP IMPLANTS?-Kim Komando recently explored the
question, can a brain chip implant be hacked? The response was
apparently “Yes,” from Neuralink’s first patient. However, Noland
Arbaugh shared with Kim that he believes the benefits outweigh the
risks.Business Today summarized a similar hacking conversation that was
held with Mr. Arbaugh and the well-known podcaster Joe Rogan.“The
experiment did face a hiccup a couple of months back," Business Today
wrote. "Notably, the company’s system, called the Link, records neural
signals using 1,024 electrodes across 64 'threads' that are thinner than
a human hair. Some of the electrode-studded threads that sit in the
brain tissue began to retract from that tissue. To this, Arbaugh
explained that this happened because the brain's pulsations, much more
pronounced than initially believed, led to early challenges with the
implant's threads retracting, affecting signal clarity. Nevertheless,
Neuralink’s ongoing adjustments on the software side have improved
system performance significantly.”And to give equal time, these brain
microchip implants are being explored by others as well, as Singularity
Hub reported in a piece titled, "Neuralink Rival’s Biohybrid Implant
Connects to the Brain With Living Neurons."“California-based startup
Science Corporation thinks that an implant using living neurons to
connect to the brain could better balance safety and precision,"
Singularity Hub wrote. "In recent non-peer-reviewed research posted on
bioarXiv, the group showed a prototype device could connect with the
brains of mice and even let them detect simple light signals.”That same
piece quotes Alan Mardinly, who is director of biology at Science
Corporation, as saying that the advantages of a biohybrid implant are
that it "can dramatically change the scaling laws of how many neuros you
can interface with versus how much damage you do to the brain."Science
Corporation CEO Max Hodak is a former president of Neuralink, and his
company also produces a retinal implant using more conventional
electronics that can restore vision in some patients. But the company
has been experimenting with so-called “biohybrid” approaches, which
Hodak thinks could provide a more viable long-term solution for
brain-machine interfaces.A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT
TOPIC-Here are some of my previous pieces which provide some background
and a brief history on chip implants in humans — as well as the privacy
implications:March 2024: Human Brain Chip Implants: Helpful? Safe?
Ethical? — Major developments regarding implanting chips in human brains
have been announced in 2024. Will this procedure become widespread? Are
precautions — or even regulations — needed? February 2023: From
Progress to Bans: How Close Are Human Microchip Implants? — A lot has
happened in the past 12 months regarding human microchip implants.
Here’s your roundup of recent developments.November 2018: Chip Implants:
The Next Big Privacy Debate — Some say we will all, eventually, be
chipped. Others say — never! Let the privacy, legal, technical,
professional, medical, security, political, religious and ‘oh so
personal’ battles begin.July 2017: Where Next for Microchip Implants? —
Employees at Three Square Market, a technology company in Wisconsin,
will have a small chip injected in their hands this week for security
convenience. But where is this biohacking trend heading? Is there a
microchip implant in your future? FINAL THOUGHTS-As I have written
before, I think this overall microchip implant trend is unstoppable, and
we should welcome the major benefits to these implanted chips for
health reasons. This research can help in curing some diseases, and can
bring amazing benefits as mentioned above in this article.And yet at the
same time, I have big reservations (even opposition) regarding the use
of implanted chips for human brain augmentation or creating “super
humans” with faster brain powers.Even using microchip implants for
voluntary conveniences now could lead to more mandates later. This could
be misused in many ways, and fears from privacy groups, religious
communities and others must be taken seriously — including hacking
considerations.But I want to close by pointing out that most of the
attention with Elon Musk being involved with the new Trump
administration focuses on his policy and ethics impacts (and possibly
even some conflicts of interest) with his joint roles as CEO of Tesla, X
(formerly Twitter) and SpaceX. No doubt, as the world’s richest man,
who is a brilliant expert and thought leader in many areas, Musk will
help the U.S. and the world in many scientific ways as he leads his
companies to advance technology and innovation. Bottom line, I am glad
he is on our team, as he no doubt seeks to do good.However, it is
likely, in my opinion, that in the long run Musk’s role with the
Department of Government Efficiency and his other government advisory
duties in a second Trump administration will have a greater impact on
artificial intelligence policies and ethics as well as the human-brain
interface. Musk's influence will likely grow in how implanted microchips
in humans develop and are regulated.We need to pay close attention to
policies and ethics regarding this microchip implant topic now, before
life-changing mistakes are made.
Microchip implants chart new
territory, but some experts say they are an ethical nightmare-Experts
are concerned about the ethical implications of microchipping
workers.ByABC News-August 3, 2017, 11:37 AM
US tech company
offers to implant microchips in employees Around 50 employees at
Wisconsin-based Three Square Market are preparing to have microchips
implanted between their forefingers and thumbs that are designed to
allow them to more easily make purchases and enter the office.—
-- A vending machine software firm recently implanted about four dozen
of its employees with Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) microchips
that it says will allow the employees to navigate the office more
conveniently. But the move has raised concerns about potential ethical
and security issues.Three Square Market, based in Riverdale, Wisconsin,
said it surgically implanted the chips in about 50 volunteers on
Tuesday, giving the workers the ability to make purchases, unlock doors,
log into computers and perform other office functions with just the
wave of a hand. The firm employs 95 workers at its Wisconsin location
and has more than 200 other employees stationed around the globe.Three
Square Market’s Chief Operating Officer, Patrick McMullan, estimates
that the technology will become standardized within the next decade or
so, eventually allowing people use their chips for passports, public
transit and various purchasing opportunities. He, too, was microchipped,
and said the program was "going well" since its implementation."The
reality is, it’s coming and it’s coming soon," McMullan told ABC News.
"And I think you’re going to see a whole new wave of people who are
wanting to get into this.”The company, which also operates about 6,000
inmate kiosks through its corrections industry business, says the chips
are safe and encrypted to protect the user’s data, but some security and
technology experts are questioning if the implants are ethical.Three
Square Market says the chips are less invasive than mobile phones and
apps, which it says are rich with all types of GPS tracking data.Michael
Zimmer, director of the Center for Information Policy Research at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said the implants are fundamentally
different than other technologies because the user has less control over
the experience.“With my phone, I can turn it off, I can to leave it at
my desk and I can control the apps that I have access to,” Zimmer told
ABC News. “There are a lot more ways that I can manage what people know
about me.”With the chip implant, “I simply lose that element on control
because I can’t turn it off and I can’t just take it out and put it back
in,” he said. “I think that’s a fundamental change in the way we
control what access people have to our bodies and what we’re doing.”He’s
also worried that the chips could eventually lead to larger scale
tracking of one's movements and behaviors -- such as what you purchase
or how long you stay in the restroom -- as the technology evolves.“I
think we need to be a little more cautious, making sure that we’re not
going too quickly and that we understand the implications,” Zimmer said.
“There are some things that we need to make sure we’re paying attention
to before we start walking down this path.”Three Square Market said the
chips lack GPS capability and it is not interested in tracking its
employees. And the chipping program will never become mandatory for
employees, McMullan said.Microchip implants could cross ethical
boundaries “if done recklessly, but we’re not going to be reckless,”
McMullan acknowledged, adding that the company would notify its
employees if it ever decided to track their behavior or use their
data.However, Michelle De Mooy, a privacy and data expert at the Center
for Democracy & Technology, believes the company will gain an
"intrinsic understanding of where you were and when" because RFID tags
are trackers by design.De Mooy said many companies have explored
external employee tracking and sensor technology in recent years, but
she said the implantation aspect is fairly new.“When you have RFID chips
implanted into the body, it really crosses the traditional boundaries
of personal space,” De Mooy told ABC News. “It also raises the really
profound ethical questions about what an employee should or should not
be able to introduce in such a skewed power environment.”Right now, the
chips are mostly being explored for convenience or health benefits, but
De Mooy said people should ask companies what they do with the data
that’s collected.“What if they decide to do other kinds of more
intrusive tracking -- like sleep tracking or behavioral tracking --
where do the consent mechanisms come into place?” De Mooy asked.De Mooy
said it’s a plus that the chips will be encrypted, which she says can
help with security vulnerabilities, but she noted that it is “not a
silver bullet for every situation.”She added, “Think about what we are
willing to trade for convenience and what our pound of flesh is worth in
this context.”
Regula makes privacy compliance easier for border
control, law enforcement-Extends personal data masking to all its
solutions-May 27, 2025, 9:47 am EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
Regula has
rolled out a feature that allows for greater privacy protection.The
personal data masking functionality has been extended to Regula Forensic
Studio (RFS), software that powers forensic devices. The update enables
personal data to be protected with a single click, helping
organizations stay ahead of growing privacy demands and data privacy
regulations.“With one-click data masking now built into our ID
verification tools, experts can instantly anonymize personal information
during analysis, enabling secure, compliant workflows for audits,
training, or database creation, without sacrificing speed or accuracy,”
says Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer, Regula.Personal data
masking was already available in the Regula Document Reader SDK, and has
now been extended to the RFS toolset used by border control officers,
forensic professionals and law enforcement agencies. This helps with
compliance with global requirements such as GDPR, CCPA and
others.According to Regula’s global survey, 35 percent of large
enterprises cite regulatory compliance as the primary reason for
implementing identity verification solutions, while more than a quarter
(28 percent) of companies in general do the same.Users simply click on
“Depersonalize” in the RFS menu and all the personal data in an ID is
blurred. The new feature means personally identifiable information (PII)
like names, photos, ID numbers can be easily blurred directly within
forensic workflows.In addition to the personal data masking feature,
Regula’s latest RFS release includes more than 40 updates focused on
speed, customization and forensic precision, according to the
company.These include new analysis tools, such as yellow dot analysis,
smarter imaging, video screen capture and camera recording capabilities,
improved digital zoom, faster hyperspectral imaging, and wider OS
compatibility, among other updates.
Kenya to harmonize education sector data through Maisha Namba ID integration-May 27, 2025, 9:18 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Kenya
will begin a pilot in July for a new system that will streamline
education sector data management by integrating it with the country’s
national digital ID system.The new system dubbed Kenya Education
Management Information System (KEMIS) will substitute the National
Education Management Information System (NEMIS) which has been in place
for many years, The Kenya Times reports.KEMIS will streamline the
management of education data from elementary school to university-level
education, shifting from the old system where education data was held in
separate databases.Among the reasons for the integration, the
government says it will help strengthen the adoption of the Unique
Personal Identifier (UPI), ensure data accuracy and efficiency,
establish a consolidated system of one’s educational records across all
levels, facilitate access to academic services including via mobile
application, ensure inclusivity and security for access to education
sector services, and to further align the country with its national
digital transformation vision which seeks to have all personal
transactions across sectors linked to a single identifier.The Principal
Secretary for Basic Education, Prof Julius Bitok, is quoted as saying
that with the new integrated system which is set to fully go live by
September, “data-driven decision making” will become “the cornerstone of
education planning and service delivery in Kenya.”He added that “by
consolidating all learner data, from ECDE [Early Childhood Development
and Education] to higher education, into one platform, the system will
enhance accuracy, transparency, and accessibility.”The education data
integration will ensure that “the government has the right statistics on
every school to inform the distribution of teachers, capitation, books
and other resources.”Apart from integration with the Maisha Namba
digital ID, KEMIS will also be integrated with the birth and death
registration system, according to Immigration and Citizen Services
Principal Secretary, Dr Belio Kipsang. He noted that following the
integration, the UPI will be issued to every child, and subsequently
used by KEMIS as part of efforts to keep accurate data, even at the time
of death.Kenyan lawmakers, namely from the parliamentary Committee on
Education, are said to be in support of the new system, pledging to
throw their weight behind it should it require any legislative
deliberation.ID verification for social media use-In a related ID story,
Kenya is following the global age assurance trend where governments are
moving towards ensuring age verification for access to certain harmful
or age-restricted products and services.As Citizen Digital reports, a
draft legislation which requires age verification via the national ID
card for access to some social media platforms in Kenya, is currently in
the country’s parliament.The Kenya Information and Communications
(Amendment) Bill 2025, if eventually approved, will require age
verification measures for access to social media platforms such as
Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram in the country.Kenya’s national ID
system was spoken about at ID4Africa 2025 with the Secretary of the
National Registration Bureau, Christopher Wanjau, sharing how the
country’s ID authority generates income to stay afloat.
Uganda unveils national ID pre-enrollment portal as campaign kicks off today-May 27, 2025, 9:13 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
The
National Identification and Registration Authority of Uganda (NIRA) has
launched a dedicated portal to facilitate pre-enrollment for national
ID registration for first-timers as well as for renewals.The portal went
live as a planned mass registration and renewal exercise targeting at
least 33 million citizens and legal residents was scheduled to get
underway today May 27.In a number of posts to its X account, NIRA has
been sensitizing citizens to the availability of the pre-registration
portal and how to make use of it. Pre-registration for children is also
to be done online, with parents not expected to leave the conform of
their homes for that activityAccording to NIRA’s explanation, the online
pre-registration platform has been introduced to streamline the ID
application process by reducing wait times and extra costs which
citizens incurred having to get their applications processed at NIRA
offices.With the portal, all those asking for national IDs for the first
time and those seeking a renewal will have to submit their biographic
information online, before later visiting a physical office for
biometric capture or matching.Before this novelty, both biographic and
biometric information was submitted physically, which led to long queues
and data entry errors, according to Nile Post.Once an application is
completed online, the applicant is issued an Application ID which will
then be used as a confirmation document when the individual shows up for
biometrics capture. They don’t need to print it out.Meanwhile, it is
reported that some Ugandans living in Tanzania were the first group of
citizens in diaspora to register or renew their ID cards under the new
national security information system (NSIS).The activity was launched in
Dar es Salaam at the close of last week in the presence of a
representative of NIRA’s Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo.Senior
Registration Officer at NIRA, Andrew Apedel, speaking for Kisembo, said
as quoted, that “by Tanzania leading the way, it sets a strong precedent
for other missions worldwide to adopt the new advanced platform and
encourages those still using the old system to upgrade
accordingly.”Apedel presented the benefits which the second generation
national digital ID system comes with, saying it will facilitate access
to digital services and introduce other systems aimed at advancing
Uganda’s digital transformation efforts.The launch of the mass ID
registration and renewal for the diaspora took place on the heels of the
1st Uganda Diaspora Convention which took place May 23 in Tanzania, and
featured presentations and discussions on the role of the new
generation ID and how it can contribute to enhancing regional
integration.As the mass ID registration and renewal gets underway, NIRA
has called on citizens, including students who have reached the age of
16, to make sure they register for a new national ID card.
NexG
invests in identity document production facility to meet international
demand-Looking at long-term partnerships with foreign governments,
system integrators-May 26, 2025, 4:12 pm EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
NexG
Bhd is investing $15.38M (RM250 million) in a plant to develop
high-security identity document production, and is exploring
international partnerships as it looks to expand.The investment by NexG,
formerly known as Datasonic Group Bhd, is part of an international
expansion drive. The new facility will be developed in three phases and
is expected to generate between $100-200 million in revenue per phase,
according to The Edge Malaysia.“Once completed, the new facility is
projected to add an additional estimated capacity of 50 million secure
ID documents to NexG’s current production capacity, significantly
enhancing the group’s ability to meet growing international demand for
secure identity infrastructure,” the company said in a statement.In
addition, NexG has established a new wholly-owned subsidiary Datasonic
Global Technologies Sdn Bhd, which will drive international
commercialization and strategic partnerships with foreign governments,
system integrators and industry stakeholders.“We are focused not just on
exporting technology, but on enabling digital sovereignty for countries
that demand trusted, secure, and scalable identity infrastructure,”
said executive chairman and NexG CEO Datuk Hanifah Noordin.NexG has been
the main technology supplier for Malaysia’s MyKad national ID project
since 2012, and the supplier of e-passport solutions for Malaysia since
2016.NexG is seeking out JVs for long-term partnerships-NexG has signed
an MOU with LUN Partners Financial Limited (LPF) as the two parties
explore collaboration opportunities on the international
commercialization of NexG’s patented technologies and solutions such as
digital identity verification and cybersecurity.“This partnership marks a
significant step in NexG’s strategy to expand our suite of secure
digital identity, cybersecurity, and fintech solutions across Asia and
global markets,” said Noordin.“Through this collaboration, NexG and LPF
will jointly drive product and application innovation to support the
growing demand for trusted digital infrastructure in both public and
private sectors worldwide.”The executive said that NexG is open to
forming joint ventures in “suitable jurisdictions” where long-term
strategic partnerships can be developed.William Ding, Managing Director
of LUN Partners Financial, commented that by bringing NexG into their
global partner network, “we reinforce our international ecosystem –
particularly in Southeast Asia – and unlock new opportunities for
digital transformation in markets that demand resilience, trust, and
technical depth.”With Dataonic’s acquisition of Innov8tif Holdings,
equity fundraising, re-branding, and strategic partnerships, NexG is
shaping its strategy to be a regional enabler of digital transformation
technology that is firming up Malaysia’s role in the expanding global
digital identity solutions economy.
Hacks cause Login.gov to advance digital ID verification through remote proofing-May 26, 2025, 4:10 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery
In
response to more than a few serious breaches of Login.gov, the General
Services Administration (GSA) is driving a major technological upgrade
of the Login.gov platform through its Next Generation of Remote
Unsupervised Identity Proofing Solutions program.This effort, outlined
in the Functional Area 1 (FA1) Call Order Statement of Work (SOW),
reflects a strategy to securely and efficiently expand digital identity
verification services to a broader population, including users across
the United States and abroad. The overarching goal is to maintain
compliance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s
(NIST) SP 800-63-3 guidelines while enabling secure, unsupervised,
remote identity verification at scale.Recent events revealed significant
vulnerabilities in the current system. GSA disclosed in a partially
redacted Limited Sources Justification document that in April an
unspecified entity flagged numerous potentially fraudulent accounts
which had successfully passed Login.gov’s Identity Assurance Level 2
(IAL2) verification process.An internal investigation by the Login.gov
Anti-Fraud Team confirmed that these accounts bore indicators of fraud.
