Britain's Sunday Times newspaper has reported that Iran is making preparations for war with Israel in the event that a military strike is carried out on its nuclear facilities. According to defence sources quoted in the report, Iran is positioning its Shihab-3 missiles to be ready for launch, and that Israel's Dimona reactor is one of the prime targets that have been selected for attack. The chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards warned yesterday that Israel is within reach of Iran's Shihab-3 rockets, which have a range of around 1250 miles. He also said that one of Iran's first acts in response to the destruction of its nuclear facilities would be to seize control of the Straits of Hormuz, through which sixty percent of the world's oil is transported. A former head of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad remarked that Israel has just twelve months to deal with the Iranian nuclear problem or face the threat of a nuclear attack themselves.

Quote: "General Mohammad Ali Jafari, chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, has issued a new warning against Israel not to attack it, saying the country is well within range of its missiles, the Iranian Jam-e Jam newspaper reported on Saturday. "This country (Israel) is completely within the range of the Islamic republic's missiles. Our missile power and capability are such that the Zionist regime, despite all its abilities, cannot confront it," he said. "There is the possibility that by attacking Iranian nuclear sites the enemy wants to delay our nuclear activities, but any interruption would be very short since Iranian scientific ability is different from that of Syria and Iraq."

Another Revolutionary Guards commander has stated that orders have been given to dig 320,000 graves in Iran in which to bury enemy soldiers. Brigadier General Mir-Faisal Baqerzadeh did not elaborate on which enemy would occupy the graves, but warned that he did not "wish the families of enemy soldiers to experience what Americans had to go through in the aftermath of the Vietnam War". While it's not clear how much of this is simply rhetoric designed to intimidate their enemies and how much is actual preparation for war in the Middle East, I thought the news concerning Iran apparently giving orders to dig the graves of enemy soldiers was extremely interesting. For the Bible states that this is exactly what will come to pass. Only it won't be Iran that is burying the bodies of their enemies following a foreign invasion. We know that the coming Israeli-Arab war mentioned in the book of Ezekiel will include Iran (Ezekiel 38:5). Prior to the Iranian revolution in 1980, Iran had relatively good relations with Israel. So it seems that only within the past twenty years could this prophecy have really been fulfilled. And President Ahmadinejad's repeated calls for the destruction of Israel adds further weight to that theory. But Iran's graves will lie empty, for it is Israel that will have to give Iran a special place in the land to bury their fallen... 

Ezekiel 39:11-16
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, 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. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

As you can see, all the signs of Christ's coming are falling into place. And that is why we go to the bother of commenting on these things. We don't rejoice at seeing calamity in the world, nor do we long for it as some claim. This isn't the way God intended for it to be. But we do rejoice in the fact that Jesus Christ is returning to make all things new. That is our "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). Do you have a blessed hope? Or are you like most people in the world, their "hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth", Luke 21:26? Do not be afraid. You too can have peace of mind and know peace with God. Jesus Christ has already made peace between God and man through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Trust in Him for salvation today.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Source YNet News, LA Times, YNet News

This link from my friend Kathie. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem have revealed that the production of 120 priestly garments to be used in the administration of the Third Temple is now in full swing. The Temple Institute began production of the priestly garments in March of this year. Their production follows the recent completion of the Golden Crown of the High Priest in November of last year, and the blue ephod of the High Priest in 2005. It also closely follows the relocation of the Golden Menorah to the Temple Mount steps, which I was privileged to view during my recent trip to Israel. The garments of the priests are being created using special flax imported from India. The flax is then spun onto larger spindles in Israel, after which it is woven into priestly garments according to the manner prescribed in the Torah.

Quote: "PRODUCTION OF THE SPECIALLY WOVEN LINEN FABRIC for the making of the lay-priests garments is in full swing. Concurrently, the Temple Institute has enlisted master clothing designer Aviad Jeruffi to help in the design of the garments. Jeruffi has spent fifteen years studying the art of creating biblical era garments at the feet of a Yemenite master of the discipline, who himself has received the ancient tradition from his elders. MASTER DESIGNER JERUFFI can be seen in the photographs below modelling the priestly garments. The garments shown in the photographs are "mock-ups" only, and are not made with the "twined linen - shesh mushzar" that will be used in the actual garments when they are produced.

The woollen and linen belts that are to be worn by the priests are being woven using purple, crimson and blue thread, dyed according to methods that would have been used during the First and Second Temple eras. The blue colour, or 'techelet' in the Hebrew, is obtained from the gland of a specific sea snail mentioned in the Scriptures, which has recently been identified under the name of 'murex trunculus'. The crimson colour comes from a specific mountain worm which has been identified as 'kermes biblicus'. My friend Jim Clint wrote a beautiful article on this worm, how it speaks of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. Whenever this worm reproduces, its offspring feast on the mother's flesh, and as they do so they become covered with the red pigment dye contained within her body. The red dye is permanent, and cannot be erased for the remainder of the worm's life. The parent worm literally gives her life for her offspring, just as Jesus Christ gave His life for us (John 10:11). We can have eternal life because of Christ's death upon the cross. And just as these worms become covered with the red pigment from their mother's flesh, so those who trust in Jesus Christ for salvation are cleansed from their sins through His blood (1st John 1:7). If only these dear Jewish people recognized that Jesus Christ is the crimson worm (Psalm 22:6), Who gave His life on the cross so that they may have life. Do you have this eternal life? Have you feasted on the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?

John 6:53-54
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

We do not do this by taking wine and eating bread. These things are merely emblems of our faith in the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. His body has already been broken for us in the sufferings he passed through at Calvary (Matthew 26:26). His blood was shed for us upon the cross to make atonement for our souls (Matthew 26:27-28). The innocent life in place of the guilty. When we say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved", that includes believing in all that Christ has accomplished upon the cross, that He bore God's punishment for your sins and that His shed blood cleanses you from all sin. What a wonderful Saviour we have! Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

The blood that Jesus shed for me
Way back on Calvary
The blood that gives me strength from day to day
It shall never lose its power

Source Temple Institute

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat has said that now is the time for decision making in regards to the Middle East peace process, if an agreement is to be reached by the end of this year. He made the remarks in a speech at the Peres Centre for Peace in Tel Aviv University. Erekat was joined by MK Yossi Beilin of Meretz and former Director General of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Dr. Alon Liel, to discuss Israel's negotiations with Syria and how it will affect the peace process with the Palestinians. Erekat said that there was only viable option for peace and that was the two state solution. He remarked that Israeli and Palestinian leaders who reach an agreement "will be more important to the region's history than Jesus".

Quote: ""Our goal is to reach an agreement. Regarding the core issues: Jerusalem, the refugees and the borders – all these have solutions. This is the time for decisiveness. We will not go back to talks over temporary arrangements or temporary border, we intend to reach an agreement and this is possible for all the core issues. We need to make decisions, and (Prime Minister) Olmert and (Palestinian President) Abbas are capable of making them. "The 'Israeli and Palestinian leaders who reach an agreement will be more important to the region's history than Jesus," said Erekat.

'Famous last words', you might say. John Lennon of the pop group, the Beatles, once said that they had become "more popular than Jesus". In an interview for the London Evening Standard, John remarked that "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me". Praise God that Christianity has not gone, vanished or shrunk. The Beatles have, but Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, and to day, and forever", Hebrews 13:8. And praise God that His disciples were "thick and ordinary", because this shows us that Jesus Christ is a "friend of publicans and sinners", Matthew 11:19, and thus a friend of mine. A few weeks ago I commented on Dr Paul-Henri Spaak's speech, calling for a man - god or devil - to lift mankind out of the economic morass into which this world is sinking. I believe those words were prophetic, in that Satan will provide mankind such a man, who will be none other than the Antichrist himself (Revelation 13:2). And I believe that Saeb Erekat's words are also prophetic. For this Antichrist, who will strengthen a peace agreement between Israel and the nations for a period of seven years, will claim to be more important that Jesus Christ. For he shall "exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods", Daniel 11:36. And he will blaspheme the true God, and persecute those who follow Him (Revelation 13:6). This is the man that the world is now looking for. He will demand all the world worship him as God (2nd Thessalonians 2:4), and those that refuse will be executed (Revelation 13:15). He will bring carnage and destruction to this world. And when mankind is finally brought to an end of themselves, then Jesus Christ will return to set up His eternal state (Isaiah 9:6-7). And the Stone which was rejected by the builders of the nation of Israel will become the head of the corner (Mark 12:10). This world has a long way to go before they will honour Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It doesn't have to be that way for you. You can do it right now as you read this message. Just pray to God and tell him that you are sinner and you are sorry for your sins. Thank Him for providing salvation for you, in sending His Son Jesus Christ to bear the punishment for your sins upon the cross. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). Don't think that you can't get God's salvation because you aren't worthy of receiving it. None of us are worthy. But Jesus Christ has already shown us His good will towards us, in that He has died for us (Romans 5:8). Why would Jesus Christ go to all the trouble of dying on the cross, if He wasn't prepared to receive sinners? His death on the cross shows us that He is ready and willing to receive us. Trust in Him for salvation today.

Source YNet News, Beatles Number 9

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." - Psalm 31 V24

"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry." - Psalm 40 V1

We all expect our prayers to be answered right away and our Lord answers our prayers in His time. Sometimes it may be immediately and other times it may take a while and also few times we may get an answer to our prayers but not the way we expect it to be. Those who wait patiently and hope in the Lord shall renew their strength and God shall never forsake those who trust in Him. We may have a narrow perspective of things we seek but God sees everything and from every direction and He knows what is best and when it will be best. Be of good courage, keep up your faith and continue to hope in the Lord. He will surely answer our prayers in His time.

Members of the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia) have agreed to hold a summit in November to review progress made since the Annapolis peace conference at the end of last year. Israeli and Palestinian leaders committed themselves at that meeting to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008. So far progress has been slow, with the Palestinian negotiating teams rejecting several Israeli proposals on the borders of a Palestinian state, and Israel pressing ahead with construction work in east Jerusalem. There have been several international gatherings since Annapolis to further the establishment of a Palestinian state. World powers gathered in Paris in December of last year to pledge money towards the funding the project, there was an economic investment conference in London in May, and there was a conference in Berlin last Tuesday to discuss the strengthening of Palestinian institutions and security bodies. Russia has long sought to increase its influence in the Middle East by getting involved in the peace process, and it looks like they have finally gotten their way. The follow up summit to the Annapolis peace conference is to be held in Moscow.

Quote: "The Quartet of Middle East peacemakers decided this week pursue the organization of a regional conference in Moscow in November. The Quartet - comprised of Russia, the United States, the UN and the European Union - reached the decision at a conference in Berlin on Tuesday meant to raise money for the Palestinian Authority. A Jerusalem source said Wednesday that the conference is to provide the stage either for the signing of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement or, in a much more likely scenario, a joint statement on the course of negotiations planned for 2009.

It will be interesting to see what emerges from this Russian peace summit. The prophecy of Ezekiel seems to indicate that the nation of Russia (Ezekiel 38:2), or at least former Soviet satellite states, will be drawn into a full-scale war with the nation of Israel. It is easy to see how this could come about in the not too distant future. As we have seen recently, Israel is making preparations for a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Russia stands to lose much from such a strike, having constructed Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility, provided them with anti-aircraft missiles to protect it, and recently entered into a massive billion dollar defence contract with the nation. If Iran gets hit, Russia could lose a lot of money. The Bible states that during a time of relative peace, the surrounding Arab nations will mount a surprise attack on the Jewish state. It seems that at first, Gog will move his forces to protect the Arab nations coming against Israel (Ezekiel 38:7). But as the Arab attack ensues, an evil thought enters into Gog's mind. Instead of acting to protect the Arab armies, he moves his armies against Israel to take a spoil for himself (Ezekiel 38:10-12). Perhaps the evil thought could be retribution for Iran, or more likely the idea of expanding his empire throughout the Middle East. 

The Bible predicted these things would happen, over 2500 years ago. The Bible also predicted that this same Jesus, Who was crucified on a cross, laid in a garden tomb and raised again from the dead, would come back one day. Not as a suffering Servant, although He was that. But as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Do you know the Saviour? Have your sins been forgiven by the Man of Calvary? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

Isaiah 52:13-15
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Source Haaretz