ISRAEL DEPLOYS IRON DOME TO DEFEND EILAT

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


ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST

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

ISRAELS TROUBLE

JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.

DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

IDF Deploys Iron Dome Battery to Defend Eilat

The IDF has placed an Iron Dome battery near Eilat, after recent reports of missile attacks by Islamist groups against the city-By David Lev-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 1:41 PM-israelnationalnews

Iron Dome in action (file)-Israel news photo: Flash 90

After Israel gave its consent last week to allow Egyptian military forces into Sinai in order to pursue Islamists, the IDF has placed an Iron Dome battery near Eilat. Last weekend, several rockets were reportedly fired at Israel's southernmost city as Islamist groups, fleeing Egyptian troops, took refuge in remote areas of the Sinai near Israel's border, and took the opportunity to attack Israeli targets.With the summer tourist season in full swing and Eilat hotels and resorts packed to capacity, the last thing the army and government needs is a panicky run for the exits if Sinai terror groups decided to attack again – hence the placement of the Iron Dome system, which has been proven to intercept the type of short-range Kassam rockets and missiles that Sinai terrorists have fired at Israel.With the full entry of the Egyptian army into Sinai, Israeli officials believe that the Islamist groups will vent their anger against Israel for assenting to the Egyptian deployment by attacking Eilat. Under the Camp David Accords, both Israel and the U.S. must agree to the deployment of military troops in Sinai, which is supposed to remain a demilitarized zone.Egypt has already sent several brigades of troops into Sinai, but military officials say much more force is needed, as the soldiers are facing heavily armed terror groups affiliated with Al Qaeda. Riots have broken out several times in recent weeks in the central Sinai town of El Arish, with Islamists facing off against Egyptian security officers, with members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups fleeing Cairo and Alexandria in recent days as the army clamps down on their movements, in the wake of the deposing of former President Mohammed Morsi.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them;(ATOMIC BOMB) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Rebels: Assad Transferred Chemical Weapons to Hizbullah

Syria's president recently transferred two shipments of chemical weapons to Hizbullah, claims rebel spokesman.-By Elad Benari-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 5:46 AM-israelnationalnews

President Bashar al-Assad-AFP photo

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad recently transferred two shipments of chemical weapons to Lebanon-based Hizbullah, the Syrian rebels are claiming.Fahad al Masri, a spokesman for the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told the Lebanese news website El Nashra on Thursday that "the Syrian regime managed to deliver shipments of chemical weapons to Hizbullah.”He added that the weapons were delivered from an area near the capital Damascus and arrived in Lebanon sometime in the past several weeks.The transfer of the weapons, al Masri told El Nashra, was coordinated by Syria and Iran.“We cannot now provide more details but certainly all the international security agencies know this information,” he added.

The claims have yet to be verified by other sources.Israel has in the past said that Assad transferring chemical weapons or other sophisticated weapons to Hizbullah would be a “red line” that would force it to act to protect its security.The U.S. government, which has confirmed that the Syrian army used chemical weapons against rebel forces on multiple occasions, has said it will increase the “scope and scale” of its assistance to rebels in Syria in response.At the same time, U.S. sources said last week that congressional committees are holding up a plan to send U.S. weapons to rebels fighting Assad, fearing such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist rebel groups.President Barack Obama has been criticized for failing to act on his own “red line” on Syria. Obama has in the past said that use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would be a red line that “would change my equation.”U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey told a Senate panel Thursday that the Obama administration is deliberating whether to use military power in Syria.The use of “kinetic strikes,” a military term that usually refers to missiles and bombs, “is under deliberation inside of our agencies of government,” he said.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

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

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

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

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

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.

Kerry flies to West Bank to pursue peace talks

After meeting top negotiator Erekat in Amman, US envoy heads to Ramallah to meet with Abbas in drive to renew negotiations

By Mohammed Daraghmeh and Matthew Lee July 19, 2013, 2:13 pm 5-the times of israel

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry was flying to the West Bank Friday to press his effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table after almost five years, a US official said, despite deep differences between the two sides and Palestinian reluctance to drop demands in exchange for economic incentives.Kerry was planning to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the official said. On Friday morning, he met chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman and then scheduled the short helicopter flight to Ramallah, shifting his campaign to renew the peace talks into diplomatic overdrive.A Palestinian official confirmed that Kerry would meet Abbas Friday afternoon. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.At a stormy late-night meeting Thursday, Palestinians balked at dropping a main condition for talks with the Israelis, demanding a guarantee that negotiations on borders between a Palestinian state and Israel would be based on the cease-fire line that held from 1949 until the 1967 war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.The demand casts a cloud of uncertainty over months of US mediation efforts because Israel rejects preconditions.Hoping to push Israelis and Palestinians toward talks, US President Barack Obama asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to work with Kerry “to resume negotiations with Palestinians as soon as possible,” according to a statement released by the White House late Thursday.Previous Israeli governments twice negotiated on the basis of the 1967 lines, but no peace accord was reached. Besides disagreeing over how much hand to trade and where, the two sides hit logjams on other key issues, including dividing Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Netanyahu has given lukewarm endorsement to the idea of a Palestinian state without delineating his vision of boundaries, while demanding that the Palestinian recognize Israel as the Jewish state. Palestinians reject that, concerned that it would undermine their claims that millions of refugees and their descendants have the right to return to their original homes, lost in the 1948-49 war that followed Israel’s creation. Israel has rejected that claim outright.After their late-night meeting, the Palestinians did not bring up their often-repeated demand that Israel stop building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before talks could resume. One official said that if Israel accepts the 1967 lines as a basis, that would make most of the settlements illegitimate.While Kerry has not publicized details of his plan, an Arab League decision Wednesday to endorse his proposal raised speculation that the Palestinians would agree. Abbas traditionally has sought the blessing of his Arab brethren before making any major diplomatic initiative.Ahmed Majdalani, a Palestinian leader, said Kerry has proposed holding talks for six to nine months focusing on the key issues of borders and security arrangements.He said Kerry would endorse the 1967 lines as the starting point of negotiations and assured the Palestinians that Israel would free some 350 prisoners gradually in the coming months. The prisoners would include some 100 men that Israel convicted of crimes committed before interim peace accords were signed in 1993. Israel has balked at freeing these prisoners in the past because many were convicted in deadly attacks.Although the plan does not include a settlement freeze, it was not clear whether Israel would accept any reference to the 1967 lines.Israeli Cabinet minister Yair Lapid said it was “too early to say” whether Kerry had found a formula for talks.“Secretary Kerry has done a tremendous job in trying to put both sides together,” he told The Associated Press. “Of course Israel is more than willing and has expressed its agreement to go back to the negotiation table, but apparently it’s going to take a little more time.”While Israel has balked at Palestinian demands, the international community has largely rallied behind the Palestinian position on borders and Jewish settlements.

Obama Urges Netanyahu to Resume Peace Talks

Obama calls Netanyahu, asks him to continue to work with John Kerry in order to resume talks with the PA.

By Elad Benari-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 2:17 AM-israelnationalnews

PM Netanyahu & President Obama-Flash 90

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority "as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement quoted by AFP.The two leaders spoke by telephone as Secretary of State John Kerry made his latest trip to the region as part of marathon efforts to re-launch the stalled peace talks."The president encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue to work with Secretary Kerry to resume negotiations with the Palestinians as soon as possible," the White House said in the statement.The White House added that the two leaders also discussed "recent developments in Egypt, Iran and Syria," without providing further details."The leaders affirmed the importance of continued close coordination between the United States and Israel on a range of security issues," it said.Earlier on Thursday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party effectively torpedoed Kerry's plan for restarting negotiations.Fatah officials demanded that changes be made to Kerry's Middle East peace plan, following a meeting in Ramallah. The move means it is likely the PA will also reject the plan.Abbas has insisted that Israel recognize the 1949 Armistice Line as a designated border for any future PA state. Israel refuses, as the pre-1967 borders are indefensible and withdrawing back to these borders would guarantee its destruction.He has also demanded that Israel release terrorists jailed before the 1993 Oslo Accords and that it freeze all Jewish construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. PA officials said that Kerry's plan was rejected because it did not guarantee that Israel would freeze construction, nor did it guarantee that the talks would be based on the 1949 Armistice Line.Netanyahu's office denied on Thursday that Israel had agreed to accept the 1949 armistice lines as the basis for renewed negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials had been quoted in earlier press reports as confirming the claim made by a top PA official.While denying the part about the 1949 armistice lines, Netanyahu's office did not issue a denial of the building freeze claim.Officials in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria said that even if Netanyahu's office did issue a denial, it would be meaningless, as the government could in any case impose a “soft” building freeze, in which it just drags its feet on approving building plans and the like, as opposed to an official freeze.Meanwhile, Bayit Yehudi Chairman and Economy Minister, Naftali Bennett, made clear that his party will not be a partner in a government that holds diplomatic negotiations based on the idea of returning to Israel's pre-1967 borders."The Bayit Yehudi party, which I head, will not be a partner, even for one second, in a government that agrees to negotiate based on [pre-]'67 lines,” he stated. “Our capital, Jerusalem, is not up for negotiations and will never be up for negotiations.”

ISN'T THIS INTERESTING.ONLY DAYS AFTER TISHA B'AV WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO ISRAEL.NOW THE EU IS FORCING ISRAELS 1967 LINES.

Full text of the European Union’s settlement guidelines

New directives prohibit Israeli companies located beyond the 1967 lines from receiving prizes, grants, or financing

By Times of Israel staff July 18, 2013, 5:23 pm 0-the times of israel

The Times of Israel has obtained a copy of the new European Union directive concerning EU funding for entities established beyond the 1967 border lines including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.Below is the full text, preserving the original spelling and grammar.

