DRUGS IN DRINKING WATER

EARTHQUAKES

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, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Moderate Quake Rattles Iran MAR 9,08

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A moderate earthquake and several aftershocks rattled a remote area in eastern Iran on Sunday morning, cracking walls and forcing some to seek shelter in tents, state media reported. No injuries were immediately reported.The earthquake hit the town of Arianshahr near Birjand some 800 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran. The official Islamic Republic News Agency said it had a magnitude of 5.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 4.9.Families kept their children from school out of fear, and some people took refuge in tents after the quake caused cracks on the old walls in the epicenter, the report said.The quake struck at 7:21 a.m., and over the next two hours there were 11 aftershocks.Iran is located on several seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake every day on average. In November, a medium-sized quake injured 20 schoolchildren in southwestern Iran.In March 2006, three earthquakes and nine aftershocks hit western Iran, in quick succession, killing at least 70 people and injuring about 1,200.

2008-03-09 17:27:16 Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad

Parts of north Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch received mild tremors this evening. The epicenter of the tremors was near Rapar town in Kutch. The quake of magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale made people come out of their houses.The tremors were felt around 5 pm in Ahmedabad. People in multi-storyed in the Vastrapur and other neighbouring areas of Ahmedabad came out in the open. No damage has been reported from anywhere.

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.

Britain preparing to cope with heavy storm
Sun Mar 9, 11:11 PM

LONDON (AFP) - Britain was on Monday preparing for a heavy storm described as a potent cocktail of strong winds, rain and hail, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown having held a meeting with emergency services chiefs.Seven severe flood warnings were put out by the Environment Agency (EA), along with 44 flood warnings, while Britain's Meteorological Office put severe weather warnings in place for all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.Early on Monday, parts of the country were already feeling some of the effects of the storm, with Cornwall and Devon in southwest England hit by winds of nearly 70 miles per hour (112 kilometres per hour).

In London on Sunday, Brown was briefed on the planned response to the incoming weather, the potential effect on the critical national infrastructure, and the contingencies in place to deal with the effects of the storm, a Downing Street spokesman said.The storm was described as a potent cocktail of strong winds, wave action and high tides from tonight until Wednesday, according to Simon Hughes, the EA's regional strategy manager.It can be extremely dangerous and only takes a few seconds for someone to be knocked off their feet, and swept into the water, Hughes said.Winds were expected to reach speeds of up to 80 miles (128 kilometres) per hour, with airports, port operators and vehicle breakdown companies warning of delays for travellers.A spokesman for London's Heathrow Airport, the world's busiest international air hub, said it would wait before deciding whether to cancel or delay flights until either Sunday night or Monday morning.London's Gatwick airport was also set for delays and cancellations, with an airport spokeswoman saying it was in regular contact with the Met Office.If the weather is as bad as currently predicted, there may be delays or cancellations, she added.

Massive blizzard wreaks havoc with flights, cuts power in Que., Maritimes Sun Mar 9, 6:27 PM By Michael Oliveira, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - The massive winter storm that dumped as much as 50-plus centimetres of snow across Eastern Canada also left tens of thousands without power on Sunday as the multi-day weather event passed through the Maritimes and finally neared its end. A day after Ontario and Quebec endured a blizzard blast of high-speed winds and heavy snow, more than 80,000 homes and businesses were temporarily left without light or heat. Hydro-Quebec said more than 71,000 customers were affected, mostly in Quebec City, and thousands more lost power after heavy rain in Moncton, Cape Breton and southwestern Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. It was a serious storm here, the rain just (fell in) unbelievable amounts and the wind was really high, said Nova Scotia Power spokeswoman Glennie Langille. A few parts of the Maritimes had already been hit with nearly 40 centimetres of snow in the first wave of the storm early Sunday, but still had to contend with forecasts of freezing rain, flurries and more snow in the evening. Ontario and Quebec got little snow on Sunday but the accumulation from the previous two days kept residents, snowplows and tow trucks busy.

Environment Canada said almost all of Quebec got at least 25 to 35 centimetres of snow, while winds as high as 133 kilometres an hour roared through some areas and created snowdrifts that quickly dwarfed many cars on highways, trapping motorists inside. Quebec provincial police officers on snowmobiles, along with members of local snowmobile clubs, came out to rescue these people, said police spokeswoman Joyce Kemp. Happily no deaths or serious injurious have been reported.Kemp said hundreds of vehicles had been abandoned on highways and other roads around the province. Snowplows were needed to dig out many of the vehicles on Sunday. In Ontario, the provincial police were called to deal with 892 accidents on the major highways on Saturday and Const. Dave Woodford said he'd never seen the roads in such bad condition during his 25 years on the job. It was so bad out there I had to pull off the road at one point and I was travelling up the (highway) at 20 km/h at times, he said. I drive for a living, I'm on the road 12 or more hours a day everyday and that's the worst I've seen the roads in my policing career, we just couldn't keep up.

The most snowfall was recorded in the Ottawa area where 52 centimetres fell and snowdrifts topped two metres. Not surprisingly, air travel was snarled for a second day in a row and cancellations were worst in Montreal, where almost seven dozen flights were grounded by early Sunday evening. Around 75 had been cancelled in Ottawa, in addition to 18 in Toronto. Environment Canada said the storm didn't come as a complete surprise since March is known to come in like a lion. When cold Arctic air mixes with warm moist air from the southern United States it can create significant storm conditions. And winter-weary Canadians are not out of the woods yet, as Environment Canada said there will likely be more snow later this month and into April.

Storm piles up 50cm of snow in Ohio; travellers stranded across the state Sat Mar 8, 8:45 PM By Matt Leingang, The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A heavy winter storm walloped Ohio's capital city with more than 50 centimetres of snow, while blizzard conditions shut down highways and stranded air travellers across the state and parts of Indiana on Saturday. High winds whipped the snow into metre-tall drifts in some places and cut visibility to less than 400metres, the National Weather Service said. It's horrible out there right now, said 58-year-old Carman Bonfiglio, a FedEx driver who was stranded at a truck stop in Sunbury, about 30 kilometres northeast of Columbus. Trucks are just spinning right here. In my days of driving I've never seen anything like it.It was a continuation of the storm that Friday piled up snow 30 centimetres deep in Arkansas and blacked out thousands of homes and businesses from that state to the Great Lakes. Louisville, Ky., and parts of Tennessee got up to 30 centimetres, while northern Mississippi got 12 to 17 centimetres of snow, the weather service said.

Late winter storm socks central US Sun Mar 9, 3:51 PM ET

CHICAGO (AFP) - A late winter snowstorm buried a large part of the US midwestern United States, shutting down highways and stranding air travelers across the region, according to news reports Sunday.

More than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow on fell on Ohio's capital city of Columbus in the winter storm that began Friday and did not ease off until early Sunday.Ohio's main newspaper The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported blizzard conditions in some areas leading to low visibility and hazardous driving conditions.

Treacherous roads prompted officials to bar all but emergency vehicles in some localities while the inclement weather led to a chain reaction of flight delays felt clear across the United States.

The storm, which rolled in on Friday, broke the previous snowfall record in Ohio's capital city of Columbus, 15 inches (38 centimeters) set in February 1910, the weather service said.The Ohio cities of Cincinnati and Cleveland each received about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow.The storm eventually swept eastward, battering the northeastern states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey and unleashing violent thunderstorms that left tens of thousands without power.As much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow fell in parts in the southern state of Arkansas, while parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee got up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow, the weather officials said.

Rainy Monday in parts of Texas Buzz Bernard
Sun Mar 9, 5:13 PM ET

South

Locally heavy rain, probably accompanied by isolated thunderstorms, will soak eastern and southern Texas at the start of the new work week after drenching north-central portions of the state overnight. Additionally Monday, a few showers may work their way into parts of southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas, and western and southern Louisiana. Elsewhere, a shower or two could dodge across far southern Florida, as well as here and there in Tennessee. Temperatures will be near to a tad below average for early March with highs ranging from near 50 in northwest Tennessee to just over 80 in far south Texas. Most of the Deep South should top out in the 60s.

Midwest

As a weak upper-air disturbance scoots eastward Monday, a few light rain or snow showers will fall on areas from the eastern Great Lakes to Kentucky. Temperatures are expected to be near to below seasonal averages (especially in locations blanketed by fresh snow) with highs ranging from near 30 on parts of Michigan's U.P. to the 60s in southwest Nebraska and western Kansas. Most spots around the Great Lakes will top out in the 30s.

West

Showers and mountain snow will prevail in the Pacific Northwest--western Washington, especially--and northwest California Monday as a Pacific cold front barrels inland. Snow levels are expected to be rather high, around 6000 or 7000 feet. Gusty winds are forecast to whip over coastal locations. High temperatures, meanwhile, will be generally near to above seasonal averages, ranging from the 30s in the Rockies to the 80s in the lower Colorado River Valley and southwest Arizona.

Northeast

New England, by and large, will remain dry early week while farther west a scattering of very light rain and snow showers blossoms over western New York state, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and far western Virginia. Temperatures are forecast to be near to somewhat below late winter means with readings ranging from the 20s in much of Upstate New York and northern New England to the low 60s in far south-central Virginia.

Tsunami that devastated the ancient world could return
Sun Mar 9, 2:28 PM

PARIS (AFP) - The sea was driven back, and its waters flowed away to such an extent that the deep sea bed was laid bare and many kinds of sea creatures could be seen, wrote Roman historian Ammianus Marcellus, awed at a tsunami that struck the then-thriving port of Alexandria in 365 AD.Huge masses of water flowed back when least expected, and now overwhelmed and killed many thousands of people... Some great ships were hurled by the fury of the waves onto the rooftops, and others were thrown up to two miles (three kilometres) from the shore.Ancient documents show the great waves of July 21, 365 AD claimed lives from Greece, Sicily and Alexandria in Egypt to modern-day Dubrovnik in the Adriatic.Swamped by sea water, rich Nile delta farmland was abandoned and hilltop towns became ghost-like, inhabited only by hermits.The tsunami was generated by a massive quake that occurred under the western tip of the Greek island of Crete, experts believe.Until now, the main thinking has been that this quake -- as in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004 -- occurred in a so-called subduction zone.

