EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD)

I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

TRIBE OF JOSEPH AT WESTERN WALL

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Tropical depression could form in Atlantic Mon Sep 10, 7:45 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A tropical depression could form in the Atlantic Ocean over the next couple of days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday. In an outlook at 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT), the NHC said a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave was located about 900 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands.Three out of five weather models show the system nearing the islands in the eastern Caribbean in about five days.It was moving westward to west-northwestward at 10 to 15 miles per hour.The NHC said the system was gradually becoming better organized and has the potential to develop into a tropical depression.If the system strengthens into a tropical storm (winds of 39-73 mph) the NHC will name it Humberto.The energy market watches for tropical storms because they can disrupt U.S. oil and natural gas production and refining if the storms enter the Gulf of Mexico.Commodities traders also track tropical storms because they can damage citrus crops in Florida and such crops as cotton along the Gulf Coast.

Separately, the NHC noted there was a tropical wave over the Windward and Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean and a weak surface trough (an elongated area of low-pressure) extending from South Florida to the Bay of Campeche in the southwest Gulf of Mexico. The Center does not expect either system to organize into a tropical cyclone at this time.

15 dead in Nepal floods, landslides Sun Sep 9, 3:09 PM ET

KATHMANDU (AFP) - Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rains in Nepal have killed at least 15 people in the last three days, officials said Sunday. Five bodies were recovered Sunday morning after they were swept away by a flooding river in Rautahat late Saturday, local official Durga Prasad Bhandari told AFP from Rautahat district, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Kathmandu.Bhandari said the victims were attempting to push a van stuck in the Dhansar River when the flood waters overwhelmed them.Five people died in landslides on Saturday in Kaski district, 140 kilometres west of the capital, said home ministry official Ishwor Regmi. Five others died in nearby districts on Friday.The deaths took to 183 the toll from monsoon-triggered landslides and floods in the Himalayan nation since June, according to the home ministry.

SATAN COMES AGAINST ISRAEL

1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

Unholy alliance in Israel - September 10, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

You've heard the term unholy alliance.

I think it was invented to describe those parties conspiring to transfer the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to the permanent care and custody of the very Islamic fanatics who claim no Jewish Temple ever stood on the site.

Who comprises this unholy alliance?

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israeli President Shimon Peres, most of the rest of the Israeli political elite and the sworn enemies of the Jewish state, those who would finish the work of Adolph Hitler if they ever got the chance. That is the amazing story within the story of a drama unfolding at the most explosive piece of real estate in the world. While the Muslim zealots who administer the Temple Mount continue to excavate the site without a thought or care as to the integrity of the most sacred ground in Judaism, not to mention an archaeological treasure trove, the Israeli political elite is secretly working out a final solution for what they consider a troublesome, burdensome stone in their shoe.

Why would Jewish leaders give away to their archenemies the holiest site in Judaism?

It's an ugly little story, but one you should understand – because it's about to become center stage in the theater of world affairs. Olmert, Peres and the inner sanctum of the Israeli political elite fear the Temple Mount. They always have. In fact, ever since Israel captured the site in June 1967, fools like Olmert and Peres have been skulking about trying to figure out a way to rid themselves and their country of it.

Why do they fear it?

Because they know if it remains in the possession of the Jewish people long enough, the Jewish people will obey their G-d and rebuild the Temple. This would be unthinkable to the Israeli political elite. They believe the Israeli government is the one, true G-d of the Israeli people. The Israeli political elite does not recognize the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They do not recognize the G-d who gave the Jewish people the land deed for their nation. They do not recognize the G-d who promised the Jewish people would be restored to the land. And they do not recognize the G-d who restored them to the land after 1,800 years in exile. The Israeli political elite believe they are wiser than that G-d. So, they want to remove the temptation of the superstitious Jewish people to rebuild their silly old Temple by handing over the foundation to people who want to destroy all Jews.

Does this make sense?

It does if you are a member of the Israeli political elite. Trust me.

Olmert and Peres and the rest of those unprincipled cowards and wolves in sheep's clothing have sold out their own people. They are now bed partners with the Islamo-fascist fanatics they have entrusted with the holiest site in all Judaism, not to mention Western Civilization's richest archaeological treasure. Let me make a little prediction: No matter how hard Olmert and Peres work in conjunction with the Muslims to destroy the Temple Mount, it will never come to pass. In fact, I will predict that their actions will lead to a rising chorus among Jews in Israel and around the world to rebuild the Temple. Olmert has tried to perform his dastardly betrayal behind closed doors. He has made a secret of his negotiations to turn over the Temple Mount. He has ignored requests from eminent archaeologists to stop the unsupervised, unnecessary excavation abomination taking place now at the Temple Mount. He thinks he can just make it all go away – quietly.

I'm predicting he can't.

It really doesn't matter what Olmert does. Olmert is a political pipsqueak, at most a historical footnote in the history of the Jewish people. He couldn't give away the Temple Mount if he tried – because it's not his to give. It belongs to G-d, as most observant and biblically astute Christians and Jews comprehend. Has Olmert ever read the Bible? Does he have no fear of G-d? Does he think his nation's history is based on fairy tales? Who does he think he is?

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE

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

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

Petition: Stop Temple Mount destruction
Israel allows Muslims to pulverize antiquities as media, archeologists barred
September 10, 2007 - 1:00 a.m. Eastern - By Aaron Klein - 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Prominent archaeologists, some Jewish leaders and former Israeli politicians are petitioning Israel's supreme court to immediately halt a dig Islamic authorities are conducting on the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – that is said to be destroying antiquities and what archaeologists believe is a wall from the Second Jewish Temple. Sections of the petition were based on WND's recent coverage of the Temple Mount controversy. Possible carved stone from Jewish Temple era exposed by digging at Temple Mount in Jerusalem The Israeli government has not stopped Islamic authorities from blasting a massive trench on the Mount and has barred archaeologists from inspecting the Temple-era wall, believed to be from the outer courtyard of the Second Temple. The wall reportedly has been pulverized by bulldozers operated by the Waqf, the Mount's Muslim custodians. If verified, the wall would be the most significant Jewish Temple find in history. Yesterday's court petition against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, other cabinet ministers and Israel's Antiquities Authority, explains Second Temple courtyards and artifacts are located within a few feet of ground level. It maintains the Waqf dig – a trench 1,300 feet long and five feet deep – has destroyed or damaged priceless archaeological artifacts from the first and second Temple periods.

States the petition: The excavations were carried out in an area where the bedrock is sometimes at a depth of only half a meter. Therefore, massive digging to a depth of a meter and a half entails damage to ground layers, some of which may have been in place since the first Temple stood there 3,000 years ago. Excavating with heavy equipment and tractors severely damaged the ground and directly caused the destruction of ancient stones and other artifacts.The petitioners charged the Israeli government and its agencies, including the Antiquities Authority, are failing to meet their legal obligations to protect the antiquities of the Temple Mount. The Antiquities Authority has not halted the dig and has not inspected the site. The Waqf has continued using bulldozers to blast away at the trench containing the wall and steadfastly has denied it is destroying any antiquities. The petition was signed by Members of the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities, including prominent archaeologists Eilat Mazar, Ephraim Stern, Amihay Mazar, Ehud Netzer, Israel Finkelstein, Moshe Kochavi, and Gabriel Barkai; Tel Aviv Mayor Shlomo Lahat; Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; and retired Israel Defense Forces generals Zvi Zamir, Yitzhak Hofi and Giora Eiland.