Commission Notice:

GUIDELINES
on the eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes and financial instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards.

Section A. GENERAL ISSUES

1. These guidelines set out the conditions under which the Commission will implement key requirements for the award of EU support to Israeli entities or to their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. Their aim is to ensure the respect of EU positions and commitments in conformity with international law on the non-recognition by the EU of Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. These guidelines are without prejudice to other requirements established by EU legislation.

2. The territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 comprise the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

3. The EU does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over any of the territories referred to in point 2 and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law. The EU has made it clear that it will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders, other than those agreed by the parties to the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP). The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council has underlined the importance of limiting the application of agreements with Israel to the territory of Israel as recognised by the EU.

4. These guidelines do not cover EU support in the form of grants, prizes or financial instruments awarded to Palestinian entities or to their activities in the territories referred to in point 2, nor any eligibility conditions set up for this purpose. In particular, they do not
cover any agreements between the EU, on the one hand, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation or the Palestinian Authority, on the other hand.

Section B. SCOPE OF APPLICATION

5. These guidelines apply to EU support in the form of grants, prizes or financial instruments within the meaning of Titles VI, VII and VIII of the Financial Regulation which may be awarded to Israeli entities or to their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June
1967. Their application is without prejudice to specific eligibility conditions which may be laid down in the relevant basic act.

6. These guidelines apply:

(a) for grants – to all applicants and beneficiaries, irrespective of their role (sole beneficiary, coordinator or co-beneficiary). This includes entities participating in the action on a no-cost basis and affiliated entities within the meaning of Article 122(2) of the Financial Regulation. This does not include contractors or sub-contractors selected by grant
beneficiaries in conformity with procurement rules. As regards third parties referred to in Article 137 of the Financial Regulation, in the cases where the costs of financial support to such third parties are eligible under a call for proposals the authorising officer responsible
may, where appropriate, specify in the call for proposals and in the grant agreements or decisions that the eligibility criteria set out in these guidelines also apply to the persons that may receive financial support by the beneficiaries.

(b) for prizes – to all participants and winners in contests;

(c) for financial instruments – to dedicated investment vehicles, financial intermediaries and sub-intermediaries and to final recipients.

7. These guidelines apply to grants, prizes and financial instruments managed, as the case may be, by the Commission, by executive agencies (direct management) or by bodies entrusted with budget implementation tasks in accordance with Article 58(1)(c) of the Financial Regulation (indirect management).

8. These guidelines apply to grants, prizes and financial instruments funded from appropriations of the 2014 financial year and subsequent years and authorised by financing decisions adopted after the adoption of the guidelines.

Section C. CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY OF ISRAELI ENTITIES

9. As regards the place of establishment of Israeli entities:

(a) In the case of grants and prizes, only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible.

(b) In the case of financial instruments, only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible as final recipients.

10. The place of establishment is understood to be the legal address where the entity is registered, as confirmed by a precise postal address corresponding to a concrete physical location. The use of a post office box is not allowed.

11. The requirements set out in section C:

(a) apply to the following types of legal persons: Israeli regional or local authorities and other public bodies, public or private companies or corporations and other private legal persons, including non-governmental not-for-profit organisations;

(b) do not apply to Israeli public authorities at national level (ministries and government agencies or authorities);

(c) do not apply to natural persons.

Section D. CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY OF ACTIVITIES IN THE
TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL

12. As regards the activities/operations of Israeli entities:

(a) In the case of grants and prizes, the activities of Israeli entities carried out in the framework of EU-funded grants and prizes will be considered eligible if they do not take place in the territories referred to in point 2, either partially or entirely.

(b) In the case of financial instruments, Israeli entities will be considered eligible as final recipients if they do not operate in the territories referred to in point 2, either in the framework of EU-funded financial instruments or otherwise.

13. Any activity or part thereof included in an application for an EU grant or prize which does not meet the requirements set out in point 12(a) will be considered as ineligible and will not be considered as part of the application for the purpose of its further evaluation.

14. The requirements set out in section D:

(a) apply to activities under point 12 carried out by the following types of legal persons: Israeli regional or local authorities and other public bodies, public or private companies or corporations and other private legal persons, including non-governmental not-for-profit
organisations;

(b) apply also to activities under point 12 carried out by Israeli public authorities at national level (ministries and government agencies or authorities);

(c) do not apply to activities under point 12 carried out by natural persons.

15. Notwithstanding points 12-14 above, the requirements set out in section D do not apply to activities which, although carried out in the territories referred to in point 2, aim at benefiting protected persons under the terms of international humanitarian law who live in these territories and/or at promoting the Middle East peace process in line with EU policy.

Section E. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS

16. Each Israeli entity referred to in points 11(a)&(b) and 14(a)&(b), which applies for an EU grant, prize or financial instrument, shall submit a declaration on honour as follows:
(a) In the case of grants and prizes, the declaration will state that the application of the Israeli entity is in accordance with the requirements under points 9(a) and 12(a) of these guidelines, while also taking into account the applicability of point 15 thereof. For grants,
this declaration will be drafted in accordance with Article 131(3) of the Financial Regulation.

(b) In the case of financial instruments, the declaration will state that the application of the Israeli entity as a final recipient is in accordance with the requirements under points 9(b) and 12(b) of these guidelines.

17. The declarations under point 16 are without prejudice to any other supporting documents required in the calls for proposals, rules of contests or calls for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles. They will be included in the package of
application documents for each concerned call for proposals, rules of contests and call for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles. Their text will be adapted to the requirements relevant for each EU grant, prize or financial instrument.

18. The submission of a declaration under point 16 that contains incorrect information may be considered as a case of misrepresentation or a serious irregularity and may lead:

(a) for grants – to the measures set out in Article 131(5) and 135 of the Financial Regulation,

(b) for prizes – to the measures set out in Article 212(1)(viii) of the Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation10 and,

(c) for financial instruments – to the measures set out in Article 221(3) of the Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation.

19. The Commission will implement these guidelines in their entirety, and in a clear and accessible manner. It will notably announce the eligibility conditions set out in Sections C and D in the work programmes11 and/or financing decisions, calls for proposals, rules of
contests and calls for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles.

20. The Commission will ensure that the work programmes and calls for proposals, rules of contests and calls for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles published by the bodies entrusted with budget implementation tasks under indirect
management contain the eligibility conditions set out in Sections C and D.

21. In order to clearly articulate EU commitments under international law, taking into account relevant EU policies and positions, the Commission will also endeavour to have the content of these guidelines reflected in international agreements or protocols thereto or Memoranda of Understanding with Israeli counterparts or with other parties.

22. The award of EU support to Israeli entities or to their activities in the form of grants, prizes or financial instruments requires engagement with Israeli entities referred to in points 11 and 14, for example, by organising meetings, visits or events. Such engagement will not take place in the territories referred to in point 2, unless it is related to the activities referred to in point 15.

Experts: EU Yesha Policy Could Lead to 'Legal Morass'

Despite Israel's efforts to stop the process, the EU on Friday published its new official policy boycotting Jews and Israelis in Yesha-By David Lev-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 2:39 PM-israelnationalnews

Ariel-Flash 90

Despite Israel's efforts to stop the process, the European Union on Friday published its new official policy boycotting Jews and Israelis in areas of Israel liberated in the 1967 Six Day War, including Judea and Samaria and most of Jerusalem. Beginning next January, contracts and agreements between EU entities and businesses, individuals, and institutions from those areas will not be legally recognized by EU courts and forums.In a statement, EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton said that despite Israel's protestations to the contrary, “in no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been the EU's long held position that it will recognize changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties" in talks on a two-state peace accord,” Ashton said, adding that the document "reiterates the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967.”Israeli experts said that the implications of the policy could have a major impact on how Israel does business with the EU. For example, Holocaust survivors who have accounts in banks in areas like Ramat Eshkol – considered “occupied” under the EU guidelines – may find that their reparation payments are held up, as Germany, an EU member, would refuse to transfer money to such banks. Israeli owners of property in Europe who love in Judea and Samaria could find themselves unable to collect rent from their properties, as European courts would not enforce those contracts. The policy, said the experts, could cause a “legal morass” that would tie up courts in Israel and the EU for years.The new policy is extremely radical, MK Tzachi Hanegbi said on Israel Radio Friday – far more radical than what the U.S. or even Europe itself was accustomed to in the past. There is no point in a building freeze, Hanegbi said; Israel has done that in the past “with no results to show for it.” With the new boycott policy, the EU “has removed itself from the position of an honest broker. The United States supports Israel's position that rejects preconditions for negotiations,” he added.

EU publishes guidelines barring all cooperation with Israeli entities over pre-67 lines

Netanyahu fails to persuade Europe to delay release of dramatic directive; move is meant to ‘clarify,’ not hinder peace efforts, says Europe’s foreign policy chief

By AP and Times of Israel staff July 19, 2013, 2:55 pm 8-the times of israel

PARIS — The European Union on Friday formally published new guidelines explicitly banning any EU funding of and cooperation with Israeli institutions operating in territories beyond the pre-1967 lines, amid vigorous Israeli objections.The new directive, to take effect at the start of 2014, requires the EU and its members to cease any joint activity or funding with Israeli entities working over the Green Line in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and in the Golan Heights.The measure also require any future agreements between Israel and the EU to include a clause in which Israel accepts the European Union’s position that all territory over the Green Line does not belong to Israel — a requirement that is anathema to Israel.The restrictions are ostensibly meant to help Israel, by ensuring that it remains a recipient of EU funds, provided that the money doesn’t cross the Green Line, the EU has said. But officials in Jerusalem have said the measures will also serve to alienate Israel, and predetermine its future borders.The EU holds that Jewish settlements in territories such as the West Bank and east Jerusalem are illegal. The Palestinians claim those territories for their hoped-for state.After EU officials announced plans this week for the new guidelines, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with several European leaders to express his opposition and seek to have the regulations amended or delayed — to no avail.EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the document released Friday “is meant to clarify the EU’s position” and is not meant to harm efforts toward Mideast peace. Very little EU funding currently goes to Israeli bodies in the territories, but there are concerns in Israel that implementation of the directives could impact Israeli entities with even marginal connections over the Green Line.On Thursday, sources in the EU told Army Radio that the EU was prepared to engage in negotiations with Israel to amend the implementation of the restrictions.Netanyahu spent the last several days holding marathon talks with European diplomats and leaders over the measure, reportedly telling them that the timing could harm the chances for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. President Shimon Peres also sought to intervene.Sandra de Waele, the deputy EU ambassador to Israel, said Tuesday that the measure was designed to ensure that EU financial support “not benefit [Israeli] entities” beyond the Green Line, because it was the EU’s position that such entities were illegal. She said there had been concern that these entities had indeed been benefiting from EU funds. She stressed that the directive would not affect private businesses.A Jerusalem official told Maariv in response to the restrictions’ publication that “the Europeans have a right to do whatever they like with their money. However, their directives also influence what Israeli institutions do with funds that do not come from the EU, and that is unacceptable.”

EU commission denies wanting to encourage nuclear power growth

Today @ 15:37 JULY 19,13

By EUOBSERVER

The European Commission Friday said it "does not in any way wish to encourage subsidies for nuclear power" following a Sueddeutsche newspaper report that Brussels plans to make it easier to subsidize nuclear plants. The commission is drawing up state-aid guidelines for the energy sector, to be published in autumn.

Growing racism spurs rise in extremist parties, commission says

18.07.13 @ 16:21

By Nikolaj Nielsen

BRUSSELS - Creeping racism and xenophobia in Europe may contribute to an upsurge of far-right MEPs following European Parliament elections next May.Speaking to reporters in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the EU has never before seen so many far right parties in elected bodies since the Second World War.“In many countries, xenophobia, populism, [and] racism is on the rise,” she said, noting such political parties will most likely be sending emissaries to the EU’s Brussels-based parliament next year.“Some of these parties have existed for a long time in the European Union, some are quite new, some are very close to entering into government,” she said.She described the growing phenomenon as counter productive for a struggling EU economy that is need of skilled workers currently not available in Europe, despite the high unemployment numbers.Immigrants make up just over 4 percent of the EU population out of a total of some 504 million people, says the EU statistical office Eurostat.The commission says immigrants are needed to counter declining birth rates and offset the widening age gap between the young and elderly.Most residence permits in 2012 were issued to Ukraine nationals at around 204,000, followed by US nationals at 189,000, and nationals from India at around 179,000.
The immigrant arrivals and pro-migration policy of the EU are common canon fodder for Britain’s eurosceptic party, UKIP.On Wednesday, the right-wing party said it expects a strong anti-EU vote in the May EU elections.UKIP leader Nigel Farage. told Reuters in an interview that it will win most of the British votes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland next May."Lots of eurosceptic groups with varying shades of euroscepticism will get elected from lots of European countries,” said Farage.But Farage's UKIP popularity claims do not match an ICM poll out Tuesday in the Guardian newspaper. ICM says his group polled at only 7 percent - down 5 points compared to last month.Meanwhile, Malmstrom’s concerns on the rise of EU-wide xenophobia come in the context of an informal meeting of EU justice ministers in Vilnius.
Ministers at the morning round-table session discussed the European Commission report on immigration and asylum and the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Syria.The commission’s fourth annual report on immigration and asylum, published in June, noted a 10 percent increase in 2012 in the number of asylum applications.
The increase is due in part to the Syrian crisis that has seen some 1.8 million seek refuge, mostly in neighbouring countries like Turkey. Around 45,000 have attempted to enter the EU.For its part, the European Commission announced it would contribute an additional €400 million in humanitarian aid, on top of the €877 million pledged from member states and the EU budget.“We have from the commission added another €400 million to the neighbouring countries who are doing a fantastic job for 1.8 million Syrians who have left the country,” said Malmstrom.

Will EU listing of Hezbollah promote stability?

Today @ 09:16 JULY 19,13

By Domhnall O'Sullivan

BRUSSELS - The scales of confessional compromise in Lebanon - on edge at the best of times - are currently close to tipping point.Spillover from the ongoing Syrian stalemate is increasingly apparent. The humanitarian and societal challenges of welcoming over half a million refugees are considerable, while hidden and not-so-hidden hands have fomented sporadic outbreaks of sectarian-driven violence across the country.
Politically, the situation in Beirut has deteriorated since the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati in March, culminating in the recent postponement of much-needed legislative elections.Hezbollah's role in these events has come under increasingly tight scrutiny, particularly since the "Party of God" overtly and ferociously backed the efforts of Syrian forces in securing the strategic town of Qusayr last month.Gone is the quietly pragmatic, status quo-seeking political machine which sought to legitimise, or at least entrench, its standing within Lebanon in the face of threatening regional upheaval.Hezbollah no longer attempts to conceal its backing of the Syrian regime - various sabre-rattling speeches by leader Hassan Nasrallah confirm this - and it has come under severe fire as a consequence.The car bomb detonated recently in the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut shows that the stakes have moved well beyond the simply rhetorical to outright violence.
It is with this delicate situation in mind that EU foreign ministers are set to once again discuss, on Monday (22 July), the nature of Hezbollah.Is the party a legitimate component of Lebanese political life or a terrorist organisation? Brussels has up to this point taken a rather nuanced view of the Manichean dilemma, preferring not to ostracise an important, if difficult, component of the Lebanese social fabric.The Arab spring has not yet changed this stance.Despite increasingly hawkish calls by Israeli and US officials to blacklist the group, the EU has continued to view Hezbollah as a stabilising force on the precarious Lebanese scales, and various member states - France in particular - have dug their heels in and resisted British pressure to outlaw the group.Noises emerging from EU capitals suggest that this time could be different, however.Not only has the softly-softly approach of limited dialogue with Hezbollah clearly not been effective in keeping the group out of the Syrian conflict, but the bombing of a bus of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year, as well as criminal activity by a Hezbollah operative in Cyprus, has pointed a judicial finger at Hezbollah for the first time on European soil.This could be a game-changer.Several states, led by the United Kingdom, appear willing to overlook what was previously seen as an artificial distinction between the political and military wings of Hezbollah in order to blacklist the latter as a terrorist entity.This will theoretically leave the door open for sanctions and financial strangulation, at least as regards any European funding.At a time of regional chaos, however - events in Egypt rumble on and look set to upset the regional chessboard once again - such a step raises a range of difficult questions.Has Hezbollah definitively ceased to be a force for stability in Lebanon?
Would a blacklisting be beneficial for peace and stability in Lebanon and the region? How would Europe’s reputation in a rapidly-morphing Middle East be affected by such a strong, if primarily symbolic, move?
Although Hezbollah has entered gung-ho into the Syrian conflict in recent months - working against any progress towards regional calm - it has yet to overtly drag the conflict into Lebanon by stoking the sectarian embers of its all-too-recent civil war.Maintaining the national status quo, which allows the party to maintain both its political and military clout, is still its priority.Its relatively benign response to last week’s car bombing shows just how reluctant Hezbollah is to take the fight to internal enemies.Indeed, it is perhaps the radicalisation of anti-Hezbollah Sunni and Salafi groups - often encouraged by western "allies” from the Gulf - which present the biggest security threat at present.Hezbollah, for all its despicable actions and history, is firmly rooted in the Lebanese concept of the “house of many mansions."Any attempt to remove or weaken it through coercion can only cause damage to the entire state edifice.A blacklisting could ostracise and re-radicalise Hezbollah - an important and legitimate representative of Lebanon’s sizeable Shia Muslim population - at a time when it already feels cornered by the shifting regional sands.The Arab uprisings brought the party to a crossroads - fight a regional war to regain its moral and military presence, or follow the road towards peace and a moderate, but sustainable, presence in Lebanon.By fighting alongside its ally in Damascus, it might be starting down the former path.The highly-charged symbolism of a European terrorist listing would only compound this choice.Engagement and dialogue is necessary to prevent further slippage.
A listing by Brussels could also exacerbate the growing trend of regional sectarian tension, seen not only in Syria but also increasingly bloodily in Iraq and in Egypt, where local targeting of minority Shia groups has taken a back seat to the momentous events in Tahrir Square.Such Sunni-Shia rivalries are, in fact, mainly locally generated, and not - as many have hastily concluded - part of an imminent regional civil war based on religious-sectarian divisions.However, Gulf sheiks and Iranian ayatollahs bent on instrumentalising the current situation to their benefit characterise it as such, and this is a trap that the EU must not be drawn into.
Being seen to take sides in a complicated region at this point would be dangerous for a Europe only just recovering from its pre-Arab spring, dictator-friendly reputation.The writer is a fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Brussels

ARMY SHOWS MUSCLE ON MURSI SUPPORTERS

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

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

S. Calif. fire forces evacuation of mountain town

.

GREG RISLING 9 hours ago -JULY 19,13

IDYLLWILD, Calif. (AP) — Artist Lewis Millett didn't need much more than an order to leave his longtime Idyllwild mountain home after seeing 100 foot flames marching toward the mile-high hamlet that draws tourists, summer campers and students to a year-round arts and music school.Millet and his wife scooped up the precious things that matter most from their three-story Southern California home: their two cats, his paintings and sculptures and one of his family's prized heirlooms — his father's Congressional Medal of Honor.Millet was among the 6,000 residents and tourists told to evacuate the community in the San Jacinto Mountains about 100 miles from Los Angeles as the wildfire grew to more than 35 square miles Thursday, wreathing a ridge about 2 to 3 miles from town, fire officials said. The blaze also was 2 miles away from Palm Springs, but no homes were threatened there.It had already destroyed at least six houses and mobile homes and several cars when winds shifted Wednesday and sent the blaze toward Idyllwild."It's never been this bad, and it's never been this close," Millett, 61, said as he sat on a cot in an evacuation center in Hemet, a nearby community. "I have high anxiety."Fire officials said the blaze was just 15 percent contained and had been growing in an atypical manner."Usually it cools down at night and we get more humidity. That hasn't happened," said Tina Rose, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "It's been burning like it's daytime for 72 hours in a row."Officials worried about continuing spikes in heat and the huge plume that hovered over the area."What we're concerned about is what you see right here," said U.S Forest Service Fire Chief Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, pointing to a hazy sky. "When you get a column that puts out this much smoke, embers get into the column and can drop anywhere."She added the column was expected to go right over Idyllwild for the next two days. While authorities said only 5 percent of the town rebuffed evacuating, they cautioned they might not be able to help those who remain if conditions worsen.
"We cannot guarantee your safety if the fire runs into town," said Idyllwild Fire Protection District Chief Patrick Reitz.But given the tough conditions and terrain, Forest Service spokesman John Miller said firefighters had made "great progress" by late Thursday night, and evacuations were called off for a few dozen homes in two small communities.The 22,800-acre fire spread in three directions through thick brush and trees. Roughly 4,000 houses, condos, cabins and several hotels in Idyllwild and surrounding communities were threatened. Fire crews struggled to carve fire lines around the town to block the towering flames.
Authorities said the fire was "human-caused" but they wouldn't say whether it was accidental or intentional. There have been no reports of any injuries.The small town on the other side of the mountains that tower over the desert community of Palm Springs is known for the arts and is surrounded by national forest popular with hikers and flanked by two large rocks that are favorites for climbers. Popular campgrounds, hiking trails and 30 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail that runs 2,650 miles from the Mexican border to Canada were closed."That's going right down the middle of the fire," U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Norma Bailey said of the trail.Millett packed his car with as many belongings as he could. The Congressional Medal of Honor was bestowed upon his father Col. Lewis Millett in 1951 for leading the last bayonet charge in U.S. history in the Korean War. Other mementos, however, such as autographed photos signed by several U.S. presidents his father had met were left behind.The evacuation center was alive with music Thursday as four teenage French horn players from Idyllwild Arts Academy rehearsed a piece by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner in a courtyard behind the cafeteria. They said they found it relaxing to play in an uncertain moment. On the other side of the building in the shade, a group of counselors picked at guitars and a ukulele."There were a lot of people practicing last night. I took out my piccolo and played a little bit," said Sophia Yurdin, 16, of Los Angeles.Grayson Hall, 17, a counselor at a Center for Spiritual Life camp that rents space from Camp Buckhorn said campers were aware a fire had been burning and were surprisingly calm when first told they had to leave."We had just done an emotional exercise about acknowledging your emotional baggage and letting it go. And right after we finished that, we got word that we had to evacuate. And we had to literally release our baggage," he said.Nearly 3,000 firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft were assigned to the fire. Two large firefighting aircraft were ready to help on request. Temperatures in the area could top 100 degrees.The blaze that began Monday destroyed three houses, damaged another and destroyed three mobile homes, a cabin, a garage and about a half-dozen vehicles, the Forest Service said. Five commercial buildings, 11 other buildings and several smaller structures were also lost."I've lived here for 30 years and built with my own hands," Lawrence Gotta, whose home in Pine Springs Ranch burned to the ground, told ABC News. "Uninsured. Paid for. Everything in the world I own is gone."The fire was about 12 miles from the site of the 2006 Esperanza wildfire that killed five U.S. Forest Service firefighters and destroyed 34 homes and burned an area that hadn't burned in many years."The slightest little spark is going to make a run and torch trees," Rose said. "It's just so bone dry."Firefighters went door-to-door Wednesday to make sure residents were leaving. Residents said they are fully aware of the constant threat of a major wildfire."It's just frightening," said Steve Hamlet, 65, a recent retiree who moved to Idyllwild three years ago. "It's in your bones. You know it's coming and you are hoping and praying it doesn't. It's really a helpless feeling."
___AP reporter Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.

07/18/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

The new digital languages of World Youth Day

The Brazilian flag

Social networks, flash mobs and street art are the new communication channels of the Rio 2013 generation

Giorgio Bernardelli Rome Trying to organise a World Youth Day without using the language of young people is out of the question. A great effort has been made this year to include all forms of expression used by the young people of today in the World Youth Day celebrations about to kick off in Rio de Janeiro.Rio 2013 will be the first social network-oriented World Youth Day to date, with smart phones and tablets just a hand stretch away. Twitter was one of the main tools used by young Brazilians to prepare for the event. But social networks are not the only modern means of communication the organising committee has exploited. Graffiti and flash mobbing also have a part to play.World Youth Day 2013 will be the first to include a graffiti competition, announced several months ago. Thirty young people were selected from the group of applicants who sent in a sketch. Graffitists will have a wall each on which they will be able to give their won personal interpretations of the theme “Art without Borders”. A way for the World Youth Day to leave its mark on the city. The WYD organising committee will provide the young street artists with all the equipment they need to create their masterpieces. A critics’ panel will then choose a winner based on artistic quality, originality and relevance to the designated theme. The papaboy grafitti astists will be competing for a seven day trip to Rome, all expenses paid for.The flash mobbing initiative will involve all the young people gathered in Rio for this big international meeting with the Pope. The flash mob has been organised for Sunday 28 July and will take place in the Campus Fidei the Guaratiba plain where the prayer vigil will be held on the Saturday evening and boys and girls will spend the night, waiting for the final Mass celebration. The flash mob has been planned for Sunday morning, when the Pope arrives and looks to be the biggest ever, given the number of girls and boys who are expected to attend. The official Rio 2013 website has published a video of the choreography danced to the beat of Francisco, the song composed in honour of Pope Francis. The song promises to be a big hit at the prayer vigil on 27 July.In the video, two young people take it in turns to explain the steps “to the world’s biggest flash mob.” A WYD without dancing in the country that is home to samba was unthinkable. But the flash mob is more than just another way to celebrate the young people’s meeting with the Pope. Edson Erdmann, the event’s artistic director, said “the aim of the flash mob is to show that together we can make change happen and that we are able to get a message across to the world.” The purpose of the World Youth Day has always been to express the importance of togetherness, using any kind of language, old and new.

07/18/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

WYD: Bergoglio returns to Latin America

Young pilgrims will be staying in parishes and homes across Rio

Pope Francis faces a number of challenges on his upcoming apostolic visit to Brazil. Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis expresses his hopes ahead of the event

Luca Rolandi Rome The Latin America that will be welcoming Pope Francis for the celebration of World Youth Day 2013, is not the same continent it was a few decades ago. The rise of religious sects and Evangelical Churches and the process of dechristianisation that has been set in motion as a result of the modern lifestyles led by today’s globalised society, mean Latin America is no longer being synonymous with Catholicism.Pope Francis’ visit to Rio to celebrate the event he inherited from Benedict XVI will give us a fundamental insight into the start of his pontificate. The first international visit by the first Latin American Pope in the history of the Catholic Church is to take place in a country that’s till has a strong Catholic presence and where the Church still plays a key role in society.The Pope has added some important events to the original programme put together by Ratzinger: a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, a visit to one of Rio’s favelas and to a hospital that specialises in treating drug addicts and a meeting with the coordinating committee of the Latin American bishops' council, CELAM. This meeting, which is taking place in the fist few months of Francis’ pontificate, is key.These events and his interviews with journalists on the flight to Rio will show us what a Francis-style World Youth Day is like and will reflect his relationship with young people who are the heart of Latin America and represent the future not just of this continent but of the whole world.In a statement to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Aparecida, Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis, said he hoped Francis’ presence among the Brazilian people “would encourage us in the work we do to promote the faith, solidarity and social justice.” “In Rio de Janeiro, we and young people from across the world, will have the chance to get even closer to Francis and take in the spirituality that emanates from his gestures and words.”He is coming here “to confirm his brothers in the faith” which is the task Christ gave Peter before entrusting it to his successors. Francis is going to Rio to encourage young people to align their lives with Jesus Christ, becoming his disciples and missionaries and committing to announcing Christ to all nations.”Brazil’s president, Dilma Roussef has invited all Latin American presidents to participate in the WYD events the Pope is scheduled to attend. It is not known how many will accept the invitation and many have in fact already met the Pope, but the initiative shows Latin America’s enormous interest in Pope Francis’ first visit abroad.The Pope does not seem concerned about the protests over the expenditure incurred in order to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics: "We are going with total peace of mind, knowing that these events do not have anything specific against the Pope or the Church and having total confidence in the ability of the Brazilian authorities to handle the situation," said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi.Before being elected Pope, the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires tried to introduce an urban pastoral care plan in his diocese, based on the missionary path set out by Latin America’s bishops at their meeting in  Aparecida in 2007.Bergoglio believes strongly in the importance of going outside churches and experiencing first hand the issues that are troubling big Latin American cities. These issues include the need to educate the poor, dealing with violence which threatens all social classes and fighting against corruption which is particularly devastating when it permeates political and institutional elites.As a bishop Francis’ retained the same pastoral sensitivity he showed as a priest. This sensitivity has brought him closer to poverty and Latin America’s troubles: His visit to the Varginha favela and the hospital of São Francisco de Assis na Providência de Deus are proof of his commitment to countering these forms of social marginalisation.As an archbishop, Bergoglio was aware that the issue here was more cultural that legal or political. In this case, a battle needs to be fought within society and depends on the Catholic Church’s ability to transmit its values to the world in an efficient way. The challenge faced by Francis’ Church and by Benedict XVI’s Church before him, is not limited to Latin America.Latin American episcopates have never been big fans of economies that thrive, forgetting the poor and allowing violence and corruption. Latin American episcopates look at ethical issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage in a different light compared to the continent’s governments.Today the Pope sent a new tweet ahead of his trip to Rio. It reads: “In this Year of Faith, let us remember that faith is not something we possess, but something we share. Every Christian is an apostle.”

07/18/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

The utter insecurity of papal “security”

A Vatican policeman

The history, events and oddities surrounding the organisation that oversees the Pope’s safety

Gianni Gennari Rome Last Sunday, Pope Francis calmly reminded the world that he would soon be in Brazil for the World Youth Day. Hundreds of thousands of the 2 million young people expected in Rio are already there waiting for him.Any security measures taken to ensure the Pope’s safety among the masses will probably be useless. Today more than ever, security is a big, unresolved problem, particularly given the choices made by the new Pope. History testifies to the fact that for two long centuries, the only security Peter’s Successors have enjoyed was martyrdom, followed by centuries and centuries of dramatic and sometimes dreadful incidents.There are cases of Popes being put in prison, exiled, poisoned and overthrown by force. In the 5^th century for example, Pope Vigilius was notoriously imprisoned in Rome, taken to Civitavecchia by force and then put on a ship to Constantinople, where he remained behind bars for almost 15 years. He died on the return trip, after the death of Theodora, the Empress who had wanted to keep him as far as possible, to defend the independence – doctrinal as well – of Constantinople’s archbishop.Going back 1400 years, we have the cases of Popes Pius VI and Pius VII who were imprisoned by Napoleon and deported to France. Others were killed and their bodies tossed from the top of Castel S. Angelo. This is what happened to John VIII, the first Pope to die a violent death and not a martyr, in 882.In terms security, the case of Pius IX comes to mind. He presided the Breach of Porta Pia and died in 1878. When his body was taken to St. Lawrence Outside the Walls for burial, there some staunch anti-papists attempted to throw his coffin over Sant’Angelo Bridge, into the Tiber. Wojtyla’s life was spared tank to a nun who got hold of the assassin’s hand and – according to John Paul II himself – Our Lady of Fatima, whose feast day was celebrated on that very day. John Paul II survived after a very risky five hour operation and eventually recovered. He continued his travels despite the risk.A year later, in 1982 Spanish “priest” Juan Maria Fernandez y Kron approached the Pope and threatened him with a bayonet: the priest, who called himself a supporter of the violent, traditionalist, pro-Nazi Lefebvrian circles, saw Karol Wojtyla as a Moscow agent who was ruining the Church by moving it further and further away from Catholic doctrine.The Italian Parliament addressed the issue of papal security abroad in 1992 but failed to find any concrete solutions. On John Paul II’s trip to Sarajevo in April 1997, 24 anti-tank bombs were discovered underground at the last minute. They could all be activated from a distance and set off via an electronic signal.The September 11 attacks undoubtedly had an enormous effect on security measures worldwide, including papal security.

THE SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS CROWD ARE AT IT AGAIN.

NY official pushes feds to recognize gay marriages

MICHAEL GORMLEY 9 minutes ago -JULY 19,13

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is using the power of the state's $160 billion pension system to urge President Barack Obama to order federal agencies and programs around the country to recognize gay marriages performed in New York.DiNapoli's idea is to adopt a "place of celebration" standard in federal government, meaning gay marriages that take place in New York would be recognized even in states that do not permit them. It could be a big push in DiNapoli's effort to get major companies that do business with the state pension fund to adopt anti-discrimination measures when providing benefits for gay couples.The U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling that muddled the rights of gay couples married in New York who move to or work in states where gay marriage isn't legal.DiNapoli was scheduled to send his plea to Obama in a letter to be released Friday."It's good for business," said Susan Sommer, director of Constitutional Litigation and Senior Counsel Lambda Legal, which defends gay rights. "It will remove any lingering argument some companies have been hiding behind ... and it reflects some very well established principles."Stephen Hayford, legislative director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, said he expects several lawsuits will seek to clarify or build on the Supreme Court's decision."Given the lack of clarity, it would be premature for the president to take Comptroller DiNapoli up on his request," Hayford said.DiNapoli is the sole trustee of the state's pension fund and has used it as leverage to persuade companies he invests in to bolster environmental protections, combat terrorism and disclose campaign donations. He argues recognizing gay marriages is just good business."I have become increasingly concerned that companies that refuse to protect their employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and those that exclude same-sex spouses from employee benefit plans that are available to opposite-sex spouses, are hurting their financial bottom line," DiNapoli wrote in the letter to Obama.DiNapoli said discrimination hurts a company's ability to recruit and retain top employees, and that could hurt the pension fund's investment in those companies.
He's asking for the federal government to treat all spouses the same when it comes to benefits, no matter where they live. DiNapoli notes some companies rely on federal law to define marriage when it comes to providing benefits.The July decision by the U.S. Supreme Court left intact a provision of the federal anti-gay marriage law that allows a state to not recognize a same-sex marriage performed elsewhere. That means 37 states may not have to recognize gay marriages performed in New York.DiNapoli's latest effort to leverage the pension fund to change the policies and practices of companies in which it is invested has drawn critics.
"It seems very political," said Margaret O'Keefe, project manager for the fiscally conservative Manhattan Institute's Proxy Monitor database. "DiNapoli should be more focused on getting a better return on the pension fund and not focus on these social issues."Using the fund's clout in the corporate world isn't new. The Manhattan Institute's Center for Legal Policy noted former Republican Comptroller Edward Regan in the 1980s pressured corporations who were doing business in South Africa, then under oppressive apartheid rule. He stopped short of divesting from those companies.DiNapoli took that step in 2009 and also ended $86.2 million investments from nine companies doing business in Iran and Sudan because of genocide and terrorism in those countries.But the Manhattan Institute's E.J. McMahon said DiNapoli's actions now "generally deal with comparatively less weighty domestic concerns, which are conveniently consistent with the goals of interest groups whose support DiNapoli will find handy when he seeks another term."

MUSLIM NATIONS (SLAUGHTERED BY NUKES FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL)

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

EZEKIEL 39:1-8,11-18
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye (MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL) shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.(RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS)
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I (GOD-JESUS) will set my glory among the heathen,(WORLD NATIONS) and all the heathen (WORLD NATIONS) shall see my judgment that I have executed,(AGAINST ISRAELS ENEMIES) and my (GODS) hand that I have laid upon them.(ISRAELS HATER ENEMIES)

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

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

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

EGYPT

ISAIAH 19:1-5
1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

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

JEREMIAH 47:1-7
1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN/ARABS) before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north,(NORTHERN TSUNAMI POSSIBLY) and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
3  At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,(ISRAELS ARMY) at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;(ISRAEL POSSIBLY NUKES GAZA)
4  Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN FAKE ARABS) and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
5  Baldness is come upon Gaza;(NUKED POSSIBLY) Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
6  O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
7  How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? (MEDITTERANEAN SEA) there hath he appointed it.

DANIEL 11:40-43
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.

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

Mursi supporters rally in Egypt, army shows muscle

By Alexander Dziadosz and Ulf Laessing-JULY 19,13
CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi rallied in Cairo on Friday to demand the restoration of the ousted Islamist leader, with his opponents also planning protests nearby.Two formations of fighter jets screamed over the sun-baked city after noon prayers ended. Four army helicopters circled, while another five, trailing Egyptian flags, flew low over Cairo roof tops, in a clear show of strength by the military.More than two weeks after Egypt's powerful military shunted the contested Mursi from office, there was still no sign of a possible deal to defuse the crisis, which has divided the most populous Arab state and alarmed its Western allies.The Muslim Brotherhood has called for demonstrations around the country, accusing the head of the armed forces, General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, of staging a coup to sweep Egypt's first freely elected president from power.The army said it had to intervene after mammoth street protests against Mursi, who was criticized as incompetent and partisan, and has installed an interim cabinet to prepare for elections. It includes no members of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood or other Islamist parties previously in government.Mursi backers have set up a round-the-clock vigil outside a mosque in the Cairo suburb of Nasr City. Thousands flocked there on Friday to join protests that swelled after noon prayers."Tonight, tonight, tonight, Sisi is going down tonight," a man shouted out, leading the chants. A huge banner showed a picture of the bearded Mursi against Egyptian flags and read: "Together to support legitimacy."Scuffles broke out when Mursi supporters began chanting against Sisi, the army chief, after prayers near al-Azhar mosque in central Cairo, security sources said.Police fired shots in the air to disperse them and arrested two Brotherhood supporters after they fought opponents with fists and rocks, they said. No casualties were reported.Egypt's closest Western ally, the United States, has tried to tread softly through the crisis, still undecided whether to brand the downfall of Mursi a military coup - a move that would force Washington to suspend its large aid programs for Cairo.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Egypt's new foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy, expressing hopes that the transitional period of government would be successful, a spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Friday.
CHAOS
In his first address since taking office, interim President Adli Mansour promised on Thursday night to fight people he said wanted to destabilize the nation."We are going through a critical stage and some want us to move towards chaos and we want to move towards stability. Some want a bloody path," he said in a televised address. "We will fight a battle for security until the end."Tamarud, the youth movement which organized enormous anti-Mursi protests on June 30, is also planning rallies on Friday, including one close to the Muslim Brotherhood's Nasr City vigil.It dubbed its protests as "the people against terrorism", blaming Mursi followers for recent violence.Policing was intensified on Friday and 10 armored personnel carriers were parked on a Nile bridge in central Cairo, a route Islamist protesters would have to cross if they tried to reach Tahrir Square, a focal point for the anti-Mursi camp.At least 99 people have died in violence since Mursi's removal, more than half of them when troops fired on Islamist protesters outside a Cairo barracks on July 8.Supporters of the ousted president said they had come from across the country to join Friday's rallies, underlining the Muslim Brotherhood's deep roots in the provinces."We are coming out today to restore legitimacy," said Tarek Yassin, 40, from the southern city of Sohag. "We consider what happened secular thuggery. It would never happen in any democratic country."Muslim Brotherhood leaders say they will not resort to violence in their campaign to reinstate Mursi, held by the army incommunicado since July 3, and insist they will not back down."The goal of our peaceful mass rallies and peaceful sit-ins in squares across Egypt is to force the coup plotters to reverse their action and force the coup supporters to change their position," Essam el-Erian, a senior Brotherhood official, said on his Facebook page.(Additional reporting by Maggie Fick and Yasmine Saleh; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Syria cracks down on Assad's non-violent opponents

Reuters – 1 hour 2 minutes ago-JULY 19,13

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces have detained a dissident left-wing painter in a new wave of arrests of non-violent critics of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition groups said on Friday.Youssef Abdelki, 62, arrested in the port city of Tartous on Thursday, has long criticized Assad and his late father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for 30 years until his death in 2000.Two prominent members of a banned communist party, the Workers' Party, Tawfiq Amran and Adnan Abbas, were arrested along with Abdelki and taken to an undisclosed location, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. All three had served previous jail terms for political dissent.Opposition groups say several other civil rights activists have been arrested this week, in what they say is a sign that the Syrian government is ramping up pressure on those who eschew violence and advocate peaceful resistance to Assad.Syria's 28-month-old conflict began with peaceful protests that met a violent response from Assad's forces, gradually igniting an insurrection that has cost more than 90,000 lives."Assad's forces are intentionally targeting the groups that are not associated with the armed revolt. They want to make them feel the only choice is the rebels or the regime," Samer Aita, a member of the Syrian Democratic Forum, told Reuters in Beirut.The opposition Forum, which offers humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees and displaced families and advocates democracy in Syria, said two of its activists, Rami Suleiman and Badr Mansour, had been arrested this week. Young Syrian activists have begun a social media campaign demanding their release.They are also campaigning for Abdelki's release, calling him a gifted painter and a mentor for young artists and activists. His popular Facebook page is called "Art and Freedom".An artist friend of Abdelki, who asked not to be named, compared him to Picasso and said his paintings, caricatures of the Assad family and blogs in support of young artists had inspired many, saying: "This is a huge blow to our revolution."(Reporting by Erika Solomon; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

ISAIAH 34:10
10  It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)

REVELATION 18:3-6,19-21
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,(U.S.A) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,(U.S.A) and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,(AMERICA) my people,(CHRISTIANS,JEWS) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you,(WITH FALSE FLAG TERRORISM) and double unto her double according to her works:(DOUBLE-EMP 1ST,THEN RUSSIA NUKE ATTACKS U.S.A) in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.(PROBABLY A RUSSIAN CYBER ATTACK WILL SET THE WHOLE SITUATION UP AS RUSSIA HACKS THE USA ARMY COMPUTERS.THEN THE EMP,THEN THE NUKE ATTACK)
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.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Japanese jets intercept Russian bombers, on heels of suspected practice runs against US bases

Published July 17, 2013

Washington Free Beacon

Russian strategic nuclear bombers taking part in large-scale military exercises flew practice strike missions in the western Pacific on Monday and were intercepted by Japanese fighters, according to Japanese and Russian officials. The bomber flights were the latest case of strategic saber rattling by Moscow and followed what U.S. defense officials said earlier this year were practice-bombing runs against U.S. and Japanese military bases in the region. Japan's Joint Staff said Monday that three Japanese fighters were scrambled to intercept the Tu-95 Bear H bombers that were detected flying north near the Korean peninsula and Japan's northern Hokkaido Island. A third Russian aircraft, an Il-20, flew over the disputed Kuril Islands controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan. The bombers flew over the Sea of Japan for a total of seven hours and 15 minutes, the military said in a statement carried by Kyodo News Agency.The bomber flight was part of one of Russia's largest military exercises, which is currently underway.
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CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up,(AT THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY) that the way of the kings(CHINA,NORTH-SOUTH KOREA, 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(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(4 WINDS OF THE WORLD-WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(COULD ALSO MEAN THE 4 CORNERS OF THE EARTH OR WORLDWIDE WAR) 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)

U.S. concerned over North Korean arms ship, Panama awaits U.N.

By Lomi Kriel and David Adams | Reuters – JULY 19,13

PANAMA CITY/MIAMI (Reuters) - A United Nations team is due to arrive in Panama next month to inspect a North Korean ship which was seized carrying arms from Cuba, a potential breach of U.N. sanctions that the United States said was "incredibly concerning."Panama on Wednesday asked for the U.N. Security Council to examine the ship, the Chong Chon Gang, whose cargo of Soviet-era weaponry is suspected of being in violation of a U.N. arms embargo that covers all exports by Pyongyang and most imports.The five-member team of U.N. experts will arrive on August 5, said Demetrio Olaciregui, a spokesman for Panama's Foreign Ministry. Panama's Security Ministry confirmed the date.North Korea is under a host of U.N., U.S. and other sanctions due to repeated nuclear and ballistic missile tests since 2006 in defiance of international demands that it stop.Pyongyang has asked for the ship and crew to be returned but Panama has not responded. The U.S. government has strongly backed Panama's seizure of the ship.
"There is a process in place and we are supportive of that process, because the bottom line is that any alleged violation of Security Council sanctions is incredibly concerning to us," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters.Panama has been at pains to underline it acted alone in seizing the ship, though security experts say the United States, which operated the Panama Canal until a final withdrawal on December 31, 1999, is likely to have provided assistance.When asked whether information provided by the United States was used, a U.S. intelligence official said: "Yes."A Panamanian frigate stopped the ship off its coast last week and seized its cargo after a tense standoff with the North Korean crew. The 35 crew members were arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle undeclared arms through the canal.Authorities discovered weaponry aboard that Cuba said was "obsolete" Soviet-era missile equipment, MiG fighter jets and other arms being sent to North Korea for repair.Earlier on Thursday, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations said the U.N. Security Council sanctions committee would examine the case.The U.N. team of investigators heading to Panama will be drawn from an eight-member panel of experts appointed by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to monitor the sanctions imposed on North Korea, according to diplomats within the Security Council.
TELLTALE SIGNS
Joe Reeder, former chairman of the Panama Canal Commission's Board of Directors and an ex-under secretary of the U.S. Army, said Panama's security apparatus cooperated closely with U.S. authorities, who may have shared intelligence on the ship.Panamanian Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino "works very closely with both our Defense Department, our Southern Command headquartered in Miami and with Homeland Security," he said.Officials were alerted by a number of suspicious factors, including where the ship was coming from and the fact that its transponder had been switched off in violation of shipping regulations for vessels over 300 tons, Reeder said."They ... were clearly trying not to be detected," he said.Panamanian officials said they had found the ship's electrical equipment burned and that access to its storage areas had been blocked when they boarded the Chong Chon Gang.Officials also noted that the ship's draft "was measurably lower coming back from Cuba than it was going out," Reeder said.He said the raid was sensitive due to the neutrality of the canal, and the decision would not have been taken lightly."If (Panama had) busted that thing and there was nothing on it, everybody would have egg on their face. The canal is not an arm of the CIA and the U.S. has to respect that," said Reeder, who is now with the law firm Greenberg Traurig in Washington, D.C.The U.S. Southern Command in Miami, the Pentagon's headquarters for operations in Latin America, declined to comment about the specifics of the Chong Chon Gang case, though incidents involving illegal maritime activity, from drug smuggling to human trafficking, fall within its responsibility.
"It's very routine for us to be working very closely with countries in the region and sharing information with partners," a spokesman for Southcom said.(Reporting by Lomi Kriel and David Adams; Additional reporting by Alexandra Alper, Louis Charbonneau, Michelle Nichols, Luc Cohen, Lesley Wroughton and Tabassum Zakaria; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Sandra Maler and Eric Beech)

2014-15 4 BLOOD MOONS AND ISRAELS PROMISES

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

THE EARTH (WORLD) NEVER ENDS (AS WORLD ENDERS CLAIM)(THE END OF THE AGE OF GRACE ONLY)(DECIEVERS CLAIME THE END OF THE WORLD-NOT ME)

ECCLESIASTES 1:4
4  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.(AND EVER)(WORLD NEVER ENDS)(END OF THE AGE OF GRACE ONLY,NOT THE END OF THE WORLD)

PSALMS 104:5
5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.(NO END OF THE WORLDERS NONESENSE HERE)

MATTHEW 5:5
5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.(FOREVER,NOT HEAVEN)

PSALMS 37:29
29  The righteous shall inherit the land,(ON EARTH) and dwell therein for ever.

ISAIAH 45:17
17  But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation:(FOREVER) ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.(JERUSALEM ISRAEL ON EARTH FOREVER-NEVER ENDING)

EPHESIANS 3:21
21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY WHAT GOD DEALS WITH IN THE LAST AGE.(ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM)

DANIEL 9:24
24  Seventy weeks(490 YEARS) are determined upon thy people (ISRAEL) and upon thy holy city,(JERUSALEM) to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.(JESUS AS RULING KING FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER)

HOW WE KNOW A 1,000 YEARS IS ONE DAY.AFTER CREATION-GOD CREATED THE WORLD IN 7 DAYS.SO ON THE 3RD DAY (2,000 YEARS AFTER JESUS DIED,ISRAEL BECAME A NATION AND RECAPTURED JERUSALEM THIS IS THE COUNTDOWN OF THE LAST GENERATION ON EARTH)

HOSEA 6:2
2  After two days will he revive us:(ISRAEL AS A NATION(1948) AND RECAPTURE JERUSALEM(1967) in the third day he will raise us up,(ANY TIME AFTER 2007-1967+40-51 YEARS FOR A GENERATION=2007-2018 SHOULD BE THE END OF THE LAST GENERATION OR LAST AGE OF GRACE)(NOT THE END OF THE WORLD,THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER AND EVER) and we shall live in his sight.(JESUS LIVES FOREVER WITH ISRAEL RULING FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER)

PSALMS 90:4
4  For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

2 PETER 3:8
8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

PSALMS 95:10
10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

MATTHEW 1:17
17  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations;(14)and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations;(14)and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.(14)(42 GENERATIONS DIVIDED BY 2160 YEARS = 51.4 YRS TO A GENERATION)

LUKE 3:38,23
38  Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,(SO HERE IN LUKE 3 WE HAVE 77 GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO CHRIST-77 DIVIDED BY 4,000 YEARS = 51.9 YRS TO A GENERATIN)(SO A TRUE BIBLE GENERATION IS FROM 40 TO 51 YEARS)

MATTHEW 24:33-36
33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,(ALL THE SIGNS OF PROPHECY HAPPENING IN THEIR BEGGINING STAGES AFTER ISRAEL BECOMES A NATION AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM)(THEN) know that it is near, even at the doors.(THE RAPTURE)
34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass,(1967-ISRAELS RECAPTURE OF JERUSALEM=40-51 YRS(A GENERATION)=2007-2018) till all these things be fulfilled.(ALL THE LITERAL PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE WILL BE FULFILLED(AT LEAST 500 WILL BE FULFILLED)
35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

ISRAEL WILL BECOME A NATION. LITERALLY IN THE SPRING.

EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

MATTHEW 24:32
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:(ISRAEL WAS LITERALLY REBORN JUST BEFORE SUMMER,MAY 14,1948).

MARK 13:28
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

DANIEL 9:24
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE LAST GENERATION.

NEHEMIAH 2:17
17  Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we (ISRAELIS) are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste,(AD 70) and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem,(DAN 9:24-27) that we be no more a reproach.

LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.(ISRAEL RECAPTURES JERUSALEM)(THE BEGGINING OF THE LAST GENERATION AND THE LAST END OF THE AGE OF GRACE.NOT THE END OF THE WORLD ,THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER)

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.

GENESIS 1:5,14
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)

JOEL 2:30-31
30  And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

ACTS 2:19-20
19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

4 BLOOD MOON TEACHERS
MARK BLITZ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e25L8YA9KX8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYv51IFU24c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY1lIMr22aE
http://elshaddaiministries.us/index.html
JOHN HAGEE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvLo57f0Do8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM22diQnS6s
http://www.jhm.org/
PAUL BEGLEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQTAMITZWHU&feature=c4-overview&list=UU4SH8rh0OjYV3zwqnIfqNbA
http://paulbegleyprophecy.com/live.html
JONATHAN CAHN-9 HARBINGERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENiOgeHHx_0
COMET ISON
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/07/comet-ison-some-say-brightest-ever-comet.html

I AGREE WITH THESE TEACHERS THAT THE 4 BLOOD MOONS ARE SIGNS THAT ALL ISRAEL WILL SOON BE SAVED LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS.AND THAT THESE MOONS ARE FOR PROPHECY TO FULFILL ISRAELS PROMISES BY GOD (KING JEWISH JESUS)

BLOOD MOONS 2014/15

APR 15,2014-PASSOVER (BM)
OCT 08,2014-SUKKOT (BM)
MAR 20,2015-ECLIPSE (ISRAEL RELEASED FROM BONDAGE)
APR 04,2015-PASSOVER (BM)
SEP 28,2015-SUKKOT (BM)

Will Lunar Eclipses Cause Four Blood Moons in 2014 and 2015?
by Dr. Danny R. Faulkner July 12, 2013 Layman
   
Mark Biltz is the founder of El Shaddai Ministries, a Hebrew roots resource and teaching ministry located near Tacoma, Washington. Recently Biltz has attracted attention in presentations and YouTube videos about end-time prophecy and the Lord’s return. He discusses the significance of four total lunar eclipses that will fall on the dates of Passover and Sukkot in 2014 and 2015. The Crucifixion of Jesus was at the time of Passover, and Biltz believes that the Second Coming of Christ must happen at Sukkot, so he argues that this relatively unusual event of four lunar eclipses on these four dates has great significance. He also mentions two solar eclipses in 2015 having prophetic implications. Because total lunar eclipses often appear red, people sometimes call a totally eclipsed moon a “blood moon.” Therefore, Biltz suggests that these eclipses are a fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel 2:31 of the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood and suggests that they may presage the Lord’s return. Others, such as John Hagee, have begun speaking about this as well. Let us examine some of these claims.

Why do total lunar eclipses often appear red?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth’s shadow (the umbra) falls on the moon. If the earth’s shadow completely covers the moon, it is a total eclipse. But a partial lunar eclipse happens if the earth’s umbra only partially covers the moon. Because the earth has an atmosphere that bends light around its edge, the earth’s umbra is not completely dark. So, the totally eclipsed moon will reflect the color of the light contained in the earth’s shadow. The earth’s atmosphere scatters out shorter-wavelength light (green through violet) leaving mostly longer-wavelength light (red, orange, and yellow) in the earth’s umbra. This is why sunsets and sunrises generally are red, and why most lunar eclipses are red.However, a wide range of color and brightness can be found in lunar eclipses. This is based on atmospheric conditions at the time including dust and humidity levels. While the color of some total lunar eclipses could be compared to blood, others are more orange, similar to a pumpkin. Still other eclipses look yellow, and some are very dark—virtually black. One of the most unusual total lunar eclipses was the very long one on July 6, 1982. Half of the earth’s umbra was as dark as coal, but the other half was rather bright and had a peach-like color. No one alive could remember such an unusual-looking lunar eclipse, nor were there any similar reports of past eclipses. In short, most lunar eclipses don’t appear blood-like, so it is a bit presumptuous to assume that any particular future eclipse—or, in this case, four eclipses—must of necessity be “blood moons.”

How unusual are total lunar eclipses?

Total lunar eclipses aren’t that unusual; there will be 85 total lunar eclipses in the twenty-first century. The greatest length of time between two consecutive total lunar eclipses is only three years. In between these “droughts” will be occurrences of three or even four total lunar eclipses, each separated by about six months. A little more than half the earth’s surface can witness at least a portion of a particular eclipse. So, from any given location, total lunar eclipses aren’t quite as common as these statistics might suggest.But what about the coincidence of the four eclipses of 2014–2015 with Passover and Sukkot? This, too, is not quite as remarkable as has been claimed. Since a lunar eclipse occurs when the shadow of the earth is cast upon the moon, a lunar eclipse can happen only when the earth is between the sun and the moon. This happens once each month when the moon’s phase is full (fully illuminated as viewed from the earth). But there is not a lunar eclipse at full moon each month, so there must be more to it.The moon’s orbit around the earth is tilted a little more than five degrees with respect to the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun (known as the ecliptic). So normally a full moon is above or below the earth’s umbra, and no eclipse occurs. Each month the moon’s orbit crosses the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun in two places, points that we call the lunar nodes. If a full moon occurs when the moon is near a node, then there is a lunar eclipse. (Conversely, a new moon at this time results in a solar eclipse.)There are two times per year when the nodes are roughly aligned with a full moon. These eclipse seasons are little more than a month long, and they are separated by a little less than six months. The moon’s orbit precesses in an 18.6-year period, so the eclipse seasons shift about 20 days earlier each year. The result is that the possibility of lunar eclipses happening around the times of Passover and Sukkot (which are six months apart) repeats roughly half of this 18.6-year period. For instance, in 1995–1996, there were four lunar eclipses (not all were total)—two that fell on Passover and the other two within a day of Sukkot.1 I set up a telescope for public viewing during the total lunar eclipse in September 1996 and mentioned to the people who showed up Joel’s prophecy and the timing of the eclipse with Sukkot.

But isn’t it unusual to have a lunar eclipse on the same day as Passover or Sukkot?

No, it’s really not that unusual. Remember, a lunar eclipse happens only at full moon. We don’t follow a strictly lunar calendar today, but most ancient people, including the Hebrews, did. Their months began with the first appearance of the crescent of the new moon, which is a day or so after our modern definition of a new moon (when the moon and sun are in longitudinal conjunction). Reckoning from this point, fourteen days later, or the fifteenth of the month, always coincides with full moon.2 The civil year began near the autumnal equinox on the first day of the first month, and Jews today still celebrate Rosh Hashanah (New Year) then. However, at Sinai God established that the ceremonial year would begin in the spring, six months earlier. The festivals that the Hebrews were to observe on this ceremonial calendar are recorded in Leviticus 23. Passover is the fifteenth day of the first month and Sukkot begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, six months after Passover. Thus, Passover and Sukkot are always at full moon and always six months apart.There are roughly 29.5 days in a lunar month and thus 354 days in 12 lunar months. This contrasts with about 365 days in a solar year, so some adjustments must be made to keep solar and lunar calendars synchronized. The easiest adjustments are to alternate between 29 and 30 days per month and to add an additional, intercalary month about every three years. Eventually the Hebrews adopted the Metonic cycle, a method of adding intercalary months appropriately in a 19-year cycle, but it is doubtful that they adopted this immediately.3 The first of each month initially may have been observationally determined, but eventually, as today, a formula determined when the first of each month occurred, and that algorithm nearly always matches what one would normally observe as the beginning of the month.A lunar eclipse must happen exactly at full moon. On a lunar calendar the fifteenth of the month falls on or within a day of exact full moon, so any lunar eclipse must be on or within a day of the fifteenth of the month. Hence, any lunar eclipse that happens near the equinoxes must fall on or within a day of Passover (spring) or Sukkot (autumn). Therefore the coincidence of these festivals with lunar eclipses is not as rare as Biltz implies.

Illustrating the Recent Coincidences of Lunar Eclipses with Passover and Sukkot

Fires in the SkyWe are excited to announce a new program in our Stargazers Planetarium at the Creation Museum. Fires in the Sky: The Sun Grazing Comets comes just a few months before the sun grazing Comet ISON makes it's pass around the sun later this year.To illustrate the frequency of the coincidence of lunar eclipses with Passover and Sukkot, consider the 230 lunar eclipses of all types (total, partial, and penumbral) during the twentieth century (1901–2000). Table I lists the 37 lunar eclipses in the twentieth century that coincided with Passover or Sukkot (Passover always is in March or April, and Sukkot always is in September or October). Many of the dates of lunar eclipses exactly match the dates of the Passover or Sukkot. Others are off by one day, and a few are off by two days.There are at least five reasons why these eclipses don’t exactly match the dates of the holidays. First, the algorithm for determining the beginning of the Hebrew months results in the first of each month falling one or two days after astronomical new moon. This difference of a day or two causes the fifteenth day of each month to vary by a day or so from astronomical full moon, which is when a lunar eclipse must occur. Second, the moon doesn’t move in its orbit at a uniform rate, so the time between new and full phases varies slightly. Third, the date of each eclipse is listed for the Universal Time (UT, which for our purposes can be treated as the same as Greenwich Mean Time [GMT]) of mid-eclipse. This means that many of the eclipses span two days in UT.Fourth, since lunar eclipses are seen at night and we change our calendar day at midnight, lunar eclipses must span two days as reckoned locally anyway. Fifth, there is a little ambiguity as to the date of Passover and Sukkot. In our modern convention we begin our days at midnight, but in Hebrew reckoning the day begins at sunset. On most calendars the dates of Passover and Sukkot are listed as the conventional date on which the sunset would commence the respective observances. For instance, in 2013 we said the Passover began on the evening of March 25, but in Israel it began on March 26, for there it already was March 26 at sunset. The dates in Table I were listed according to the modern convention, not the dates in the Hebrew reckoning.With these caveats, we can say that all 37 of these lunar eclipses coincided with Passover or Sukkot. This is about one-sixth (37/230) of the twentieth-century lunar eclipses, which is what we would expect because Passover and Sukkot happen in two of the 12 months. The relatively high frequency is a result of definition of the fifteenth day of the month on a lunar calendar. Therefore, again, the coincidence of lunar eclipses with these two observances is more common than Biltz realizes.

From what vantage point must one view these eclipses?

There also is a question of from what portion of the earth one ought to view these eclipses for them to constitute a sign. One might think that Jerusalem would be a key site, but the first three total lunar eclipses in 2014–2015 won’t be visible from there, and only the beginning of the final eclipse will be. One must ask whether a sign that few people notice is much of a sign.

What about the two solar eclipses in 2015?

Biltz claims that the two solar eclipses in 2015 may be a fulfillment of the prophecy of the darkening of the sun. In one of the videos Biltz states that the first eclipse (March 20, 2015) is on the first day of the ceremonial year, attaching great significance to this fact. While this is technically incorrect since the eclipse is on the last day of the previous month and year, this discrepancy can be explained similarly as discussed above for lunar eclipses.As with the coincidence of lunar eclipses with Passover and Sukkot, the coincidence of solar eclipses with the beginning of the Hebrew ceremonial year is more common than Biltz realizes since both must happen at new moon. The ceremonial year begins close to the vernal equinox, so when a solar eclipse occurs near the vernal equinox, the solar eclipse must fall on or within a day of the first day of the ceremonial year. Table II lists the 19 of the 228 solar eclipses in the twentieth century that match the beginning of the Hebrew ceremonial year. Some of the caveats on the dates previously discussed apply here as well. The ratio of 19 to 228 is exactly one-twelfth, which is what we would expect since by definition any solar eclipse near the vernal equinox must coincide with the Hebrew ceremonial New Year.

Who will witness the two solar eclipses in 2015?

The first eclipse (March 20, 2015) is total. Having personally experienced one total solar eclipse, I can testify that a total solar eclipse is stunning and awe-inspiring. Therefore a total solar eclipse could be interpreted as a great sign to those who witness it. But how many people will witness this particular eclipse? The eclipse path is in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The only landfalls that the eclipse path will make are the Faroe Islands and Svalbard. The population of the former is 50,000 and the latter less than 3,000. The eclipse is of short duration, and the weather can be overcast much of the time at that latitude. There is a good chance that few people, if any, will actually see this eclipse.The second solar eclipse (September 13, 2015) is partial and falls on Rosh Hashanah. Though many people have experienced a partial solar eclipse, most of them had no idea that anything was going on. This is because unless a partial eclipse is very close to being total, the sun is not appreciably dimmed. Not actually witnessing these events but instead just knowing that somewhere some sort of solar eclipses are happening seems to fall far short of being specific and spectacular signs of end times.

Summary

Mark Biltz has an engaging style, and judging by the response of those in attendance in the videos, he makes a very persuasive case for his audiences. However, most of those in attendance probably know little, if anything, about the circumstances and appearance of lunar and solar eclipses, so they are easily impressed. Biltz makes two key observations. First, he notes the coincidence of these eclipses with major Jewish festivals. Second, he points out that these four eclipses are in a row (a tetrad). Admittedly, bringing together such factors is rare, though not unique, but there is no suggestion that these eclipses will be otherwise exceptional. The biblical passages that refer to the dimming of the sun (Matthew 24:29; Joel 2:31) and the moon turning to blood (Joel 2:31) speak in very apocalyptic terms, emphasizing frightening things that men experience. The timing of the eclipses that Biltz draws attention to, while interesting, falls far short of the sort of signs that will cause the heavens to shake (Matthew 24:29).

TABLE I Back

Date of Lunar Eclipse - Type of Lunar Eclipse - Date of Jewish Holliday

April 22, 1902 ------------------------- Total -------------------------April 21

October 17, 1902 -------------------- Total-------------------------October 15

April 12, 1903 --------------------------Partial ----------------------April 11

October 6, 1903 ----------------------Partial-----------------------October 5

March 31, 1904 -----------------------Penumbral----------------March 30

September 24, 1904----------------Penumbral-----------------September 23

April 1, 1912---------------------------Partial-----------------------April 1

September 26, 1912----------------Partial----------------------September 25

April 22, 1921-------------------------Total------------------------April 22

October 16, 1921--------------------Partial---------------------October 16

April 11, 1922------------------------Penumbral----------------April 12

October 6, 1922--------------------Penumbral----------------October 6

April 13, 1930-----------------------Partial-----------------------April 12

October 7, 1930--------------------Partial-----------------------October 6

April 2, 1931------------------------Total--------------------------April 1

September 26, 1931-------------Total-------------------------September 25

April 22, 1940----------------------Penumbral-----------------April 22

October 16, 1940----------------Penumbral-----------------October 16

April 13, 1949---------------------Total--------------------------April 13

October 7, 1949-----------------Total--------------------------October 7

April 2, 1950----------------------Total--------------------------April 1

September 26, 1950-----------Total--------------------------September 25

April 4, 1958---------------------Penumbral-------------------April 4

April 13, 1968-------------------Total---------------------------April 12

October 6, 1968---------------Total---------------------------October 6

April 2, 1969--------------------Penumbral-------------------April 2

September 25, 1969---------Penumbral------------------September 26

April 4, 1977--------------------Partial------------------------April 2

September 27, 1977---------Penumbral-----------------September 26

April 24, 1986------------------Total--------------------------April 23

October 17, 1986-------------Total-------------------------October 17

April 14, 1987------------------Penumbral-----------------April 13

October 7, 1987---------------Penumbral-----------------October 7

April 15, 1995------------------Partial------------------------April 14

October 8, 1995---------------Penumbral-----------------October 8

April 4, 1996--------------------Total--------------------------April 3

September 27, 1996---------Total-------------------------September 27


TABLE II Back

Date of Solar Eclipse -Type of Solar Eclipse - First Day of Ceremonial Year

April 8, 1902------------------Partial--------------------------------------April 7

March 29, 1903-------------Annular-------------------------------------March 28

March 16, 1904-------------Annular-------------------------------------March 16

April 6, 1913-----------------Partial---------------------------------------April 7

April 8, 1921-----------------Annular-------------------------------------April 8

March 28, 1922------------Annular-------------------------------------March 29

March 17, 1923------------Annular-------------------------------------March 17

April 7, 1940----------------Annular-------------------------------------April 8

March 27, 1941------------Annular-------------------------------------March 28

March 16, 1942------------Partial--------------------------------------March 18

March 18, 1950------------Annular------------------------------------March 18

April 8, 1959----------------Total----------------------------------------April 8

March 27, 1960------------Partial-------------------------------------March 28

March 28, 1968------------Partial-------------------------------------March 29

March 18, 1969------------Annular-----------------------------------March 19

April 7, 1978----------------Partial-------------------------------------April 7

April 9, 1986----------------Partial-------------------------------------April 9

March 29, 1987------------Annular/Total---------------------------March 29

March 18, 1988-----------Total----------------------------------------March 18

Footnotes

I.e., April 15, 1995; October 8, 1995; April 4, 1996; and September 27, 1996.
While we can precisely define the instant of full moon today, observationally the moon appears full for two to three days.
There is some suggestion that the Metonic cycle was adopted during the Babylonian captivity at the earliest.