A subduction zone is where two of the Earth's plates meet. One plate rides over another plate which is gliding downward at an angle into the planet's mantle.Subduction zones usually have measurable creep, of say a few centimetres (inches) a year. But as the rock becomes brittle and deformed at greater depths, these zones can also deliver titanic quakes, displacing so much land that, when the slippage occurs on the ocean floor, a killer wave is generated.The 365 AD quake occurred at a point on the 500-kilometre (300-mile) -long Hellenic subduction zone, which snakes along the Mediterranean floor in a semi-circle from southwestern Turkey to western Greece.Researchers in Britain have taken a fresh look at this event and have come up with some worrying news.University of Cambridge professor Beth Shaw carried out a computer simulation of the quake, based especially on fieldwork in Crete where the push forced up land by as much as 10 metres (32.5 feet).They estimate the quake to have been 8.3-8.5 magnitude and that its land displacement -- of 20 metres (65 feet) on average -- puts it in the same category as the 9.3 temblor that occurred off Sumatra in 2004.

They conclude the slippage occurred along 100 kilometres (about 60 miles) on a previously unidentified fault that lies close to the surface, just above the subduction zone.The quake happened at a depth of around 45 kilometres (30 miles) -- around 30 kilometres (20 miles) closer to the surface than would have been likely if the slip had occurred on the subduction fault itself.After the 365 AD quake, the fault is likely to remain quiet for around 5,000 years.

But if the tectonic structure along the rest of the Hellenic subduction zone is similar, a tsunami-generating quake could strike the eastern Mediterranean in roughly 800 years, the scientists estimate.The last tsunami to hit the eastern Mediterranean occurred on August 8, 1303. According to research published in 2006, a quake off Crete of about 7.8 magnitude hit Alexandria 40 minutes later with a wave nine metres (29.25 feet) high.That there has been only one other such event... in the past 1,650 years should focus our attention on the modern-day tsunami hazard in the eastern Mediterranean, the new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, warns.Repetition of such an event would have catastrophic consequences for today's densely-populated Mediterranean coastal regions.The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is setting up a tsunami alert system for the Mediterranean as part of a global network established after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster.

SPAIN #11 IN THE EU

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE 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.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) 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 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Spain's Socialists win re-election By PAUL HAVEN, Associated Press Writer MAR 10,08

MADRID, Spain - Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won re-election Sunday in a clear endorsement of a record of social change including the legalization of gay marriage and on-demand divorce, reforms once unthinkable in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Spain. Zapatero also shifted Spanish foreign policy by pulling troops from Iraq in his first term, which he won three days after Islamic militants killed 191 people in a string of bombings against commuter trains.Voters handed Zapatero his second term despite worries about a slumping economy, immigration and resurgent Basque separatists, blamed for gunning down a member of the prime minister's party on Friday — timing that recalled the March 11, 2004Madrid attacks.With 99.4 percent of the vote counted, Zapatero's Socialist party had 43.7 percent, versus 40.1 percent for the conservative Popular Party, according to the Interior Ministry.

In his next term, Zapatero's main task will be to reboot the once booming but now slowing economy, shaken by the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the U.S. and a cooling construction sector.The Spanish people have spoken clearly and decided to start a new era, Zapatero told euphoric supporters outside the party's headquarters in Madrid. I will govern with a firm but open hand ... I will govern for all, but do so thinking most of all of those in need.While Zapatero's Socialist party picked up seats in the lower house, it fell short of a majority and will have to form some sort of an alliance with smaller regional parties in order to govern.The opposition conservatives conceded defeat, but took solace from the fact their party also picked up seats, with both parties gaining at the expense of smaller leftist and regional groups.I called the candidate of the Socialist party and wished him luck for the good of Spain, conservative candidate Mariano Rajoy told supporters in Madrid. A large crowd of flag-waving supporters cheered loudly, making it difficult for him to speak.Zapatero paid tribute to the slain politician, Isaias Carrasco, saying he should have been celebrating the victory with his family. Carrasco's killing, blamed on the Basque group ETA, jolted Spaniards and prompted both parties to cancel final campaign appearances.

Some in Spain had predicted the killing might prompt a wave of sympathy and a boost at the polls for Zapatero's party, especially after the Socialist politician's 20-year-old daughter Sandra made an emotional appeal Saturday for people to defy ETA by turning out to vote en masse.For Rajoy, his rival in Sunday's vote and in 2004, it was the second consecutive defeat, one likely to increase pressure on him to step down as party chief.I thought Rajoy would do better, he speaks with such conviction. I'm surprised he fell behind, said Jose Eguren, a 29-year-old security guard in the Basque city of Bilbao.Many conservatives consider Zapatero's 2004 victory a fluke, and saw Sunday's vote as their chance to correct it. The prime minister's victory was seen as finally giving him a legitimacy that critics say he has lacked.He won in 2004 amid a wave of voter outrage at the ruling conservatives, who blamed the attacks on ETA even as evidence of Islamic involvement mounted. The tactics were widely seen as a bid to deflect perceptions that the killings were al-Qaida's revenge for the government's deeply unpopular support of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.Sunday's results showed the Socialists on their way to winning 169 seats in the 350-seat lower house, up from the current 164 but shy of the 176 seats needed for an outright majority. The Popular Party was also shown picking up seats, raising its total from 148 to 154.Although he made a dramatic entrance with the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Zapatero has since taken a back seat on the international stage. Some say his reticence to make a bigger impression has weakened Spain's standing abroad. Others believe he may tend to foreign affairs with more emphasis this time round.

The campaign was marked by acrimony, with Rajoy hammering Zapatero on everything from immigration to the economy. In two televised debates between the men, Rajoy used a form of the word liar to describe Zapatero more than 30 times; he blamed Zapatero for not doing enough to spur the economy, which is cooling amid rising unemployment and an end to a boom in the construction sector. Rajoy vowed to make immigrants sign a contract obliging them to respect Spanish customs and learn the language, a position Zapatero's party called xenophobic. The candidates also clashed on Zapatero's willingness to grant more self-rule to Spain's semiautonomous regions. Conservatives warn that will tear the nation apart. Under the Socialists Spain became the third country to legalize gay marriage and thousands of same-sex couples have wed since the law took effect in July 2005, according to the Justice Ministry. The government also pushed through laws including fast-track divorce and easier terms for medically assisted fertilization. All of these issues have left Spain deeply polarized and these divisions will not go away soon, said Enrique Monreal, 35, a publishing company employee. It will take several years for things to calm down. Right now it is so tense you are nervous even talking to your neighbor, Monreal said outside a polling station in Madrid. AP correspondents Daniel Woolls and Ciaran Giles in Madrid, and Harold Heckle in Bilbao contributed to this report.

Sarkozy party trails in Frence election By EMMANUEL GEORGES-PICOT, Associated Press Writer Sun Mar 9, 8:18 PM ET

PARIS - Partial results showed President Nicolas Sarkozy's backers losing in Paris and other key French cities Sunday in the first round of municipal elections seen as a referendum on the increasingly unpopular conservative. Official results of the total vote nationwide showed candidates from Sarkozy's UMP party and its allies with 45.5 percent and the Socialists and their allies with 47percent.The total was not broken down by city, but projections based on partial results by the polling agencies Ipsos and TNS-Sofres showed Socialists on track to take over key cities previously held by the right, including Strasbourg, Reims, Rouen and Caen.In Paris, Ipsos' projections showed popular Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe in the lead. Lyon's Socialist mayor won re-election outright.

Final results for each city were expected Monday.

Individual campaigns focused on local issues such as parks and public transport. But analysts said the overall outcome could affect Sarkozy's appetite for reforms of Europe's third-largest economy.Twenty-two of Sarkozy's ministers — two-thirds of the government — were running in the elections.Sarkozy's once-soaring popularity ratings have withered in recent weeks amid increasing frustration with what critics consider an ostentatious and impetuous presidential style. While Sarkozy's dramatic romance and marriage to model and singer Carla Bruni dominated headlines, many voters feel their economic concerns have been ignored.Sarkozy wooed voters last year with a campaign pledging to break with the rigid labor laws and high taxes of the past, but has pushed through mostly minor reforms.His sinking approval ratings — which have dipped to around 37-40 percent from a high of around 65 percent in July — were seen as a liability for several candidates from his UMP party in the local elections.The left hoped to turn the tide after a wave of victories by conservatives in the last municipal elections, in 2001, and in the May presidential election.Voting was taking place in nearly 36,700 cities, towns and villages across France.Even the final results will be far from definitive.Several candidates from parties across the spectrum were running in most races. That means that some towns where a Socialist candidate was in the lead Sunday, for example, could end up in conservative hands next week thanks to centrist or other voters.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

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.
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: 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.

REVELATION 13:16-18
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

Strong euro sparks calls for boost of EU monetary institutions07.03.2008 - 09:29 CET | By Lucia Kubosova

Days before an EU leaders economic summit and following a decision by the European Central Bank (ECB) to avoid interest rate cuts, calls for measures to tackle the rising strength of the euro are intensifying. Ernest-Antoine Seillière, president of BusinessEurope, a pan-European business association, told reporters on Thursday (6 March) that the euro will not survive in the long run in the absence of some kind of political support, by which we mean the eurogroup.The eurogroup gathers together finance ministers of the 15 member states of the single currency area. They meet about once a month usually on the eve of the full ministerial sessions of finance chiefs.Earlier this week, the eurogroup voiced concerns over the record strength of the euro but refrained from commenting on the monetary policy of the ECB instead praising statements by the US authorities favouring a strong dollar.

