Sound The Midnight Cry

Time Is Running Out

What is considered by critics to be suicidal, reports come forward that Israel is in secret talks with Syria. Said to be on the negotiating table is Syria’s demand that Israel up the strategic Golan Heights that Syria lost during the 1967 war in which Israel was attacked.

Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said Friday that Israel has been making efforts to bring Syria back to the negotiating table. Ben-Eliezer spoke just days after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted that Israel might be holding -- or planning to hold -- secret talks with Syria. “All efforts are being made to bring Syria to the negotiating table in order to sign a peace treaty,” Ben-Eliezer told Israel Radio. “We know exactly what the price would be,” he added—namely, Israel's return of the strategic plateau captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War.

Ben-Eliezer told Israel Radio that Barak, now defense minister, was a partner to the current efforts to renew talks with Damascus. Recently, PM Olmert told foreign journalists that Israel favors face-to-face talks with Syria that could result in a peace treaty, adding, “That doesn't mean that when we sit together you have to see us,” he said, an apparent reference to the possibility of secret contacts.

Meanwhile, Syria’s President Assad while hosting the Arab League Summit this past week, asserted Syria’s position that “time was running out on a Middle East peace offer.” He was pushing the attendees of the summit to submit a deadline to withdraw the “peace offer” it had given Israel in 2002. The plan requires the “return” of Palestinian land, a Palestinian state and a return of Arab rights. In return, the Arab nations would acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. In the meantime, The Debkafile reported last week that Syria had amassed three army divisions on the Lebanese and Israeli borders.

It is well known that Syria that has already formed an alliance with the Islamic fanatics running Iran which has threatened non-stop to “wipe Israel of the map.” So why would Israel even consider giving up this strategic military location that only insures their ability to see what Syria is doing? Peace! Those that desire peace say that surrendering the Golan is absolutely essential to getting a peace treaty once and for all with Syria, even if it is a painful concession.

What may seem to be an obvious move that would greatly inhibit Israel in its self-defense, there are those experts in the Torah that point that this may be necessary to fulfill ancient prophecies. They point out that Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and it may need to sign treaties with Syria and Lebanon as a precursor to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. These prophecies state that Israelis are "living securely in the land" before Russia and Iran form a coalition to destroy Israel and seize her wealth in "the last days."

Personally, I think it is absolutely the wrong thing for Israel to do—but that doesn't mean that it won't happen. Whether this process amounts to anything of significance, only time will tell—and that time may be coming sooner rather than later.

“Meltdown!”

Lately, it seems that everywhere I turn I see the word “meltdown” being used. Recent headlines in the past weeks have included, “Market Meltdown” “Political Meltdown” “On-Air Meltdown” “Global Meltdown” and too many more than can be listed here. YouTube has over 5000 videos posted using the word meltdown.

Meltdown was a word basically derived from the nuclear age. It is a term that refers to a nuclear reactor core being exposed and no longer being properly cooled. The result is the release of radioactive and other toxic ingredients into the environment. Many will remember the Chernobyl accident in the Ukraine in 1986 and Three Mile Island debacle in Pennsylvania in 1979. A movie was made called the “China Syndrome” based on the premise of such an event. [Side note: the name “China Syndrome’ refers to the idea of the nuclear material digging a proverbial hole to China, a practical impossibility.]

The most recent event that caused this term “meltdown” to surface in the news was the need of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank having to step in and guaranty the liquidity of the firth largest investment bank, Bear Stearns.

Though many people don’t understand what really took place, the bottom line was simple: the collapse of Bear Stearns would have started a cascading effect upon the monetary system of this country. In old school terminology--it would have started a run on the bank. That would have resulted in financial panic around the world.

Though the alarm has been abated for the moment, the financial system of the U.S. and other free nations is sitting on a precipice. For the moment, we have taken a small step back [very small] from going over the edge towards a financial meltdown. This past week, the U.S. Treasury Department came out with the number that everyone wants to pretend don’t exist: that Medicare will be bankrupt by 2019. [To this writer, it is already insolvent when you consider that more is going out than is coming in with no fix in sight—that’s bankrupt in my book]. Our nation’s government cannot function without other nations buying our debt in the form of Treasury notes [government IOU’s].

