MIDEAST PEACE UPDATE: 1.7.17 - The PLO's Zero-Sum Game

The PLO's Zero-Sum Game - By Caroline Glick - http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265339/plos-zero-sum-game-caroline-glick

 

Since its inception in the late 1970s, the Israeli peace movement has been based on one thing: hope.

 

Members of the peace movement hoped the PLO's war with Israel could be resolved through compromise. Proponents of peace with the PLO hoped that Yasser Arafat and his terrorist minions weren't truly committed to Israel's destruction.

 

The two-state formula was based on the hope that Israel could reach an accommodation with the PLO. To wit, in exchange for parts of Judea and Samaria and Gaza (no one was talking about Jerusalem), Israeli peaceniks, who over time came to encompass all factions of the Left in Israel, hoped the PLO would bury the hatchet, build a state, or federate with Jordan, and that would be that.

 

In 1992, the peace camp took over the government. Under the leadership of then prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and then foreign minister Shimon Peres, hope became the basis for Israel's national security strategy. That strategy was followed by every Israeli government since. The basic idea was clear enough. In exchange for land and guns and legitimacy, Arafat and his goons would be domesticated.

 

The peace camp's hope was never based on evidence. Indeed, it flew in the face of the PLO's track record. By the time the Israeli peaceniks began negotiating with Arafat and his deputies in the late 1980s, the PLO had already controlled two autonomous areas. In both Jordan and Lebanon, Arafat and his terrorists transformed peaceful areas into bases for global terrorism and launching points for massacres of Israelis and of victims from Africa to Europe to the Americas.

 

The secret of the PLO's success was that it didn't simply kill people. It combined murder with political warfare. The PLO's political war had two goals. First, it aimed to make killing Jews politically acceptable a mere generation after the Holocaust.

 

Second, the PLO devoted great resources to wooing the Israeli and Western Left. It sought to convince a sufficient core of leftists that the PLO wasn't really committed to its goal of eradicating Israel. It actually was a peace movement in terrorist disguise.

 

Arafat and his deputies whispered in the ears of their gullible Israeli "partners" that they weren't an implacable foe. They were partners for peace just waiting to be convinced that they could make a deal.

 

The success of both political warfare strategies has been on prominent display of late. On December 23, the ambassadors of state members of the UN Security Council broke out in spontaneous applause after they unanimously passed Resolution 2334, which declares Israel an outlaw state populated by criminals and bereft of all rights to its capital and its historic heartland.

 

A week later, the PLO's largest terrorist faction Fatah celebrated its founding day. The largest celebration this year reportedly took place in Bethlehem.

 

Fatah was actually founded in 1958. But Arafat chose December 31, 1964 as its founding day because that was the day his terrorists carried out their first terrorist attack against Israel.

 

In Bethlehem Saturday, thousands of Palestinian youths - starting at the age of four or five - marked the day with a march through town.

 

This was no ticker tape parade.

 

In classic PLO fashion, the young people - including the preschoolers - were clad in military uniforms and had their faces covered with sheets. They marched through the streets behind banners sporting the images of Fatah terrorists like mass murderer Dalal Mughrabi and pledged to complete their heroes' mission.

 

The message of the spectacle was straightforward enough. Fatah remains utterly committed to eradicating Israel through terrorism and war.

 

Covering the march for the Israeli media was Channel 2's far-left correspondent Ohad Hemo. In a manner comprehensible only to true believers, Hemo stared at the march and saw a reason for restored hope for peace.

 

Speaking to masked grand masters, without a tinge of embarrassment, Hemo asked if they supported the two-state solution.

 

Lo and behold, as they marched behind banners of Mughrabi, who led the PLO terrorist cell that massacred 38 Israelis including 13 children in 1978, Hemo's minders told him that indeed, they support a two-state solution!

 

Hemo was exultant.

 

Even with its chokehold on the media and its control of the judicial system and state prosecution, the Israeli Left would have never been successful in maintaining this murderous joke without outside help.

 

And that's where the American Jewish establishment came in.

 

For more than 20 years, led by AIPAC, the American Jewish establishment has insisted that the two-state solution is the only option. That is, empty faith in a terrorist organization fully committed to Israel's destruction is the only acceptable policy for Republicans and Democrats alike to follow in respect to Israel.