The current debate is held against the backdrop of the record level of the euro against the US dollar, which is increasingly harming EU exports.But despite the looming pressure, the ECB kept interest rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday, citing inflation concerns as a reason for abstaining from rate cuts amid forecasts for economic slowdown in the eurozone.We believe that silence on the euro strength confronted with the weakness of other currencies is something that is not acceptable for business, said the EuropeBusiness president, adding We need this problem to be tackled at a higher political level.Mr Seillière argued that the eurogroup chief - currently the Luxembourg leader Jean-Claude Juncker - should have more clout in international institutions like the Group of Seven, where joint exchange rate policy is discussed.Europe's trade unions have instead criticised the ECB's policy, urging the Frankfurt bank to recognise at last that the balance of risks has shifted and that the threat to growth is now so serious that an urgent cut in interest rates is required.The euro's continuing appreciation is becoming alarming, stated the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), representing 82 trade union organisations in 36 countries.2008 EUobserver

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

Who is the coming world ruler? What is his
role in end-time prophecy? Will his appearance
have any connection with the rebuilding of the
Temple in Jerusalem?

In Revelation 13:1 the apostle John states, 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 ten horns of John's vision correspond to the ten toes of Daniel's image in chapter 2 of the Book of Daniel. Let's investigate this account and see its importance in our discussion concerning the coming world ruler. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of ancient Babylon, had a dream. However, he could not recall its content. Therefore, he called in his magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers, saying, not very politely, I might add, Tell me what I dreamed, or I'll kill you. That certainly got their attention. However, they were stymied: They could not fulfill this bizarre request. However, Daniel, a young Jew and a man of prayer, fell on his knees three times a day before his God Jehovah and received the answer.

The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these . . . Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. . . . Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. . . . Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. (Daniel 2:27-28, 31-35, 37-41)

Those who scoff, ridicule, and slander the Word of God would be well advised to dust off their history books to discover the reliability of the Bible. In this passage we see that Daniel gave King Nebuchadnezzar an outline of world history down to the last days-events that have taken place precisely as God said they would. Daniel said, You, King Nebuchadnezzar, are the head of gold (Babylon), but there will be two nations pictured by the arms of silver (the Medes and the Persians) who will destroy you. Then there will be a kingdom of brass (Greece), pictured by the stomach, which will destroy the Medes and the Persians. Next, the kingdom of iron (Rome), pictured by two legs, will smash Greece. Why two legs? Because at one time in history, the Roman Empire was divided, having headquarters both at Rome and Constantinople. Again, a historical fact.

Notice carefully that the only power not put out of existence is the Roman Empire. At the end time, the iron again manifests itself in the toes of the image. It is a deteriorated form mingled with clay, but still viable.

Edward Gibbon's masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire reminds us that Rome was never destroyed but rather lost its prominence because of degradation and sin. This historical fact fits the clay of deterioration. Nonetheless, the Roman Empire will be revived in the last days through an alignment of ten Western nations, pictured by the ten toes of Daniel's image and the ten horns in the Book of Revelation. (See my book Final Mysteries Unsealed [Nashville: Word, 1998], 225 pages of verse-by-verse explanation of the Book of Daniel.) In verse 44 of chapter 2, Daniel says, And in the days of these kings [the confederacy of ten Western nations] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. This refers to the return of Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, which we know is very near.

Consider Daniel 2:34 again: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. What, or better who, is the stone that smashes the image when the ten Western nations have aligned themselves? Acts 4:11: [Christ] is the stone which was set at nought of you builders. First Corinthians 10:4: And that Rock [or stone] was Christ. Since 1948, we have witnessed an amalgamation of Western nations in the form of the European Economic Community or Common Market. The movement began with Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands joining in economic alliance. Then France, Italy, and West Germany joined in 1957. In 1972, three additional members-Denmark, England, and Ireland-were received. Then, on January 1, 1981, Greece became the ratified tenth member. However, Ireland and Denmark were never part of the old Roman Empire. What about them? The answer is simple. Daniel 7:8 states, I considered the horns [at the end time], and, behold, there came up among them [the ten] another little horn [number 11!], before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. Once a ten-nation Western confederacy has been formed, number eleven comes to power, plucks up three of the first ten, and replaces them with his own and two others. Later the majority of the globe is under his control. This leader will be the world dictator and infamous Antichrist-the final global ruler.

The organization of the European Economic Community is important because the first beast, or Antichrist of the Book of Revelation, comes out of such an alignment of Western nations. In Revelation 13:1, John says, I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea. The sea speaks of nations, and the ten toes of Daniel's image and the ten horns of Revelation 13:1 describe a grouping of ten nations. Because this prophecy is now in the early stages of fulfillment, the stage is being set for a powerful world leader who works through this grouping of Western nations until he is able to assume worldwide prominence for his greatness. We know that he will come from the West because Daniel 9:26 states that he is of the people that destroyed the city and the sanctuary. Who are these people?

As we have already seen, in A.D. 70, Titus, the Roman general from the Western nations of the old Roman Empire, entered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and drove a million of God's people, the Jews, to every part of the earth. Now the prophet says that it is of this people that the Antichrist shall come. With this information in hand, it becomes clear this ruler will arise from the coming together of these Western nations. This appearance of the Antichrist then leads to another important question: the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem-another major sign of Christ's return.

The Rebuilding of the Temple

The Antichrist will come into prominence and power by signing a seven-year peace contract with Israel (Daniel 9:27). Three and a half years after its signing, he will proclaim himself to be God, the true Messiah, and will set himself up as the global ruler in a temple in Jerusalem. Study carefully 2 Thessalonians 2:4, 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. During our visit to the Holy Land, I stood by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, walked through an arch at the end of the wall, and looked into a great hole in the earth. I observed that there the Jews are attempting to find, as they approach areas of the Dome of the Rock, the Holy of Holies of the old Temple. (Some have indicated through news reports that the Holy of Holies has already been discovered.) They know that the Wailing Wall is part of the old Temple area, and they say, As soon as we find the Holy of Holies, we will try to build. Chills ran down my spine when I heard them say this, because they were speaking ancient words of prophecy in the twentieth century!

An organization called The Association for Progress in the Rebuilding of the Holy Temple has four objectives: (1) to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, (2) to enlist scholars to research laws and traditions relating to Temple worship, (3) to set up a fund to receive contributions from Jews in all nations for rebuilding, and (4) to enlist architects, builders, and designers to draw up the plans. What is preventing them from accomplishing their task? According to the Jewish press, the status of the organization is holding back its work because the Israeli government does not want to incite further Arab hatred. Meanwhile, Israel continues to prepare for the rebuilding of the Temple in her own way. Excavations around the Wailing Wall have outlined the boundaries of the old Temple site.

An exciting parallel to the rebuilding of the Temple concerns the $14 million Jerusalem Great Synagogue, which was dedicated August 4, 1982. Built adjoining the Hechal Schlomo near the intersection of King George V and Ramban Streets in the new part of Jerusalem, the edifice is only about a mile west of the old Temple site. The synagogue is intended as a rallying point for world Jewry and as a house of prayer. (The Lord Jesus referred to the old Temple as the house of prayer in Matthew 21:13.) Interestingly, construction of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue took seven years, plus eleven months of delays, to complete. Students of the Bible will recall that King Solomon's original Temple also took seven years to construct-with an additional eleven-month delay! In addition, consider the facts that (1) a symbolic half shekel offering was received from Jews around the world to finance construction costs; (2) the number of $50,000 donors was limited to twelve as was the number of $25,000 donors. These figures equal the number of the tribes of Israel and, combined, equal the twenty-four elders seated around Christ's throne in Revelation 4:4; (3) the synagogue presidents are limited to seventy, the number of elders who once comprised the Sanhedrin. Although the Jews prefer to call this building a synagogue rather than a temple, one of the chief rabbis insists, We must never believe that this is a substitute for the temple-observers note that the Great Synagogue could serve well as the Tribulation Temple. The building contains a symbolic Ark of the Covenant (which the actual ark could replace if or when it is discovered in the old Temple excavation) and a bema seat. The Temple is constructed of the same Jerusalem limestone as Solomon's Temple. Although there is no sacrificial altar at present, one could easily be constructed and made ready to use. Continue to read your papers and watch the day-by-day unfolding of this greatest prophecy of all-the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem-a major sign pointing to the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords who sits in His holy temple upon His arrival to earth in Ezekiel chapters 40-48.

[Comment] President or foreign minister - who should talk to Medvedev? 07.03.2008 - 08:14 CET | By Peter Sain ley Berry

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Listening to an analysis of the Russian presidential election, I heard the interviewer ask who would now be handling Russian foreign policy? Would it be the President - the newly elected ex-Chairman of the Russian state energy giant, Gazprom, whose name was lost to Hillary Clinton the other day - Mr Dmitry Medvedev? Or would it be that prime ministerial power behind, under, over, around, and beside the President's throne - Mr Vladimir Putin? The government spokesman muttered something safe, as spokesmen are wont to do. Under our constitution, he said, the President deals with foreign policy while the Prime Minister (that is Mr Putin) deals with domestic matters.

We shall have to wait to see what happens in practice but only the bright and naively optimistic can surely imagine that the Putin finger will, not only be in every domestic pie, but on every foreign policy trigger as well. If Mr Putin deems it appropriate to reduce Ukraine's gas supply by a further 25 per cent - as happened this week - I doubt that Mr Medvedev will be in much of a practical position to do anything about it. That is, if he wants to continue to enjoy Mr Putin's company. You do not rise to be head of the KGB, as Putin did, by being indifferent to what happens around you.In the circumstances, Hillary Clinton's choice of the epithet, whatever, when she couldn't remember Mr Medvedev's name exactly, seems appropriate. I suspect that should she become the US President in November, it is Mr Bare Torso himself to whom she will want to speak, rather than to whatever.But before we Europeans shake our heads and tut-tut (and after all the congratulations to Mr Mevedev and the hoping that his election will usher in a new, warm period in EU-Russian relations, there is a very great deal to tut-tut at in Russian politics and not only Mr Putin's flagrant warping of the Constitution and suppression of all viable opposition) we could well turn the question back on ourselves and ponder who, in practice, will actually be responsible for foreign policy, on our side of the fence so to speak, in the post-Lisbon Treaty World of 2009? Who will have the job of dealing face to face with Mr Putin and Mr Mevedev over energy security, border control, trade, missile sites, nuclear installations, climate change, extradition matters, exploitation of the Arctic, the Caucasus, Serbia, the United Nations, and so on?