The perpetrators and their methods remain redacted, but GSA acknowledged
that the sophistication of these identity fraud attempts is likely to
escalate rapidly. In response, the Anti-Fraud Team determined that
relying solely on a single identity verification method within any
functional area leaves the system exposed.This assessment has led to an
immediate strategic pivot. GSA now recognizes the urgent need to
introduce a secondary identity verification layer within Functional Area
2 (FA2), particularly to reinforce the platform’s resilience as new
fraud techniques continue to evolve. This adjustment underscores the
necessity of building a multi-solution framework to effectively adapt
and respond to emerging threats in real time.This next generation of
Login.gov’s remote unsupervised identity proofing solutions, which has a
potential total value of $7.5 million, reflects a transformative shift
in how the federal government is operationalizing identity verification.
It is designed not only to increase security and accuracy, but also to
prioritize usability, accessibility, and inclusivity.By mandating high
performance, strict compliance with federal standards, and transparent
reporting from contractors, the initiative is positioning Login.gov as a
national model for secure and equitable digital access to public
services.The Next Generation of Remote Unsupervised Identity Proofing
Solutions is a strategic initiative to modernize and secure how digital
identities are verified remotely. The effort focuses on remote,
unsupervised identity proofing that aligns with NIST IAL2 standards
which allow for strong identity verification without requiring an
in-person or live video session.The pre-solicitation phase for this
program began as a sources sought notice, signaling GSA’s intent to
gather input and solutions from industry leaders capable of delivering
secure, equitable, and innovative identity verification technologies. A
subsequent award announcement indicated a shift in contract support from
legacy providers such as LexisNexis as GSA transitioned to more
advanced and diversified vendor solutions under new task orders.NIST
guidance confirms that while unsupervised remote identity proofing is
acceptable at IAL2, it is not permitted at the more stringent IAL3 level
due to the absence of real-time human oversight. These standards ensure
that digital identity solutions strike a balance between security,
usability, and accessibility for millions of Americans seeking to
interact with federal services online.Login.gov’s identity verification
strategy encompasses three interlocking service categories: document
capture, document authentication, and document validation. These form
the foundation of FA1 and are designed to ensure that users’ identity
evidence such as driver’s licenses, passports, or other
government-issued documents is accurately captured, verified for
authenticity, and validated against authoritative databases.Document
capture tools, referred to as Identity Evidence Document Capture
products, are required to operate on both web browsers and mobile
platforms, including legacy and accessibility-challenged devices. These
products must support languages including English, Spanish, and French,
while maintaining compatibility with all major operating systems
released in the last four years. Furthermore, these tools must adhere to
Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines accessibility
standards.Once captured, identity documents must be authenticated by
Identity Evidence Document Authentication (IEDA) services which utilize
algorithmic or human-in-the-loop techniques to classify and confirm the
legitimacy of uploaded documents. The SOW mandates that these systems be
capable of recognizing a wide range of document types issued by state,
federal, tribal, and foreign governments, and must deliver 99 percent
accuracy in document authentication when provided with quality images.
Additionally, the IEDA services must return not only the authentication
outcome but also reasons for the success or failure of the validation,
along with extracted personal data.Subsequent validation is carried out
through Identity Evidence Document Validation services which confirm the
document’s authenticity by cross-referencing information with
authoritative databases, such as the issuing agencies.The goal is to
achieve a minimum of 95 percent validation accuracy across tribal,
state, and federal levels. This multilayered identity verification model
strengthens the reliability and trustworthiness of the identity
proofing process while enabling a seamless, self-service experience for
users.Complementing the document-based proofing process is FA2, which
centers on one-to-one facial image matching. This facet is particularly
vital for verifying that the individual submitting the documents is
indeed the person they claim to be. Facial image matching tools are
required to capture and analyze user photographs in a privacy-conscious
manner. This process must include passive and, optionally, active
liveness detection to prevent spoofing and presentation attacks.In
alignment with NIST guidelines, facial comparison software must exhibit
strong biometric performance with a false match rate of 1 in 10,000 and a
false non-match rate of 1 in 100 or better. Contractors are required to
disclose technical specifications, the provenance of training data, and
performance metrics based on evaluations such as NIST’s Face
Recognition Technology Evaluation.Security is a pillar of the
initiative, and all contractor systems must comply with FedRAMP and NIST
800-series guidelines. The evaluation and authorization process depends
on data sensitivity, retention, and interaction with GSA
systems.Contractors are responsible for delivering security plans,
including static and dynamic application security testing reports,
software bills of materials, and cyber-supply chain risk management
documentation. They also must be capable of responding to unplanned
outages within 15 minutes and restoring services within a six-hour
window. Emergency vulnerabilities must be patched within 24 hours, and
less critical ones within 30 to 90 days depending on severity.Privacy
considerations are equally critical. All contractors must provide draft
Privacy Impact Assessments, data field usage documentation, and details
of all external services used during processing. Contractors must follow
GSA’s internal privacy policies and federal law to ensure that data
collected for identity proofing is neither enriched nor commercialized
beyond its intended government purpose.Data ownership under this SOW
explicitly affirms that Login.gov retains full control over data and
prohibits third-party enrichment. Contractors are restricted in how data
may be retained or reused to ensure the integrity of the system and the
privacy of the users.Operationally, contractors must deliver on
rigorous performance objectives, including maintaining 99.9 percent
uptime in production environments and handling a total of at least 200
transactions per second. They must generate and share regular service
usage, success rate, and outage analysis reports. In addition to
performance monitoring, contractors must support ad hoc requests for
performance analytics and submit a roadmap outlining upcoming software
changes or updates.Management and oversight are also emphasized in the
SOW. A designated program manager must act as the key liaison with
Login.gov, ensuring coordination between technical implementation and
administrative needs. Management responsibilities include producing
continuity of operations and disaster recovery plans, ensuring system
backups, and delivering meeting minutes from recurring staff
engagements.
IOM releases Digital Identity Toolkit for
policymakers, practitioners-Resource emphasizes human rights, privacy,
security, technology considerations-May 26, 2025, 1:13 pm EDT |
Lu-Hai Liang
The International Organization for Migration has
released the IOM Digital Identity Toolkit so that decision-makers and
policymakers have a better understanding of key concepts of digital
identity.The 135-page document is designed to strengthen stakeholders’s
understanding of how to establish and implement digital identity systems
— with an emphasis on human rights, privacy, security and key
technological considerations.The IOM Digital Identity Toolkit is
intended as a practical resource for policymakers and practitioners
looking to operationalize and implement digital identity frameworks.Its
contents include sections on identity management and biometrics,
different types of identity credentials, functionality of digital ID
applications, business models and financing.It goes into depth on use
cases of digital identity – such as government and private sector use
cases – and challenges, along with detailed elaboration on multiple
factors related to project set-up and implementation of digital
identity.For those seeking knowledge and more information on key aspects
of digital identity, the IOM Digital Identity Toolkit is a free
resource. It can be downloaded from the IOM website here.The release of
the Digital Identity Toolkit comes on the heels of the recently
concluded 2025 edition of ID4Africa where Biometric Update was on site
to report on the latest developments. One of the main takeaways from the
latest AGM, which was staged in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, was
that biometrics experience, policy and tools must converge in order to
transform lives.Speakers from dozens of African governments, development
agencies like the World Bank and UNDP, and biometrics technology
providers offered insights and debated how best to handle common
challenges. Biometric Update’s reporting on the event is collected
here.Development agencies, biometrics providers, digital identity
stakeholders, and government leaders also converged at MOSIP Connect
2025 in Manila, Philippines, in March, to share insights, challenges and
progress reports.The MOSIP-backed event, which is a nonprofit
organization mentioned in The IOM Digital Identity Toolkit, revealed
advancements made in digital identity in Asia and Africa with countries
such as the Philippines and Ethiopia among the highlights.
Social
media age verification trends globally as lawmakers on 4 continents
push policy-Legislation and proposals in Texas, Europe, New Zealand,
Kenya-May 26, 2025, 10:58 am EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
Texas is
readying a bill to ban social media for minors in a global trend towards
age assurance.If enacted, the bill would make Texas the second U.S.
state to require age verification, after Utah, but the southern state
would be implementing the most stringent state-level regulation yet
seen.The Texas bill explicitly prohibits every Texas resident under age
18 from registering for and using a social media platform. The
legislation would mandate age assurance so that social media media
platforms would need to verify the ages of all people creating an
account.Violations would be considered “deceptive trade practices” under
the bill’s definitions, which would make social media companies liable
to fines from the state’s attorney general and lawsuits for financial
damages.The Texas House has passed the bill, while the state Senate is
expected to as well, reports NBC News. A spokesperson for Republican
Governor Gregg Abbott said safety and online privacy remains a priority
for Texan children and that he would “thoughtfully review any
legislation sent to his desk that seeks to accomplish these goals.”The
online child-safety legislation has faced some major pushback. The Wall
Street Journal reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook stepped in to call Abbott
about the law. Under the bill, which is also known as an app-store
accountability law, Apple would be required to verify the ages of iPhone
or iPad users. Cook called the Texas governor to ask for changes to the
legislation, or a veto if that failed, according to the WSJ.That app
marketplaces, such as Apple’s App Store, would be responsible for age
verification, rather than individual apps, is down to the difficulty of
passing legislation that could contravene free speech. Meta, which owns
Facebook and Instagram, has said that verifying ages on the platform
level is easier and helps preserve privacy as children’s ages are stored
in one place rather than on every app they access.But Apple argues that
the Texas bill jeopardizes user privacy since app marketplaces would be
required to collect and keep sensitive identifying information for
“every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it’s an app that
simply provides weather updates or sports scores,” said an Apple
spokesperson quoted by the WSJ.The likes of Google, X and Snap are also
known to be against such legislation. Texas is the biggest state yet to
consider implementing such a bill and could pave the way for adoption
across the United States.Lawmakers in 27 states this year have proposed
bills that seek to regulate children’s use of social media, according to
the National Conference of State Legislatures. Federally, an age
assurance law that bans American children under 13 from accessing social
media platforms is making its way through the Senate.Calls for age
verification in Kenya-In Kenya, the proposed Kenya Information and
Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025, put forward by Aldai MP Marianne
Kitany, introduces strict age verification rules for social media users.
New and current users of platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram,
and LinkedIn will be required to confirm their age using their national
biometric identification cards before gaining access.Content service
providers and application service providers will be required to enforce
these verification procedures, while mobile service providers will
ensure SIM card registrationv aligns with these requirements.Proposal in
Europe gaining traction-A new proposal that would set significant curbs
on children’s social media use is gaining traction in Brussels, reports
Politico.The proposal seeks to establish an EU-wide age block on social
media use, with minors requiring parental consent to log onto social
media. This would result in devices having mandatory, built-in age
verification and parental control, alongside introducing “European
norms” to combat techniques designed to keep users online for longer.
These include social media features like pop-ups and autoplay.The
document seen by Politico would seek age verification implementation at
the level of devices, a proposal to which Apple and Google are likely to
object. Countries leading the proposal are Greece and Spain, with their
respective digital ministers Dimitris Papastergiou and Oscar López
Agueda signing the document. Alongside France, the three countries were
chosen to test an age verification app developed by the European
Commission.Previously, France president Emmanuel Macron coined the term
“digital majority” to mean a legal definition for the age children
should be prohibited from certain online behaviors. Macron recommended
age 15, with Denmark’s Minister of Digital Affairs Caroline Stage Olsen
supporting a ban on social media for under-15s.Denmark is set to take
over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and the proposal
spearheaded by Greece and Spain will be discussed by EU digital
ministers at a meeting in Copenhagen in early June. It is an indication
that European capitals are unhappy with the progress Brussels regulators
are taking with respect to children’s online behaviors and want to
speed things up.New Zealand to follow Australia’s lead-New Zealand prime
minister Christopher Luxon has put forward a draft law that would
mandate social media companies to verify the ages of users, with a
minimum age requirement of 16, to create an account. These companies
could face fines of up to NZ$2m ($1.2m) otherwise.The proposed bill is
modelled closely on Australia’s, which grabbed international headlines
in November 2024 when it unveiled “world-leading” legislation to ban
children under 16 from social media use. A February report from
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant found that social
media platforms could do more to keep children away.The New Zealand
legislation was authored by National MP Catherine Wedd under Luxon’s
centre-right National party, and would need the support of Luxon’s two
coalition partners to pass. Opposition Labour leader Chris Hipkins said
the bill opens up a conversation New Zealand needs to have, as reported
by The Guardian.However, opposition to the bill has arisen from a
libertarian grouping known as ACT New Zealand, according to reporting by
MLex. ACT leader and regulation minister David Seymour strongly opposes
the bill, and in a statement asked the Education and Workforce
Committee to hold an “open, transparent inquiry” to find a “workable
solution that respects parental responsibility.”Some academics have
questioned the effectiveness of the bill, arguing whether it would
produce the outcomes, such as reduction in bullying and online harms,
the government wants. A legal services firm based in Auckland raised
concerns over personal privacy, saying that platforms would likely
verify users through the collection of biometric information, which is
sensitive personal information.The New Zealand bill is still in its
early days and would need to be drawn from the ballot box for
parliamentary debate.
Biometrics experience, policy and tools
must converge to transform lives-Lessons from ID4Africa 2025-May 24,
2025, 1:26 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Biometrics and technologies for
issuing, sharing and delivering services with identity credentials
shared the stage with practical, real-world experiences and policy
recommendations this week at ID4Africa 2025.Speakers from dozens of
African governments, development agencies like the World Bank and UNDP,
and biometrics providers from Toppan and Tech5 to FaceTec offered
insights and debated how best to handle common challenges.ID4Africa 2025
AGM-The ID4Africa 2025 AGM, held this past week in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, appears to have been the largest ID-centric event ever held in
the world’s Southern hemisphere.“The acceleration is very promising,
but it’s not across the board, and it’s not across all domains,”
ID4Africa Executive Chairman Dr. Joseph Atick told Biometric Update in
an exclusive sideline interview at the event’s conclusion. “The
acceleration is quite a bit in the domain of digital identity. And the
reason there’s an urgency is because the world is a small village now;
people get online, people are on social media, and they see what digital
identity can do for their brothers and sisters in other countries. They
knock on the doors of the politicians, and they apply
pressure.”Leadership has become sensitized, and what was once more of a
top-down mandate has shifted to be more of a popular demand, Atick
says.Delegations from countries that are further behind are asking “How
do we catch up?”Sharing advances and how they were achieved is an annual
theme of the event, and the host country led off the good news reports
with a reiterated commitment to race towards universal coverage with the
Fayda ID program by 2027 through collaboration. PM Abiy Ahmed leant
weight to the opening ceremonies with an address reminding attendees
that “the true measure of success is not in the number of systems built,
but in the lives transformed.” Watch for Biometric Update’s in-depth
interview with NIDP ED Yodahe Zemichael from on-location in the weeks
ahead.Benin, Malawi, Mauritania, Tanzania, and Somalia also shared
advice and inspiration on ID4Africa 2025 day 1, and later in the day
Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya presented their experiences in making ID
systems economically sustainable.IN Groupe CEO Agnes Diallo also spoke
on day 1, in the wake of winning an €8.5M digital ID contract with
Madagascar.Civil registration, however, is too often being pushed aside
in the rush to respond to the grass-roots pressure for digital identity,
according to Atick. He referred to sobering projections from UNICEF
shared during the first day of the program on the pace of civil and
birth registration.Decentralization, which becomes more feasible with
digital transformation, can help, he believes, but the health sector
“has a very important role to play,” if the right institutional
arrangements can be made. Health and civil registration have overlapping
goals, and people without legal identity may not be able to get the
healthcare they need.Civil registration and digital ID can also be
twinned for acceleration. Atick says he is advising countries to
consider CR, digital ID and services as a “trinity.”“Unless you get
these three things working together, your digital identity ecosystem
will not work.”Digital public services should be the target, not the
issuance of cards, Atick says. And making them useful means moving
beyond pilots and PoCs to reach scale.There are reasons to be optimistic
that these changes might be in store, though, too. The interest of
legislators in facilitating them has exceeded Atick’s expectations he
says.ID4Africa has shared IESEF results with lawmakers and other
officials, reinforcing the urgency they take from hearing the stories of
the continent’s most advanced identity systems.Atick recounts that an
ID4Africa Ambassador was flown home to brief the country’s President
after the third day of the event.Cracking the capacity challenge-The
urgency means that while capacity is building, “you have to do strategic
deployment” of that already available to maximize productivity.“At what
level do you deploy your capacity? I think deploying it at the source
code level is too low. You need to deploy it at the modular level” and
with applications, as was seen at the Upanzi Network-organized
hackathon.Continual recruitment can help, but the private sector can
always poach talent from the public sector, Atick cautions. This is
part of the reason that leveraging the private sector is so important.
Ghana’s 15-year public-private partnership puts many capacity concerns
to rest, Atick says. PPP’s often “smell,” he acknowledges, but NIA ES
Kenneth Attafuah told Atick during the event “we’re beyond that stage,”
pointing to the prosecution and jail time of his own nephew for failing
to uphold the country’s transparency and governance standards.Limited,
controlled PPPs can help provide the lift still needed by so many
nations to achieve their identity goals, while also leaving room for
local providers. AI can also help with productivity, Atick
suggests.ID4Africa itself has increased its staff count by only one
since 2019, even as the AGM has more than doubled in size, Atick says,
by making more efficient use of the capacity it has. The same approach
must be taken by country’s catching up on ID.Technical tools can also
help, and visible digital seals that can reduce the price of an
individual credential to the cost of a piece of paper and ink were one
of the technologies in the spotlight during in Addis.
‘Digital
identity is critical national infrastructure’: ID4Africa 2025-Biometrics
advances present digital ID opportunities, also dangers-May 22, 2025,
2:27 pm EDT | Chris Burt
World Bank and European Commission
Technical Consultant Adam Cooper examined the global landscape of
digital identity adoption, noting that he sees an acceleration in
adoption.But if they are not reusable, those identities will have
limited value. Digital wallets are helping popularize reusable IDs,
particularly across the Asia-Pacific region. The EU is following suit
with its EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. Mobile driver’s licenses
(mDLs) also act as de facto ID, further expanding the scale of the trend
to places like the U.S.Aadhaar also continues to evolve, including with
a mobile app backed by biometrics. And Ethiopia launched its FaydaPass
digital wallet to deliver reusable identity on Wednesday.Use cases like
age verification and cross-border trade are driving the adoption of this
particular, more advanced version of digital identity, Cooper
says.Biometrics, and the safeguards that must accompany them to maintain
public confidence in the wallets and IDs, are a necessity to ensure
their integrity. Without that integrity, the impressive capabilities of
these next-generation digital identities also make them vulnerable to
“industrialized attacks,” Cooper warns.“Digital identity is critical
national infrastructure, not just digital public infrastructure,” he
asserts.Matching biometrics to identity needsNIST Biometric Testing
Project Lead Patrick Grother followed, delivering an overview of best
practices and techniques for binding credentials to their real owners
with biometrics.Grother reviewed NIST SP 800-63 Digital Identity
Guidelines, and then moved on to the capabilities of QR codes. NIST has
research forthcoming specifically addressing this trend within the
biometrics industry.“This has been a big topic of discussion this week,”
he observed.A face image can be compressed down to about one kilobyte
for inclusion in a QR code that comes with a digital signature. Iris
images cannot be compressed beyond about 2KB, making them unsuitable for
QR codes, but MINEX-compliant, and therefore interoperable fingerprint
minutia templates can be rendered as small as 300 bytes. Proprietary
face biometric templates vary considerably, from roughly 100 bytes to
4KB, while iris templates tend to be even larger.Face templates stored
in QR codes have some disadvantages compared to images, as they could
potentially lead to vendor lock-in, Grother notes.Idiap research shows
that face templates can be inverted, but not consistently enough to rely
on for dependable manual comparison. Irreversibility cannot be depended
on, either, unless specifically irreversible templates are used.But
facial recognition accuracy has reached the point where the only likely
errors are from poor quality images, which can be avoided, children and
changes from aging over a long time period.Grother also touched on the
state-of-the-art in infant fingerprint biometrics and contactless
fingerprinting.For systems capturing face biometrics from twins and
triplets, Grother suggests their record should note that their siblings.
Even non-twin siblings, however, can generate false matches.A series of
sobering warnings followed about presentation and injection attacks,
deepfakes and face morph attacks. The answer to the questions these
raise, Grother says, is “trusted capture.” A system like the ID-Pass
kiosks in the UK protect against morph and injection attacks, but could
be vulnerable to presentation attacks.Grother recommended attendees
concerned about deepfakes to seek out the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security’s “Increasing Threat of Deepfake Identities” report and its
“Phase Two: Mitigation Measures” follow-up.University of North Carolina
Professor and CITeR Director Dr. Stephanie Schuckers delved further into
the importance of liveness, and the increasing commonality of
presentation attacks and other biometric spoofs.Schuckers also
introduced the work of the FIDO Alliance, and encouraged attendees to
join the FIDO ecosystem, from adopting Passkeys to joining as members.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26
Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and
the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the
light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of
his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold,
the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the
burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his
tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22
And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED)
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE)
those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID
HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God,
which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him
glory.
EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7
And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the
stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon
shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9
I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy
destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not
known.
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his
vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every
living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord,
which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6
For they(False World Church and Dictator and baby murderers by abortion)
have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them
blood to drink; for they are worthy.
EARTHQUAKES
EZEKIEL 37:7,11-14
7
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his
bone.(POSSIBLE QUAKE BRINGS ISRAEL BACK TO LIFE-SO NOISE AND
SHAKING-QUAKES WILL ALSO DESTROY ISRAELS ENEMIES)
11 Then he said
unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold,
they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for
our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to
come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place
you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it,
and performed it, saith the LORD.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall
be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be
earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles:
these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great
earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME)
and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall
there be from heaven.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16 When I
shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their
destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase
the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him
had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the
midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with
blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees
was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
JAMES 1:11
11
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the
grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of
it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
The
Hebrew noun accurately translated “oven” refers to a “baking oven” as
distinct from a kiln or smelting furnace—both of which burn much hotter.
(The Hebrew nouns for “kiln” or for “smelting furnace” are more likely
to appear in contexts of God's wrath or judgment.)
21 They have
roused me to jealousy with a non-god, they have exasperated me with
their idols. In my turn I shall rouse them to jealousy with a
non-people, I shall exasperate them with a stupid nation.
22 Yes, a
fire has blazed from my anger, it will burn right down to the depths of
Sheol; it will devour the earth and all its produce, it will set fire to
the footings of the mountains.
23 I shall hurl disasters on them, on them I shall use up all my arrows.
Ephesians 2:2
2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,(LIBERAL GODLESS AIR
WAVES) the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:(GODLESS)
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,
being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
We
shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only
question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or
consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February
1950-Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We
need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who
is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to
himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to
sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept
him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
JUDGEMENT-WE ALL(EVERYONE) STAND IN FRONT OF GOD TO GIVE ACCOUNT
JOHN 14:3
3
And if I (JESUS OUR JEWISH MESSIAH) go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also.
MATTHEW 24:33
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things,(IN THERE BEGGINING STAGES-NOT FINAL STAGES) know
that it is near, even at the doors.
LUKE 21:32
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:10
10
For we must all (MEANS EVERYONE EVER BORN ON EARTH FROM ADAM-EVE ON)
appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad.(THIS IS THE CHRISTIANS IN FRONT OF JESUS)
LUKEWARM CHURCHES
REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I(GOD) will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou
mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;
and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
NOAA
forecasts above-average Atlantic hurricane season-National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration meteorologists predict six to 10 hurricanes,
including three to five Category 3 or higher storms.May 22, 2025, 1:33
PM EDT-By Evan Bush
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration forecasters are predicting an active Atlantic hurricane
season with more storm activity than typical.“We’re really looking at an
above normal season,” said Ken Graham, a meteorologist and the director
of the National Weather Service. “We’re calling for 13 to 19 named
storms.”Storms get names when their wind speeds reach 39 mph or higher.
Six to 10 of the forecasted storms are expected to become hurricanes,
with wind speeds exceeding 74 mph. NOAA expects three to five major
hurricanes — Category 3 and above.The forecasts do not predict if or
where the hurricanes will make landfall or how many of these storms will
strike U.S. coastlines. Still, now is the time to prepare, forecasters
said.“It’s a good time to go out there and get your supplies and your
kit and put it together,” Graham said. “We’ve got to be ready. No lines
for supplies today. No lines for gas, no lines for plywood, no lines for
water.”Graham said the above-average forecast is driven in part by
warmer ocean temperatures, a trend associated with climate change.“The
warmer ocean temperatures is really consistent with us being in a more
active season,” Graham said at a news conference.Forecasters were also
predicting higher activity from the West African Monsoon, a pattern that
develops storms off the shore of continental Africa and sends them
spinning across the Atlantic and toward the U.S.The hurricane forecast
comes at a time when many National Weather Service offices are short on
staff, after the Trump administration fired some workers and opened up
voluntary retirement programs to cut staffing.In the first months of
2025, nearly 600 staffers have left the National Weather Service,
opening staffing holes. Still, the agency's leadership said the National
Hurricane Center, a division of the National Weather Service, had the
resources it needed.“We are fully staffed at the hurricane center, and
we definitely are ready to go. And we are really making this up a top
priority for this administration,” said Laura Grimm, the acting
administrator of NOAA.The nation's 122 local forecasting offices have
been hard hit and are riddled with vacancies. Many of those offices will
be tasked with forecasting local effects after a hurricane landfall,
such as flood inundation and rainfall."I'm going to make sure that our
offices, when there's a hurricane threat, that's going to have the
resources that they need to make sure every warning goes out," Graham
said, adding that he was working on solutions to "make sure that we
continue to have the staffing that we need long term."Hurricane season
begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30. It typically starts to peak in late
summer and early fall.NOAA's forecast falls roughly in line with the
public forecasts provided by outside research groups at universities,
government agencies and private businesses.On average, outside research
groups predicted eight Atlantic hurricanes in 2025, according to a
website operated by Colorado State University and the Barcelona
Supercomputing Center, which tracks and aggregates predictions each
year.Last year, NOAA predicted its highest-ever hurricane season. The
season delivered 18 named storms and 11 hurricanes. Five hurricanes
struck the U.S. coastline. Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida's
Gulf Coast, then tracked northward with intense rainfall, causing
destructive inland flooding in North Carolina, among other states.
Helene killed more than 150 people.Hurricane Milton made landfall as a
Category 3 storm in Siesta Key Florida and produced 46 tornadoes.Both
storms underwent rapid intensification, a phenomenon in which hurricane
winds ramp up suddenly as the storm nears shore.Global warming makes
that process more likely. High sea surface temperatures, like those
observed over the past several years, can fuel that rapid
intensification. A 2023 study found that tropical cyclones in the
Atlantic Ocean were about 29% more likely to undergo rapid
intensification from 2001 to 2020, compared to 1971 to 1990.Evan Bush is
a science reporter for NBC News.
Wildfire rages near Jerusalem,
leading some residents of Yefe Nof to evacuate homes-Fire service says
several crews and planes working to quell flames, as authorities fear
blaze could spread towards Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum-By ToI Staff 26
May 2025, 8:28 pm
A large wildfire broke out Monday near the
Jerusalem neighborhood of Yefe Nof, with some residents being evacuated,
as authorities fear the blaze could spread toward the Yad Vashem
Holocaust museum.According to the Fire and Rescue Service, the fire is
raging in two points, and land and aerial teams are working to contain
it.Due to heavy smoke, residents were asked to stay indoors and close
windows.The fire service said that 22 fire crews are working on the
scene and seven firefighting aircraft had been dispatched to help with
the effort.The fire service added that the cause of the fire is under
investigation, and estimated that the blaze will be contained within
hours.The Jerusalem area has faced several major wildfires in recent
weeks, the most severe of which took place in late April, when a
heatwave sparked fires thought to be some of the largest in Israel’s
history. The fires, which took 30 hours to get under control, burned
through about 20,000 acres.Those blazes led to the evacuation of several
communities as well as the cancellation of most Independence Day
celebrations. There were no major injuries, though some people had to be
treated for smoke inhalation.
Memorial Day storms cause travel
delays as millions prepare to head home-Tens of millions of people were
expected to head out for the holiday weekend, mostly on the roads. But
storms slamming parts of the South could make return travel
treacherous.Severe weather threatens 12 million during Memorial Day
travel-May 26, 2025, 12:03 PM EDT / By Erik Ortiz and Christine Rapp
A
series of destructive storms across parts of the south and central
United States could wash out Memorial Day plans and snarl millions of
Americans’ return trek home.As of Monday afternoon, hundreds of flights
had been delayed in the United States, with dozens of others canceled,
according to data on FlightAware.com. The Dallas-Fort Worth area, which
has seen several rounds of thunderstorms and gusting winds over the
weekend and into Monday, has been the most affected by those delays, the
flight tracking site said.Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport,
American Airlines' largest hub, said it was expecting to serve about 1.4
million travelers over the holiday. Over the weekend, lines of hundreds
of people deep snaked around the airport's terminals.Delays also
continued into Monday at Denver International Airport after
thunderstorms caused a temporary ground stop Sunday. Officials said a
Southwest Airlines flight originating from Tampa, Florida, that landed
in Denver on Sunday night may have been struck by lightning; no injuries
were immediately reported.It was also the first Memorial Day and major
holiday travel weekend since the requirement that passengers have either
REAL IDs or passports for domestic flights went into effect this
month.The storms Sunday produced more than 180 severe weather reports,
including six preliminary tornadoes in New Mexico and Texas. Extremely
large hail, some up to 6 inches, was also reported near Afton, Texas,
east of Lubbock.Isolated severe weather threats are expected to continue
from Texas through the Deep South and parts of Florida into Tuesday,
according to forecasts.Through Memorial Day, a severe thunderstorm watch
was in effect for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Eleven million
people were at risk for damaging winds and large hail across parts of
Texas, including Abilene, Austin and San Antonio; Louisiana; and
Alabama. There's also a continued chance of isolated tornadoes.In
addition, 12 million people remain under flood threats across the South
into Tuesday morning, with the alerts stretching across the Texas,
Arkansas and Louisiana regions.NBC affiliate WESH reported that the
potential for pop-up storms Monday across Florida, a popular holiday
destination, could lead to ground stops late in the day at Orlando
International Airport.Officials said about a million people were
expected to pass through the airport over the weekend, and the high
volume could potentially lead to delays.AAA expects a record 45.1
million people to travel at least 50 miles from home over the long
holiday weekend. But most people — an estimated 38 million people,
according to the association — are doing so by car.And they're
benefiting from gas averaging $3.18 per gallon — the lowest Memorial Day
price in more than four years, AAA reported.For the majority of the
United States, outdoor cookouts and travel plans home should remain on
track.Seasonal temperatures were anticipated across the Northeast with
sun and clouds, while conditions were dry in the western third of the
country.Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on
racial injustice and social inequality.Christine Rapp is a
meteorologist for NBC News.
Southwest Airlines plane struck by
lightning amid Memorial Day weekend storms-Southwest Flight 168 was
traveling from Tampa to Denver on Sunday when it was struck by lightning
on its approach to the airport.A Southwest Airlines plane on the
tarmac-May 26, 2025, 2:20 PM EDT By Rebecca Cohen, Larissa Gao and Jay
Blackman
A Southwest Airlines plane flying to Denver on Sunday
was struck by lightning upon its descent as storms plagued the area over
Memorial Day weekend.Southwest Flight 168 was approaching Denver
International Airport on Sunday evening from Tampa when it was hit by a
lightning strike, the media team for the airport said in a
statement.Emergency crews responded to the plane, which landed and made
it to the gate safely, the airport said. No injuries were
reported.Southwest said that it was "possible" lightning struck the
plane and that the aircraft has been taken out of service so its
maintenance teams can inspect it.Video shared with NBC News from someone
who was inside the the plane shows emergency vehicles responding to the
aircraft once it was on the ground through windows streaked with
raindrops.The incident comes amid a stormy Memorial Day weekend in the
region. On Sunday, Denver was one of many cities at risk for severe
weather.Destructive storms continued into Monday, impacting travelers in
the south and central United States.More than 2,700 flights were
delayed in the U.S. on Monday and dozens more were canceled, according
to FlightAware.com. Dallas-Fort Worth has been most impacted by these
travel woes.Texas has faced days of thunderstorms and gusting winds, and
forecasts show the severe weather in the state will continue into
Tuesday.Monday also marked the first Memorial Day that U.S. travelers
needed a REAL ID or a passport to board their domestic flights. The
long-awaited requirement went into effect earlier this month.According
to AAA, a record 45.1 Americans were expected to travel at least 50
miles from home during this long weekend's unofficial kickoff to summer,
an increase of 1.4 million people from last year.Rebecca Cohen is a
breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.
2 PETER 3:10-11
10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
(NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD
HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY
NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be
in all holy conversation and godliness,
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
JESUS
SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3
PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD
IS NOT MOCKED.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3
I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven,
and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I
will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15
So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an
astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about
thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in
fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16 When I
shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their
destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase
the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17 So will I
send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED
THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and
they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through
thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have
spoken it.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out
from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to
him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and
gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully
ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of
the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the
city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the
horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200
MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold,
the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a
whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of
fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens
behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination,
and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I
know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather
all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants
of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS
COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more
cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed
one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of
the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land
desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their
light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall
not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for
their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the
arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the
terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of
her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his
fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the
fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of
the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are
open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed
like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it;
and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass
in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that
are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they
shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and
shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be
visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed,
when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and
before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12
And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the
people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume
away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)
and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM
ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD
PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that
day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they
shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand
shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN
WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say
to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour
every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall
not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be
burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath;
but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for
he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC
BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with
blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees
was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18
By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the
fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their
mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water
thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be
prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD
DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth
unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to
the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM
NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is
done.
JOEL 3:2 (YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF (HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION KILLED AS A RESULT)
02-I
will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley
of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my
heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted
my land.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that
sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given
unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with
sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE
DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18
By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the
fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their
mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE
17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS
KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE
BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND
DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in
that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN
WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4
billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto
them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered
together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against
Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten
by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE
SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE
CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH
IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
NAHUM 3:13
13
Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are
wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The
angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces
because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United
Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
FIRST ANGEL: ASIA
But
the angel said: "Millions will die in China and in India. Nation will
be against nation, brother against brother. Asians will fight each
other. Nuclear weapons shall be used, killing millions."Twice I heard
the words, "Catastrophic! Catastrophic!"Then the angel said, "Financial
crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world."I was trembling while
the angel was speaking.
SECOND ANGEL: MIDDLE EAST
Then I saw that
the second angel had a sickle in his hand, such as is used in
harvesting.The second angel said: "Harvest time has come in Israel and
the countries all the way to Iran."I saw those countries in a few split
seconds."All of Turkey and those [inaudible] countries that have refused
me and refused my message of love shall hate each other and kill one
another."I saw the angel raise the sickle and come down on all the
Middle East countries. I saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of
Georgia - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor - full
of blood. I saw blood all over these countries. And I saw fire; Nuclear
weapons used in many of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere.
Sudden destruction – men destroying one another. I heard these
words:"Israel, Oh Israel, the great judgment has come."
North Korea says US missile shield plans risk 'nuclear war' in space-by AFP Staff Writers.