 

For 23 years, despite the ever increasing dubiousness of Republican leaders and a few Democratic lawmakers, the consensus view was maintained.

 

The Jewish community's slavish devotion to the PLO stemmed from two sources. First, by insisting that the PLO is a credible force, the American Jewish community has been able to keep peace in its ranks, which are populated overwhelmingly by leftists.

 

Second, by promoting a policy at odds with reality, communal leaders have been able to pretend that there is no qualitative distinction between Democratic and Republican support for Israel. This claim, which has become downright implausible during President Barack Obama's tenure in the White House, is vital for enabling American Jews to pretend that Israel is a voting issue for them and that they aren't simply motivated by their leftist world views.

 

It would appear that the jig is up on this position.

 

Obama's lame-duck war against Israel and the rise of anti-Jewish forces in the Democratic Party led by Rep. Keith Ellison make it practically impossible to continue to claim that the Democratic Party is a home for pro-Israel forces in America.

 

On the other hand, President-elect Donald Trump's full-throated support for Israel and promotion of advisers who openly oppose a PLO state has opened the door for Republican lawmakers to abandon their half-hearted support for the PLO. Beginning this month, they may very well begin ending US recognition of the PLO and cut off taxpayer funds to its terrorism-cultivating autonomy in Judea and Samaria.

 

In this state of affairs, American Jewish groups will either support Trump and the Republicans or lose their ability to influence events. In either case, for at least the next two years, they have lost their capacity to support the Israeli Left in a significant way.

 

This is important for Israel to understand because the clock is ticking. Obama's onslaught has made clear that the Democratic Party no longer supports Israel. Like the PLO, Obama and his advisers view the PLO's conflict with Israel as a zero-sum game and they have cast their lots with the terrorists against the Jewish state.

 

It is to be expected that under the leadership of former president Obama and Ellison the Democrats will expand the openness of their hostility to Israel.

 

Under these circumstance, Israel has but two years - until the mid-term congressional elections when the Democrats may be empowered in Congress - to decide what it wants to do with Judea and Samaria.

 

Last week the government signaled that its first step will be to apply Israeli law to Ma'ale Adumim. A bill to this effect is expected to be brought before the government shortly after Obama leaves office.

 

While a good first move, our leaders must recognize that it needs to be quickly followed up by additional administrative changes. The goal of those additional steps is to dismantle the military government which administers Area C - 60% of Judea and Samaria - by 2019 and transfer full administrative responsibility for the area, which includes Israel's border with Jordan and all the Israeli communities of Judea and Samaria, to the government.

 

The time has come for the government to move ahead boldly. In their post-Obama, post-2334 state, the Israeli Left and its American Jewish supporters are in no position to stop the government from doing what needs to be done. But, if the government fails to act now, when the Democrats return in two or four years, the opportunity now upon us may be lost forever as the PLO comes back to win its zerosum game against Israel.

 

A Palestinian State - By Matt Ward - http://raptureready.com/soap2/ward78.html

 

The consequences of the obvious recent US betrayal of Israel at the UN will be huge. There will be significant, real world implications stemming directly from Barack Obama's decision to abstain from UN Security Council resolution 2334, which subsequently allowed for Israel's unanimous condemnation on Friday 23rd December, in the UN Security Council.

 

This betrayal will be felt deeply by Israel, despite the Obama Administrations spin that this was merely an act of "tough love," toward its one time Middle East ally.

 

This wasn't an act of "tough love" at all, it was an act of utter rebellion. It was an act of bitter hubris towards a hated enemy, and it was delivered by the Obama administration in the worst possible way, under the guise of "friendship" and with a smile. Never has betrayal looked so abhorrent or felt so obvious.

 

For Israel, left reeling in the wake of this anti-Semitic UN resolution, the impact will be felt at every level.

 

This resolution is not just meaningless diplomacy, it endangers the very existence of the State of Israel, and we will now see a real attempt to delegitimize Israel as a nation state.

 

This resolution has effectively made all Israeli settlements illegal and defacto handed them over to the Palestinians. It has divided the land, or at least in real terms, begun that process.

 

This resolution means that from this day forward any person or business involved in Jewish settlement enterprise or business, in for example the West Bank, could be sued in courts all over the world.