Who will handle the relations between democratic Europe and despotic Russia; between two nuclear armed continents that share a long border? Will it be Europe's Foreign Minister designate under the Lisbon Treaty, Or will it be the President of the European Council? The question matters. Especially when dealing with a resurgent and increasingly undemocratic Russia that is more than ever inclined to use its energy resources to bully its way in the world. When a former President of the Soviet Union lectures the current Russian leadership on democracy, as Mikhail Gorbachev did in The (London) Times this week, you know matters have come to a sorry pass. Europe's gas supplies are threatened, yet again, by Russian action in the Ukraine. And Russia can get away with such behaviour because Europe's nations have yet to learn that it is better to have a strong foreign policy that delivers 80 per cent of what you want than a weak policy that delivers 100 per cent, but whose very weakness makes it, in practice, unimplementable. In the absence of a coherent European foreign policy (look how split Europe is over Kosovo, over US missile defence bases, over gas pipelines) Russia naturally finds it easy to play one country off against another. Nothing unites us quite so well as our disunity.

But a strong European foreign policy will require leadership and diplomatic skills of the highest order, both to secure the policy at home and then to put it across abroad. As the Constitutional Convention of 2003 foresaw, Europe does need someone to speak with both personal and constitutional authority on Foreign Affairs. Should this person be the (so-not-called) Foreign Minister - or should it be Europe's President, the man or woman whose task it will be to coral the member states, pushing the agenda along in the manner of someone first among equals? At present, of course, there is no EU President as such. The Lisbon Treaty creates a new and, as yet, undefined post. Foreign Policy is split between the High Representative (Mr Solana) who works for the member states, and the External Relations Commissioner, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner. These two posts will be combined into something which, in practice, will be a quasi-Secretary of State role. Mr Solana (for he is the favourite) will then have a foot in both camps.

But a Secretary of State is a Secretary of State. He or she acts on behalf of the head of state. Now the European Union is not a state; it is a partnership of states that wish, ostensibly, to align their foreign policies to achieve goals and influence which they could not expect to achieve, in this global world, by acting alone. But if the partnership is to find a voice and then speak with authority, it needs a strong President.Just having a strong President, though, is not enough. Russia practices, we are told, sovereign democracy, and the difference between this and everyday democracy has been described elegantly by Timothy Garton Ash as the difference between a jacket and a straitjacket. Vladimir Putin may have been prepared to bend the constitution and engage in practices so anti-democratic that election observers feel they cannot operate in Russia, so great are the restrictions placed upon them. But Europeans beware! Our own democratic credentials at the Continental level are wafer thin; some would say non-existent. Europe's President will be appointed; not even indirectly elected. As will be the Foreign Minister. Are their democratic credentials, therefore, any better than those of Mr Medvedev and Mr Putin? If our enlarged Europe is to pursue a united and successful foreign policy, she must not fall into the Russian trap of becoming another sovereign democracy. Criticising Russia here may be another case of pots and kettles. The author is editor of EuropaWorld

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

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

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

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

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

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

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) 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.

Israel ends closure of West Bank MAR 10,08

JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Israeli army on Monday lifted the blockade of the occupied West Bank that was imposed after a Palestinian attack at a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem that killed eight teens.

The strict closure was lifted overnight Sunday, a military spokesman told AFP.The Israeli army had sealed off the area on Friday night.The lifting of the closure does not do away with restrictions which have been imposed for years on Palestinians entering Israel.Since the start of the Palestinian intifada or uprising in September 2000, the West Bank has been practically sealed off, leading to rising unemployment and other economic problems in the territory.

Israeli FM heads to US Sun Mar 9, 4:50 PM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni leaves on a three-day visit to the United States on Sunday amid efforts to advance faltering peace talks with the Palestinians.

Livni will meet Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice along with other senior officials, her office said in a statement.The meetings will focus on the peace process, the Iran issue and other regional issues, it said.Before leaving on Sunday, Livni met the US special security envoy to the region General James Jones, and told him that the recent surge in violence in the region threatened the already shaky peace talks.The situation in Gaza and the terror attacks weaken the confidence in the process, Livni's office quoted her as telling Jones, referring to rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and last Thursday's Palestinian gun attack in a Jerusalem religious school where eight students were killed.Livni heads the Israeli negotiating team that earlier this year renewed peace talks with moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's government after a seven-year hiatus.Abbas temporarily suspended the peace talks in the wake of Israel's offensive in Gaza last week which killed more than 130 Palestinian, but officials on both sides now say they expect to resume negotiations next week.Rice visited Israel and the Palestinian territories last week, winning a pledge by both parties to resume peace talks despite the Israeli blitz.Livni is also due to travel to Boston to address a special session of the Massachusetts House of Representatives to mark the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel later this year.

REVELATION 17:1-2
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.(VATICAN IN POLITICS)

Pope denounces endless spiral of destruction and death in Israel Sun Mar 9, 9:41 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday denounced the endless spiral of death and destruction in Israel, and urged Israelis and Palestinian authorities to continue to negotiate to build a peaceful future.In recent days violence and horror has again bloodied the Holy Land, feeding an endless spiral of destruction and death, he told thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter's square for his weekly angelus.His call came after a Palestinian gunman shot dead eight students, mostly teenagers, at a Jewish theological school this week in the deadliest such attack in Jerusalem since February 2004.I encourage Israel and Palestinian authorities in their intention to continue, through negotiation, to build a peaceful and just future for their people, he added.

Benedict called on all in the name of God to leave the tortuous ways of hate and vengeance to take, in a responsible way, the paths of dialogue and confidence.The pontiff indicated that he wanted the same for Iraq.He renewed his appeal for the release of the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Iraq's northern city of Mosul, Faraj-Farraj Rahhu, who was kidnapped on February 29, and said his thoughts were with the large number of Iraqis who continue to suffer blind, absurd violence.

Diplomacy with Vatican serves a greater good
March 9, 2008

With the nation turning toward the Pennsylvania primary, citizens of our commonwealth may have a pivotal role in making political history. Our votes next month might well decide whether a female for the first time becomes a candidate for president of the United States.Recently, a different American woman made political history when Mary Ann Glendon began her work as the eighth ambassador of the United States of America to the Holy See. With the formal presentation of her credentials, she became the first woman to hold this extraordinary post. Though the glare of the media remain focused elsewhere, Glendon's historic appointment nevertheless has significant political potential.The sovereign entity known as the Holy See has the oldest continuous diplomatic service in the world. Tracing its origins has far back as the year 325, it maintains embassies (nunciatures) with 176 nations and is active in numerous international organizations. Since 1964, the Holy See has had permanent observer status in the United Nations, with all the rights of full membership in the General Assembly, except voting, accorded to it in 2004. It established formal diplomatic relations with the United States in 1984.

To some, this quick perusal of the Church's geopolitical history raises the question of whether a religious body should be so active in secular affairs. Particularly in our American cultural history, the intermingling of church and state is a political posture to be avoided at all legal costs. Why, then, should the U.S. government expend its resources on an embassy to the Vatican?The simple answer is part political, part humanitarian. From the former perspective, as Glendon stated, The U.S. understands that we are part of an increasingly interconnected world that calls on each of us, no matter what our culture or faith, to work for peace, life and hope. Promoting peace is what any U.S. embassy does, but this work is a special competency of the embassy to the Holy See. As a former State Department official there once told me, even though it may not be reported as such, this embassy plays a vital role in the development of most treaties and agreements that foster peace anywhere.On a more public front, the embassy advances our country's humanitarian concerns. As Glendon also noted, The United States is an instrument of hope in the world because its people are compassionate and generous. As an example, she noted that the United States provides more than half of all food aid in the world. Aligning itself with the humanitarian work of an international church, the U.S. embassy thus shares a commitment to this essential human solidarity that underscores all political efforts at promoting international stability and security.Beyond the potential for political influence or international aid, a deeper reason for maintaining diplomatic relations between church and state is the recognition that the interplay of faith and culture, based on an understanding of the inviolable dignity of every human person, is essential to world order. In the reality of our global community, the promotion and defense of human rights is a common concern that characterizes our interdependence. Acknowledging what it means to be a person necessarily incorporates a religious perspective, for being human results not from a governmental decision or political compromise, but from an awareness of something beyond us, something greater than individual citizens or diverse nations. And today, as the pope said in receiving the new ambassador's credentials, this task of reconciling unity and diversity, of forging a common vision and summoning the moral energy to accomplish it, has become an urgent priority for the whole human family.

Mary Ann Glendon stands in a unique position to respond to this priority. As a Harvard professor of constitutional law, she has academic expertise in human rights and international legal theory. As the first woman to lead a Vatican delegation to a major U.N. conference, and as the first woman to direct a pontifical academy, she has unprecedented experience with the geopolitical workings of the Church. In this year, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is most fitting that she has become our ambassador to the Holy See. Having written a book entitled A World Made New, she can now play a role in making that come true.

The Rev. Thomas F. Dailey is director of the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture at DeSales University in Center Valley.In the reality of our global community, the promotion and defense of human rights is a common concern that characterizes our interdependence.
THOMAS F. DAILEY.


* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *
MONDAY NIGHT JIHAD Interview with NFL star Jason Elam on his trip to Iraq & new novel. By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., March 10, 2008) -- Last fall, Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam -- one of the best kickers in NFL history, a three-time Pro Bowl player with two Super Bowl rings -- invited two of my boys and I to speak at a chapel service for Broncos' players and coaches, and then attend a Monday night game against the Green Bay Packers.