We have scoffed at the biblical principle of not borrowing and living beyond our means. As a nation, we are in debt almost 10 trillion dollars which is the equivalent of each person [adult and child] in this nation owing $31,000 dollars. Of course, that has gone up from the time I wrote this to the time you are reading this article by $1.65 billion per day.

You may be reading this and wondering, “How is this making me feel any better?” My answer is two fold:

• First, if you look these events from a temporal point of view, it isn’t going to make you “feel” better. This article is not written from that viewpoint but rather from an eternal perspective.
• Second, it only confirms that biblical prophecy is taking place before our eyes. This past week, former Treasury Secretary Volker stated that it was time for a global currency and advocated consideration of the world governments to move in that direction. This is a part of the economic system that will eventually be integrated to the Mark of the Beast spoken about in the Book of Revelation.

All of this ultimately points to the return of Jesus Christ to planet Earth. Second Peter 3:10 says, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

Now that’s what I call a “meltdown!”

"God's Crescendo"

Today is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Easter is the reminder that His first coming was to fulfill the plan of God to liberate His creation from the penalty of sin. This plan hidden from powers of darkness from the foundation of time was revealed in full splendor when the stone to the tomb was rolled away. The words of Christ uttered from the cross, “It is finished” was punctuated by the words of the angel by the tomb entrance: “He is not here.” Spiritual redemption was complete through Jesus Christ to all that would believe.

Since that moment, the second part of God’s plan was put into place: the literal redemption of His creation. That is the focus of this website as we look at the biblical signs pointing to the fulfillment of His Second Coming.

Many would ask, “With all the problems in this world, why should I be concerned about bible prophecy?”

My response would be, “If you knew that the problems in this world were the signs pointing to some great event on the horizon, why wouldn’t one talk about it?”

We are living eyewitnesses to events for which the ancient prophets had no words, but somehow managed to describe in symbols decipherable only to one generation, somewhere in time.

The prophet Daniel was so confused by what he had witnessed, and so unsure of how to describe it adequately, that he actually complained to God's Messenger about it: "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?" Daniel had seen things that staggered him so much he didn't know where to begin.

The events that so perplexed the prophets, even Daniel, who was so in tune with the mind of God that he could divine dreams, would remain a mystery to every generation except the one that would see its fulfillment. The angel told Daniel that the signs of the times would only be understandable during the Times of the Signs.

For two millennia, the faithful have kept watch, looking hopefully for signs that indicated that they might be among the generation whose time would see the coming of the Lord. We find ourselves in that era when the ancient words of Scripture are being brought to life before our eyes.

As we celebrate Easter, it is a reminder of the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring spiritual redemption to the human race. It is also a reminder that God’s crescendo is about to be sounded. The Scripture tells us, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Happy Easter!

Will Abbas Sabotage Israel's 60th Anniversary?

DEBKAfile has published today an exclusive report indicating that Palestinian President Abbas has created a master plan to disrupt and threaten Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations.

According to Arab sources, the Palestinian leader has circulated guidelines for three million Palestinians to leave their homes on the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon on May 14 and march on Israel's borders, including the Green Line. The march is to take place one week after Israel's Independence Day on May 8, 2008. If Israel obstructs their passage, they will set up camp and live in tents until Israel surrenders and lets them through.

Entitled, Operation "2008 Return", it is described in its introduction as a decision by the Palestinian people "to implement UN resolution (194), declare themselves holders of the UN blue banner, and return to their homeland, from which they were forcefully expelled [Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Ramla, Lod, Ashkelon etc] order to live in peace and security with their Israeli neighbors."