 

It means that the BDS movement, which despises Israel, have received a huge false legal justification for their anti-Semitic campaigns. They will now gain momentum in every EU and western country in the world. We will see widespread boycotts of Jewish settlement goods in Europe, the United States and across the world. It is merely a repackaged form of old school anti-Semitism.

 

Though attacking the Jewish settlement economy directly will not ruin Israel economically, as the Israeli economy is mostly reliant upon high tech goods not dependent upon settlements, this resolution will bring significant moral damage to Israel. This is because it assumes Israeli aggression where there is none, and gives the Palestinians moral superiority where they definitely have none.

 

It means that the EU will now likely make formal their currently informal policy of labeling all Israeli "settlement" goods, a practice that no doubt many other countries will now enact in the wake of this resolution.

 

This resolution means that Israeli politicians, Prime Ministers, IDF officers and soldiers, as well as normal Israeli citizens could actually be indicted by the International Criminal Court at the Hague.

 

Any Israeli officer or politician deciding to build on settlement land, or alternatively who destroys the homes of Palestinian terrorists after a Palestinian terror attack - a long standing current Israeli policy - may well now be pursued for war crimes.

 

How perversely ironic that just across the Israeli border, almost a stone's throw away, over half a million people died in 2016 due to bloody civil war, and Weapons of Mass Destruction in the form of chemical weapons were definitely used there on a number of occasions, yet it is the Jews that are being pulled into the ICC, not the Syrians or the Russians. They are going to be prosecuted not for genocide, but for building new homes.

 

This resolution means that banks, businesses, retailers, factories and any other Jewish enterprise located in so-called "settlement" areas are now likely to be black listed. Other international businesses, banks, retailers and enterprises will no longer do business with them. These businesses will go to the wall.

 

This resolution will also create a mechanism to monitor and report back on Israel to the UNSC, on her perceived "transgressions"  once every three months. This will mean Israel will be constantly critiqued to the most minute degree for every perceived wrong or injustice committed. They will be constantly hounded and harassed. Ultimately it could result in the imposition of international sanctions against Israel.

 

It is a huge step forward in the attempt to delegitimize Israel as a nation state.

 

This past week, though, John Kerry went even further and poured fresh fuel onto the fire. In a speech lasting almost an hour he exclusively berated Israel. It was really quite unprecedented in its tone and message. It was appalling.

 

Placing the full weight of blame for the failure of the peace process on Israel alone, Kerry completely overlooked the absolute intransigence of the Palestinian Authority, or their abject refusal to even so much as acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

 

This speech was not just about baiting Israel, or apportioning blame to them, this speech was about laying the groundwork for something else entirely, something yet to come. Kerry, on behalf of the Obama Administration was making a case for future damaging moves they intend to make against Israel. They were justifying themselves beforehand.

 

The Obama Administration still, at this point, has a number of weeks left in office. It is clear that Obama, and the administration he leads, are intent upon leaving their mark on history and Israel will be their victim. To that end, on January 15, France are convening a summit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The great fear is that this current United States administration will use the opportunity this summit affords to draw up a second UN resolution in which a Palestinian state will be arbitrarily declared.

 

The consequences of this betrayal  will likely be the creation of a Palestinian state.

 

At the time of the end, the single, key sign indicating the beginning of the tribulation period will be that the man of lawlessness will "confirm a treaty with many for a period of seven" (Daniel 9:27).

 

He will not instigate the treaty himself, he will confirm one that already exists. It is becoming increasingly likely, in my mind at least, that this new potential resolution, which Obama possibly intends to pass before the end of his presidential term in January, may be that treaty "confirmed with many."

 

The time in which we live today, is quite simply the most prophetically significant period of the last fifty years, and certainly of my lifetime. It is that important.

 

Keep looking up, because if a Palestinian state is declared in the coming month, and the land of Israel is divided, there will be one heck of a storm coming, direct from God,

 

"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." (Zechariah 12:3)

 

 

Au Revoir Monde - A. V. Rauf - http://bibleprophecyfortoday.com/2017/01/02/au-revoir-monde/

 

In less than two weeks from now, January 15, 2017 to be exact, the United Nations will seek to enforce Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders by dividing Jerusalem and giving the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, otherwise known as the West Bank, over to the Palestinians and establishing a two-state solution. It is important to note that the pre-1967 borders would also put Israel in a highly indefensible position against its enemies as well. As of this writing, 70 nations will be involved and this meeting will take place in Paris, France.