We had a great time and got a chance to spend some time getting to know Jason, a devout evangelical Christian and a real kindred spirit when it comes to blessing the people of the Middle East with the love of Jesus Christ. Jason had become acquainted with me by reading Epicenter. I had just read an advance copy of his first political thriller, Monday Night Jihad, which I thoroughly enjoyed and immediately endorsed.

The novel is now out, and as part of his book tour, Jason just returned from encouraging U.S. forces in Iraq. Here's an interview I did with him via email.

ROSENBERG: You were just in Iraq. Why did you go? What did you see?

ELAM: Four years ago I went to Kosovo with the same organization, so when I got a call from them again in January I jumped at the chance. Although, my whole reason for going was to encourage the troops; not surprisingly, I was the one who ended up encouraged. Seeing our military sacrificing so much for us can't help but make a person feel proud and incredibly patriotic.

ROSENBERG: What's your take on how American forces are doing in Iraq? Are we winning? Are we making progress? What's the status?

ELAM: Since the surge, we're definitely winning. Prior to that, I heard from some troops that they had some definite concerns. The morale of the military is good, although the Army seems to be suffering a bit with 15-month tours. One very encouraging sign is that the Iraqi army is definitely improving. Also, many of the troops told me that the civilians are finally realizing that we are there to help them. Until recently, most felt we were there to destroy or occupy their land. A vast majority of the troops I spoke to want us to stick it out to the end.

ROSENBERG: I loved your novel, Monday Night Jihad. Talk about why you wrote it and what the gist of the story is.

ELAM: Fifteen years ago, my brother started a journal of all my funny and crazy football stories hoping that someday I'd turn them into a book. I, on the other hand, had no desire at that time to write a book - especially one about football, which I lived, breathed, and slept six months out of the year. But then one day I got this wild thought about what it might look like if I wrote a book that combined these goofy stories, current events - particularly terrorism and the Middle East - and, something I'm really passionate about, my faith. Eventually I connected up with a good buddy of mine, Steve Yohn, and we wrote a book that covers all three of these topics in a fun, thrill-ride kind of novel.

ROSENBERG: How serious, in your view, is the threat of radical Islamic extremism inside the U.S. today?

ELAM: It's very serious. Unfortunately, radical Islamic extremism is here to stay. My fear is that our society is getting lulled into complacency. If you think about it, even if only 10% of all Muslims are extremists, that still amounts to over 100 million. I truly believe that only the return of Christ will solve the problem.

ROSENBERG: Are you taking flack for talking about this threat, particularly inside the NFL?

ELAM: No, not yet. The Broncos organization, as well as the players, has been very supportive of the project. Although the threat is very real, it was still very important to Steve and me not to demonize anyone. We wanted to point out the differences between Christianity and Islam, but we strove to do it with honesty and integrity. From the very beginning, we felt this was something that God wanted us to write, so we made sure to do it in a way that would make Him proud.

ROSENBERG: Tell me a little about how you became a follower of Jesus Christ and how that has shaped you as a husband, a father, and a football player?

ELAM: When I went to the University of Hawaii, I was pretty wet behind the ears spiritually. Suddenly, I was dumped into this hotbed of religious diversity. I realized that I better figure out exactly what it was I believed and why I believed it. So, I spent the next few years dissecting Christianity from the ground up. Finally, I got to the point that I could confidently say, I am a true Christian, and this is why… It's hard to define how it affects my various roles in life, because it is just who I am. Christ in me defines every aspect of who I am. If anyone is interested in a fuller story, they can read my testimony via a link on www.mondaynightjihad.com.

ROSENBERG: What's your life verse of Scripture and why has it been important to you?

ELAM: 1 Peter 3:15 and Colossians 4:5-6 really define my purpose in life. I believe that God has called me to defend the faith, but to do it in the right way. Too often people are confrontational about their beliefs. Scripture, however, tells us to be prepared to give an answer for our hope, but to do it with gentleness and respect. True evangelism is born out of intentionality, prayer, love, and sacrifice, not confrontation.

ROSENBERG: You've been on several ministry trips to Turkey and Gaza, plus this recent trip to Iraq. Why do you go? What do you hope to achieve?

ELAM: My purpose with these trips is two-fold. First, I want to encourage believers. No matter if they are in Turkey, Gaza, or Alaska, God's people need to know that their brothers and sisters love them and are praying for them. Second, these trips give me opportunities to engage with non-believers. The fact that I am there usually earns me a right to be heard, which I'm able to use to plant seeds on issues surrounding who is the real Jesus.

ROSENBERG: Based on your experience in the Middle East, what are some specific ways my readers can be praying for the people of the epicenter?

ELAM: God is real and active everywhere. He died for all people. Too often people are marginalized because of their beliefs or their actions. We need to leave retribution in the hands of our God and our government. Our job is to pray for the salvation of these people who have been so deceived. We need to pray that God brings light into the spiritual darkness. We need to pray that God intervenes in the spiritual battles within these governments. We need to pray that God moves in the hearts and minds of all who don't know Him.

ROSENBERG: Thanks, Jason. God bless you, and welcome to the world of being a novelist! Hope you've got more to come.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US warning as China bolsters military MAR 9,08

China has announced a rise of a fifth in military spending, the day after the Pentagon issued a warning over its growing prowess in missile and cyberwarfare technology.The rise from 350 billion to 417.8 billion yuan (£30 billion), or 19.4 per cent, was revealed on the eve of the opening of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, which meets for two weeks each year.A spokesman insisted that the rise still left China's budget trailing that of middle-ranking western powers like Britain and France, let alone America, and that in any case the country's military preparations were solely defensive in nature.But a few hours before he spoke, the Pentagon released its annual report on the current state of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, in which it estimated total military expenditure at double the official level - £49-70 billion.

It claimed China had the most active programme to buy and develop ballistic missiles of any country in the world, and was developing capabilities for use in conflicts over resources and disputed territories.Calculated in terms of China's own currency, the rise in expenditure is the largest for a decade, though Jiang Enzhu, the spokesman, said that in dollar terms it was less than last year's 17.8 per cent increase.He said the spending figure represented 1.4 per cent of the size of the Chinese economy, a much lower proportion than in either the United States or Britain.But he did not shy away from issuing Taiwan, the target of much of Beijing's military planning, a warning that it was fully prepared to repulse any adventurous activities - namely, any attempt formally to declare independence.The Pentagon report said there were now about 1,000 missiles stationed on the Chinese coast opposite Taiwan, a number growing by about 100 a year.Beijing is also rapidly modernising its ballistic missile arsenal in all ranges, it added.

China has the most active ballistic missile program in the world, the Pentagon report said.That arsenal will soon include an anti-ship ballistic missile with a range of 1,000 miles capable of hitting aircraft carriers.The report also referred to repeated claims from both the United States and other western countries, including Britain, of intrusions into computer networks which appear to originate from China.Analysts believe that in some ways the threat of conflict in the Far East has lessened in the last three years, as Beijing has toned down its rhetoric about Taiwan.

This parliamentary session will also see the downgrading of the post of defence minister - always a serving general.The replacement for the current minister, who is due to retire, will lose the traditional seat in the Politburo.Nevertheless, as China's power and influence continue to increase, it is touching nerves in other countries which have long-unresolved disputes with Beijing.These include south-east Asian countries several of which, like Beijing, claim sovereignty over a variety of islands in the South China Sea, and India, which the United States is hoping to draw closer into its military orbit.The Pentagon's report, which it has been required to produce every year since 2000 by Congress, is a regular source of friction with the Chinese authorities.They denounced it as a distortion of the facts and urged the United States to drop its Cold War mentality.

DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS

REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.

REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

AP probe finds drugs in drinking water By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writers
Sun Mar 9, 5:03 PM ET

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows. To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.

Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public doesn't know how to interpret the information and might be unduly alarmed.

How do the drugs get into the water?

People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously, said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Members of the AP National Investigative Team reviewed hundreds of scientific reports, analyzed federal drinking water databases, visited environmental study sites and treatment plants and interviewed more than 230 officials, academics and scientists. They also surveyed the nation's 50 largest cities and a dozen other major water providers, as well as smaller community water providers in all 50 states.

Here are some of the key test results obtained by the AP:Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds.Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed a Passaic Valley Water Commission drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people in Northern New Jersey, and found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.

A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco's drinking water.The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.
The situation is undoubtedly worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by the AP.
The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven't: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people. Some providers screen only for one or two pharmaceuticals, leaving open the possibility that others are present. The AP's investigation also indicates that watersheds, the natural sources of most of the nation's water supply, also are contaminated. Tests were conducted in the watersheds of 35 of the 62 major providers surveyed by the AP, and pharmaceuticals were detected in 28.

Yet officials in six of those 28 metropolitan areas said they did not go on to test their drinking water — Fairfax, Va.; Montgomery County in Maryland; Omaha, Neb.; Oklahoma City; Santa Clara, Calif., and New York City. The New York state health department and the USGS tested the source of the city's water, upstate. They found trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer.