Please note that this motion is dredged up from the past as though history had stopped at that point and the subsequent 60 years of Arab belligerence, endless conflict and further UN resolutions had never happened. Another part of the same resolution appointed a Conciliation Committee to establish contact with the parties and assist them reach a final settlement of outstanding questions. This part was buried under decades of Arab rejection.

The introduction goes on to state: "Neither the Jews nor the international community can stand against the desire of the Palestinian people to exercise their right of return to their homeland and to their homes, land, holy places [Jerusalem] and heritage."

The introduction is followed by a set of instructions to Palestinian communities, of which the following seven are the most relevant:

1. All returnees must attach the UN resolution and refugee card on their chests.
2. All returnees must bring their tents and other goods with them. If obstructed by Israeli forces from reaching their land, they must set up their tents on the border and stay there until Israel surrenders and allows them to cross. [The plan is to deploy hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in tent cities indefinitely on all of Israel's borders.]
3. Jewish friends are called upon to assist in resolving the Palestinian refugee problem.
4. Arab governments and friends all over the world are called on to support the logistics of the operation.
5. Palestinian holders of foreign citizenships, especially US and European, are to charter planes for flights to Israel or neighboring countries on May 14, 2008, as well as reserving passage on tens of ships to dock at Israeli ports on this date.
6. Personal invitations will be extended to all world leaders for their support.
7. Kings and leaders of Islamic countries will be invited, as well as members of the Israeli government and Knesset. Special invitations will be sent to the US president and members of the Senate.

The document ends with an appeal to the Arab nation, especially the Saudi King Abdullah, to support the operation politically, diplomatically and materially.

In the document, Abbas also claims ownership of Christian sites, such as Nazareth and the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee.

Will Abbas actually be able to pull this off? Will thousands respond to his instructions? Or is this a big publicity stunt designed to intimidate Israel? Time will tell.

“Production of 120 Sets of Linen Garments for Lay Priests Being Prepared”

For the first time in 1,938 years the linen garments of the lay priests are being produced in preparation for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service. The last priestly garments to have been worn were those worn by the priests who were martyred by the Roman legions who brutally invaded and destroyed the Holy Temple on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, in the year 70 AD.

Specially prepared flaxen thread wound into six-ply strands, according to the Torah prescribed requirement has been imported from India. These individual spools of thread are presently being spun into larger 1.7 meter long spindles in order to accommodate the next step: the weaving of bolts of fabric 1.7 meters wide. Before commencing this process, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute made the traditional blessing expressing gratitude to God “ ...for keeping us alive and preserving us and permitting us to behold this day.” Before every step of the manufacturing process, a special statement of intent must be uttered in Hebrew: “L'shem mitzvat assei assiyat bigdei hakehuna: for the sake of the positive commandment to make the priestly garments.”

The spindles are then being transported from the textile factory in the town of Gadara to a second factory in the city of Tel Aviv. There they will be woven into 3,280 foot long bolts. The weaving process creates the checkerboard pattern described in Torah.

The final stages of the manufacture of the garments involve the cutting, sewing and embroidering of the woven fabric, creating the tunic, pants, turban and belt. The turban is 26 feet in length, and is wrapped around the priest's head. Each belt requires a 52 foot length of linen, which is wrapped around the priest's waist.

Each set of priestly garments will be tailored to fit its individual purchaser. The garments being created are not museum pieces or collector's items. Their cost is 2,500 shekel, (approximately $695). They will be sold only to true descendants of the High Priest Aaron, who aspire to be fully prepared for the day when they can once again perform the Divine service in the Holy Temple when it is rebuilt.

The first orders have already been received and a second production run is already being planned to accommodate the anticipated demand.

The enemies of the God of Israel are deployed to the north and to the south and to the east and to the west of the land of Israel. They have made clear their intentions towards Israel. Nations that call Israel their friend are calling upon her to relinquish control over the Temple Mount, the one place chosen on earth by God for His presence to dwell, and for His creation to witness his persona.

The fact that there is a demand for the garments that are to be worn while tending to their daily responsibilities in the Holy Temple, only serves to underscore the unshakable faith of many Jews of God’s promise: “And My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7) It appears they are preparing for the coming of Messiah!