 

On December 23, 2016 Resolution 2334 was passed. This move made all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem illegal, and also set the 1967 ceasefire lines as the border between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In other words, it practically handed over much of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. It is technically now illegal for Jews to pray from the Western wall.

 

Nonetheless, it did not recognize Palestine as an independent state. That news may be forthcoming in a few weeks as the fifteenth of January is not that far off.

 

With the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald  Trump fast approaching, it is also being reported that the Israeli government is gravely concerned that any guidelines agreed in Paris would be turned into another UN resolution before Trump's inauguration, and as a result of ll of this, Israel has now become the victim of an international conspiracy.

 

Psalm 83:1-4 (NIV)-O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God. 2 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads. 3 With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. 4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel's name is remembered no more."

 

Any student of Bible Prophecy should be keeping their eyes on the Middle East because this is where it all started and this is where it will all end. But to be more specific, one of the biggest harbingers of the very end of time is the establishing of a Palestinian statehood. 

 

In addition, many Bible prophecy teachers have warned that our land may be divided after the land of Israel is officially divided into two states. 

 

If what I have just mentioned becomes a fact in the next two weeks, then what we see unfolding before our very eyes is the Nation of Israel being positioned to have no other ally but Jehovah, Himself. It may very well be that we are fast approaching the tribulation period, where Israel and God's unconditional covenant with the Nation of Israel becomes the central focus of end-time events.

 

Jeremiah 31:31-37-Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 35 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37 Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

 

Scripturally speaking, there are two kinds of people the Bible recognizes as "Covenant," people. The first are obviously Israel and the Jews. The Second are regenerate Christians. One group is the anthropological descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The other group, is the spiritual, or theological descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, through Jesus Christ.

 

Galatians 3:13-14--Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

Since the beginning of time, Satan has tried to eradicate both groups. Let's not forget that after the Rapture of the Church, Satan will direct his attentions towards Israel and the Jews. As the age of the Church comes to an end, the Time of Jacob's trouble and the salvation of the nation of Israel will become the central element in the purpose of God on earth. Israel and the Jews will be in the worst turmoil ever and the surviving remnant of the Jews and Gentiles will enter the Millennial Kingdom after the Day of the LORD comes to pass.

 

The Day of the LORD is not a 24 hour day, but rather a series of events in which the wrath of God is poured out on those who are not raptured, including the persecutors of the true Church and the haters of the nation of Israel. It will also culminate in God's prevailing justice of the kingdom of AntiChrist.

 

See here for more on the Day of the LORD: 

 

http://bibleprophecyfortoday.com/2016/04/09/the-day-of-the-lord/

 

Joel 3:1-2- For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

 

Joel 3:13-17-Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

 

We are simply running out of time. The nations of the world all have a decision to make and so do you.

 

I pray that if you do not know Jesus as Lord, King and Savior that you will make that decision today. It's a very simple process.

 

Sincerely pray the following:

 

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

 

Maranatha!

 

 

The prophetic peril of America - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com

 

On Friday December 23, The UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an end to the Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise and condemning it as an obstacle to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In a dramatic and historic departure from past policy, the US "president" instructed America's Ambassador to the UN to refrain from vetoing the resolution. Since occupying the Oval Office in 2009, the Islamic Marxist US "president" has steadily moved away from supporting Israel, and in turn, has bolstered Israel's enemies by supporting the Muslim Brotherhood's Arab Spring, signing a nuclear weapons-enabling deal with Iran, and destabilizing the Middle East. There are prophetic consequences.

 

All the while, the "president" has fueled the narrative that the Russians are the bad guys. This narrative plays into a revived cold war mantra and continues fanning the flames among Christians who want to believe that Russia is the Gog of Ezekiel 38 who leads a force against Israel in a colossal end time battle. After years of study on this topic, I am convinced that Russia is not Gog. The coalition, led by "Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (v 38:3)" are Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Magog, Gomer and Togarmah. Ancient history and maps confirm that Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah are located in modern Turkey. Persia is modern Iran. Libya is Libya and Ethiopia is likely modern Sudan.