City water officials declined repeated requests for an interview. In a statement, they insisted that New York City's drinking water continues to meet all federal and state regulations regarding drinking water quality in the watershed and the distribution system — regulations that do not address trace pharmaceuticals. In several cases, officials at municipal or regional water providers told the AP that pharmaceuticals had not been detected, but the AP obtained the results of tests conducted by independent researchers that showed otherwise. For example, water department officials in New Orleans said their water had not been tested for pharmaceuticals, but a Tulane University researcher and his students have published a study that found the pain reliever naproxen, the sex hormone estrone and the anti-cholesterol drug byproduct clofibric acid in treated drinking water. Of the 28 major metropolitan areas where tests were performed on drinking water supplies, only Albuquerque; Austin, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Va.; said tests were negative. The drinking water in Dallas has been tested, but officials are awaiting results. Arlington, Texas, acknowledged that traces of a pharmaceutical were detected in its drinking water but cited post-9/11 security concerns in refusing to identify the drug. The AP also contacted 52 small water providers — one in each state, and two each in Missouri and Texas — that serve communities with populations around 25,000. All but one said their drinking water had not been screened for pharmaceuticals; officials in Emporia, Kan., refused to answer AP's questions, also citing post-9/11 issues. Rural consumers who draw water from their own wells aren't in the clear either, experts say. The Stroud Water Research Center, in Avondale, Pa., has measured water samples from New York City's upstate watershed for caffeine, a common contaminant that scientists often look for as a possible signal for the presence of other pharmaceuticals. Though more caffeine was detected at suburban sites, researcher Anthony Aufdenkampe was struck by the relatively high levels even in less populated areas.

He suspects it escapes from failed septic tanks, maybe with other drugs. Septic systems are essentially small treatment plants that are essentially unmanaged and therefore tend to fail, Aufdenkampe said. Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems. Contamination is not confined to the United States. More than 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and streams throughout the world. Studies have detected pharmaceuticals in waters throughout Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe — even in Swiss lakes and the North Sea. For example, in Canada, a study of 20 Ontario drinking water treatment plants by a national research institute found nine different drugs in water samples. Japanese health officials in December called for human health impact studies after detecting prescription drugs in drinking water at seven different sites. In the United States, the problem isn't confined to surface waters. Pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, source of 40 percent of the nation's water supply. Federal scientists who drew water in 24 states from aquifers near contaminant sources such as landfills and animal feed lots found minuscule levels of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs. Perhaps it's because Americans have been taking drugs — and flushing them unmetabolized or unused — in growing amounts. Over the past five years, the number of U.S. prescriptions rose 12 percent to a record 3.7 billion, while nonprescription drug purchases held steady around 3.3 billion, according to IMS Health and The Nielsen Co.

People think that if they take a medication, their body absorbs it and it disappears, but of course that's not the case, said EPA scientist Christian Daughton, one of the first to draw attention to the issue of pharmaceuticals in water in the United States. Some drugs, including widely used cholesterol fighters, tranquilizers and anti-epileptic medications, resist modern drinking water and wastewater treatment processes. Plus, the EPA says there are no sewage treatment systems specifically engineered to remove pharmaceuticals. One technology, reverse osmosis, removes virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants but is very expensive for large-scale use and leaves several gallons of polluted water for every one that is made drinkable. Another issue: There's evidence that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic. Human waste isn't the only source of contamination. Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of trenbolone, an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the trenbolone circulating in a steer is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals. Water sampled downstream of a Nebraska feedlot had steroid levels four times as high as the water taken upstream. Male fathead minnows living in that downstream area had low testosterone levels and small heads. Other veterinary drugs also play a role. Pets are now treated for arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, dementia, and even obesity — sometimes with the same drugs as humans. The inflation-adjusted value of veterinary drugs rose by 8 percent, to $5.2 billion, over the past five years, according to an analysis of data from the Animal Health Institute. Ask the pharmaceutical industry whether the contamination of water supplies is a problem, and officials will tell you no. Based on what we now know, I would say we find there's little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health, said microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. But at a conference last summer, Mary Buzby — director of environmental technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. — said: There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms.

Recent laboratory research has found that small amounts of medication have affected human embryonic kidney cells, human blood cells and human breast cancer cells. The cancer cells proliferated too quickly; the kidney cells grew too slowly; and the blood cells showed biological activity associated with inflammation. Also, pharmaceuticals in waterways are damaging wildlife across the nation and around the globe, research shows. Notably, male fish are being feminized, creating egg yolk proteins, a process usually restricted to females. Pharmaceuticals also are affecting sentinel species at the foundation of the pyramid of life — such as earth worms in the wild and zooplankton in the laboratory, studies show.

Some scientists stress that the research is extremely limited, and there are too many unknowns. They say, though, that the documented health problems in wildlife are disconcerting. It brings a question to people's minds that if the fish were affected ... might there be a potential problem for humans? EPA research biologist Vickie Wilson told the AP. It could be that the fish are just exquisitely sensitive because of their physiology or something. We haven't gotten far enough along.With limited research funds, said Shane Snyder, research and development project manager at the Southern Nevada Water Authority, a greater emphasis should be put on studying the effects of drugs in water. I think it's a shame that so much money is going into monitoring to figure out if these things are out there, and so little is being spent on human health, said Snyder. They need to just accept that these things are everywhere — every chemical and pharmaceutical could be there. It's time for the EPA to step up to the plate and make a statement about the need to study effects, both human and environmental.To the degree that the EPA is focused on the issue, it appears to be looking at detection. Grumbles acknowledged that just late last year the agency developed three new methods to detect and quantify pharmaceuticals in wastewater. We realize that we have a limited amount of data on the concentrations, he said. We're going to be able to learn a lot more.While Grumbles said the EPA had analyzed 287 pharmaceuticals for possible inclusion on a draft list of candidates for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, he said only one, nitroglycerin, was on the list. Nitroglycerin can be used as a drug for heart problems, but the key reason it's being considered is its widespread use in making explosives. So much is unknown. Many independent scientists are skeptical that trace concentrations will ultimately prove to be harmful to humans. Confidence about human safety is based largely on studies that poison lab animals with much higher amounts. There's growing concern in the scientific community, meanwhile, that certain drugs — or combinations of drugs — may harm humans over decades because water, unlike most specific foods, is consumed in sizable amounts every day. Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive. Many concerns about chronic low-level exposure focus on certain drug classes: chemotherapy that can act as a powerful poison; hormones that can hamper reproduction or development; medicines for depression and epilepsy that can damage the brain or change behavior; antibiotics that can allow human germs to mutate into more dangerous forms; pain relievers and blood-pressure diuretics. For several decades, federal environmental officials and nonprofit watchdog environmental groups have focused on regulated contaminants — pesticides, lead, PCBs — which are present in higher concentrations and clearly pose a health risk.

However, some experts say medications may pose a unique danger because, unlike most pollutants, they were crafted to act on the human body. These are chemicals that are designed to have very specific effects at very low concentrations. That's what pharmaceuticals do. So when they get out to the environment, it should not be a shock to people that they have effects, says zoologist John Sumpter at Brunel University in London, who has studied trace hormones, heart medicine and other drugs. And while drugs are tested to be safe for humans, the timeframe is usually over a matter of months, not a lifetime. Pharmaceuticals also can produce side effects and interact with other drugs at normal medical doses. That's why — aside from therapeutic doses of fluoride injected into potable water supplies — pharmaceuticals are prescribed to people who need them, not delivered to everyone in their drinking water. We know we are being exposed to other people's drugs through our drinking water, and that can't be good, says Dr. David Carpenter, who directs the Institute for Health and the Environment of the State University of New York at Albany. The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate.

OVERVIEW OF 3RD AND 4TH TEMPLES

An Overview of the Future Temples
By Randall Price MAR 8,08

As in the past, the Temple will be present in the future to enable Israel to fulfill her national and spiritual existence. The prophecies of the rebuilding of a Temple in Jerusalem in the eschatological age are therefore an inseparable part of the restoration prophecies made to national Israel which include both the preparation for Israel’s restoration in the Tribulation as well as the resumption of Israel’s theocratic kingdom in the Millennium. Scripture indicates that three temples will appear in the future: a Tribulation Temple, a Millennial Temple, and an Eternal Temple.

The Tribulation Temple

During the Tribulation the Temple will be rebuilt by unbelieving Jews (Is. 66:1-6), apparently as the result of a covenant made between the Jewish leadership and the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27a), and desecrated by the Antichrist with the Abomination of Desolation (Dan. 9:27b) when he invades Jerusalem (Dan. 11:45; Rev. 11:2). Jesus enlarged upon Daniel’s prophecy by setting the Temple’s desecration as the signal event dividing the birth pangs of the first half of the Tribulation from the remaining 1,260 days of Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14; cf. Rev. 11:1-2) which begins an unparalleled period of Jewish persecution (Matt. 24:16-22; Mk. 13:15-20) leading up to the rescue of the redeemed Remnant at the second advent of Messiah (Zech. 12:8-14; 14:3-5; Lk. 21:27-28; Rev. 19:11-16). Paul further developed the prophecy of the Temple’s desecration in his description of the end-time deception that will accompany the revelation of the man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:4, 10). He explained this as the Antichrist’s blasphemous act to usurp God’s place in the Holy of Holies (2 Thess. 2:4; cf. Rev. 13:6, 14-15). The Tribulation Temple may be destroyed at the return of Christ when the Mount of Olives splits (Zech. 14:4), but it will certainly be removed as part of the extensive topographical changes that will prepare for the Millennial Jerusalem and its Temple (Zech. 14:10; cf. Is. 2:2).