Last month, the Waqf was given permission by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to use bulldozers and other heavy equipment to dig a massive trench it claims is necessary to replace electrical cables outside mosques on the site. The dig, which extends to most of the periphery of the Mount, is being protected by the Israeli police and is supposed to be supervised by the Israeli government's Antiquities Authority. Earlier this month, after bulldozers dug a trench 1,300 feet long and five feet deep, the Muslim diggers came across a wall Israeli archaeologists believe may be remains of an area of the Second Jewish Temple known as the woman's courtyard. WND last week obtained a photograph of the massive Waqf trench. In view in the picture are concrete slabs broken by Waqf bulldozers and a chopped up carved stone believed to be of Jewish Temple-era antiquity. Third-generation Temple Mount archaeologist Eilat Mazar analyzed the photo and said the damaged stone displays elements of the second Temple era and might be part of the Jewish Temple wall Israeli archaeologists charge the Waqf has been attempting to destroy. She said in order to certify the stone in the photo, she would need to personally inspect it.

Mazar is also a fellow at Israel's Shalem Center and member of the Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on Temple Mount. Her much-discussed discovery in the City of David, a neighborhood just south of Jerusalem's Old City Walls, is a massive building dating to the 10th century B.C. It is believed to be the remains of the palace of biblical King David, the second leader of a united kingdom of Israel, who ruled from around 1005 to 965 B.C. Israel, though, is blocking leading archeologists from surveying the massive damage Islamic authorities are accused of causing to what may be the outer wall of the Second Jewish Temple. The Antiquities Authority tells us to coordinate with the police. The police send us back to the Antiquities Authority, said Mazar. The Antiquities Authority did not return repeated requests for comment. It's crucial this wall is inspected, the archaeologist said. The Temple Mount ground level is only slightly above the original Temple Mount platform, meaning anything found is likely from the Temple itself.

ISRAELS INHERITED LAND IN THE FUTURE

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.

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

Olmert and Abbas agree on teams to tackle statehood By Adam Entous
SEPT 10,07

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed on Monday to create teams to tackle Palestinian statehood issues, a move both sides described as a step towards more substantive talks. But Israel cautioned against expecting major final status breakthroughs, either before or during a U.S.-sponsored conference planned for mid- to late November.Washington is pushing a reluctant Israel to make tangible progress to avoid disappointment at the conference, which Western diplomats said could culminate in an agreement to relaunch full-blown peace negotiations.After their three-hour meeting, Olmert and Abbas emphasized the importance of their joint commitment to a two-state solution and decided to appoint teams in order to work towards achieving this goal, said Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin.

Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said the appointment of the teams was a significant development but offered few details.They (Olmert and Abbas) now believe it is time to take it to the next level, to engage on the substance of how to achieve a two-state solution, Erekat said.The Israeli leader is seeking a broadbrush declaration of principles for the November conference. Abbas wants an explicit framework agreement with a timeline for implementation.It is still unclear to what extent Olmert is prepared to meet Abbas's appeal to delve deeply into the core final status issues of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and the borders of a Palestinian state.
A senior Palestinian official close to Abbas said Washington was exerting immense pressure" on both sides to come to the conference with an agreed document.

NO TIMETABLE

Eisin said the leaders did not set timetables during their session in Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem. Both sides would like to see the success of the international meeting, but the meeting (in November) is not the end-game, she said.
Olmert and Abbas have been meeting regularly since Hamas Islamists seized control of the Gaza Strip in June and are keen to show progress ahead of next week's visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Eisin said Olmert and Abbas had agreed to meet again within two weeks. An opinion poll found that only 26 percent of the Palestinians it surveyed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip expect the Middle East conference to succeed.The findings by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that a final peace deal, mirroring a U.S. proposal in 2000 to establish a Palestinian state in nearly all of the West Bank and in the entire Gaza Strip, would be supported by just 46 percent of Palestinians.The bilateral meetings and the conference are part of a U.S.-led campaign to shore up the Fatah leader's hold on power in the occupied West Bank and to isolate Hamas in Gaza.

Olmert has also been weakened politically since last year's war in Lebanon, raising doubts among Israelis and Palestinians over his ability to deliver on any peace promises.Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told his cabinet after the meeting, which he also attended, that the time had come to move from the stage of verbal discussions to the drafting of proposals, a Palestinian official said.Eisin said ministers in Olmert's cabinet would separately begin holding face-to-face meetings with their Palestinian counterparts in a sign of growing cooperation. During Monday's talks, Olmert told Abbas he would ask his cabinet to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. Israel is expected to free around 100 Fatah prisoners for the Ramadan fast month, which begins this week. (Additional reporting by Wafa Amr in Ramallah)

12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

EZEKIEL 47:13-23,48:1-35
13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.
14 And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.
15 And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad;
16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.
17 And the border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.
18 And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.
19 And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.
20 The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.
21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.
1 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.
2 And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.
3 And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.
4 And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.
5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.
6 And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.
7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.
8 And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.
9 The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.
10 And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof.
11 It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.
12 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.
13 And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.
14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.
15 And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.
16 And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.
17 And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.
18 And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city.
19 And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel.
20 All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city.
21 And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.
22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.
23 As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion.
24 And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion.
25 And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion.
26 And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion.
27 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.
28 And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.
29 This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD.
30 And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.
31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.
32 And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.
33 And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.
34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

Lost tribe of Israel arrives at Western Wall
Tear-ridden welcome for group descended from Joseph that struggled to return home Posted: September 10, 2007 - 1:00 a.m. Eastern - By Aaron Klein
2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – More than 200 people from a group of thousands in India that believes it is one of the lost tribes of Israel paid an emotional first visit to the Western Wall after arriving here last week, fulfilling for many a lifelong dream of returning to what they consider their homeland. Members of lost tribe of Israel arrive at the Western Wall in Jerusalem (courtesy Shavei Israel) Shavei Israel, a Jerusalem-based organization led by American Michael Freund, hopes to bring to the Jewish state the remaining 7,000 Indian citizens who believe they are the Bnei Menashe, the descendants of Manasseh, one of biblical patriarch Joseph's two sons and a grandson of Jacob, the man whose name was changed to Israel. The tribe lives in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, to which they claim to have been exiled from Israel more than 2,700 years ago by the Assyrian empire. Last week, WND reported 230 Bnei Menashe touched down in Israel and made their way to a Shavei Israel absorption center in northern Israel, where they will study Hebrew and Judaism.

A few days after arriving, Shavei sponsored the group on a tour of Jerusalem's Old City, which culminated in a tear-ridden visit to the Western Wall, where the Bnei Menashe sang Psalms and recited afternoon and evening prayers. Jerusalem is so central to their return home. They had to immediately visit the Kotel (Western Wall), said Shavei Israel chairman Freund, who previously served as deputy communications director under former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I truly believe the Bnei Menashe's return is a miracle of immense historical and even biblical significance. Just as the prophets foretold so long ago, the lost tribes of Israel are being brought back from the exile, Freund said. The Bnei Menashe, which has preserved ancient Jewish customs and rituals, has been trying the past 50 years to return to Israel. Members of 'lost tribe of Israel' arrive at the Western Wall in Jerusalem (courtesy Shavei Israel) Over the last decade, Freund's Shavei Israel, at times working with other organizations, brought about 1,200 Bnei Menashe members to the Jewish state. Many settled in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. About 80 lived in Gaza's slate of Jewish communities, which were evacuated by the Israeli government in 2005. The original batches of Bnei Menashe to arrive here were brought to Israel as tourists in an agreement with Israel's Interior Ministry. Once here, the Bnei Menashe converted officially to Judaism and became citizens. But diplomatic wrangling halted the immigration process in 2003, with officials from some Israeli ministries refusing to grant the rest of the group still in India permission to travel here. To smooth the process, Freund enlisted the help of Israel's chief rabbinate, which flew to India in 2005 to meet with and consider converting members of the Bnei Menashe. Once legally Jewish, the tribe can apply for Israeli citizenship under the country's Law of Return, which guarantees sanctuary to Jews from around the world.

Six rabbis were sent by Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi, Shlomo Amar, to begin converting the Bnei Menashe. The rabbis met with hundreds of tribal members, testing their knowledge of Judaism and assessing their conviction, converting 216 individuals – over 90 percent of the members interviewed. The rabbis were incredibly impressed with the Bnei Menashe, said Freund. "They saw for themselves that the group is very serious and should be integrated into the Jewish nation. That they are a blessing to the state of Israel.Last year, 218 converted members arrived in Israel. Freund hoped to repeat the process for 231 more Bnei Menashe who had been approved for conversion, but the Indian government, which heavily restricts conversions, put a halt on the plan. Members of 'lost tribe of Israel' arrive at the Western Wall in Jerusalem (courtesy Shavei Israel) Instead, the batch of Bnei Menashe that arrived last week were brought to Israel as tourists in coordination with the Israeli government. The tribe is slated to be officially converted by the country's chief rabbinate and qualify for Israeli citizenship.

The Bnei Menashe that arrived here over the years have fully transitioned into Israeli society. Many attended college and rabbinic school, moved to major Israeli communities and even joined the Israel Defense Forces. Twelve Bnei Menashe served in the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon in 2006. One of them, Avi Hanshing, a 22-year old paratrooper, was injured during a clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hanshing's father was among those who arrived here earlier this week in an emotional reunion at Israel's international airport. As much as we might think that Israel is helping the Bnei Menashe, it is the reverse that is true. It is they who strengthen us – with their faith, with their commitment and with their undying love for Zion, said Freund. According to Bnei Menashe oral tradition, the tribe was exiled from Israel and pushed to the east, eventually settling in the border regions of China and India, where most remain today. Most kept customs similar to Jewish tradition, including observing Shabbat, keeping the laws of Kosher, practicing circumcision on the eighth day of a baby boy's life and observing laws of family purity. In the 1950s, several thousand Bnei Menashe say they set out on foot to Israel but were quickly halted by Indian authorities. Undeterred, many began practicing Orthodox Judaism and pledged to make it to Israel. They now attend community centers established by Shavei Israel to teach the Bnei Menashe Jewish tradition and modern Hebrew. Freund said he hopes the arrival this week of more Bnei Menashe would jump-start the process of bringing back the rest of the 7,000 Bnei Menashe who are in India yearning to return home.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Al-Qaida promises 9/11 hijacker video SEPT 10,07

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida said Monday that it will release a new video of Osama bin Laden presenting the last testament of one of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers, marking the sixth anniversary of the attacks. The announcement from the terror group's media arm came only days after bin Laden appeared in his first video in three years, giving an address to the American people, lecturing them to abandon capitalism and democracy and convert to Islam.The announcement came in a banner advertisement posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al-Qaida often releases messages and was signed by al-Sahab, the media arm of bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.Coming soon, God willing, the testament of the attacks on New York and Washington, Abu Musab Waleed al-Shehri, presented by Sheik Osama bin Laden, God preserve him, the banner read. It showed an image of bin Laden wearing the same black beard and clothes as in the most recent video.

Al-Qaida has marked past anniversaries of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by putting out videos of the last will and testaments of some of the hijackers, usually accompanied by comments by top leaders and documentary-style footage.Last year, for example, al-Sahab released a 55-minute video with the last testimonies of hijackers Wail al-Shehri and Hamza al-Ghamdi. The video included old but previously unreleased footage showing bin Laden strolling through an Afghan training camp where the attacks were apparently planned and chatting with top al-Qaida lieutenants. The tape was accompanied by another with an address by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Waleed al-Shehri was one of the hijackers on American Airlines flight 11 that hit the World Trade Center.

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

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

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

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

Hezbollah could attack US if it felt threatened: spy chief SEPT 10,07

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Hezbollah militant group could stage an attack on the United States if it believed the US posed a direct threat to the group or to its alleged backer Iran, the chief US spy Michael McConnell warned on Monday. We assess Lebanese Hezbollah, which has conducted anti-US attacks outside the United States in the past, may be more likely to consider attacking the homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran, he said in written testimony to Congress.The Lebanese Shiite militant and political organization is considered a terrorist group by the United States.Iran, which is at loggerheads with the United States over its nuclear ambitions, is a vocal supporter of the Lebanese militant group and rejoiced over its resistance to the Israeli army last year. Tehran, however, denies Western charges that it provides arms to Hezbollah.

The armed conflict led to the reinforcement of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the deployment of the Lebanese army along the tense border zone with Israel for the first time in decades, but Hezbollah was not disarmed.McConnell, the director of national intelligence, also warned that the United Stateswould face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years.He expressed concern that international cooperation that had constrained the ability of Al-Qaeda to attack the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks could fizzle out.
We are concerned however that this level of international cooperation may wane as 9/11 becomes a more distant memory and perceptions of the threat diverge, he at a Senate hearing on confronting the terrorism threat ahead of the sixth anniversary of the September 11 mayhem in the United States.In a video tape last week, Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin laden called for an escalation of the insurgency in Iraq.US President George W. Bush said Saturday that the new video showed how dangerous the world remains and how the United States must show resolve in Iraq.

Monday, September 10, 2007

CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR TO JUDAISM

Sunday, September 09, 2007

ISRAEL - JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANS

David's Comment: Will the God of Israel Intervene Soon ? SEPT 9,07

Modern Israel's worst Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert is hanging on to his position with all of the means he can muster. Accused of a miserable performance as the nations leader during last year's Lebanon war, and facing charges of serious financial and political corruption, even many of his own Kadima party members of government are losing patience with him. Popularity polls have him with an embarrassing 1% of public approval, that in itself enough reason for any decent leader to resign. But Olmert, the dangling puppet dancing on the strings of the Bush administration, wont let go.

It is my opinion that this man is totally unfit to lead the nation of Israel, for the following reasons.

1/ his total lack of experience as evidenced by the failure to attain the goals in last years Lebanon War
2/ his apparent willingness to give away the entire West Bank and allow a Palestinian State in God's Land
3/ his refusal to protect Israeli citizens living under constant Hamas rocket attack in Sderot and the Western Negev
4/ his failure to rehouse the Israeli citizens violently evicted from their homes in Gaza
5/ the various and very serious charges of corruption that are pending against him
6/ his wife is a peace activist who must be influencing his decisions concerning the nations defense
7/ his son left the country to evade serving in the army
8/ his daughter is also a peace activist who has protested outside the home of the IDF Chief of Staff calling for him to resign over something the IDF was innocent of

As if all the above is not enough, the Olmert government tricked all of the citizens of Israel into trading in our present gas masks, in exchange for improved versions. The government is now refusing to issue the new masks, while Syria stocks up on chemical and biological warheads. Even if Israel had a few days warning of a Syrian strike, that would not be enough time to distribute the new masks to every resident of the larger Israeli cites which would be the target of any Syrian attack. What sort of prime minister leaves his people is such a precarious situation ?

Its time for a massive change in Israeli leadership. Please join with us as we beseech the Lord to make those changes. Let us petition the Lord of Hosts to either change Olmert's heart or to change the prime minister. We believe that the best candidate for the post is the former PM Benjamin Netanyahu. He wasnt so great last time he was Israel's leader, but we believe he will do better given another chance. One thing is for sure, he couldnt be any worse ! The situation is urgent and needs an urgent response............. in prayer and intercession.

Will the God of Israel Intervene Soon ? I surely hope so for all our sake !!!

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie

This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
September 7 , 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

I’ve spoken before about the terrible plight of the city of Sderot, located in Israel’s Negev Desert just a few miles from the Gaza Strip. For the last seven years, terrorists operating out of Gaza have fired thousands of rockets at Sderot and surrounding communities.Over this time, eleven civilians have been killed in the attacks and more than 4,000 injured. Thousands more have suffered severe trauma requiring extensive counseling. By some estimates, 20 percent of Sderot’s population has fled, wreaking havoc on the city’s economy. The cost of these attacks, in both human and economic terms, has been staggering.Rocket attacks in the region have become so routine that the press barely pays attention to them anymore. But Sderot was again in the news this week when a rocket fell next to a kindergarten where children were attending their second day of school. Miraculously, no one was killed, but the incident illustrates the terrible danger and fear Israelis in this area live with every day. Recognizing this, Israeli Defense Minster Ehud Barak declared a state of emergency in the areas of Israel bordering Gaza.

Few cities are in greater need of protection than Sderot. That is why earlier this year, at the request of Sderot’s mayor, The Fellowship made a commitment to help protect citizens by providing desperately needed funds to refurbish 42 of the 56 public bomb shelters in this beleaguered, shell-shocked city.I am happy to report that at this critical time of need work on the shelters is well underway. Many renovations will be completed in the near future. As the work on the shelters is finished, they will be dedicated with plaques acknowledging the contributions of The Fellowship’s partners, whose generosity is providing life-saving protection for the people of Sderot. If and when, God forbid, the shelters ever need to be used, the residents will undoubtedly be praying for safety from the deadly rockets as well as for our friends, who helped provide that shelter and safety.

The total cost of this project is approximately $1.2 million. Today, I ask you to make a contribution to The Fellowship’s Guardians of Israel program to help us complete this urgent project in a timely fashion. It could truly mean the difference between life and death for the people of Sderot and the surrounding region, who have suffered so greatly for so long.May God bless you for your generosity. Please join me in prayer for the continued protection of the citizens of Sderot, and for peace in Jerusalem, Israel, and the Middle East.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS.

WHAT'S AHEAD THIS FALL?
Dobson interviews on radical Islam to re-air Sept 10-11.
By Joel C. Rosenberg

(WASHINGTON, D.C., September 6, 2007) -- Rumors are that Osama bin Laden is planning to release a new video next week....Syria says it's ready for war after firing on an Israeli plane overnight....Tehran's ambassador to Damascus says violation of Syrian airspace by Israeli aircraft is intolerable attempt to create tension in the region, and adds that 'Israel must act reasonably and not cause another war.....but Israel says it didn't attack....so, how was your summer? It's been very full for Lynn, the boys and me....we've done a lot of traveling to speak at churches and conferences on the rising tensions in the Middle East and how Christians should respond....we had the privilege of meeting with many dear Joshua Fund supporters, and speaking on a lot of radio and TV shows....we've gotten a little r&r....and this morning I finally finished writing DEAD HEAT, the fifth and final political thriller in THE LAST JIHAD series....Lord willing, it will be released nationwide on March 18, 2008....that said, here's a quick snapshot of what's coming up this fall.

FALL SCHEDULE

* Sunday, September 9th: Pastor Raul Ries has invited me to be speak on Israel, Iran and The Joshua Fund at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, California, a congregation of about 14,000. (Services are at 8am, 10am, 11:45am, and 6pm)

* Mon/Tues, September 10th and 11th: Focus on the Family will re-air the radio interview Dr. Dobson did with me on the threat of radical Islam to the U.S. and Israel and how evangelical Christians should respond in light of this serious threat. (Please check local listings for station and time in your area)

* Thursday, September 13th: Janet Parschall has invited me to be on her radio program from 2:15pm to 3:00pm eastern to discuss the Epicenter DVD and The Joshua Fund.

* Sat/Sun, September 15th and 16th: Pastor Ray Bentley has invited me to speak on Israel, Iran and The Joshua Fund at Marantha Chapel in San Diego, California, a congregation of about 8,000. (Services are at 6pm Saturday, and 8:30am, 10:30am and 6pm on Sunday)

* Tuesday, September 18th: Pastor Chuck Smith has asked me to speak on the latest developments in the Middle East and The Joshua Fund's new "Operation Epicenter" as part of the 2007 Calvary Chapel Prophecy Conference. (Event begins at 7:30pm pacific)

* Sat/Sun, September 22nd and 23rd in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
-- 9am (Sat): Businessman's breakfast at Abiding Savior Free Lutheran
-- 7pm (Sat): Public forum at Elmen Center, Augustana College
-- 9am, 10am (Sun): Central Baptist Church

* Mon/Tues, September 24th and 25: Taping 100 Huntley Street in Toronto, Canada (for airing in October)

* Tuesday, October 17th: Speak at the Pentagon (7am)

* Fri/Sat, October 19th and 20th: Address the Olive Tree Ministries prophecy conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota

* Sunday, October 21st: California

-- 8:15am/10:45am: Speak at Bakersfield First Assembly (Pastor Steven Hunt)
-- 7pm: Speak at Calvary Chapel Downey in Downey, CA (Pastor Jeff Johnson, 8,000 people)

* Friday, October 26th: Speak at fund-raiser for Ministry Architecture, Inc., Denver, Colorado

* Sunday, October 28th: Speak at Greenwood Community Church, Denver, Colorado

* Sat/Sun, November 3rd and 4th: Speak at McLean Bible Church (Pastor Lon Solomon, 9,000 people)

* November: Research in the Middle East for a new non-fiction book I'm writing called Revolution

* Thursday, November 29th: Speak at fund-raiser for E3 Partners, Dallas, Texas

* Sunday, December 2nd: Speak at Calvary Chapel Tucson (8,000 people)

WEBLOG with the latest on events in the Middle East and Russia, including articles mentioned in this Flash Traffic and the latest on Syria's plans to retake the Golan Heights. www.joelrosenberg.com (with link to Epicenter DVD, which includes an exclusive interview with former Prime Minister Netanyahu on the serious threats facing Israel, particularly from a nuclear Iran) www.joshuafund.net

Last update - 19:14 06/09/2007
TIMELINE: A chronology of Israel-Syria relations since 1947 By Reuters

Syria said Thursday that it had fired on an Israel Air Force jet that violated its territory and warned it retained the right to respond. The two countries are formally at war, but a cease-fire has held on the Golan Heights since 1974, a year after Syria launched a war that failed to regain the plateau captured by Israel seven years earlier. Here is a short timeline on Israel-Syrian relations since 1947:

November 1947: Syria opposes United Nations General Assembly partition plan envisaging Jewish and Arab states side by side.

May 1948: When British mandate ends, Jews proclaim State of Israel. Syria and other Arab armies invade.

July 1949: Israel and Syria sign armistice agreement but on-and-off hostilities continue.

June 1967: Israel captures Golan Heights in the Six-Day War.

October 1973: Syria joins Egypt in a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar in an attempt to regain the Golan Heights. Despite sustaining heavy losses, Israel thwarts the assault.

1974: Following postwar clashes on the Golan Heights, Syria and Israel sign an disengagement of forces agreement.

1981: Israel annexes the Golan Heights, a move condemned internationally, and gives its Druze Muslim occupants the option of Israeli citizenship. Most reject the offer.

June 1982: Israel sends forces into Lebanon and eventually drives out Yasser Arafat and his Palestine Liberation Organization. Syria, the main foreign power broker in Lebanon, loses dozens of aircraft in dogfights with Israel Air Force warplanes in eastern Lebanon.

December 1999: Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara meet for the highest-level talks between the two countries.

January 2000: Israeli-Syrian talks on the return of most of the Golan Heights to Syria collapse over the fate of a few hundred square metres of land by the Sea of Galilee.

August 2003: IAF warplanes fly over the holiday residence of President Bashar Assad as a message to Syria to rein in the Hezbollah guerrilla group.

October 2003: Israel Defense Forces troops attack a training camp for Palestinian militants near Damascus.

January 2004: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he is ready for peace talks with Syria, but only if Damascus halts support for terrorist agents.

June 2006: IAF warplanes again fly low over one of Assad's palaces to warn Syria against supporting Palestinian militants who captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit.

June 2007: Israel says it is willing to trade land for peace withg Syria, and is waiting to hear whether Assad would cut ties with Iran and terrorist groups in return.

August 2007: Syrian Vice President Farouk Shara says that it has no intention of waging war against Israel to regain the Golan Heights.

ANALYSIS: The question is, how will Damascus respond?

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

Why Is The Temple Mount So Important ?
Posted by The Editors on Friday, September 7, 2007 at 7:00 AM

One Jerusalem proudly brings you an important bloggers interview with one of the world's leading Biblical Archaeologists Dr. Gabriel Barkay and Yigal Caspi of the Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount.Dr. Barkay succinctly articulates the meaning of the Temple Mount to Jews and Christians as he calls for the world to stop the destruction being carried out by the Waqf.Listening to Dr. Barkay explain the Jewish and Christian connections to the Temple Mount you further understand why it is vital to stop the destruction of Jewish antiquities on the Temple Mount:

The Temple Mount is the heart, soul, and spirit of the Jewish people. It is the only holy place that Jews have and it is the place that is identified with the place chosen by the almighty which is mentioned in Deutoronomy. This is the place which is believed to be the place of the binding of Isaac, this is the place where David built the altar on the threshing floor of Aravna the Jebusite to stop the plague, this is the place where the first temple was built and the second followed it built by the returnees to Zion from the Babylonian captivity. This is also the place of the third edifice built on the site by King Herod the Great – that is the building which is so frequently mentioned in the New Testament.The temple Mount occupies about 1/6th of the total area of the old city of Jerusalem and this is one of the most important cornerstones of Western Civilization. It is at the moment the focus of a political battle and it is embodies within it the crux of the Near-Eastern conflict as both parties claim to have historical linkage to the site.

The Temple Mount represents the Near Eastern conflict in a nutshell and whatever happens to the Temple Mount will happen to the rest of the country. If the Temple Mount is under Palestinian rule and there is no accessibility to Jews to the Temple Mount and no control upon the antiquities discovered there that means that the legitimacy of Jews in the entire country is questioned.The gigantic stones of the Temple Mount are mentioned in the New Testament; Jesus was presented upon the Temple Mount as an infant, and later in his career he chased away the money changers from the Temple Mount; there are approximately twenty references to the Temple Mount in the New Testament and beyond any doubt the Temple Mount is an integral part of the Christian Heritage… it should be sacred and important to any civilized person all around the world.I am amazed that there was a world outcry concerning the blowing up of the statues of Buddha in the Bamiyan Valley by the Taliban Authorities in Afghanistan while the destruction on the Temple Mount didn’t hit the media and there was no outrage expressed.

In this session, Mr. Caspi recounts his frustrating experiences with the Prime Minister's Office and calls on people to contact the Prime Minister and American elected officials on behalf of preserving the Temple Mount.Dr. Barkay makes his motivation clear when he says that he would support independent archaeologists carrying our excavations on the Temple Mount if that would save the irreplaceable antiquities that are now in harms way.

Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: September 5, 2007
First Beehives In Ancient Near East Discovered

Science Daily — Archaeological proof of the Biblical description of Israel really as the land of milk and honey (or at least the latter) has been uncovered by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology.Close-up of one of the ancient beehives found at Tel Rehov in Israel. (Credit: Hebrew University photo by Amihai Mazar).

Amihai Mazar, Eleazar L. Sukenik Professor of Archaeology at the Hebrew University, revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the Biblical period has been found in excavations he directed this summer at Tel Rehov in Israel's Beth Shean Valley. This is the earliest apiary to be revealed to date in an archaeological excavation anywhere in the ancient Near East, said Prof. Mazar. It dates from the 10th to early 9th centuries B.C.E. Tel Rehov is believed to have been one of the most important cities of Israel during the Israelite monarchy. The beehives there were found in the center of a built-up area there that has been excavated since 1997 by Dr. Nava Panitz-Cohen of the Hebrew University. Three rows of beehives were found in the apiary, containing more than 30 hives. It is estimated, however, based on excavations to date, that in all the total area would have contained some 100 beehives. Each row contained at least three tiers of hives, each of which is a cylinder composed of unbaked clay and dry straw, around 80 centimeters long and 40 centimeters in diameter.

One end of the cylinder was closed and had a small hole in it, which allowed for the entry and exit of the bees. The opposite end was covered with a clay lid that could be removed when the beekeeper extracted the honeycombs. Experienced beekeepers and scholars who visited the site estimated that as much as half a ton of honey could be culled each year from these hives. Prof. Mazar emphasizes the uniqueness of this latest find by pointing out that actual beehives have never been discovered at any site in the ancient Near East. While fired ceramic vessels that served as beehives are known in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, none were found in situ, and beekeeping on an industrial level such as the apiary at Tel Rehov is hitherto unknown in the archaeological record. Pictorial depictions of apiaries are known from Pharaonic Egypt, showing extraction of honey from stacked cylinders which are very similar to those found at Tel Rehov. Cylindrical clay beehives placed in horizontal rows, similar to those found at Tel Rehov, are well-known in numerous contemporary traditional cultures in Arab villages in Israel, as well as throughout the Mediterranean. The various products of beehives are put to diverse use: the honey is, of course, a delicacy, but is also known for its medicinal and cultic value. Beeswax was also utilized in the metal and leather industries, as well as for writing material when coated on wooden tablets.

The term honey appears 55 times in the Bible, 16 of which as part of the image of Israel as the land of milk and honey. It is commonly believed that the term refers to honey produced from fruits such as dates and figs. Bees' honey, on the other hand, is mentioned explicitly only twice, both related to wild bees. The first instance is how Samson culled bees' honey from inside the corpse of the lion in the Soreq Valley (Judges 14: 8-9). The second case is the story of Jonathan, King Saul's son, who dipped his hand into a honeycomb during the battle of Mikhmash (Samuel I 14:27). While the Bible tells us nothing about beekeeping in Israel at that time, the discovery of the apiary at Tel Rehov indicates that beekeeping and the extraction of bees' honey and honeycomb was a highly developed industry as early as the First Temple period. Thus, it is possible that the term honey in the Bible indeed pertains to bees' honey. Cultic objects were also found in the apiary, including a four-horned altar adorned with figures of naked fertility goddesses, as well as an elaborately painted chalice. This could be evidence of deviant cultic practices by the ancient Israelites related to the production of honey and beeswax.

Study of the beehives found at Tel Rehov is being conducted with the participation of various researchers. Dr. Guy Bloch of the Silberman Institute of Life Sciences of the Hebrew University is studying the biological aspects of the finds; he already discovered parts of bees' bodies in the remains of honeycomb extracted from inside the hives. Dr. Dvori Namdar of the Weizmann Institute of Science succeeded in identifying beeswax molecules from the walls of the beehives, and Prof. Mina Evron from Haifa University is analyzing the pollen remains in the hives. Dating of the beehives was done by measuring the decaying of the 14C isotope in organic materials, using grains of wheat found next to the beehives. This grain was dated at the laboratory of Groningen University in Holland to the period between the mid-10th century B.C.E. until the early 9th century B.C.E. This is the time period attributed to the reign of King Solomon and the first kings of the northern Kingdom of Israel following the division of the monarchy. The city of Rehov is indeed mentioned in an Egyptian inscription dating to the time of the Pharaoh Shoshenq I (Biblical Shishak), whom the Bible notes as the contemporary of King Solomon and who invaded Israel following that monarch's death.

A particularly fascinating find at the site is an inscription on a ceramic storage jar found near the beehives that reads To nmsh. This name was also found inscribed on another storage jar from a slightly later occupation level at Tel Rehov, dated to the time of the Omride Dynasty in the 9th century BCE. Moreover, this same name was found on a contemporary jar from nearby Tel Amal, situated in the Gan HaShelosha National Park (Sachne). The name Nimshi is known in the Bible as the name of the father and in several verses the grandfather of Israelite King Jehu, the founder of the dynasty that usurped power from the Omrides (II Kings: 9-12). It is possible that the discovery of three inscriptions bearing this name in the same region and dating to the same period indicates that Jehu's family originated from the Beth Shean Valley and possibly even from the large city located at Tel Rehov. The large apiary discovered at the site might have belonged to this illustrious local clan.

The excavations at Tel Rehov were supported by John Camp from Minneapolis in the U.S. with the participation of archaeological students from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and numerous volunteers.

Fast-track treaty talks start in Portugal
07.09.2007 - 09:20 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The first test of whether the fast-track timetable for the new EU treaty has a chance of succeeding will take place today (7 September) when foreign ministers discuss the contentious points in the document.EU presidency Portugal, in charge of the talks, wants the treaty wrapped up and signed off by EU leaders in six weeks time. The new treaty – known as the Reform Treaty – overhauls the EU's creaking institutions and was pasted together from the remains of the more ambitiously named EU constitution that was rejected in 2005.But despite Lisbon's best efforts to keep a lid on the discussions, Friday's meeting is set to throw up a number of controversial points that have been slowly simmering since the treaty outline was agreed before the summer.

Among the most difficult issues are the British opt-outs on the Charter of Fundamental Rights and on justice and home affairs.Several questions have been raised about their scope and how they will affect other member states in practice.
Poland is also anxious that its hard-won concession on the voting system - in the shape of a legislation blocking mechanism - will not be downgraded to a protocol rather than being written into the treaty.The exact scope of the EU's common foreign and security policy is also set to be discussed as is the exact shape and power structures of the proposed EU diplomatic service. Another issue is the statute of the European Central Bank. Its chief Jean-Claude Trichet wrote to the Portuguese presidency expressing concern that the bank's independence may be undermined by new wording in the proposed treaty. Meanwhile there are a whole host of other problems that have cropped up with member states using the everything-on--the-table atmosphere of treaty talks to raise national bugbears – a time honoured strategy in EU negotiations.Falling into this category are concerns raised by Austria on foreign student access to its universities and by Poland on the European Investment Bank. Warsaw wants a change in the bank's statute to make voting unanimous – Polish paper Rzeczpospolita reports that it wants to be able to block possible EIB investment into Russian monopoly Gazprom.

Two external factors

While all power-sharing discussions that take place within the EU are politically charged, these treaty talks have two important external factors weighing into the mix - elections in Poland and the pressure for a referendum on the EU treaty in the UK.These two factors – the Poles go to the ballot box on 21 October - are set to make the countries negotiate even more toughly during the summit.Even with no election in sight in June, it was Poland that kept fellow summiteers debating into the wee hours of the morning on the merits of a different voting system for the bloc. And now prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is in political trouble at home.
Meanwhile, the UK's Gordon Brown is fighting calls to have a referendum by arguing that the secured red lines means one is not needed, indicating he will not be in a position to make concessions. EU leaders are aiming to get the treaty done and dusted by the end of the year and ratified throughout the 27 member states before the 2009 elections – hoping to banish the political ghost of the rejected EU constitution that was spurned by French and Dutch voters just over two years ago.

6 September 2007
Religion can strengthen European values, says EU president
Stephen Brown

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Photo: Stephen Brown/ENI.

Sibiu, Romania (ENI). European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has praised the role of Christianity in promoting European unification, and has appealed to religions to strengthen the values on which the unity of the continent is based. A union that is reduced to its economic and geographic dimensions alone would lack unity, Barroso, who heads the executive arm of the 27-nation EU, told the Third European Ecumenical Assembly meeting in Sibiu, Romania, on 6 September. Your churches and confessional communities can contribute, and make a real contribution, to a better understanding between people through promoting mutual respect in a context of shared values, said Barroso in front of more than 2000 participants from all of Europe's main Christian traditions. Asked at a media conference, however, whether the new EU treaty should contain a specific reference to the continent's Christian heritage, as some church leaders have demanded, Barroso said his grouping had to respect all citizens equally, whatever their religion.

Christianity is obviously part of our great heritage in Europe. This is a historical fact, said the EC president. But it is also true that Europe is made up of diversity. We have many Muslims and we also have many people who have no religion at all.He added, What would be wrong is to pretend that religion does not exist in our society. That would be a big mistake.In his assembly speech, Barroso described Christianity as having been a force for unity in Europe throughout the centuries. At the same time, he added, Europe was now increasingly becoming a continent of many peoples, many cultures and many religions. Respect for diversity, openness to others and tolerance is firmly rooted in European culture. It is our trade mark, said Barroso. But this respect for diversity is based on the respect of deeper values that Europe must never be allowed to betray: freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of creative values.

Barroso praised the assembly organizers for holding the meeting in Romania, which with its neighbour Bulgaria became part of the EU on 1 January, and had, he said, a long history as a meeting place of different peoples and cultures. He also praised the initiative that led to the first European Ecumenical Assembly in Basel, Switzerland in 1989, which brought together Christians from eastern and Western Europe at a time when the Iron Curtain still divided the continent. The Sibiu assembly runs until 9 September and is an initiative of the Conference of European Churches and the Council of European (Roman Catholic) Bishops' Conferences. The two groupings account for most of Europe's Roman Catholic, Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches. In addition to the Basel gathering, an assembly also took place in Graz, Austria in 1997.

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Europeans want the EU to take more global responsibility
07.09.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Helena Spongenberg

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The vast majority of Europeans want the European Union to take greater responsibility on the world stage - according to a new poll by the US German Marshall Fund - especially in aid development, trade and peacekeeping missions.Almost 90% of Europeans want the EU to play a bigger role globally while slightly more than half (53%) feel that the EU should cooperate with the US in dealing with global threats, compared with 43% who feel the EU should address threats independently from Washington.France was the only country where a majority (58%) feels the EU would do better to address global threats alone.Of those Europeans who feel the EU should take greater responsibility, top support was for more money on aid for development (84%), the use of trade to influence other countries (74%), and committing troops for peacekeeping missions (68%).

There was little support (20%) for committing troops for combat missions. Few Europeans support combat operations in Afghanistan now or against Iran in the future, the annual Transatlantic Trend survey published on Thursday (6 September) showed.The survey polled about 13,000 people in 12 European countries - Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the UK – as well as in the US.

Europeans Blame Bush and Turkey feels isolated

US president George Bush's foreign policy attracted disapproval ratings of 77 percent of Europeans and 60 percent of Americans. Some 34 percent of Europeans blamed Mr Bush himself and 38 percent blamed the US management of the Iraq war for a deterioration in transatlantic relations.Only 4 percent named the treatment of terrorism suspects at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba a reason.Turkish respondents expressed a decline in positive feelings toward both the EU and the US since similar polls in previous years. Forty percent of Turks said they viewed EU membership as a good thing, a drop of 14 percentage points since last year's survey.
When asked how likely it is that Turkey will join the EU, 56% of EU citizens asked felt it is likely that Turkey will join, compared with only 26% of Turkish respondents who agreed.The margin of error for the survey, which conducted interviews by telephone and in person during June, was plus or minus three percentage points.

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, August 2007, pages 50-51
Israel and Judaism. Concern Growing About Jewish Groups’ Liaison With Evangelical Israel Supporters - By Allan C. Brownfeld

The growing alliance between Evangelical Christian supporters of Israel and groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is stirring a growing debate.At AIPAC’s national conference in March, Pastor John Hagee, the evangelical minister from San Antonio, Texas who in 2006 founded Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the first Christian pro-Israel lobbying group, addressed the delegates and received a standing ovation.Hagee is a proponent of the theology known as dispensational premillennialism (see The Dangerous Potent Elixir of Christian Zionism by Pat Morrison, April 2007 Washington Report, p. 58). The author of several books setting forth his end days theology, Hagee’s latest volume, Jerusalem Countdown, depicts a scenario in which Iran and a coalition of Islamic countries, led by Russia, will unleash a nuclear attack on Israel, leading to the ultimate battle of Armageddon. According to Hagee, this battle between what he terms the Islamo-fascists and the Christians and Jews already is upon us.

Evangelical supporters of Israel vigorously oppose all peace efforts which involve territorial adjustments with the Palestinians. At the April 2002 Israel solidarity rally in Washington, DC, evangelical radio host Janet Parshall declared, We will not give back the Golan. When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called for disengagement from Gaza, Christian Zionists opposed the government of Israel. The Rev. Pat Robertson even suggested that Sharon’s subsequent stroke was God’s punishment for abandoning land the Bible declared to be God’s patrimony to the Jews.Today, however, more and more Jewish voices are being heard expressing concern about the growing liaison between Jewish and evangelical groups.Writing in the May 2007 issue of Sh’ma, Gershon Gorenberg, author of The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements l967-l977 and The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for The Temple Mount, described Israel’s Evangelical supporters as follows: This is the kind of friend your mother should have warned you about when you were young: the one you accept when you are feeling unpopular, who is loud, dares you to do dangerous things, gives you a bad name, drives other people away.

Evangelical Christians are antagonistic to any territorial division of the Holy Land.

The existence of Israel, Gorenberg noted, proves that prophecy is coming true. For that the Jews are loved, he wrote. Yet the Jews—says the same theology—live in obstinate error as deniers of Jesus and will pay the price. Radio evangelist Chuck Missler, for instance, has asserted that Auschwitz was just a little prelude to what will happen to Jews in the approaching Last Days…This kind of cheering squad poses two practical risks. The first is that Israeli politicians will be tempted to believe that they can count on support for intransigence—indeed, that American political support will be most firm when they are most unbending. Christian Zionists are encouraging Israel to live dangerously.Jews who welcome Christian Zionist support, Gorenberg noted, dismiss the Evangelical theology. Since they don’t believe in the apocalypse or Second Coming, he noted, they regard such predictions as irrelevant. What matters [to them] is here-and-now support. This attitude shows spectacular disrespect for allies who base their lives on theology…The believers look forward to war. Mike Evans, who has built an evangelical ministry on supporting Israel, writes in his book Jerusalem Betrayed that an apocalypse is coming in Israel and urges readers to pray for that to happen.I don’t like that they would not like to see Israel trade land for peace, said Rabbi Jonathan Biatch of Temple Beth El in Madison, Wisconsin, because in my view that’s a very important formula. The real bottom line is the fact that this organization [CUFI] would like to exacerbate tensions in the Middle East so it will lead to Armageddon.

In Sacramento, California, the city’s largest Reform synagogue, Congregation B’nai Israel, declined to participate in the local Christians United for Israel event. Elsewhere, however, Jewish groups have joined with Hagee’s organization. A recent Night To Honor Israel held outside Minneapolis raised $l00,000.David Elcott, executive director of the Israel Policy Forum and former director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, said this of the Jewish-Evangelical alliance in the May 2007 Sh’ma:Christian Zionists, Evangelicals who know God’s will from their biblical insights and offer a literal reading of Scriptures, concern me…In fact, their support may endanger Israel’s future more than our fickle mainline Protestant friends…The last five governments of Israel have called for a Palestinian state living next to a secure, demographically viable Israel. Christian Zionists unequivocally condemn that solution.Elcott pointed out that Israelis support a two-state solution by a two-to-one margin. The last Hebrew University Truman Center study showed that 58 per cent of Israelis would negotiate with Hamas right now. A clear majority of American Jews polled in the latest American Jewish Committee survey also seek a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated settlement. Meanwhile, Evangelical Christians are antagonistic to any territorial division of the Holy Land, even if such an agreement could bring peace.Concluded Elcott: We should embrace in friendship and in dialogue all our Christian brothers and sisters, seek common cause where we can while engaging in respectful dialogue when we disagree…But it is time to unequivocally reframe the Middle East debate and make clear that the greatest defenders of the State of Israel…are those of us who advocate for an end to the conflict and peace for all those who reside in the land that all call holy.

In May, a typical Night To Honor Israel took place in Alexandria, Virginia. It was sponsored by The Jerusalem Connection International (JCI), under the auspices of CUFI. The Rev. Jim Hutchens, president of JCI and regional director of CUFI, was emphatic in his belief that Israel should not make any kind of territorial compromise with her neighbors. One of the speakers, the Rev. Jan Willem van der Hoeven, director of the International Christian Zionist Center in Jerusalem, received a standing ovation after urging President George W. Bush: Do not divide the land and give the terrorists a base.Another speaker, WorldNetDaily.com founder and writer Joseph Farah, called the 2005 Gaza disengagement ethnic cleansing by the Israeli government that was an invitation to another genocide. Republican presidential candidate Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) said that it was on a trip to Israel a number of years ago that he decided he would never…support the giving up of one inch of the state of Israel. That will always be my position.Jewish participants in this meeting included Rabbi Marvin Bash, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington, Virginia and chaplain at Fort Belvoir Jewish Military Congregation, and Rabbi Jack Moline of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria. Rabbi Bash acknowledged that Jews who are more liberal about territorial compromise might have been uncomfortable with the program, but said he himself took a hard-line position and was not bothered by the opposition to giving back West Bank territory. Rabbi Moline thanked the group in his invocation for its love of the Jewish people and enduring love for the land of Israel and the state of Israel.

Also attending the meeting was Martin Peled-Flax, minister-counselor for domestic affairs at the Embassy of Israel. Thanking those in attendance for their past support for Israel, the Israeli diplomat urged them to continue to speak up and not be silent.Challenging those rabbis who agreed to participate in this Night To Honor Israel, Rabbi Gerald Serotta of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, Maryland, declared that, Most of us believe that Israel as a Jewish and democratic state cannot survive while controlling the entire Land of Israel. This is the most pressing reason not to give support to Christians United For Israel, and in fact to oppose their political impact. Serotta suggested that the rabbis should have told the audience that Kedushat Haam [survival of the Jewish people] is more important than Kedushat Haaretz [sanctity of the land].There is, of course, a certain irony in Jewish groups, which call for strict separation of church and state within the American political arena and sharply challenge the political role played by evangelical groups, to embrace—together with those very groups—a policy toward Israel based on an interpretation of biblical law. Philip Weiss, writing in the June 4, 2007 issue of The American Conservative, noted that, “Many Jews with strong feelings about Israel—many of whom…have never been there—are helping to shape public perceptions. Almost all these opinion-makers are self-described secular Jews who get worked up about separating church and state when it’s evangelical Christians trying to change laws on stem-cell research, abortion and gay marriage. Yet these seculars are often invested themselves, without being aware of it, in a religious ideology—a Jewish nationalist claim on the Holy Land inscribed in the Old Testament.

Jerry Falwell’s Role

The role of the late Jerry Falwell in forging the alliance between Christian fundamentalism and right-wing Zionism cannot be overestimated. In 1978, Falwell traveled to Israel on a trip sponsored for and by the Israeli government. In 1979, when Prime Minister Menachem Begin was building Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank, the Israelis extended another free trip. Falwell traveled the road toward the Palestinian town of Nablus, turned off the highway and stood at a cluster of prefabricated houses built by Jewish settlers. At the time, Falwell declared that God was kind to America only because America has been kind to the Jews. At a gala dinner in New York in 1980, Prime Minister Begin bestowed upon Falwell a medal named for Vladimir Jabotinsky, the right-wing Zionist leader. In 1981, when Israel bombed Iraq’s nuclear reactor, Begin immediately called Jerry Falwell for support.

Expressing this mindset in Congress, Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK) stated on March 4, 2002 on the Senate floor, I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel…because God said so…Look it up in the Book of Genesis…This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, believes that inviting John Hagee to address AIPAC, and the growing alliance between Jewish and evangelical groups, may be alienating Jewish young people. As he wrote in the May 18 Forward: We have learned from extensive research that these young people are more socially liberal than their baby-boomer parents. They are pluralistic in their thinking and they are tolerant of difference…They respond negatively to those who disparage other religious traditions and who make exclusivist religious claims. They are inherently centrist in their political views on the Middle East. And they are suspicious of a Jewish establishment that they see as too focused on money and insufficiently focused on values. And so whom do we offer to these young people as a spokesman for Israel? John Hagee, who is contemptuous of Muslims, dismissive of gays, possesses a triumphalist theology and opposes a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. If our intention was to distance our young adults from the Jewish state, we could not have made a better choice.Beyond this, Yoffie wrote, Even worse, a primary motive here seems to be that we see Hagee and his Christians United for Israel as a source of dollars for federation coffers. The pattern has been that in return for federation sponsorship of dinners hosted by the lobbying group, contributions are made by Christians United for Israel to our federation fund-raising campaigns. The conclusion that our young people are most likely to draw from this arrangement is that we are simply selling our souls.

Allan C. Brownfeld is a syndicated columnist and associate editor of the Lincoln Review, a journal published by the Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, and editor of Issues, the quarterly journal of the American Council for Judaism.