 

While Russia may be part of the invading force, it is not Gog. Neither is America, but the actions of our "president" may have placed the US in prophetic peril. The Lord says in Zechariah 12:3, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." Many find it hard to imagine how the US could ever be part of the nations gathered prophetically against Israel. The lame duck US "president" has crossed that line and has shown the world, and God Almighty, how this could happen by not vetoing the UN resolution. This UN resolution is permanent because of America.

 

Americans chose a leader-not once but twice-who audaciously broke with supporting the only true democracy in the Middle East and sided with the sponsors of Islamic terrorism. In doing so, the "president" also led America onto the side of Israel's enemies and the enemies of God himself. Israel's Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon was profound in his criticism of the US "president", saying, "We've talked a lot about the significance of the Security Council resolution, but we need to take note of one thing: how our best friends in the UN turned their backs on us at the moment of truth." Indeed, it is noted on earth as it is in heaven. Fortunately, the next President vows to reverse this dangerous trend. Let us pray for our new President and for mercy for our nation.

 

 

Endgame: Jerusalem - A.V. Rauf - http://bibleprophecyfortoday.com/

 

Joel 3:1-2-1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

 

On Friday December 23, 2016, one day removed from the Jewish holiday of Hannakah and just two days removed from Christmas, A UN Resolution was passed.Our current Administration did not use the Veto Right of the United States to protect Israel as it has in years past. The United States did not vote on Bill 181 on Friday and the United Nations officially signed this Bill into affect.

 

What this Bill specifically calls for us for Israel to ultimately vacate the West Bank, which is the historical heartland of the Jewish people known to Israelis as Judea and Samaria, parts of Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights.

 

Historically speaking, in 1967, which will soon be fifty years ago,  five different Arab nations (including Syria, Jordan and Egypt) surrounding Israel massed their forces along the edges of Israel's borders and declared their intention to invade, conquer and overtake Israel. 

 

They also blocked Israel's access to the Straits of Tiran (see black circle at the bottom of the map below) , which is a narrow passageway at the lower tip of the Gulf of Aqaba through which 90% of Israel's oil wold be shipped. According to International Law, this move was considered to be an act of war by International Law. Thus, Israel made a decision to attack first in self-defense.

 

The war was over in 6 days, hence known as the Six-Day War. Considered to be a miraculous feat in itself considering the odds, as a result of this victory, Israel obtaind several large pieces of land including the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

 

In an effort to make peace with their enemies, over the last 40 years, the nation of  Israel used the land which they had conquered to obtain promises of peace from their enemies. In 1980, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. In another effort to make peace in 2005, Israel They returned Gaza  to the Palestinians in 2005.

 

Genesis 15:18-21-In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. 

 

Genesis 15:18 records the words of Almighty God when he made a blood covenant with Abraham. God continues in verses 19-21 to name the inhabitants of the land that were to be given into the hands of Abraham. Nowhere does God mention a separate state for any people within the boundaries of the land which He gave to Abraham and his descendants.

 

So as a result of the USA not voting vote on Bill 181 and the UN signing the Bill into affect, this means that the West bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights , are now unlawfully occupied by Israel. This means the birth city of Jesus in Bethlehem , the grave of Jesus and Golgotha Hill is being handed over to Palestine which is now most likely a precursor to the establishment of a recognized state of Palestine by the international community and ultimately the dividing of Jerusalem. This vote just may have ensured the failure of all potential future negotiations. This vote may also enable the Palestinians to now demand all settlements as their legal land, and this very well may be the starting point for all their negotiations. All future negotiations for peace will now begin with the understanding that the 1967 lines are the starting point, not the end point. Israel will now be expected, by the international community, to retreat back to the 1948 lines, not the 1967 borders.

 

It is also important to note that Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "We do not accept, nor can we accept, this resolution." This implies more problems in the future, possibly war. (Psalm 83??....Ezekiel 38-39??)

 

Furthermore, I strongly perceive that Israel will be ordered to hand the West Bank to Palestine for the approval of building the third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount next to the Dome of the Rock . Currently, there has been an ever increasing movement to build a Temple. This is the great desire of many Jewish people in Israel and around the world. Perhaps this may be used as bait to dangle before them in return for something else. Could that something else be the control of Jerusalem and of the Holy places there? The question for Bible prophecy students is this: Could this be part of the signing of an agreement, or better yet  a 7 year Peace agreement???

 

Stay tuned.......2017 promises to be an exciting year as Jerusalem may indeed become centerstage in the Middle East with global and prophetic ramifications.

 

The Bible is true and all events are pointing towards the ultimate fulfillment of Bible prophecy. I have always believed that one barometer of faith in the life of a believer is their understanding of current events in light of the Scriptures. (MORE ON THIS IN MY NEXT POST)

 

Zechariah 2:1-13: I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5 For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. 6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12 And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

 

One very important consideration is the statement made by God of the consequences of dividing "HIS land", and especially the city of Jerusalem:

 

Zechariah 3:1-2-For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

 

It is now becoming VERY CLEAR that Jerusalem will be a burdensome stone for the world  a major sign that the seven year Tribulation period is getting closer, and might I say inconclusive evidence that the Rapture is not far off. 

Hezbollah remains most serious conventional threat to Israel - Itamar Eichner - http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4901942,00.html

 

Hezbollah remains the most serious conventional threat Israel is facing, more than Hamas or Iran, a report released Monday by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) determined.

 

According to the report, submitted to President Rivlin by INSS head Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, Hezbollah has rockets that can reach any range, precision-guided missiles, attack and suicide drones, the best Russian-made air defense systems and ground units that are training to conquer Israeli towns and cities.

 

The INSS recommended to improve Israeli intelligence gathering in an effort to continue reducing the transfer of advanced arms to the terror organization and consequently reduce the chances of an escalation.

 

However, the potential for the eruption of a conflict with Hamas is higher than with Hezbollah or Iran.

 

Hamas, the INSS determined, may have been deterred after the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, but it is continuing to build up its strength.

 

Furthermore, even if both sides are not interested in escalation, a conflict can break out over violent incidents or due to the deep social and economic frustration in the strip that will manifest itself in violence against Israel.

 

Regarding Iran, the INSS noted that while the nuclear agreement signed with world powers does give Israel a window of opportunity in the short term, Tehran is strengthening its conventional capabilities.

 

In the medium and long term, Iran will become much more dangerous and enjoy international legitimization for a broad and unrestrained nuclear program.

 

The INSS report details three significant challenges Israel will face on the long term: an enemy state having nuclear capabilities; the creation of a "one-state for two people" reality in Israel; and the erosion of Israel's international status.

 

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yadlin noted that a window of opportunity has opened that would allow Israel to handle these challenges: The incoming pro-Israel Trump administration in the US; Israel's shared interests with the pragmatic Arab nations; and adopting a bottom-up approach to dealing with the Palestinians, in cooperation with world and regional powers.

 

The INSS stressed that the direct conventional threat to Israel remained significantly low, but that paramilitary militias funded by Iran are growing stronger.

 

The institute determined that the United States remains committed to Israel's security, and said that negotiations over the military aid package showed the extent of this commitment, despite the tensions between the two leaders.

 

On the other hand, the INSS also pointed to negative trends: The Israeli government sticks to a policy of passivity and sanctifies the status-quo as the country's international status continues eroding due to the freeze in peace talks with the Palestinians. The diplomatic freeze, economic woes, the Palestinian leadership crisis and the mounting despair continue feeding "lone wolf" terrorism and increasing the potential of a full-blown conflict erupting.

 

The report determines that continuing with the current trend, "which is erroneously referred to as the 'status quo,' will reduce Israel's options and endanger its future as a Jewish and democratic state."

 

"Despite the relatively convenient strategic situation, the Israeli leadership must not avoid discussions and hard decisions that are vital to the formation of a pro-active national security policy that promotes Israeli interests as a Jewish, democratic, safe and legitimate country within the known borders," the report states.

 

"Even if it appears there isn't a partner on the other side-neither to reach an agreement nor to implement it-it is an important Israeli interest to stop the gradual descent toward the negative and irreversible reality of one-state to two peoples."

 

The report's conclusion, President Rivlins said, was "that Israel must preserve its independence in order to safeguard its essential interests. Yet in the same breath, you make clear that specifically for the sake of this security and independence, Israel must have cooperation with as many countries as possible in our region and around the world. You highlight that sovereignty and security will never be assured only with high walls and military might. Today more than ever, this is a message of unparalleled importance."