The Millennial Temple

The Millennial Temple will be built by Christ (Zech. 6:12-13), redeemed Jews (Ezek. 43:10-11), and representatives from the Gentile nations (Zech. 6:15; Hag. 2:7; cf. Is. 60:10) at the beginning of the Messianic kingdom (Ezek. 37:26-28). As a sign of the restoration of theocratic rule, the Shekinah Glory will return to its Holy of Holies (Ezek. 43:1-7; cf. Is. 4:5-6). Redeemed Gentiles will also be included in worship at this Temple (Is. 60:6; Zeph. 3:10; Zech. 2:11; 8:22; 14:16-19) as predicted by Jesus (Matt. 21:13; Mk. 11:17; Lk. 19:46; cf. Is. 56:7). The dimensions and architectural design of the Millennial Temple, as well as its priestly personnel and ritual regulations are detailed in Ezekiel 40-48. Reasons as to why these descriptions in Ezekiel must be both literal and with reference to the eschatological age are as follows:

(1) the immense size of the Temple as well as other features of its design differ radically from those of previously known Jewish temples (Ezek. 42:20; 48:35),

(2) aspects of the Temple’s design and ritual violate the Mosaic Law (e.g. a stepped-altar, Ezek. 43:17), indicating it must be built under Israel’s future New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33; Ezek. 37:26-28),

(3) those rebuilding the Temple after the exile did not refer to Ezekiel nor attempt to rebuild the Temple he described because they realized it was intended for a future age (Hag. 2:3-9),

(4) the context of Ezekiel indicates the Temple is rebuilt after the glorious return of the Lord (Ezek. 44:1-4; 48:35),

(5) it accords with other prophetic texts which speak about the Millennial Temple (Is. 2:2-4; Jer. 33:18; 60:7, 13; Ezek. 37:26-28; 40-48; Hag. 2:9; Zech. 6:12-13;14:20). Another feature of Ezekiel’s Temple that indicates its literal interpretation is the ceremonial system including blood sacrifices. This is in keeping with other prophetic predictions where the Temple includes a priesthood and sacrifices (Is. 56:6-7; 60:7; Jer. 33:18; Zech. 14:16-21). The function of these sacrifices may be memorial in nature, just as the Lord’s Supper is today (1 Cor. 11:24-26), however, the fact that they are said to be for atonement may also indicate the need for a ritual purification. This would be necessary, as in the past (Heb. 9:13), for those saints living in mortal bodies throughout the Millennium and seeking approach to the Temple since God’s holy presence will be resident there (Jer. 3:17; Zech. 14:20-21). The Millennial Temple will apparently be besieged by Satan and his army at the end of the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:7-9) and removed at the time of the creation of the new earth (Is. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:12-13; Rev. 21:1).

The Eternal Temple

The final Temple revealed in prophecy is that which will occupy the New Jerusalem throughout the eternal state (Rev. 21:2, 10). Since all of the saints are now in resurrected bodies without the possibility of sin there will be no need for a physical structure to prevent direct contact with God (Rev. 21:3; 22:4). For this reason John declares that he saw no Temple there (Rev. 21:22a). However, he immediately adds for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its Temple (Rev. 21:22b). This holy Temple comprised of God Himself will fulfill the divine ideal begun, but never realized, in the Garden of Eden where God and Man were to experience intimate relationship (Gen. 3:8). As a result, the saints will forever fulfill their function as priests, serving God (Rev. 7:15; 21:3) in the New Jerusalem, which itself is an infinitely magnified Holy of Holies (Rev. 21:16; cf. 1 Kgs. 6:20

THE SANHEDRIN WILL GET THE THRONE OF DAVID SET UP FOR JESUS TO RULE FROM IN THE FUTURE. THE SANHEDRIN WILL ALSO SEE THE REBUILDING OF THE 3RD TEMPLE. THIS IS EXCITING TIMES WE ARE LIVING IN.

HERE IS SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE SANHEDRIN.

The Nascent Sanhedrin
From The Sanhedrin - en MAR 08,08

The current attempt to re-institute semicha and re-establish a Sanhedrin is the the sixth attempt in the last five hundred years, but unlike previous attempts, for the first time there seems to be wide consensus among the leading Torah sages living in the Land of Israel for the pressing need for such an institution at this time. Rabbi Dov Levanoni explained the steps leading up to the most recent attempt to renew the institution of semichah in 2004, through a consensus of hundreds of the most influential and scholarly Rabbis living in the Land of Israel. Rabbi Yaakov Beirav and Rabbi Yosef Karo laid an excellent halachic foundation for understanding this teaching of Maimonides, the current attempt to re-establish the Jewish Sanhedrin has tried to learn from previous attempts and avoid some of the pitfalls.

Contents
1 The election process and selection of Rav Halberstam
2 The formation of a placeholder Sanhedrin
3 The acceptance of office of Nasi by Rabbi Steinsaltz
4 The current Sanhedrin's view of government
4.1 Torah Constitution
5 The Sanhedrin's actions
6 References
7 Videos
8 External links

[edit]The election process and selection of Rav Halberstam
Maimonides and other medieval commentators suggested that, although the line of semicha (Biblical ordination) from Moses had been broken in 425 C.E., if the sages in the land of Israel agree upon a single candidate being worthy of semicha, that individual would have semicha, and could then grant it to others, thus enabling the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin

According to the new Sanhedrin's website,

[1] the process of election was explained by Rabbi Dov Levanoni, a member of the new Sanhedrin. He said the most recent attempt to renew the institution of semicha in 2004, was made through a consensus of hundreds of the most influential and scholarly Rabbis living in the Land of Israel. While Rabbi Yaakov Beirav and Rabbi Yosef Karo laid an excellent halachic (Jewish law) foundation for understanding this teaching of Maimonides, the current attempt to re-establish the Jewish Sanhedrin has tried to learn from previous attempts and avoid some of the pitfalls. For example, to avoid claims that not all the rabbis of Israel were aware of the latest attempt to set up the Sanhedrin, an initial enormous expenditure was spent on a publicity campaign of the upcoming semichah process, 50,000 copies of a detailed flier were distributed among 4,500 Jewish centers in Israel, outlining that a vote of a first samuch was going to be held, along with contact information of the Va'ad ha-Mechonen la-Sanhedrin. Not long afterwards, seven hundred leading Rabbonim were contacted either in person or by written letter. R Levanoni explained that Rabbi Moshe Halberstam, a senior Rabbi on Jerusalem's Edah HaChareidis, became the first samuch after receiving approval by Israel's leading rabbis – those followed by most of Israel's religious Jews – and there were no objections from the hundreds of rabbis consulted via written letters.

The website also claims

[2] that leading sages have supported the semichah directly, indirectly or abstained, and specifically mentions these names: Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg and many others gave their blessing but did not join the Sanhedrin. The son of Rabbi Mordecai Eliyahu is one of the rabbis ordained. Former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav Kook Rabbi Avraham Shapira chose to abstain on the issue but also refused to discourage it.

Rabbi Moshe Halberstam, זצRabbi Moshe Halberstam (April 1, 1932 –April 26, 2006), who was selected to receive Semicha by consensus, was a relatively well known figure and widely respected. Rabbi Halberstam was the son of Grand Rabbi Yaakov Halberstam of Tshokava (a scion of the Sanz (Hasidic dynasty) dynasty) and the daughter of Rabbi Sholom of Shotz (Hasidic dynasty) of London. He was the rosh yeshiva of the Tshokava Yeshiva in Jerusalem and one of the most prominent members of the Edah Charedis Rabbinical court of Jerusalem. He was known as a tremendous Torah scholar and a decisor of Halachah law. He wrote approbations to many works of Torah literature. Rabbi Halberstam served at the President of Hatzolah Israel. He was also the Rabbi of the Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem. He was known for his tolerance towards other streams of thought in Orthodox Judaism. Despite his own Chareidi anti-Zionist background, he also maintained contacts with Modern Orthodox, religious Zionist leaders.

The website does not claim that these figures supported the creation of a Sanhedrin, only that they supported the reinstitution of Semicha. Rabbi Dov Shtein, the secretary for the Sanhedrin project, claimed that Rabbi Moshe Halberstam understood the where his actions would lead. Rabbi Dov Shtein said Without Rabbi Halberstam's efforts toward renewing semikha, it would not have happened the way it did, he said. By agreeing to be the first to be ordained, he took a serious risk of being rejected and condemned by his community for taking part in such a project, which set the ball rolling for the foundation of a Jewish legal body that seeks to eventually supersede the Badatz. But despite the serious pressures put on him following his agreement and granting of semikha to others, he never went back on it or even tempered his agreement with the act of renewing semikha.[3].

[edit]The formation of a placeholder Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin website explains[4] To avoid disagreements over who was worthy to sit on the Sanhedrin, a Beis din of 71 was immediately formed. It was formed with the best scholars available, with the public announcement every one of them has agreed to step aside the moment a more deserving candidate should step forward. Lastly, the Nasi has indicated that the Beis din would wait until the best scholars of Eretz Yisroel were represented on the Beis din before beginning to fully function halachically as the Sanhedrin of old.

Inauguration of the Sanhedrin in 2004In October 2004, a group of over few hundred rabbis representing varied communities in Israel undertook a ceremony in Tiberias, where the original Sanhedrin was disbanded, with about one hundred of them at time having proper Semicha. This was one year after the re-establishment of Semicha. A Beth Din of 71 was formed.

Rabbi Tzvi Eidan, the author of Asot Mishpat (on the laws of reestablishing the Sanhedrin) was appointed as first interim Nasi. Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz, a noted Talmudic scholar and a well-known Jewish philosopher is the currently elected Nasi. The Sanhedrin's spokesmen said that due to concerns that external pressure would be brought to bear upon individuals not to take part in the establishment of a Sanhedrin, the names of most participants would not be made public.

Some of its more known members are[5]

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, a well known Talmudic scholar who began translating and commentating on the Talmud in 1965, established a network of schools in Israel and Russia, and has received honorary degrees from Yeshiva University, Bar Ilan University, Ben Gurion University and Florida International University Rabbi Nachman Kahane, a graduate of Mir (Jerusalem), a rabbinic scholar and the rabbi of the Young Israel of Jerusalem's Old City. He is currently working on an interpretation of the Tosafot of the Talmud. He is also the director of the Institute for Talmudic Commentaries and has created a database of reliable Kohen in Israel.

Rabbi Yoel Schwartz, a graduate of Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak and Mir yeshiva in Jerusalem, and was the mashgiach, the spiritual supervisor, of Yeshivat Itri and of the Nahal Charedi religious army program. He is a well known Torah scholar and a prolific writer who has published over 200 Jewish books.

Rabbi Dov Levanoni, a Holocaust survivor, a prolific author and the author of Hamikdash, a description and model of the Second Temple according to Maimonides and other opinions.

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel is the founder of the Temple Institute (Machon HaMikdash), which focuses on preparations for the rebuilding of the Third Temple. As a young man, he served in the paratroop unit that liberated the Western Wall (kotel) in the Six-Day War.