“Obscure Scripture”

There will be those that read this article and presume that it is a political editorial; they would be wrong. My only focus is a statement made this past week by presidential hopeful Barack Obama at Hocking College in Ohio. In his speech he promoted the claim that the Sermon on the Mount supports same-sex unions.

Obama said that he did not believe in homosexual “marriage,” but added that he did “believe in civil unions that allow a same-sex couple to visit each other in a hospital or transfer property to each other.” He went on to say, “I think that it is a legal right that they [homosexuals] should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans.” [Emphasis mine]

The Apostle Paul wrote in the opening chapter of his letter to the believers in Rome that homosexual practices were unnatural and described sexual relations between the same sex as shameful acts.

Now, I could take a position to argue about the subject of his speech but that is not my intent. My concern is with his statement of an “obscure passage of Scripture.” How does one come to a place to determine that a part of the Bible is “obscure?”

I looked up the word “obscure” to be sure I wasn’t mistaken in its meaning. As I thought, it means “dark, dim, faint, secluded, cryptic, ambiguous and vague.” So how does the candidate determine that this passage is obscure? Romans 1:26-27 is pretty clear as to its meaning—even in the newer translations. The New Living Translations says, “…the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.”

Second Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

It's ironic that the word “all” is the first word in that verse. I guess Paul wanted the reader of his letter to know from the outset that all scripture was given by God and none of it is “obscure.” The person that would ignore any passage of God’s Word puts that individual on dangerous ground. Maybe that’s why the Scripture calls the last days, “perilous times”--just a thought!

“A North American Army?”

In a ceremony that would probably shock most Americans, the United States and Canada signed a military agreement Feb. 14 allowing the armed forces from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a domestic civil emergency, even one that does not involve a cross-border crisis.

The agreement, defined as the Civil Assistance Plan, was not submitted to Congress for approval, nor did Congress pass any law or treaty specifically authorizing this military agreement to combine the operations of the armed forces of the United States and Canada. The military Civil Assistance Plan can be seen as a further incremental step being taken toward creating a North American armed forces available to be deployed in domestic North American emergency situations.

On May 9th 2007, President Bush positioned the U.S. military and the National Guard, acting under presidential authority, to intervene in a wide range of domestic incidents that could occur anywhere in North America. The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive establishes under the office of president a new National Continuity Coordinator.

That job, as the document describes, is to make plans for “National Essential Functions” of all federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations to continue functioning under the president's directives in the event of a national emergency. The directive loosely defines “catastrophic emergency” as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.” The document reveals that this includes domestic civil disturbances ranging from violent storms, to health epidemics, to civil riots or terrorist attacks.

Last November, General Victor E. “Gene” Renuart, the commander of USNORTHCOM said he was prepared to obey any order from the president to deploy U.S. troops on American soil in response to a domestic emergency. “If he were to choose to declare a national emergency, then clearly we at USNORTHCOM would be able to operate in that environment…” In discussing the new bilateral Civil Assistance Plan established by USNORTHCOM and Canada Command, General Renuart stressed the newly signed plan was designed to facilitate the military-to-military support of civil authorities “once government authorities have agreed on an appropriate response.”

The fact that it received virtually no attention in the American media is somewhat of a surprise unless you consider that most of the mainstream media is so liberal that they no longer comprehend issues such as national sovereignty. Add to that the average American is so consumed with their personal issues that they fail to recognize many things at national and international levels and how it could affect them in the long term.

There will be those that read this and will say, “Ah, this is just another conspiracy theory.” That might be true if one was trying to promote a conspiracy scenario. However, I’m simply looking at the broad picture of bible prophecy and seeing that what is taking place or small pieces to the puzzle about to be revealed.

Jesus told the religious leaders of his day, “…You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” [Matthew 16:3] Christians should recognize world events and put them in proper perspective to what the Bible is telling us will happen. So what is it telling us? Jesus is coming soon!