Seoul
(AFP) May 27, 2025-North Korea slammed on Tuesday US President Donald
Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plan as a "very dangerous" threat
that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said.Trump announced
new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week,
calling it "very important for the success and even survival of our
country".The initiative faces significant technical and political
challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price
tag.In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA),
Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the "very dangerous 'threatening
initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear
weapons states".The United States is "hell-bent on the moves to
militarize outer space," the foreign ministry said."The US plan for
building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off
global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns
of nuclear weapons states and turning... outer space into a potential
nuclear war field," it added.Washington -- Seoul's key security ally --
has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the
presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a
nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North.Pyongyang
has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state
and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for
invasion.Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National
Unification, told AFP that Pyongyang saw Trump's "Golden Dome" as a
threat."The North's strong reaction suggests it views the Golden Dome as
capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear
arsenal, including its ICBMs," he said."If the US completes its new
missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop
alternative means to counter or penetrate it," he added.- China, Russia
modernising weapons -China has also expressed strong concerns about
Washington's Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States of undermining
global stability.Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it
comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is
modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing
advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon
review.The Kremlin has said Trump's initiative would require
consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the
United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the
idea as destabilising.The plan's Golden Dome name stems from Israel's
Iron Dome air defence system which has intercepted thousands of
short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation
in 2011.The United States faces various missile threats from
adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons
that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.burs-oho/fox
N. Korea says US 'Golden Dome' missile shield 'very dangerous'
Seoul,
May 26 (AFP)-North Korea has slammed US President Donald Trump's
"Golden Dome" missile shield plan as a "very dangerous" threat that aims
to weaponise space, state media reported Tuesday.Pyongyang's foreign
ministry has issued a memorandum calling the system "a very dangerous
'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of
the nuclear weapons states," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
said.Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile
shield system last week, calling it "very important for the success and
even survival of our country".The initiative faces significant technical
and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a
hefty price tag.The memorandum by nuclear-armed North Korea accused the
United States of being "hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer
space," KCNA said."The U.S. plan for building a new missile defense
system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms
race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and
turning the outer space into a potential nuclear war field," it
added.Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years
ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of
strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered
submarine, in the region to deter the North.Pyongyang has repeatedly
declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely
denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.-
China, Russia modernising weapons -China has similarly expressed strong
concerns about Washington's Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States
of undermining global stability.Beijing is closing the gap with
Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology,
while Moscow is modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems
and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022
Pentagon review.The Kremlin has said Trump's initiative would require
consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the
United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the
idea as destabilising.The plan's Golden Dome name stems from Israel's
Iron Dome air defence system which has intercepted thousands of
short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation
in 2011.The United States faces various missile threats from
adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons
that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.
Israel military says intercepted two projectiles fired from Yemen-by AFP Staff Writers.
Jerusalem
(AFP) May 27, 2025-The Israeli military said Tuesday it intercepted a
missile and another projectile fired from Yemen, where Huthi rebels have
regularly launched attacks they say are in response to Israel's
offensive in Gaza."Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago
in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was
intercepted," the Israeli military wrote on Telegram.It said in a
separate statement that a projectile was intercepted by the air force,
without sirens being activated.The Huthis have repeatedly fired missiles
and drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023
following Hamas's attack on Israel.The Iran-backed Yemeni rebels, who
say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, paused their
attacks during a two-month Gaza ceasefire that ended in March, but
resumed them after Israel restarted its campaign in the territory.While
most of the projectiles have been intercepted, a missile fired by the
group in early May hit the perimeter of Ben Gurion international airport
near Tel Aviv for the first time.Israel has carried out several strikes
in Yemen in recent months in retaliation for the attacks, including on
ports and the airport in Sanaa.Israel said it downed a missile fired
from Yemen on Sunday and two others on Thursday.The Huthis claimed
attacks on both days targeting Ben Gurion airport.
Air raid sirens in Jerusalem as army says intercepts Yemen missile.
Jerusalem
(AFP) May 25, 2025 - The Israeli army said it intercepted a missile
launched from Yemen on Sunday, shortly after air raid sirens sounded in
Jerusalem, according to AFP journalists."Following the sirens that
sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was
launched from Yemen was intercepted," the army said in a
statement.Israel's rescue service, the Magen David Adom (MDA), said
there were no reports of injuries related to the launch.Yemen's
Iran-backed Huthi rebels later claimed the attack, saying the projectile
had targeted Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv.The Israeli military
reported shooting down two missiles launched from Yemen on Thursday,
with the MDA reporting at least one person injured while seeking shelter
from the first.The Yemeni group has repeatedly fired missiles and
drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 following
Hamas's attack on Israel.The rebels, who say they are acting in
solidarity with Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month
Gaza ceasefire that ended in March, but resumed them after Israel
restarted its campaign in coastal territory.The Huthis recently warned
they would impose a "naval blockade" on the Israeli port of Haifa after
the country's military intensified its offensive in Gaza.
Iran rejects push to suspend uranium enrichment to reach US deal By Ahmad Parhizi.
Tehran
(AFP) May 26, 2025-Iran on Monday ruled out suspending uranium
enrichment as part of any nuclear deal with the United States -- a key
demand from Washington in successive rounds of talks between the
foes.The issue has come into focus in recent weeks, with Iran staunchly
defending its right to enrich uranium as part of what it says is a
civilian nuclear programme, while the United States wants it to stop.The
negotiations, which began in April, are the highest-level contact
between the two sides since the United States quit a landmark 2015
nuclear accord during US President Donald Trump's first term.Trump
described the latest round of discussions in Rome as "very, very good",
while Iran's foreign minister described it as "complicated".Since
returning to office, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign
on the Islamic republic, backing diplomacy but warning of military
action if it fails.Tehran wants a new deal that would ease sanctions
battering its economy.Western governments and Israel suspect Iran is
seeking to develop nuclear weapons -- a charge it strongly denies.US
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading the talks for
Washington, said the United States "could not authorise even one
percent" of enrichment by Iran.- 'Totally false' -On Monday, Iran ruled
out suspending its uranium enrichment."This information is a figment of
the imagination and totally false," said foreign ministry spokesman
Esmaeil Baqaei, asked about the possibility during a press briefing in
Tehran.Iran insists it has the right to a civilian nuclear programme,
including for energy, and considers the US demand a red line that
violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a
signatory.Following the latest round of Omani-mediated talks in Rome,
Iran's foreign minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi downplayed
the progress, stressing "the negotiations are too complicated to be
resolved in two or three meetings".Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi
said the fifth round concluded "with some but not conclusive progress",
adding he hoped "the remaining issues" would be clarified in the coming
days.But on Sunday Trump said the ongoing discussions had been "very,
very good"."I think we could have some good news on the Iran front," he
said, adding that an announcement could come "over the next two days."No
date has yet been set for the next talks, according to Iran's foreign
ministry.The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear
watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, during
which Iran's nuclear activities will be reviewed.They also come before
the October expiry of the 2015 accord, which aimed to allay US and
European Union suspicions that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons
capability, an ambition that Tehran has consistently denied.Iran has
ramped up its nuclear activities since the collapse of the 2015 deal,
and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the deal's 3.67
percent cap but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade
material.Experts say that uranium enriched beyond 20 percent can be
further enriched to a weapons-grade level quickly.Iranian President
Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to visit Oman this week.
Iran-US nuclear talks: key points of contention.
Tehran
(AFP) May 24, 2025 - Long-time adversaries Iran and the United States
held a fifth round of Oman-mediated nuclear talks on Friday in Rome, but
with no breakthrough reported.However, both sides still described the
meeting as constructive and expressed a willingness to continue the
discussions.Here are some of the main obstacles seen to be hampering
progress:- Enrichment -Iran's enrichment of uranium remains the main
sticking point.The United States and Western countries suspect Iran of
seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but Iran denies having such
ambitions.It insists that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful
civilian purposes.American officials including Middle East envoy Steve
Witkoff, who has led Washington's delegation at the talks, have spoken
out against Iran's enrichment programme.Witkoff said before the talks
that Washington "cannot allow even one percent of enrichment capacity"
for Iran.Tehran has called its enrichment "non-negotiable", arguing that
such a demand prevents a deal."Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a
deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal," Iran's top negotiator
and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.Experts say the fifth
round of talks saw a collision of red lines."This round was uniquely
sensitive, marked by the collision of seemingly irreconcilable public
red lines over uranium enrichment," Sina Toossi from the Center for
International Policy told AFP.Iran remains the only non-nuclear state
enriching uranium to 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent limit set
under its 2015 accord with Western powers, but below the 90 percent
needed for weapons-grade material.The 2015 deal was torpedoed in 2018
during President Donald Trump's first term when he unilaterally withdrew
the United States from the accord.- 'Contradictory positions' -Iran
wants the talks to remain strictly focused on its nuclear programme and
lifting US sanctions, a stance it has held since April 12 when the first
round was held in Oman.Tehran has criticised what it calls "irrational"
demands by Washington and inconsistent signals from US
officials.Araghchi warned that such "contradictory positions", if they
persist, "will complicate the talks".Before the negotiations began, some
analysts suggested the United States might seek a broader deal that
also addressed Iran's ballistic missile programme.They believed the
talks might touch on Tehran's support for the "axis of resistance", the
network of anti-Israel armed groups that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon,
Hamas in Gaza and Yemen's Huthi rebels.On April 27, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Washington to block not only Iran's
enrichment of uranium but also its missile development under any
possible deal.Iran opposes non-nuclear issues being discussed in the
talks, citing its sovereign rights and defence needs.- Sanctions -Even
with diplomacy under way, the United States has imposed new sanctions on
Iran.Tehran denounces what it calls Washington's "hostile approach",
noting that new sanctions were imposed just ahead of negotiations taking
place.On Wednesday, Washington sanctioned Iran's construction sector,
citing its potential links to nuclear, military or missile
activities."These sanctions ... further put to question the American
willingness & seriousness for diplomacy," Iranian foreign ministry
spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X.In late April, before the third
round of talks, Washington also slapped sanctions on Iran's oil and gas
sector.- Military option -The Iran-US talks, their highest-level
contacts since Washington quit the 2015 nuclear accord, came after Trump
wrote to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in March.Trump urged
Tehran to reach a deal diplomatically, but also warned of military
action if talks fail.Iran has issued warnings of its own.On Friday,
armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri warned that "any US misstep
in the region will end like Vietnam and Afghanistan".His remarks came
after CNN, citing US officials, reported on Tuesday that Israel was
preparing to attack Iranian nuclear sites."We believe that in the event
of any attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran
by the Zionist regime, the US government will also be involved and bear
legal responsibility," Araghchi said in a letter to the United Nations
published on Thursday.According to the US outlet Axios, Witkoff met
Israeli officials shortly before Friday's Rome talks.Ultra-conservative
Iranian daily Kayhan wrote on Saturday that "coordination between Trump
and Netanyahu is leading the negotiations towards deadlock".
Japan PM's office to accept Fukushima soil.
Tokyo,
May 27 (AFP)-The Japanese premier's office will symbolically accept
soil from near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to show it is safe,
officials said Tuesday, with reports saying it will be used in flower
beds.Authorities have found few takers for any of the 14 million cubic
metres of soil removed from the region after the 2011 disaster despite
assurances that radioactivity levels in most of it are not
dangerous."The government will take the lead in setting an example, and
we will do so at the prime minister's office," Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a special meeting to discuss the problem.The
soil -- enough to fill 10 baseball stadiums -- has been stored near the
Fukushima Daiichi plant, where three reactors went into meltdown
following a massive earthquake and tsunami.The government has promised
Fukushima residents that it will find permanent storage for the soil
outside Fukushima by 2045.Authorities want to use it for building road
and railway embankments among other projects.Details of the new plan,
including when and how much soil will be brought to the prime minister's
premises, will be decided later, an Environmental Ministry official
told AFP.The UN atomic agency published its final report on the
recycling and disposal of the soil last year, saying that Japan's
approach was consistent with its safety standards.Almost all areas of
the northern region have gradually been declared safe, but many evacuees
have been reluctant to return because they are worried about persistent
radiation or have fully resettled elsewhere.In 2023, Japan began
releasing into the Pacific Ocean some of the 540 Olympic swimming pools'
worth of treated wastewater that had been collected at the plant.But
the most dangerous part of making the plant safe -- removing around 880
tonnes of highly hazardous radioactive fuel and rubble from the reactor
buildings -- has barely begun, with two tiny samples removed.
SE Asia, Gulf and China three-way talks 'response to call of times'
Kuala
Lumpur, May 27 (AFP)-Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Tuesday that the
first-ever summit between his country, Southeast Asian leaders and Gulf
states was "a response to the call of the times" in a geopolitically
uncertain world.The trade-dependent economies are looking to insulate
themselves after US President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by
announcing a slew of tariffs targeting countries around the world this
year.Though he subsequently instigated a 90-day pause for most, the
experience has spurred the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and others to accelerate efforts to diversify their trading
networks.On Tuesday the Malaysian capital hosted the inaugural summit
between ASEAN, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- a
regional bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates.Li told the meeting that "against the backdrop
of a volatile international situation", the summit was "a pioneering
work of regional economic cooperation"."This is not only a continuation
of the course of history, but also a response to the call of the times,"
he said.Opening the talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said
he was confident the three sides could "shape a future that is more
connected, more resilient, and more prosperous for generations to come"
-- having warned on Monday that "a transition in the geopolitical order
is underway".ASEAN has traditionally served as "a middleman of sorts"
between developed economies like the United States, and China, said
Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore (NUS).With
Washington looking unreliable these days, "ASEAN member states are
looking to diversify", he said."Facilitating exchanges between the Gulf
and People's Republic of China is one aspect of this
diversification."Malaysia, which holds ASEAN's rotating chairmanship, is
the main force behind the initiative, Chong said.- 'Timely and
calculated' -Beijing has suffered the brunt of Trump's tariffs and is
also looking to shore up other markets.China and ASEAN are already each
other's largest trading partners, and Chinese exports to Thailand,
Indonesia and Vietnam surged by double digits in April -- attributed to a
re-routing of US-bound goods.Premier Li's participation is "both timely
and calculated", Khoo Ying Hooi from the University of Malaya told
AFP."China sees an opportunity here to reinforce its image as a reliable
economic partner, especially in the face of Western decoupling
efforts."Beijing and Washington engaged in an escalating flurry of
tit-for-tat levies until a meeting in Switzerland saw an agreement to
slash them for 90 days.Chinese goods still face higher tariffs than most
though.According to a draft statement seen by AFP, ASEAN will express
"deep concern... over the imposition of unilateral tariff measures".But
it said earlier this year it would not impose retaliatory duties.-
Treacherous waters -ASEAN has historically avoided choosing a side
between the United States and China.China is only Southeast Asia's
fourth largest source of foreign direct investment, after the United
States, Japan and the European Union, noted NUS' Chong.Anwar said Monday
he had written to request an ASEAN-US summit this year, with his
foreign minister saying Washington had not yet responded.Yet any closer
alignment with Beijing presents problems of its own, despite Anwar's
insistence Monday night that "whatever is being said... we are here as a
friend of China".On Monday, Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos said
there was an "urgent need" to adopt a legally binding code of conduct in
the South China Sea.Beijing has territorial disputes with five ASEAN
member states in the area, with China and the Philippines having engaged
in months of confrontations in the contested waters.Anwar raised the
South China Sea with Li, the Malaysian prime minister said in a Tuesday
Facebook post announcing the one-on-one meeting."Other disputants... are
perhaps willing to let the Philippines bear the brunt of pressure,"
Chong said.Tension between Manila and Beijing "means that these issues
will not fade into the background, much as some other Southeast Asian
states wish to focus on economic issues", he added.
EU approves 150-billion-euro loan scheme to rearm.
Brussels,
Belgium, May 27 (AFP)-EU countries on Tuesday formally approved a new
150-billion-euro loan programme to help rearm in the face of Russia and
worries over US reliability, according to the Polish presidency of the
bloc.The SAFE borrowing scheme backed by the EU's central budget was
proposed by Brussels in March as the bloc rushes to boost its
defences.Finalised by member states earlier this month, the text
received final approval at a meeting of Europe ministers in Brussels,
with 26 countries voting for and one abstention, the presidency said.EU
countries had haggled at length over what the money could be spent on
and how countries outside the bloc can access the funds.In the end, the
agreement stuck to the original proposal allowing 35 percent of the
value of the weapons to come from manufacturers beyond the bloc and
Ukraine.France's Europe minister Benjamin Haddad called SAFE "a major
step forward" that asserts "a very clear principle of European
preference to support our industries, reduce our dependencies including
from the United States, and invest in Europe's strategic autonomy.""But
it is just one step -- and we will need to go further," Haddad told
reporters in Brussels.The borrowing programme is part of a package of
measures including loosening budget rules that Brussels says could
potentially unlock 800 billion euros of defence spending.The approval of
SAFE came after the EU and the UK agreed a new defence partnership as
part of a post-Brexit "reset".London would still need to strike a
separate deal with the EU if it wants to fully open the new scheme to
the British defence industry.
Seoul's power giant pushes back on EU probe into Czech nuclear bid.
Seoul,
May 27 (AFP)-South Korea's largest electric power company told AFP
Tuesday that it was reviewing legal action, including a possible
injunction, after a deal with the Czech Republic to build reactors hit
EU legal woes.Brussels asked Prague on May 2 to suspend the signing of
the multi-billion-dollar deal with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP),
which was selected last July to build two nuclear units after beating
France's EDF in the tender.EDF has complained to the Czech antitrust
watchdog and filed a lawsuit, prompting a Czech court to block the deal
being signed.The European Union said it was assessing whether KHNP had
received "foreign financial contributions" that could have distorted
competition.This could trigger a formal investigation.The Korean company
told AFP that it had responded to Brussels "stressing that the bidding
process was transparent" and that it had "not received any subsidies
from the Korean government that could distort competition"."If the
European Commission proceeds with an in-depth investigation on foreign
subsidies and imposes a provisional ban on the contract, KHNP plans to
immediately file for an injunction with the EU Court to suspend the
investigation and lift the ban," it said in a statement."KHNP is also
reviewing all possible legal responses, including requesting special
trade measures from the Korean government," it added."We are reviewing
the matter very seriously," a senior KHNP official told AFP.The trade
ministry in Seoul said Korean companies' projects in the European Union
fully complied with World Trade Organization rules and EU regulations,
adding that it would review the issue if KHNP made a formal request.For
now, the deal is on hold after a Czech court in early May blocked the
contract until a verdict is reached in a lawsuit filed by the French
giant.KHNP was due to build two units at the southern Czech nuclear
plant of Dukovany managed by the state-run CEZ group, with the Korean
firm offering to build them for around 200 billion Czech koruna ($9
billion) each.Prague had expected to finalise the deal with KHNP by
March this year, but the EDF appeal delayed the process.CEZ expects
construction to begin in 2029 and the first reactor launched in a trial
operation in 2036.
Conservative leader: Israel fighting proxy war
on behalf of UK-800 British judges and lawyers call for UK to sanction
Israel over Gaza conflict-In a letter to UK’s PM Starmer, legal
professionals accuse Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity,
say UK has obligation to act By Jeremy Sharon-Today, 3:23 pmUpdated at
4:14 pm-MAY 27,25
A group of over 800 British judges, lawyers and
academics have called on the UK government to impose an array of
sanctions on Israel over the ongoing conflict of Gaza, claiming that
either genocide is being perpetrated right now or there is a “serious
risk” of it occurring.The signatories, who include two former Supreme
Court justices and three former heads of the Court of Appeal, cite
comments by senior Israeli cabinet ministers regarding destroying what
remains of Gaza and dislocating its civilian population.The legal
professionals called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to impose
financial sanctions on Israeli cabinet ministers and military personnel
“suspected of involvement in unlawful conduct,” and to impose trade
sanctions on Israel as well.By contrast, the UK’s opposition
Conservative Party leader on Sunday said Israel’s war against Hamas in
Gaza was a “proxy war on behalf of the UK.”“Who funds Hamas?” Kemi
Badenoch asked in a Sky News interview, and continued: “Iran… an enemy
of this country. Israel is fighting a proxy war on behalf of the UK,
just like Ukraine is on behalf of Western Europe against Russia. We have
to get serious.”“Israel is fighting a war,” Badenoch added. “It is not
for me to police exactly how they are doing that,” she said. “It is not a
genocide, as people are saying.”When it was put to her that she does
criticize anything Israel does, she replied: “That’s not true. I have
criticized things before, but right now there are 58 hostages who have
not been returned home.”The conflict erupted when Hamas staged its
October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre, in which some 1,200 Israelis
were killed and 251 were taken hostage.The Hamas-run Gaza health
ministry says more than 53,000 people in the Strip have been killed or
are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be
verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel says it killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and
another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.On March 2, Israel
cut off all humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza, prompting intense
international criticism and reports of malnutrition and hunger. Israel
resumed the provision of aid last week.
Also last week, British Foreign
Secretary David Lammy suspended free trade negotiations with Israel,
said the UK would “review” the “2030 roadmap for UK-Israel relations”
cooperation agreement, and imposed sanctions on several extremists
settlers and settler organizations.Israel has strongly denied
allegations of genocide, arguing that many civilian casualties are
caused by Hamas’s placement of military infrastructure and personnel
among civilians, and that it has consistently monitored the humanitarian
situation in Gaza to prevent famine and a humanitarian catastrophe.But
in their letter to Starmer, the judges and other legal professionals
alleged that “genocide is being perpetrated in Gaza or, at a minimum,
there is a serious risk of genocide occurring.” They also claimed that
the “limited aid” now flowing into the Strip “remains gravely
insufficient to address the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.”The
signatories cited statistics published by the UN’s Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that claim that 70 percent of
fatalities are women and children, although such claims have been widely
criticized as unreflective of the actual ratio of civilian-to-combatant
deaths in the IDF’s campaign.In their letter, the signatories also
pointed to controversial comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich,
who has said that Gaza will be “totally destroyed” in the current IDF
operation, and that the entire population will be displaced.They said
that the plan of the current IDF operation was “to forcibly and
permanently displace the population of Gaza to small areas of the Gaza
Strip, and coerce their emigration to other countries,” which they
asserted would be a “grave violation of international humanitarian
law.”The judges, lawyers and academics accused Israel of committing “war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of
international humanitarian law,” both in Gaza and in the West Bank, and
pointed to an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of
Justice last year that said Israel’s rule in the West Bank is illegal.In
light of the allegations, the signatories called on Starmer to do
everything in his power to “secure an immediate, unconditional and
permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” and ensure the provision of large amounts
of aid to Gaza.They also requested that the prime minister “impose
financial and immigration sanctions” against Israeli cabinet ministers
and “other civil and military personnel reasonably suspected of
involvement in unlawful conduct,” and said the government should review
trade ties and impose trade sanctions upon Israel.
Suspected
Islamic State member pleads guilty to deadly stabbing at German
festival-Syrian asylum seeker admits he ‘committed a grave crime’ in
Solingen, where he allegedly targeted ‘nonbelievers’ on behalf of
ISIS-By AFP Today, 2:30 pm-MAY 27,25
DÜSSELDORF, Germany — A
Syrian man suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group pleaded
guilty to the murder of three people at a German festival as his trial
opened on Tuesday.Issa Al Hasan faces charges including three counts of
murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and membership of a foreign terror
organization. In a statement read out by his lawyer, Hasan admitted he
had “committed a grave crime” and that “three people died at my
hands.”The stabbing in August in the western city of Solingen was one of
a string of attacks that shocked Germany and stoked security fears.The
suspect, who was 26 at the time of the attack, was an asylum seeker from
Syria who had been slated for deportation.German authorities’ failure
to remove him from the country fired a bitter debate over immigration in
the run-up to national elections.Hasan is alleged to have set out to
harm “nonbelievers” at the summer “festival for diversity” in the center
of the western city of Solingen.The accused “saw them as
representatives of Western society” and sought “to take revenge against
them for the military actions of Western states,” prosecutors have
said.A member of ISIS whom Hasan had contacted the same month as the
attack allegedly encouraged him to go ahead with the plan and promised
him that the group would claim it and use it for propaganda purposes.The
group later said in a statement via its Amaq news agency on the
Telegram messaging app that an ISIS “soldier” had carried out the attack
in “revenge” for Muslims “in Palestine and everywhere.”Prosecutors say
Hasan filmed videos in which he pledged allegiance to ISIS and forwarded
them on to his ISIS contact just before he committed the attack.
UK
police say driver who plowed into soccer fans not believed to be
terrorist-Force says man, 53, who injured dozens celebrating Liverpool
team Premier League win, acted alone; cops note he is white, in move to
prevent misinformation flooding social media By brian melley and Steve
Douglas Today, 11:15 am-MAY 27,25
LONDON (AP) — A 53-year-old
British man plowed a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans who
were celebrating the city’s Premier League championship Monday, injuring
more than 45 people as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror.The
driver arrested was believed to be the only one involved and the crash
was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police
said.Ambulances took 27 people to the hospital, including two with
serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for
minor injuries, said Dave Kitchin of North West Ambulance Service. At
least four children were injured.Four of the victims, including a child,
were trapped under the van and firefighters had to lift the vehicle to
free them. A paramedic on a bicycle was also struck but was not
injured.“It has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day
for the city,” City Council leader Liam Robinson said at a late night
news conference.As the parade was wrapping up, a gray minivan turned
onto the parade route and plowed into the sea of fans wrapped in their
red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and other memorabilia. A video on social
media showed the van strike a man, tossing him in the air, before
veering into a larger crowd, where it plowed a path through the group
and pushed bodies along the street before coming to a stop.“It was
extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young
daughters as the minivan passed by them. “Initially, we just heard the
pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a
car.”Rashid said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing
windows.“But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through
the rest of them, he just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrible.
And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”Rashid
said it looked deliberate.“My daughter started screaming, and there were
people on the ground,” he said. “They were just innocent people, just
fans going to enjoy the parade.”Liverpool fans had come out in the
hundreds of thousands to celebrate the team winning the Premier League
this season for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.Peter Jones, who
had traveled from Isle of Man, said he heard the car smash into the
crowd and saw at least a half-dozen people down.“We heard a frantic
beeping ahead, a car flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it
and trying to stop him, windows smashed at the back,” Jones said. “He
then drove into people, police and medics ran past us, and people were
being treated on the side of the road.”Police said they were conducting
extensive inquiries to establish what led to the collision and asked
people not to speculate or share “distressing content online.”Police
identified the suspect as white, in a possible decision to prevent
misinformation from flooding social media.Last summer, a teen in the
nearby town of Southport killed three girls in a stabbing rampage at a
dance class and wounded 10 others, including two adults. An incorrect
name of the suspect was spread on social media and people said he was an
asylum seeker. In fact, he had been born in the UK. Rioting spread
across England and Northern Ireland, targeting Muslims and refugees in
hotels of asylum seekers and lasted about a week.Prime Minister Keir
Starmer called the scenes appalling and hailed the bravery of
rescuers.“Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate
their heroes without this horror,” Starmer said. “The city has a long
and proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool
stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”Liverpool
Football Club’s legacy is overshadowed by a disaster 36 years ago when
97 of its fans were killed in a stadium crush during a match against
Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. The tragedy was
compounded by a coverup into the cause and missteps by police.Supporters
were denied the chance to publicly celebrate the club’s last league
title in 2020 due to restrictions in place during the COVID-19
pandemic.This time, flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the
streets and climb up traffic lights for a view of Liverpool’s players,
who were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again.”The hourslong
procession — surrounded by a heavy police presence — crawled along a
10-mile (16-kilometer) route and through a sea of red smoke and rain.
Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the heart of the
city.The team in a short statement said its thoughts and prayers were
with those affected. The Premier League issued a similar statement
expressing shock at the “appalling events in Liverpool.”
Over 45
wounded as British man plows van into soccer fans celebrating in
Liverpool-UK police not probing incident as terror, say the arrested
driver appeared to be acting alone; 2 of those hurt listed in serious
condition-By Agencies Today, 12:18 amUpdated: 27 May 2025, 2:51 am
LONDON
— A 53-year-old white British man plowed his minivan into a crowd of
Liverpool soccer fans who were celebrating the city’s Premier League
championship Monday, as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror,
injuring more than 45 people.The driver arrested was believed to be the
only one involved in the incident and it was not being investigated as
an act of terrorism, police said.Dave Kitchin of North West Air
Ambulance said 27 people were taken to the hospital, with two suffering
serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for
minor injuries. At least four children were injured.Firefighters had to
lift the vehicle to free four victims trapped beneath it. One of those
injured was a medic who had been on duty on a bicycle.A video on social
media appeared to show a gray minivan strike at least one pedestrian and
then veer into a larger crowd, carving a path through the group and
pushing bodies along the street before coming to a stop.“It was
extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young
daughters as the car passed by them. “Initially, we just heard the pop,
pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”Rashid
said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing
windows.“But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through the
rest of them, he just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrible. And
you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”Rashid said it
looked deliberate.“My daughter started screaming, and there were people
on the ground,” he said. “They were just innocent people, just fans
going to enjoy the parade.”Liverpool fans had come out in the tens of
thousands to celebrate the team winning the Premier League this season
for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.Peter Jones, who had traveled
from Isle of Man, said he heard the car smash into the crowd and saw at
least a half-dozen people down.“We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car
flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it and trying to stop him,
windows smashed at the back,” Jones said. “He then drove into people,
police and medics ran past us, and people were being treated on the side
of the road.”Merseyside Police said they were trying to establish what
led to the incident and asked people not to speculate or share
“distressing content online.”Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the
scenes appalling and said he was being updated on the
situation.Liverpool’s last league title came in 2020 but supporters were
denied the chance to publicly celebrate due to restrictions in place
during the COVID pandemic.This time, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved
wet weather to line the streets and climb up traffic lights for a view
of Liverpool’s players, who were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours
Again.”The hours-long procession — surrounded by a heavy police presence
— crawled along a 10-mile (16-kilometer) route and through a sea of red
smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the
heart of the city.The team in a short statement said its thoughts and
prayers were with those affected. The Premier League issued a similar
statement expressing shock at the “appalling events in
Liverpool.”Liverpool’s soccer history has been shadowed by tragedy.In
1989, 97 Liverpool fans died in a crush at a game in the Hillsborough
stadium in Sheffield.More than 760 people were also injured in the
deadliest disaster in British sporting history, which still scars the
port city.In 1985, 39 mainly Italian fans were killed when a wall
collapsed amidst disturbances between Liverpool and Juventus fans at the
Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
New Gaza aid body starts operating,
pans Hamas threats toward those cooperating with it-GHF doesn’t reveal
how much aid so far delivered, but says quantity will increase each day;
group names new CEO after previous one resigns due to concerns over
Israeli restrictions-By Jacob Magid-Today, 6:42 am-MAY 27,25
The
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it commenced operations in the
Gaza Strip on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to newly established
distribution sites, from which the supplies were then distributed to a
number of Palestinians.The announcement followed Hebrew media reports
claiming that the US- and Israel-backed GHF did not manage to begin
operating in Gaza on Monday as initially planned.The GHF statement did
not specify how much aid was distributed, but it did include photos of a
number of Gazans picking up boxes of aid from a distribution site. It
said more trucks will be delivered on Tuesday and that the flow of aid
will increase each day.The foundation made a point to condemn what it
said have been Hamas death threats against aid groups who have agreed to
cooperate with GHF, as well as efforts to block Palestinians from
reaching distribution sites.“It is clear that Hamas is threatened by
this new operating model, and will do everything in its power to see it
fail,” GHF said.GHF also announced that John Acree has been named its
interim executive director, after its previous chief resigned on Sunday
and indicated that Israeli restrictions were preventing the initiative
from being able to adhere to humanitarian principles.Acree is a “senior
humanitarian practitioner with more than two decades of global field
experience in disaster response, stabilization programming, and
civil-military coordination,” GHF said.While technically an American
company, GHF was established earlier this year in close coordination
with Israeli authorities who felt existing aid distribution mechanisms
led by the UN and other international organizations were insufficient in
preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas.Israel wanted to create a
small number of distribution sites where pre-selected familial
representatives would be able to pick up a heavy box full of food for
their families in a zone secured and operated by American private
contractors.GHF still needs support and cooperation from existing
humanitarian organizations, as it seeks to gain credibility on the
ground. That backing has yet to come, though, with the UN and many other
international organizations in Gaza vowing not to cooperate with the
GHF, arguing that its aid initiative violates humanitarian principles by
requiring Gazans to walk long distances in order to retrieve aid and
limiting distribution to southern Gaza, in what would forcibly displace
the Palestinian population.UN officials have also raised concerns that
the organization could be used to “weaponize” aid by restricting who is
eligible to receive it.A small number of lesser-known organizations have
agreed to cooperate with the GHF thus far, including the US-based aid
group Rahma Worldwide, whose logo was seen in the photos of boxes being
distributed to Gazans on Monday.GHF says it is made up of former
humanitarian, government and military officials. It has said its
distribution points — three in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza —
will be guarded by private security firms and that its aid will reach a
million Palestinians — around half of Gaza’s population — by the end of
the week.Under pressure from allies, Israel began allowing a trickle of
humanitarian aid into Gaza last week after blocking all food, medicine,
fuel or other goods from entering since March 2. Aid groups have warned
of famine and say the aid that has come in is nowhere near enough to
meet mounting needs.Hamas warned Palestinians on Monday not to cooperate
with the new aid system, saying it is aimed at furthering those
objectives.Earlier Monday, Hamas executed four men it claimed had looted
some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, according to
sources familiar with the incident.One source said the four were
involved in an incident last week in which six security officials were
allegedly killed by an Israeli airstrike as they were working to prevent
gang members from hijacking aid trucks.Aid groups have said that
deliveries have been hampered by looting, claiming Israel is to blame
for creating a situation in which hundreds of thousands of people have
been driven to desperation by aid blockade.Israel has accused Hamas of
stealing aid, and says aid needs to be tightly controlled to prevent it
from helping the terror group.Gaza’s health ministry said Monday that at
least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since the latest
ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,977
— a figure that cannot be verified and does not differentiate between
civilians and fighters.The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when
Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly
civilians, and kidnapping 251. Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are still
holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 abducted on October
7.Agencies contributed to this report.
Marchers chant ‘Death to
Arabs,’ skirmish with shopkeepers and cops at Jerusalem Day parade-Ben
Gvir slams Gaza humanitarian aid while kicking off nationalist march
into Old City: ‘Our enemies deserve only a bullet to the head’;
activists erect giant sign urging mass expulsion of Palestinians By
Charlie Summers Today, 2:14 am-MAY 27,25
Tens of thousands of
religious Zionist revelers thronged the alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old
City on Monday, chanting anti-Arab refrains as they paraded to the
Western Wall to celebrate Jerusalem Day.Many celebrants could be heard
chanting “death to Arabs” and singing “may your village burn” while
carousing about Jerusalem to mark the city’s reunification in wake of
Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War.Before the annual Flag March
kicked off in the afternoon, many young marchers had already begun
roving around the Old City, skirmishing with Palestinian shopkeepers and
police officers.It was the second time the Flag March through the Old
City, a contentious event in its own right, took place amid the war in
Gaza since the conflict there began with Hamas’s terror onslaught of
October 7, 2023.Extremist Jewish youths attending the Flag March have
been known to harass and beat Palestinians during the procession,
especially as it enters the Old City through the Muslim Quarter’s
Damascus Gate.Israel Police chief Danny Levy said in the evening that
law enforcement made no arrests, but detained several people, without
specifying how many. Last year police made 18 arrests.The Times of
Israel witnessed several people who were violently detained over the
course of the morning.The Palestinians who opened their shops at all on
Monday closed up by early afternoon — most at around 2 p.m. — in
anticipation of the nationalist parade.Ahead of the march, a group of
right-wing activists gathered outside Damascus Gate to unveil a large
banner reading: “Without a Nakba, there is no victory!”The Nakba, or
catastrophe, is the Arabic name for the exodus of hundreds of thousands
of Palestinians who either left their homes or were expelled in the late
1940s, during the War of Indepedence and major Middle East demographic
shifts surrounding the creation of the State of Israel.The group’s other
banner urged Israel to take over Gaza just like East Jerusalem after it
was captured from Jordan in the Six Day War.Revelers were to march
under the slogan “from victory to victory,” march organizer Meir Indor
told The Times of Israel on Sunday, connecting Israel’s 1967 triumph to
the ongoing offensive in Gaza.‘Our enemies deserve only a bullet to the
head’Launching the Flag Parade that afternoon, National Security
Minister Itamar Ben Gvir addressed a large crowd of celebrants, mostly
yeshiva students from across the country, outside the Great Synagogue of
Jerusalem.Enthused teenagers close to the stage reached out to the
minister while shouting his name, handing him flags and stickers to hold
as he danced with Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, a member of his
ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party.One young man gave him a flag
bearing the logo of his party. Another handed him a sticker that reads
“Gaza is ours forever.”Before speaking, Ben Gvir held up a sticker with
the name and face of a slain IDF soldier.“What sweethearts, what
sweethearts you are,” he said. “Bringing me stickers of slain soldiers,
may God avenge their blood, heroes and martyrs, thanks to them we are
winning.”But, Ben Gvir added, “this victory must be taken further and
further… we will enter Gaza and triumph!” The crowd cheered.He came out
against the recent government decision to allow humanitarian aid into
Gaza. “I say to the prime minister, dear prime minister, we must not
give them humanitarian aid, we must not give them fuel… our enemies
deserve only a bullet to the head!”As revelers began to chant “Death to
Arabs,” Ben Gvir shifted course, chanting instead, “Death to
terrorists,” with the crowd following his lead.Ben Gvir told the
celebrants: “Guys, I want to say something — I don’t hate Arabs, but I
hate terrorists, and I want a death penalty for terrorists, and God
willing, we must win.”Earlier in the day, Ben Gvir visited the Temple
Mount and declared that Jewish prayer, including full prostration, was
allowed at the holy site, a move that would upend a delicate status quo.
The Prime Minister’s Office, however, said there was no change to
existing norms.As the Flag March reached its conclusion at the Western
Wall, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for Jewish settlement in
the Gaza Strip before the large crowd.“Are we afraid of the word
‘occupation?’” the far-right minister asked the crowd, which responded
with a chorus of “no.”“Are we settling the Land of Israel? Are we
liberating Gaza?” he shouted, to cheers of approval from among the tens
of thousands gathered at the holy site. “We are triumphing over the
enemy!”‘Fringes of the fringes’Police chief Levy arrived to Damascus
Gate as masses were making their way into the Old City’s Muslim Quarter
that evening.The top cop told the Kan public broadcaster that “on the
fringes of the fringes, there are a handful of people who try to harm
the joy and ceremoniousness” of the parade, but that “99% is passing
quietly.”When asked about the anti-Arab refrains and songs heard from
marchers, he told i24News that he did not hear any racist songs. “Maybe I
didn’t hear them because I’m an artilleryman,” he said jokingly.Two of
the clashes between right-wing Jewish youth and Palestinians involved
pepper spray, police said Monday.Near Damascus Gate in the morning, a
Palestinian youth pepper-sprayed a crowd of Jewish revelers during a
scuffle. According to eyewitnesses, police detained the Palestinian.A
policeman was also seen dragging away a religious teenager towards the
exit from the Old City in the incident’s aftermath.The teenage masses
soon broke out into chanting “death to Arabs.” Some shoved an elderly
Palestinian man as he tried to make his way through the crowd.One of the
celebrants, an adolescent, attempted to prevent the reporter from
filming the scene.Later, a Palestinian man was pepper-sprayed by a group
of Jewish marchers outside Herod’s Gate, according to local Arabic
media.Revelers also made their way to the Christian Quarter. It was
there that police detained a Palestinian man after he attempted to chase
after a few dozen religious Zionist youth with his belt in hand, which
happened after they attacked another shopkeeper in his vicinity.The
Palestinian man, who appeared to be drunk, repeatedly fell to the ground
as he tried to resist being detained, as police officers roughed him
up.Bystanders complained that the group of officers, while arresting
him, paid no attention to the large group of agitators who ran away
after attacking a middle-aged man outside a barber shop.Also on the
scene were purple-vested volunteers with the left-wing Standing Together
movement, who tried to restrain the man from chasing the youth.They
were operating as part of a self-styled “humanitarian guard” with the
aim of “escorting and protecting Palestinian residents and businesses
from attacks by participants in the Flag March.”Right-wing Jewish youth
scuffled with the left-wing activists as well, deriding them as
“traitors.”Several other groups organized similar initiatives, though
most left-wing activists had been kicked out of the Old City by police
come early afternoon.Sam Sokol contributed to this report.
Says
Israeli PM must not 'overdo it'Germany’s Merz says Israeli strikes on
Gaza no longer justifiable as fight against Hamas-‘I no longer
understand what the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip,’ German
chancellor says in TV interview, says he will hold call with Netanyahu
to voice concern-By Agencies and ToI Staff 26 May 2025, 4:53 pm
German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Israel’s recent strikes on
Gaza are taking a humanitarian toll on civilians that can no longer be
justified as a fight against the Hamas terror group.“Harming the
civilian population to such an extent, as has increasingly been the case
in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas
terrorism,” he told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.Merz also
said he “no longer understands” the Israel Defense Forces’ objective in
Gaza amid a stepped-up offensive.“I no longer understand what the
Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal the civilian
population is being impacted to such an extent,” he said.Merz added he
plans to hold a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to
tell him “to not overdo it,” though for “historical reasons,” Germany
would always be more guarded in its criticism than some European
partners.But he added that “when limits are crossed, when international
humanitarian law is being violated… then the German chancellor must
speak out too.”Merz said he wanted Germany to remain “Israel’s most
important partner in Europe.”“But the Israeli government must not do
anything that its best friends are no longer willing to accept,” he
said.Germany has long been a strong supporter of Israel as it seeks to
atone for the Holocaust.However, the war against Hamas in Gaza has cast a
shadow over relations, with Germany at pains to carefully calibrate its
response to give support for Israel’s right to exist and defend itself,
but also to advocate for the rights and protections of Palestinians
under international law.The Israeli military has stepped up its Gaza
operations in recent days in what it has described as a renewed push to
destroy Hamas. It has called for the evacuation of civilians from large
swaths of the enclave, including the entire cities of Rafah and Khan
Younis in the southern Strip.Gaza’s health ministry said Sunday that at
least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since the latest
ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,939
— a figure that cannot be verified and does not differentiate between
civilians and fighters.The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when
Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly
civilians, and kidnapping 251. Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are still
holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 abducted on October 7.
AIRPLANES
ISAIAH 31:5
5
As birds flying,(PLANES) so will the LORD of hosts defend
Jerusalem;(WITH PLANES) defending also he will deliver it; and passing
over he will preserve it.(NUKE OR BOMB ISRAELS ENEMIES)
AUTOMOBILES
NAHUM 2:3-4
3
The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in
scarlet: the chariots(AUTOMOBILES) shall be with flaming torches in the
day of his preparation,(LIGHTS) and the fir trees shall be terribly
shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets,(DRIVE FAST) they
shall justle(ACCIDENTS) one against another in the broad ways: they
shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.(LIGHTS AND
FAST)
FALSE POPE OF THE VATICAN
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:(VATICAN)
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.(THATS PEDOPHELIA-FORNICATION IS SINGLES
HAVING SEX OUT SIDE OF MARRIAGE)(AND SINCE PREISTS CAN NOT MARRY IN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS FALSE CHURCH GOES AGAINST THE
BIBLE.THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BECOMES A HOMOSEXUAL HAVEN OF PEDOPHILIAS
FACTORY).
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:(THE
VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS-AND
WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE
THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS
CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
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.(GOD
HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
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.(VATICAN)
HOW THE FALSE POPE IS ELECTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3Qnr_30Z4
POPE FRANCIS SISTER (PEDOPHILIA WAY WORSE THEN THOUGHT) (CARDINAL MATEO TERESCO-THE NEXT COVERUP POPE OF PEDOPHILIA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usFshfmBPmY
FALSE POPE LEO 14TH 2012 INTERVIEW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXVkJ5TQi1s
POPE 14TH WILL BE WORSE THAN FRANCIS.
https://banned.video/watch?id=681cf97a22a2c8ae0e09b5d0
NUTCASE FALSE POPE TELLS KAROLINE LEAVITT TO TAKE OFF HER CROSS SHES WEARING.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3SioK7gwNc
Pope
Leo XIV Delivers First Homily as Bishop of Rome at the Basilica of St.
John Lateran-The Pontiff spoke of ecclesial communion and explained that
the day’s Gospel reading reinforced this point.May 25, 2025
Pope
Leo XIV delivered his first homily as Bishop of Rome at the Basilica of
St. John Lateran, where he took possession of his cathedra (throne) on
Sunday.The Pontiff said ecclesial communion is built “on our knees,
through prayer and constant commitment to conversion,” as he invoked the
example of the first Christians who faced the challenges of proclaiming
the Gospel to a pagan world.Reflecting on the episode from the Acts of
the Apostles, where the early Christians debated about whether Gentile
converts had to follow the law of Moses, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that
“this was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual
listening.”He referenced the Council of Jerusalem, the first great
council of the early Church, in which “a dialogue was opened” that led
to a fitting decision: “Recognizing the difficulties of the new
converts, they agreed not to impose excessive burdens on them, but
rather to insist only on what was essential.”“In this way,” he added,
“what might have seemed a problem became for everyone an opportunity for
reflection and growth.”“The most important part of the entire event,”
he emphasized, “was listening to God’s voice, which made everything else
possible.” This, he said, is how communion is truly built.“For only in
this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out,
‘Abba! Father!’ and then, as a result, listen to and understand others
as our brothers and sisters,” he continued.The day’s Gospel reading
reinforced this point. “It assures us that we are not alone in making
our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to
follow, ‘teaching’ us and ‘reminding’ us of all that Jesus said,” the
Pope affirmed.“The more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by
the Gospel — allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to
make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our
actions generous — the more capable we are of proclaiming its message,”
he added.For this reason, he stressed that, throughout the process — as
in the Council of Jerusalem — “the most important listening” is that of
listening to God's voice.Addressing the cardinals of the Roman Curia,
bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity of the Diocese of Rome,
the Pope continued:“I would like to express my firm desire to contribute
to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as
possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together, as
St. Augustine would say, ‘as a Christian with you and a bishop for
you.’”“I would also ask you to support me in prayer and charity,” he
said, “mindful of the words of St. Leo the Great: ‘All the good we do in
the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for
we can do nothing without him. Yet we glory in him, from whom all the
effectiveness of our work is derived.’”He recalled Blessed John Paul I,
who, “with the joyful and serene face that had already earned him the
nickname of ‘the Smiling Pope,’” took possession of the chair of the
Bishop of Rome in September 1978.“I too express my affection for you and
my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and
sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you ‘the little I have and
am,’ entrusting it to the intercession of Sts. Peter and Paul and of
all those other brothers and sisters of ours whose holiness has
illuminated the history of this Church and the streets of this city,” he
said.The Pope also affirmed the legacy of the Church of Rome as “heir
to a great history, grounded in the witness of Peter, Paul and countless
martyrs,” and emphasized her unique mission: “to be Omnium Ecclesiarum
Mater, Mother of all the Churches.”The Basilica of St. John Lateran
bears the honorary title of “Mother and Head of All the Churches in the
City of Rome and the Whole World.” Taking this as a metaphor, the Pope
recalled that his predecessor Pope Francis invited the faithful to
reflect on the “maternal dimension” of the Church and on its defining
characteristics.Among these are “tenderness, self-sacrifice and the
capacity to listen;” traits that, the Pope said, “enable her not only to
assist others but often to anticipate their needs and expectations
before they are even expressed.”“We hope that those qualities will be
increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in
our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors, and, first of
all, in myself,” he added.He praised the “challenging process of
listening that the Diocese of Rome has undertaken in these years,”
structured around various levels of listening — “to the world around us
to respond to its challenges and listening within our communities to
understand needs and to propose sage and prophetic initiatives of
evangelization and charity.”Although he acknowledged that this is “a
challenging, ongoing journey meant to embrace a very rich and complex
reality,” he said it is worthy of the Church's history — one that has
often shown its ability to “think big,” giving itself fully to
courageous projects and even taking risks in the face of new and complex
scenarios.He specifically highlighted the extensive work being done by
the entire Diocese of Rome for the Jubilee Year, welcoming and caring
for pilgrims and launching many other initiatives.“These have made the
city of Rome appear to visitors, some of whom have travelled from far
away, as a wide, open and welcoming home, and above all as a place of
deep faith,” he concluded.A Gesture of Communion-During the liturgy, the
Holy Father received the pledge of fidelity from a representative group
of the people of God in Rome in the Rite of Obedience. This symbolic
expression of communion was not led by cardinals or members of the
Curia, but by real people from the diocese: an auxiliary bishop, a
canon, a parish priest, a parochial vicar, a deacon, religious men and
women, a family, an educator, a catechist, and two young people.Among
the participants were Cardinal Vicar Baldassare Reina, Auxiliary Bishop
Renato Tarantelli, and other clergy and laypeople, including Brother
Luis Martín Rodríguez, Sister Rebecca Nazzaro, and young people Mirko
Venditti and Teresa Martellotta. Each of them represented a vital
dimension of the Roman Church now recognizing its new bishop as their
shepherd.Before arriving at the basilica — the first great Christian
building erected in Rome after Emperor Constantine legalized religious
freedom in A.D. 313 — the Pope met with Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. At the
foot of the staircase of the Capitoline Hill, where the main entrance to
the historic Palazzo Senatorio (City Hall) stands, the Roman mayor paid
homage to him as the new Bishop of Rome.
Why I Love the Rosary:
Reflections for Mary’s Month of May-‘The Rosary of the Virgin Mary ...
remains … a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a
harvest of holiness,’ wrote Pope St. John Paul II in ‘Rosarium Virginis
Mariae.’May 25, 2025
Regular Register contributors offer their
feminine meditations on particular mysteries and decades.Meditate on the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary-Sister Mary Madeline Todd, OP-Each mystery of
the Rosary is a priceless treasure, but I especially love to meditate on
the first Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries, whose interrelated calls to
total surrender to God’s loving will illustrate the inseparable unity of
the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.At the Annunciation, when Mary accepted
God’s call to be the Mother of our Savior, she laid aside fear and
trusted radically in God’s fidelity. When Gabriel revealed God’s plan,
Mary could never have foreseen the joys and sorrows that were to come,
but she trusted in the goodness of her loving Father. Mary, Mother of
God and our Mother, shows us how to do whatever God tells us (see John
2:5) with a peace that only the Holy Spirit can give. She shows us the
beauty of a life surrendered to God in every detail: “May it be done to
me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).Likewise, Jesus showed us in his
Agony in the Garden perfect acceptance of the Father’s will, even amidst
the most profound suffering. He endured the weight of every human
rejection of God. Even though he begged to be spared the pain to come,
he nevertheless chose the Father’s will in full freedom and perfect love
for the Father and for us. His prayer — “My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew
26:39) —teaches us the transforming power of filial obedience.Whether
God’s will comes to us as a gentle call, an awe-inspiring grace, or a
painful invitation to death to self, we can look to Jesus and Mary as
models of every virtue. In union with them, we desire the divine grace
to say “Yes” with the freedom that comes from knowing that God will
never abandon his beloved children.Annunciation’s Lessons for Daily
Living-Susanna Spencer-When my children climbed into the car after
school this past Solemnity of the Annunciation, they were not surprised
to hear the Basque Christmas carol Gabriel’s Message playing on repeat.
The melody that makes the heart ache and the line, “’To me be as it
pleaseth God,’ she said,” strikes me to the core every single time. I
pull up this song every Marian feast day and any day when I need to
surrender to God’s will — for my life, my day, the moment before me.
This mystery of the Rosary is the one I go to most often, as it is
Mary’s “Yes” to every single other mystery, the Joyful, Luminous,
Sorrowful and Glorious. At every moment from when she became the Mother
of God, her heart has repeated her first fiat, the one that accepted
everything that would come after. Caryll Houselander in The Reed of God,
writes that at the Annunciation “Our Lady said yes for the human race”
and “each one of us must echo that yes for our own lives.” When I
meditate on the Annunciation while praying the Rosary, I try to
surrender myself to God’s will. I ask for the grace to live in the
moment, to “choose all” with joy, like St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the
joyful and the sorrowful. And when I pray the Rosary for others, I pray
for them to have the grace to accept God’s will, to accept Christ into
their very being. Houselander writes, “The surrender that is asked of us
includes complete and absolute trust; it must be like Our Lady’s
surrender, without condition and without reservation.” Learning to
surrender in each moment and to trust God when plans inevitably change
is my daily challenge — and one that Our Lady helps me with every
day.The Light of the Institution of the Eucharist-Kathy Schiffer-I
remember when Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries of the
Rosary. It was October 2002, and I was working at a Catholic nonprofit
in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When I walked in and told my co-workers that I’d
just learned that there were five new mysteries, everyone laughed! The
Rosary had always, after all, included 15 mysteries, and that could
never change — right? But the change was real. Pope John Paul II, at the
start of the Year of the Rosary, wanted to encourage Catholics to
meditate on the public ministry of Jesus. The Rosary, while a
Christological prayer, focused in its traditional 15 mysteries on Jesus’
Mother Mary. The five new mysteries of light, Pope John Paul explained
in his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, helped the Rosary to
“become more fully a compendium of the Gospel,” to “give it fresh life …
as a true doorway into the depths of the Heart of Christ, ocean of joy
and of light, of suffering and of glory.”Indeed, the Luminous Mysteries,
which are prayed on Thursdays, help me to meditate on the major events
of Christ’s life here on earth. The Fifth Luminous Mystery, the
Institution of the Eucharist, is a particular favorite because it
describes in detail Christ’s gift of himself at the Last Supper. “Yes,
yes!” I say in my heart as we meditate on Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan,
his first public miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, his
transfiguration ... but then, at the Last Supper, he offers the greatest
of all gifts to us: the gift of himself, freely given in the sacrament
of the Holy Eucharist.Throughout his life, most notably with his
miracles, Jesus helped me to understand who he is, truly God and truly
man. But in the Eucharist, given at the Last Supper, he promised to stay
here with us, close to us, so that we can remain close to him, secure
in his loving arms.Thank you, dearest Mary, for helping me to know your
holy Son. And thank you, Jesus, for coming into my life, helping me to
understand who you are and how I can better love you, my Lord and my
God.A Call to Love Amid Sorrow-Patti Armstrong-The Sorrow Mysteries are
my favorite because they reveal the extent of God’s loves for us, which
stirs my own heart to love God with my whole heart, my whole soul, and
my whole mind. They also lead me to love the Blessed Mother more deeply
as I consider that this fulfills the prophecy of Simeon at the
Presentation: that her heart would be pierced by a sword.In the first
mystery, the Agony in the Garden, Jesus experiences immense spiritual
agony knowing what he is about to suffer. He prayed to the Father to let
the “cup” of suffering pass, yet ultimately said, “Not my will, but
yours be done.” This agony is believed to have included the emotional
and spiritual impact of seeing all the sins of mankind, past, present
and future, which includes my own sins.And then Jesus bears the physical
suffering of the scourging and crowning, tearing his flesh apart and
forcing sharp thorns into his head. During the carrying of the cross
after all this and then hanging on it for three hours, I also meditate
on the encounter with his Sorrowful Mother —such unspeakable pain and
such unimaginable love between them.I love the other mysteries too — so
full of light and joy and glorious news. The Sorrowful Mysteries,
however, confront me with the price Jesus paid for our sins and the
suffering of our Blessed Mother who witnessed it, thus helping me to
love them more.PRAY WITH MOTHER ANGELICA-Kathy Schiffer-is a Catholic
writer whose work has appeared in the National Catholic Register,
Catholic World Report, Crisis Magazine, Family Theater Productions,
Evangelization and Culture, Aleteia, Zenit, the Michigan Catholic,
Legatus Magazine, and other Catholic publications. She served as
conference director for Legatus, Special Event Coordinator for Guest
House treatment center for clergy and religious, and producer for Al
Kresta's syndicated radio programs on WMUZ-FM in Detroit and on Ave
Maria Radio, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Kathy and her husband, Deacon
Jerry Schiffer, have three adult children.Susanna Spencer-Susanna
Spencer Susanna Spencer has a master’s in theology from Franciscan
University of Steubenville. She the content and theological editor for
Blessed Is She, author of the Scripture studies Seek His Kingdom: A
Meditation on Matthew and Listen to Him: A Meditation on Mark, and
co-author of the children’s devotional book Rise Up: Shining in Virtue.
She is a mother of four, wife to a philosophy professor, and lives with
her family in St. Paul, Minnesota. Find her at her website here.Sister
Mary Madeline Todd-Sister Mary Madeline Todd is a Dominican Sister of
the St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville. She received her doctorate in
sacred theology from the Angelicum in Rome and currently teaches
religion and philosophy at Mount de Sales Academy in Baltimore.Patti
Maguire Armstrong-Patti (Maguire) Armstrong is an award-winning
journalist and was managing editor and co-author of the bestselling
Amazing Grace Series. Her latest books are the humorous and
inspirational second-edition Dear God, I Don't Get It, Dear God, You
Can't Be Serious!, What Would Monica Do? and Holy Hacks. Patti worked in
social work and public administration before staying home as a
freelance writer while she and Mark raised their 10 children in North
Dakota. Follow her on Twitter at @PattiArmstrong and read her blog at
PattiMaguireArmstrong.com.
Pope Leo XIV Might Visit Ukraine When
Conditions Allow, Says Archbishop-‘The Pope is the only one capable of
protecting these people,’ Ukraine’s top Catholic leader tells Leo XIV in
personal Vatican appeal.May 23, 2025
In a private audience with
Pope Leo XIV on May 16, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of
the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, invited the Pope to visit Ukraine
to bring comfort to a people worn down by war.“I told him we are
relieved whenever the Pope speaks of us,” Archbishop Shevchuk said.
“Facing a world that forgets about us — while there is a campaign
denying our existence — the Pope allows us to be visible.”Archbishop
Shevchuk spoke with the Register in a 40-minute interview shortly after
he met with the Holy Father. He reflected on the legacy of Pope Leo
XIII, who emphasized the importance of the Eastern Churches, and
discussed peace efforts as well as the prospects of a papal visit to
Ukraine.“It was important to have a personal meeting with the Pope,”
Archbishop Shevchuk said. “News about Ukraine is mediated by other
channels, and it was my duty to bring the people’s voice directly to the
Pope. I had the impression that we have a great father. His fatherhood
toward Ukraine may not make big news, but will sprout in many important
decisions. I have the impression that there will be concrete
actions.”The major archbishop said he was able to give Leo XIV a glimpse
of the life and work of the Church amid the war, and that the Holy
Father “was very interested in hearing how the Church accompanies its
people.” He emphasized the importance of what he called a “pastoral of
mourning,” adding: “We are called to accompany people who suffer, who
mourn the loss of those dearest to them.”Archbishop Shevchuk observed
that “every little attention that the Pope gives to the Ukrainian
people, immediately turns into medicine,” pointing to the Regina Coeli
address on May 11, when the Pope mentioned Ukraine and urged a lasting
peace.His words “were immediately received,” the archbishop said. “They
represented a balm for our hearts. I explained to the Pope that the
Ukrainian people, when they hear the Pope say that he carries the pain
of Ukraine within himself, feel taken out of the darkness of suffering.
Because we live in the face of those who say that we have no right to
exist, who maintain that Ukraine does not exist and is an ideological
invention.”Now, the Ukrainian people are hoping for a papal visit. “I
invited him, and I hope the right time will come,” said Archbishop
Shevchuk. “I explained to the Holy Father that people are waiting for
him and that this is the moment to act in a truly Christian way, in a
way of the Church.”He emphasized that acting in a Christian spirit means
looking beyond politics. “We talk about Ukraine without considering the
people, but only things. We heard about rare earths, territories, and
economic interests in the negotiations. It is important, then, that the
Church help to depoliticize this tragedy and bring out human faces and
human rights also for the people who are in the occupied territories.
The Pope is the only one capable of protecting these people.”Looking at
the situation in Ukraine, Archbishop Shevchuk said Ukrainians “have the
hope of resisting,” but need to begin the peace process. “We have the
feeling that the time has come for diplomacy, to find some negotiated
way to stop this slaughter.”He added that first, “we silence the
weapons,” and then “we all sit around a table to discuss it together.
This is the only alternative if we want to find something other than an
armed encounter.”He added, “We pray that this dialogue will be
successful, but then Pope Leo himself reminded us in his speech to
diplomats that this peace must always be a just peace based on truth,
because a peace without justice is a negative peace, a peace that can
sometimes be confused with a truce … a situation that carries within
itself a spark of a future new conflict, because it does not extinguish
the things of the conflict. But this spark of the fire of war is
extinguished with justice.”Archbishop Shevchuk emphasized the importance
of Leo XIV’s insistence that peace must be rooted in religious freedom.
“It is fundamental for us, who are even denied the right to exist. I
hope peace agreements will also ensure human rights in the occupied
territories. There, our Church has been ‘liquidated.’ We do not doubt
that a Russian advancement could lead to the end of the space of
religious freedom for our Church.”However, Archbishop Shevchuk added,
“Leo XIV also tied peace to the truth. Often, people want to separate
peace from truth. Some have the illusion that everything can be finished
in three or four hours. We risk considering this tragedy lightly
without going to the bottom of it by talking about the truth.”He also
reflected on the legacy of Leo XIII, the last pope who took the name Leo
before the current one.Archbishop Shevchuk noted that Leo XIII issued
the landmark 1894 encyclical Orientalium Dignitas, which challenged the
prevailing practice of favoring the Latin rite over the Eastern rites.
That rule was later abolished by the Second Vatican Council. “Leo XIII
was a pope who truly considered the Eastern Churches to be on an equal
footing with the Latin Churches,” Archbishop Shevchuk said. “This was
reaffirmed by Leo XIV.”Leo XIII also “began to re-establish the Eastern
eparchies and create new ones,” Archbishop Shevchuk said. “He erected
new eparchies in Ukraine and Galicia and appointed Sheptytsky as
bishop,” he added, referring to the revered Metropolitan Andriy
Sheptytsky, who led Ukrainian Catholics through two world wars and
served for 44 years.“Leo XIII did not deconstruct,” he continued. “He
built according to pastoral needs. When Leo XIII became pope, the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church had only three dioceses in Western
Ukraine.”“Today, we have 20 eparchies outside Ukraine and 16 inside
Ukraine. And we need other structures — we need new structures, with
organized parishes.”Leo XIII also founded the Pontifical Ukrainian
College in Rome. Archbishop Shevchuk said, “For us, Pope Leo XIII is the
pope who supervised the formation and education of the clergy for the
Eastern Catholic Churches, and this is always a look into the future.”He
added that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church hopes “Pope Leo XIV will
also help us in these unusually difficult war conditions, to continue
to worry about the formation of our clergy, because investing in
education means transforming and giving hope. Pope Leo XIII was very
concerned about the reconstruction of the seminary in Lviv. The Leonine
imprint on our structures, especially in formation, is evident.”“Leo
XIII appointed Sheptytsky as bishop,” he said. “And we can say that Leo
XIII and Sheptytsky gave face to our Church today.”
Karoline
Leavitt Shows Her Christian Faith with Cross Necklace During White House
Press Briefings in Washington D.C.February 13, 2025 Temitope Oke
Since
taking on her role as White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt has
consistently displayed her Christian faith in both her words and her
style.The 27-year-old has worn a cross necklace during nearly every
press briefing and media appearance, signaling a clear message about how
important her faith is to her.A Signature Look with a Meaningful
Touch-Leavitt’s cross necklaces are a staple of her daily wardrobe.In
her first press briefing on January 28, she paired a berry-colored
two-piece Zara suit with a cross necklace and completed her look with
diamond stud earrings and Jimmy Choo heels.The sleek black patent
leather shoes were decorated with crystals and featured a pointed toe,
offering a sophisticated touch to her ensemble.In a more recent
briefing, Leavitt opted for a navy blue pinstriped pantsuit, with her
gold cross necklace as the main accessory.She complemented the look with
a pink-faced watch and a dainty tennis bracelet, continuing her trend
of subtle but meaningful accessorizing.Faith is Central to Her
Identity-The necklace, however, is not just a fashion choice—it’s a
statement of Leavitt’s values.She has made it clear that her Christian
faith plays a central role in her life.When criticized by California
Democrat Rep.Dave Min, who called her a “fake Christian,” Leavitt didn’t
hold back.She told The New York Post that the remark was “pitiful” and
reiterated how deeply her faith influences everything she does.“My
Christian faith is a huge part of my life,” Leavitt explained. “My
faith, my marriage, my family life—it’s everything to me.”A Growing
Family and a Strong Foundation-Leavitt’s personal life is just as tied
to her faith and family values.She’s married to 59-year-old Nicholas
Riccio, who runs Riccio Enterprises LLC in New Hampshire, where they
both reside.The couple recently celebrated the birth of their son,
Nicholas ‘Niko’ Robert, in July.Leavitt shared her overwhelming love and
gratitude for her child on Instagram, saying, “My heart has grown
bigger than I ever imagined possible.”Her deep love for her family is
evident, and it’s clear that her faith guides her in raising her son,
hoping to instill in him a strong sense of confidence and purpose.She
shared in an interview with The Conservateur in October, “If he knows
his worth is not from any other person, but from God, he can accomplish
anything.”Leavitt’s Quick Return to Work After Giving Birth-Leavitt’s
commitment to both her faith and her role at the White House was put to
the test after the birth of her son.Despite the challenges of new
motherhood, she made an early return to work—just four days after giving
birth—following a shocking event: an assassination attempt on Donald
Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.This quick return showed her dedication
to both her role and the causes she believes in.Faith and Politics in
the White House-Leavitt’s story is set against the backdrop of broader
political and religious developments.Last week, former President Donald
Trump signed an executive order to establish a White House Faith Office,
which will be led by his longtime spiritual adviser, Paula White.This
office is a continuation of Trump’s efforts to engage with evangelical
groups, a cornerstone of his first administration.In remarks at the
National Prayer Breakfast, Trump also spoke about his evolving
relationship with religion, particularly after surviving two failed
assassination attempts in the previous year.He called for unity among
lawmakers and highlighted the important role that faith plays in his
life.Leavitt’s faith journey, from her cross necklaces to her public
comments, shows that her beliefs continue to be a defining feature of
both her personal and professional life.Whether in the White House press
room or speaking out against her critics, her Christian faith remains
at the heart of her identity.
Ben Gvir says Jewish prayer,
including full prostration, permitted at Temple Mount-Far-right minister
rejects longtime status quo at flashpoint Jerusalem holy site; Prime
Minister’s Office: ‘Israel’s policy concerning the Temple Mount has not
changed’By Sam Sokol-26 May 2025, 8:14 pm
Far-right National
Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declared Monday that Jewish prayer,
including full prostration, was allowed at the Temple Mount during a
Jerusalem Day visit, a move that would upend a delicate status quo at
the contested holy site. In response, the Prime Minister’s Office
announced there was no change to existing norms.Flanked by Negev,
Galilee, and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and MK
Yitzhak Kroizer, both members of his ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit
party, Ben Gvir said that “many Jews are flooding the Temple
Mount.”“Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount, to
bow down on the Temple Mount — we thank God for that,” the far-right
minister declared, adding that he and his colleagues had come to “pray
for the safety of the hostages” and “for victory in the war.”The Temple
Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, as the site of the two biblical
Temples. Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is home to the
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.Photos from the scene
showed Kroizer prostrated on the Mount alongside other Jews, as police
looked on.Meanwhile, MK Zvi Sukkot, of the far-right Religious Zionism
party, was filmed walking across the holy site with an Israeli flag,
repeatedly declaring, “The Temple Mount is in our hands.”Ben Gvir says
he also prayed for the success of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
contentious pick to head the Shin Bet security agency, Maj. Gen. David
Zini, stating that “he will pursue our enemies” and “mow [them]
down.”Ben Gvir has long rebuffed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
repeated insistence that the decades-old status quo, which bans Jewish
prayer on the site, remains in force — and has made a habit of
publicizing his visits to the holy site since initially joining the
government in 2022.He has repeatedly stated that his policy is to allow
Jewish prayer there, drawing rebukes from US and international
officials, as well as warnings from the security establishment that
renewed conflict over the site could pose a risk to national
security.Perceived changes to the status quo on the Temple Mount evoke
strong emotions and are frequently cited as a Muslim motivation for
religious violence. Hamas termed its invasion and massacre in southern
Israel on October 7, 2023, “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”While the PMO did
not send out a statement repudiating Ben Gvir’s comments on Monday, it
did tell The Times of Israel, when asked, that “Israel’s policy
concerning the Temple Mount has not changed.”The PMO’s response did not
address the relaxation of restrictions on Jewish worship in recent
years.A vague, unwritten status quo in place for decades at the site
prohibits Jews from worshiping on the Temple Mount, but the Israel
Police, which comes under the purview of Ben Gvir’s ministry, has
increasingly tolerated limited prayer there.Ben Gvir last visited the
Temple Mount in early April, eliciting criticism from the coalition’s
ultra-Orthodox members, as Haredim believe it is forbidden to tread in
the holy site due to its sanctity.Ben Gvir’s ascent and statement on
Monday drew harsh condemnations both abroad and domestically, including
from Netanyahu’s own political allies.“I strongly condemn and denounce
the provocative ascent to the Temple Mount,” which is strictly
prohibited by Jewish law and constitutes “a severe blow to the Jewish
people and its holy places and causes irreparable damage,” said MK Moshe
Gafni of the coalition’s United Torah Judaism party.“The convicted
criminal Ben Gvir continues to incite, set fire to, and desecrate the
holy places,” Hadash-Ta’al chair Ayman Odeh told The Times of Israel in a
statement.“A person who hung the picture of terrorist Baruch Goldstein
in his home cannot preach about prayer. His every performance is a
provocation aimed at encouraging violence and eliminating any chance of
peace between nations,” Odeh said, condemning attacks on Arabs in
Jerusalem’s Old City by far-right activists during this morning’s
Jerusalem Day march.“Ben Gvir is not the Minister of National Security.
He is the national security terrorist.”Ben Gvir’s visit was also
condemned by Jordan, whose foreign ministry stated that “East Jerusalem
is an occupied city over which Israel has no sovereignty,” and the
Palestinian Authority, which condemned what it described as “the
extremist Ben Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”Ben Gvir’s and Sukkot’s
visit, as well as Monday’s flag march, are “part of the genocide,
displacement, Judaization, and annexation to which the Palestinian
people are subjected,” the Palestinian foreign ministry claimed, calling
for “urgent international intervention to halt them immediately.”
'This
is the work of a true artist'Kaleidoscopic 1,600-year-old monastery
mosaic on display for first time in the Negev-Roaring lions, gazelles
fleeing wolves and a farmer wiping sweat from his forehead are among the
scenes from Byzantine Israel depicted on the artifact By Rossella
Tercatin-Today, 2:08 pm-MAY 27,25
A striking 1,600-year-old
mosaic depicting animals, plants, and scenes from life in Byzantine
Israel is on display for the first time at the Merhavim Regional
Council’s headquarters in the Western Negev, the Israel Antiquities
Authority (IAA) announced on Tuesday.The Be’er Shema (Birsama) mosaic
was discovered in 1990 in an agricultural area south of Kibbutz Urim.
The artifact recently underwent conservation and was transferred to the
headquarters from its original location.Archaeologists uncovered the
mosaic within a monastery complex, which included facilities for wine
production, such as a wine press, which probably provided a livelihood
for the monks.“This is a unique mosaic from the Byzantine period
(324-638 CE),” IAA archaeologist Shaike Lender, one of Be’er Shema’s
excavators, said in a statement. “It presents 55 richly detailed
medallions – with mythological characters, baskets of fruit, exotic
animals, scenes from everyday life, hunting scenes and more. The mosaic
was clearly made by the hand of a true artist. It is comprised of small
mosaic stones in a variety of colors, combined with glass and pottery to
infuse it with variety.”The monastery was located on an ancient
commercial route connecting the port of Gaza and the Negev town of
Halutz.“It seems that the ancient road upon which this settlement was
sited served as a kind of border between the desert and the inhabited
part of the country – during the Byzantine period, and perhaps serving
as such even earlier, during the Roman period,” Lender noted.“The
excavation showed that this was indeed a large settlement, on the order
of several hundred dunams, that served travelers needing a safe place to
spend the night, offering protection from potential attacks by raiders
from the local Bedouin tribes,” he said.Roaring lions, giraffes, and
gazelles fleeing wolves are among the animals vividly depicted in the
mosaic. A farmer wiping sweat from his forehead as he tends his vineyard
and two men pulling a donkey and a camel carrying a load are also
featured on the artifact, possibly echoing snippets of life in the
monastery.After the excavation concluded, the mosaic was covered to
protect it. In recent months, it underwent conservation works by IAA
experts.“Over the ensuing years since its discovery, the mosaic floor’s
state of conservation deteriorated,” said IAA Conservation Department
head Ami Shahar.“Given this situation, actions were taken. It was
re-exposed, treated, strengthened, and transferred from its original
exposed location to the Merhavim Council’s enclosed compound,” he added.
“Now, it is fully protected from agricultural and development work, and
at long last, it is presented to the public to appreciate.”The
exhibition was inaugurated on Sunday as part of the “Antiquities Right
at Home” project by the Heritage Ministry and the IAA.Heritage Minister
Amichay Eliyahu and Merhavim Regional Council Head Shai Hajaj took part
in the ceremony attended by students from nearby schools and local
residents.
ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 599'Not an issue of faith, but
rather of lifestyle'Study finds growing numbers leaving Haredi
community, but many staying religious-According to Out for Change
survey, two-thirds of former ultra-Orthodox identify as observant or
traditional and high numbers report still having good relationships with
family By Rossella Tercatin-Today, 9:15 am-MAY 27,25
When Yehuda
Moses was 25, his worldview began to shift.A member of the Belz Hasidic
community, Moses found himself placed under excommunication by the
group’s grand rabbi after he criticized an initiative to raise funds
among community members with limited resources to fund the construction
of a new synagogue.“I began to wonder how people considered righteous
could do such harmful things,” Moses, now 52, told The Times of Israel
in a phone interview.That moment marked the start of Moses’s departure
from the Haredi world, a life-altering choice being made by a growing
number of ultra-Orthodox Israelis, according to a comprehensive study
published earlier this year by Out for Change, which provides help to
those leaving the ultra-Orthodox community.The study found that rather
than marking a complete break, a stereotype enforced by pop culture
portrayals, leaving the ultra-Orthodox world is a complicated process
that can preserve some aspects of the former lives of ex-Haredim, from
faith to their relationships with their parents.At the time of his
shunning, Moses was already married with five children, all of whom left
the ultra-Orthodox world with him. Yet while he now describes himself
as completely secular, getting there took over two decades, while his
wife and three daughters still maintain some level of religiosity.“Only
recently I started to travel on Shabbat,” he said.Based on publicly
available Central Bureau of Statistics data, Out for Change found that
many former members of the Haredi community maintain some level of
religious observance, albeit a less stringent one.Fewer than one in five
former Haredim describe themselves as completely secular, according to
the study, which was published in February.“Past qualitative research on
the topic has shown that the choice to leave Haredi society behind
often is not an issue of faith, but rather of seeking a different
lifestyle or quality of life,” said Adar Anisman, head of research at
Out for Change and one of the authors of the report.Still, even the
first step out of the cloistered ultra-Orthodox community can be a
shock. For Moses, whose father Menachem Eliezer Moses served as an MK
for United Torah Judaism from 2009 until 2019, leaving the confines of
Haredi life was like stepping into an entirely new world.“I didn’t even
know how the human body functions — I believed that prayer alone was
enough to recover from illness,” he recalled.Clear trend-According to
Anisman, most who leave the Haredi world do so by age 25, making it
possible to identify trends by looking at different age cohorts.Drawing
on CBS surveys conducted on a representative sample of the entire
Israeli population, the researchers determined that 12.5 percent of
Israelis born between 1997 and 2001 who grew up in Haredi households no
longer identify as ultra-Orthodox, the highest figure in decades.The
figure progressively drops for older cohorts: 11.3% of those born
between 1992 and 1996, 10.3% among the 1987–1991 age group, and 8.9% of
those born from 1982 to 1986 no longer identify as ultra-Orthodox. The
numbers drop even lower, to around 7.5%, for those born earlier, going
all the way back to the 60s.“While it can be difficult to be precise
with numbers, we definitely see an upward trend,” Anisman said.According
to the researcher, the figure reflects a broader shift that began in
the 1970s, when Haredi society grew increasingly insular.“In the early
years of the State of Israel, the Haredi world was more open, and we saw
a significant wave of people choosing to leave,” Anisman
explained.Around 13% of those born between 1957 and 1961 who were raised
Haredi no longer identify as such, and in earlier generations, the
rates were even higher, she noted.“Beginning in the 1970s, the community
became more closed off,” said Anisman. “Leaving has been harder, and as
a result, fewer people did.”“There’s no single ‘type’ of person who
chooses to leave the Haredi community,” Anisman told The Times of Israel
over the phone. “People often assume that former Haredim couldn’t fit
in, but there are also those who come from top yeshivas and seminaries.
The data reflects this diversity, especially in their wide range of
choices afterward.”After leaving ultra-Orthodoxy, where education is
often limited to the study of Jewish religious texts, Moses immersed
himself in academic courses on everything from philosophy to
astrophysics, he said.Although the gaps in his education prevented him
from earning a formal degree, he eventually trained to become an account
manager.Transitional support network-Out for Change was established in
2012 by people who had themselves left the ultra-Orthodox community.The
organization assists around 1,500 ex-Haredim a year, offering individual
counseling and community programs.It is also active in research and
advocacy to support the integration of former Haredim into general
society.A 2020 study by the Israel Democracy Institute, which also
showed growing numbers of people leaving ultra-Orthodoxy, estimated that
as of 2017, there were some 53,400 Israelis ages 20-64 who could be
considered ex-Haredi.Nationally, there are believed to be over 1.3
million Haredi Jews in Israel, making up 14% of the population,
according to an IDI study published last year. That proportion is
expected to rise as time goes on due to high birth rates in the
community, meaning ex-ultra-Orthodox will make up an increasingly
significant slice of Israeli society if current trends continue.Israeli
census data does not directly identify who is formerly Haredi, meaning
Out of Change needed to parse several separate sources of public data
gathered by CBS to build its report.The primary source was the CBS
Social Survey, which polls a representative sample of Israelis aged
20-64 on a wide variety of topics, including their family status,
education, career, standard of living, health, and more.Between 2007 and
2012, and then again from 2017 onwards, CBS asked participants to
describe their current religiosity and the religious level of the
households they belonged to when they were 15. This allowed researchers
to identify respondents whose level of observance no longer reflected
their ultra-Orthodox upbringing.Additionally, Out of Change teased out
numbers from the CBS Labor Force Survey for 2020-2023, which polled male
respondents on what educational institutions they attended and their
current religious identity. Former Haredi men could be selected based on
those who stated they attended ultra-Orthodox yeshivas but no longer
identify with that affiliation (no option for educational institutions
was available to help identify former Haredi women).Out of Change also
surveyed 1,206 self-identified former Haredim in April 2024.“The report
was done at a very high level, using multiple reliable sources and
cross-referencing them,” said Leah Bloy, a PhD candidate at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem.Bloy, who was not involved in the survey,
studies Haredi society at the university’s School of Business
Administration.“We can see that in most cases, the results are
consistent across the sources, which is always a sign that they are
dependable,” she added.Lifestyle, not faith-The researchers found that
two-thirds of former Haredim still identify as religious (46%) or
traditional-religious (20%), with less than one in five (18%) becoming
secular and the remaining 16% calling themselves traditional but not so
religious.“If we consider that most people leave between the ages of 17
and 25, we can understand how this is a time when people want to find
themselves and sometimes rebel against the system,” said Anisman. “Faith
plays a role for some people, but not for everyone. We see very clearly
that leaving ultra-Orthodoxy behind is more a sociological phenomenon
than a religious one.”Researchers were also able to conclude that many
who leave Haredi society stay in touch with their families, dispelling a
stereotype that the move usually leaves parents and their children
estranged.“The reality is often very different,” said Anisman. “In many
cases, families stay in touch — and sometimes the relationship remains
strong, even warm.”According to the data, 49% of the former Haredim
respondents who were not married were very satisfied with their
relationship with their families, and another 39% reported a medium
level of satisfaction.The high level of satisfaction reached 61% among
those who were married, but the report acknowledged that this group
might have based their responses on the family they built rather than
their family of origin.Though encouraging, the numbers were still lower
than the 64.5% reporting high satisfaction with ties to family
nationwide across all categories reported by CBS in 2019.In its own
survey, Out for Change found that among those who had left their
community within the past two years, 36% of respondents described the
level of connection as high and 26% as medium. A decade after leaving
the community, the rates went up to 40% and 28%.Only 10% of the
respondents reported being completely disconnected from their
parents.Moses said that he had remained in sporadic contact with his
parents.According to Anisman, though, many ex-Haredim find that leaving
the community leaves them unmoored financially, no longer able to count
on the financial support of their family, who may object to funding
their lifestyle, but without the needed skills to enter the job
force.“The data clearly shows that without financial assistance, former
Haredim are at risk of becoming youth at risk,” said Anisman. “They
often enter mainstream society without understanding its cultural norms
and the skills needed for stable employment or access to higher
education. They can easily find themselves in crisis without the means
to support themselves.”According to the survey, only 54% of former
Haredim described themselves as satisfied with their financial situation
compared to 73% of current Haredim and 65% of non-Haredi Jews.The rate
of those able to cover their monthly expenses among former Haredim aged
20-29 was 12 percentage points lower than among their non-Haredi peers.
Among older groups, the rates were similar.The study found that 58% of
former Haredi men were employed in low-skilled professions compared to
33% of current Haredim and 35% of non-Haredim.Experts blame the
disparity on the Haredi education system, which eschews instruction on
core subjects such as English and mathGroups like Out for Change say
they provide an essential service by helping support former
ultra-Orthodox and integrating them into the job market.“When they
receive the right support during those critical first years, they tend
to integrate successfully into Israeli society. Without it, the gaps
tend to persist,” said Anisman.Moses, who volunteers for Hillel, another
group that supports former ultra-Orthodox, said the state should also
step in to provide help.“I think they should at least receive support to
learn everything they were not taught in their childhood,” he said.The
aftermath of October 7-Army service is also seen as a major driver of
societal integration. While the vast majority of ultra-Orthodox shun
army service, 58% of those who leave the community enlist in the IDF or
for National Civil Service, the report found.According to the results of
a 2024 survey conducted by Out for Change, among those who enlisted
after leaving the community, approximately 40% still served in tracks
designated for Haredim. Anisman suggested that a possible explanation
for this trend was the age of enlistment, since many Haredi tracks are
open only to older people and offer opportunities to acquire a
profession during service.Moses said that after he left the Haredi
community, he tried to enlist, but the army rejected him because he
already had five children.“At least I gave my children the right
education,” he said, noting that his two sons, who are secular like him,
are officers in the army.According to the CBS Labor Force Survey for
2023, which includes data from the last three months of the year, 7.7%
of former Haredi men reported missing days of work for reserve duty,
compared to 13.4% of non-Haredi Jews and less than 1% of current Haredi
men.Data for the Out for Change report was gathered before the October
7, 2023, attack, however.Anisman said it was too early to know whether
the Hamas onslaught had impacted the number of people choosing to leave
the community. Official data shows that most Haredi men still refuse the
military’s mandatory draft; ultra-Orthodox leaders claim that joining
the army is a major factor in leading members of the Haredi community to
secularize.“Anecdotally, I’ve heard from many who said they were
searching for their path — and after October 7, they felt a clear
calling to join the army,” she said. “However, it is too early for
data.”According to Bloy, who has also been researching the impact of the
war on Haredi society, different gradients within the Haredi community
reacted in different ways to the war.“After October 7, the level of
identification with Israeli society went up dramatically, but about
three months into the war, as the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox became a
major topic of discussion in the public arena, things changed,” she
said. “While modern Haredim continued to feel part of the general
society, the identification among conservative Haredim significantly
decreased.”Bloy said that one of the most interesting aspects of the Out
of Change study was the different levels of loneliness and depression
among former Haredim documented by CBS data compared to the
organization’s own survey.According to CBS data, 25% of former Haredim
experienced loneliness, and 29% depression – levels similar to those in
the non-Haredi society. The Out of Change polling showed rates of 75%
and 66%.The report itself acknowledges that this might be due to the
nature of their sample and not reflect the average for the population as
a whole.Bloy though, suggested a different theory.“In my own research, I
find that Haredim tend to be less willing to share their difficulties
with the CBS relative to the surveys we conduct,” she said. “The
discrepancy in the Out of Change study might be part of the same trend.”
Israel
warns Europe that Palestine recognition may be met with West Bank
annexation-Reports say ministers tell UK, France and others that Israel
is considering annexing Area C of West Bank and legalizing outposts;
Sweden summons Israeli envoy over Gaza aid By Stav Levaton-and Agencies
Today, 3:03 am-MAY 27,25
Israeli government ministers have
reportedly warned key European countries that any unilateral recognition
of a Palestinian state could prompt Israel to take unilateral measures
as well, potentially including the annexation of parts of the West Bank,
according to Monday reports.Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer
personally warned French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and British
Foreign Secretary David Lammy that Israel could respond to recognition
of a Palestinian state by annexing Area C of the West Bank and
legalizing unauthorized outposts, the Haaretz outlet reported, citing a
foreign diplomat familiar with the matter.A separate report by Israel
Hayom said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar conveyed a similar message to
counterparts in the UK, France, and other nations, warning that steps
against Israel would be met with Israeli actions such as extending
sovereignty to West Bank settlements and parts of the Jordan
Valley.“Unilateral moves against Israel will be met with unilateral
moves by Israel,” Sa’ar reportedly said.The warnings came ahead of a
French- and Saudi-led summit set to take place in New York next month,
where French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to promote
coordinated recognition of Palestinian statehood.While the US has said
it will not participate, other European countries are still
deliberating.Some, including Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic,
have reportedly voiced opposition to unilateral recognition. Others,
such as Spain — which recognized a Palestinian state last year — and
Malta — which has said it will do so at the summit — are expected to say
they support countries announcing unilateral recognition.After Macron
said last month that France was considering recognition of Palestinian
statehood, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such a move would be a
“huge prize for terror.”France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood
would mark a major policy shift for Paris and risk antagonizing Israel,
which insists such moves by foreign states are premature.France would be
the most significant European power to recognize a Palestinian state, a
move the United States has also long resisted.Israel has argued that
unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state now will be viewed as a
reward for Hamas’s October 7 onslaught. Israel’s military campaign to
rid the Gaza Strip of Hamas has sparked worldwide sympathy for
Palestinians and galvanized support for recognizing statehood in some
capitals.The threats come amid mounting European opposition to Israel’s
actions in Gaza.On Monday, Sweden announced that it would summon the
Israeli ambassador to protest against Israel’s refusal to freely allow
aid into Gaza.“We do not support what the Israeli government is
currently doing by denying access to Gaza. Absolutely not,” Prime
Minister Ulf Kristersson said, according to the TT news agency.A
spokesperson for Mr. Kristersson confirmed this summons to AFP.“We have
been very clear about this, both nationally and with many other European
countries. The pressure is now increasing — there is no doubt about it.
And for very good reasons,” the Swedish leader added.Israel’s block on
aid since early March, which has caused severe shortages of food and
medicine, was partially lifted last week in the face of mounting
international indignation.Since the blockade was lifted, hundreds of aid
trucks have entered the Strip, mostly containing food, but UN officials
and local aid workers have said that Israel’s renewed military action
in the Strip makes effective distribution near impossible.Kristersson
also said he was in favor of a reassessment of the association agreement
between the European Union and Israel. The bloc has ordered a review of
it to see if Israel is respecting human rights and democratic
principles.“This requires a consensus, and we are not there yet. But
many of us are working in that direction,” he said. “The current actions
of the Israeli government are pushing more EU countries to impose
stricter demands on Israel.”According to French diplomats, 17 of the 27
EU member states have so far said they back a review of the agreement,
with Germany being the most notable abstention.
Trump mulls
transferring $3 billion in federal Harvard grants to trade schools-In
the escalating battle between US president and prestigious private
university over antisemitism, Trump may send funds to trade schools that
largely do not conduct research-By David Shepardson and Jonathan Allen
26 May 2025, 10:55 pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald
Trump said on Monday that he is considering taking $3 billion of
previously awarded grant money for scientific and engineering research
away from Harvard University and giving it to trade schools.His comments
on his social media platform, Truth Social, come less than a week after
his administration sought to block the Ivy League school from enrolling
foreign students, as part of Trump’s extraordinary effort to seize some
government control of US academia, in light of accusations of failing
to confront antisemitism on campus and left-wing bias.Trump, a
Republican, has frozen some $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard in
recent weeks, complaining that it has hired Democrats, “Radical Left
idiots and ‘bird brains'” as professors. Harvard, a private university,
has sued to restore the funding, saying the cuts are an unconstitutional
attack on its free speech rights and unlawful.Most of that grant money
is appropriated by Congress for the National Institutes of Health to
disburse to fund biomedical research after a lengthy application process
by individual scientists — work that is not typically done at trade
schools.It was not clear whether Trump was referring to Harvard grants
that his administration has already frozen. Harvard has said that it was
told that virtually all of its federal grant awards were revoked
earlier in May, in a series of letters by the NIH, the US Forest
Service, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and other
agencies.The letters each said the grants were being suspended because
they “no longer effectuate agency priorities.”Harvard did not respond to
a request for comment on Monday. The White House did not respond to
questions about the specific funds Trump wants to repurpose or how they
could be reallocated to trade schools under the law.On Friday, a US
judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking
Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students, a policy the university
said was part of Trump’s broader effort to retaliate against it for
refusing to “surrender its academic independence.”The order provides
temporary relief to thousands of international students who faced
potentially having to transfer, under a policy that the university in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, called a “blatant violation” of the US
Constitution and other federal laws.It said the move would have an
“immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000
visa holders.Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in
its current school year, representing 27 percent of total enrollment,
and a significant chunk of its revenue from tuition fees.The move was
the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White
House, as Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media,
courts, and other institutions to align with his agenda. Trump and
fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of a left-wing
bias.In recent weeks, the administration has proposed ending Harvard’s
tax-exempt status and hiking taxes on its endowment. It also opened an
investigation into whether the university violated civil rights laws by
discriminating against “white, Asian, male, or straight employees” or
job or training program applicants.Harvard has said its hiring and
admissions are compliant with the law.Times of Israel Staff contributed
to this report.