Rabbi Yehuda Edri is a Torah scholar, supervisor and principal for the Chareidi Shas Party's El Hamaayan Educational system. He is an expert on the location of the Temple and its measurements.

[edit]The acceptance of office of Nasi by Rabbi Steinsaltz
Rabbi Adin SteinsaltzOn the other hand, apparently few Sanhedrin members see the nascent Sanhedrin with such an extreme messianism. The acceptance of office of Nasi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was marked with an apparent change in direction.

The newspaper Haaretz reported:[6]

In his speech accepting the position of Nasi, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz said that the task of building the Sanhedrin will take some time. He spoke about gradually building up the ancient institution, which would take several generations. In order to move forward and no longer be defined as `an aborted fetus, to become serious so we can say, a child was born to us, we need a lot of time. The mere mention of the name Sanhedrin is not a given. It is no longer a matter of a religious council... It's something that has historical meaning. A basic change, not of one small system, but of fundamental systems.

It's no wonder that these things frighten people. There are people who are concerned about what is emerging here. And where is it headed? After we have made it through this year with no catastrophes occurring, even though there were some foolish comments and chuckling, we will intensify and strengthen our activities. We will do things with an eye toward future generations, not with a stopwatch and an annual calendar. The Jewish calendar is a calendar of thousands of years. A lot of patience and a lot of work are needed. I'd be happy if in another few years these chairs are filled by scholars who are greater than us and we can say: I kept the chairs warm for you.

Steinsaltz used his position as president of the Sanhedrin to protest its involvement in politics. I'm not afraid of the Supreme Court, the police or the attorney general. A rabbi is also permitted to engage in public issues, but to do so he has to have all the appropriate material before him, whether he is dealing with the kosher status of a chicken or the disengagement.

Under the influence of Rabbi Steinsaltz, the Sanhedrin project shifted away from idealistic projects of its first year and tried to move toward broadening participation. Steinsaltz requested that the new Sanhedrin not be referred to as the Sanhedrin, but requested modest references to the current institution as the nascent Sanhedrin, the developing Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin project, or simply the Rabbinical Court of 71 judges (Beis din shel 71). Steinsaltz is reportedly changing the direction of the new Sanhedrin, widening the scope and acceptance of the Court with the intention of moving towards becoming the full Sanhedrin.[7]

According to their website, the strategy to gain wider acceptance and provide a smooth transition from current halachic leadership to a full Sanhedrin, is to follow these guidelines: Absolute adherence to traditional Rabbinic authorities and procedure; Caution and conservatism; Independence from any other organization; Scholarship; and an open dialog with the Torah sages and current halachic leadership (with the eventual goal of their participation). On their forum it was put this way, the [new] Sanhedrin should hold no surprises. It should be as comfortable as opening a gemoro [Talmud] or as familiar as reading the Shulchan aruch. It should be the embodiment of Judaism as we know it today."[8]

[edit]The current Sanhedrin's view of government
The new Sanhedrin's website portrays the Sanhedrin as a form of Rabbinic Parliament, part of a bicameral system that they claim reflects traditional Jewish government.[9] They claim that this model has influenced the organizational structure of many Western European legislatures.[10] They describe the roles of an upper and lower house:

The Sanhedrin is described as a House of Scholars. This body represents the rights and obligations of the people to the Torah Constitution which they define as including the Torah, Talmud and body of Rabbinic Jurisprudence that has been built up over our history as a people.[11]

A parallel Congressional Assembly represents the democratic needs of the population. It is conceived as being derived from the royal court of a constitutional monarchy, in a democratic society it would consist of an assembly of regionally elected representatives, represented by voting power.[12] (The head of the lower house was traditionally the Monarch, or in a modern times a Prime Minister. He would have the power to collect taxes and would be the head of the executive branch of government. He would be subordinate only to the Sanhedrin[13])

The Sanhedrin would function as an equal legislative body to a democratically elected body, but it would also function as a supreme judicial body with regard to interpreting basic law, or what they call a Torah Constitution. It would be analogous to combining the Supreme Court of the United States and United States Senate into one legislative house, and has some similarity to the role of upper houses such as the Canadian Senate, designed to act as an unintended sober second thought, and the British House of Lords, which cumulates legislative and judicial functions. It appears that this structure in the Sanhedrin context implies a democracy functioning within a Torah Constitution. From an Israeli point of view this implies adding a second house to Knesset and declaring a Basic Laws of Israel requiring Israeli civil law to function within halakha.

[edit]Torah Constitution
This agenda requires a focus on efforts to institute a theocracy or critocracy system of government in which the authority of government depends on Jewish law,[14] so that secular government institutions and laws would be subordinate to, and function within, halakha as determined by the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin has declared itself to have authority to veto democratically-enacted laws which it determines are contrary to the laws of Torah. (This is analogous, for example, to the U.S. Supreme Court's ability to nullify a state law mandating segregated school systems for minorities as contrary to the Constitution). It has made this very clear in, among other pronouncements, its Decision of the Sanhedrin concerning the State Elections. The Sanhedrin announced that it is seeking a state in which any matters contrary to what Jewish law defines are issues that cannot be decided by vote:

Torah Basic Law: Laws which are contrary to the laws of the Torah are not laws of the Jewish people, and therefore they are invalid. Any law which is contrary to the laws of Torah, legislated by the Knesset (including legislated amendments) or interpreted as such by judicial sources is a disqualified law. The authority to decide in these matters has been unconditionally expropriated by the central religious court based on the Torah (Bible) [the Sanhedrin].[15]
In an exercise of its claim to authority over matters concerning the Land of Israel, the Sanhendrin has issued a series of decisions declaring the Israeli pullout from Gaza invalid. In The Sanhedrin's Declaration Concerning the Disengagement from Gaza,[16] the Sanhedrin prohibited Jews from cooperating with the Government, saying: The Prime Minister's program of uprooting stands in direct contradiction to the Torah of Israel., the decision of this government...is null and void., No Jew is permitted to cooperate and Any Jew - including a soldier or policeman - who supports the uprooting...transgresses a large number of Torah commandments.

Commenting on the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict in August 2006, the new Sanhedrin also claimed that it is the only authorized national institution to deal with the legal aspects of warfare and to give policy directives to the State concerning warfare. It claims that enacting legislation concerning warfare always has been a distinguishing feature of the historical Sanhedrin.[17]

[edit]The Sanhedrin's actions
Sanhedrin in Session 2005A great deal of discussion on the Sanhedrin forum appears to indicate that the new Sanhedrin is currently taken up with philosophical discussions about the theory of Jewish Law. The point is repeatedly made that the Sanhedrin must solve many complex halachic issues before it can begin to make any statement or decision in terms of Jewish law.[18] It claims its projects are coordinated in complete consultation with the Gedolei Hador (leading halachic authorities of the generation) as well as with the Israeli Government Authorities, academics and professionals.... The Sanhedrin Initiative seeks to empower Jews to perform national mitzvot that thanks to technological advances and/or sociological developments are currently or imminently in the realm of the possible. The Initiative is staffed by accomplished scholars and academics striving to promote dignified Jewish freedom of religious expression which is consistent with the values of Western democracy. The Sanhedrin Initiative adheres to the criteria of halacha (Jewish law), expertise, amenity and peace in... all its... projects.[19] The Hebrew version adds that it has no connection with extremist groups, right wing political parties, or those who disregard Jewish law.[20] Events as portrayed by the media, however, have not always fit this idealic picture:

The new Sanhedrin formed a committee to collect opinions as to the exact location of the Temple on Temple Mount.[21] Some of its members ascended to a portion of the Temple mount[22] that was added by Herod and is considered permitted to Jews according to some opinions.[23] This visit culminated in a declaration that the Jewish people should begin collecting supplies for the rebuilding of the Temple.[24] They have announced ties with various academic scholars and institutions.[25] They issued religious rulings on the formulation of the Rachem prayer for Tisha B'Av services, the kashrut of pheasant and quail, and the proper formulation of the Birkat HaMazon (grace after meals).[26] There was dialogue with the Ministry of Education over the Bible and Scriptures curriculum.[27]
They support Jewish settlement of the West Bank and opposed the Gaza withdrawal.[28]

An Israeli court allowed a defendant to consult a ruling from a subordinate court of the Sanhedrin.[29] Since February 2006, the nascent Sanhedrin has been represented on the Internet by the Friends of the Sanhedrin. They supported religious and far right parties in the Israeli legislative election, 2006.[30] During the Lebanon War they offered extensive opinions in the area of war and military policy.[31] They opposed the Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem in September 2006 (which was canceled), declaring participation in the security operations for the parade a criminal act.[32] They issued repeated calls for soldiers and policemen to disobey orders that the nascent Sanhedrin regards as contrary to Halakha.[33]
They blew the shofar on Rosh Hashanah in September 2006, which fell on a Shabbat. This was essentially a claim to the rights and authority of a true Sanhedrin.[34][35] Summoned an IDF officer who issued restraining orders for several residents of the West Bank to appear before the nascent Sanhedrin. This resulted in a Police investigation of the Rabbis who issued the summons.[36][37] However the reaction of the new Sanhedrin was defiant.[38] Their annual public conference in 2007 included calls for the public to support a government based on Jewish Law.[39]

For Passover 2007, they led a drive to offer the passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount.[40][41] In May 2007, they launched a diplomatic peace initiative aimed at averting a conflict between Israel and Iran, and resolving the issue of the Temple Mount.[42][43] In August 2007, At the request of the Falun Gong, the new Sanhedrin was to deliberate persecution of the movement by Chinese regime.[44][45][46] In October 2007, several members of the new Sanhedrin ascended to the Temple Mount and began saying short prayers on the mount, with the apparent support of the Israeli government.[47][48] In January 2008, they wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to Israel requesting that he not divide Jerusalem.[49][50] The letter was delivered by former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu.