Russian Admiral Vladimir Masorin has stated that the Russian navy is seeking a permanent presence in the Mediterranean Sea, during a visit to a naval base in the Black Sea. Masorin believes that Mediterranean is of strategic importance to Russia, being located close to the Black Sea.  

Quote: ""The Mediterranean Sea is very important strategically for the Black Sea fleet," Masorin said during a visit to the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet in the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol. "I propose that, with the involvement of the Northern and Baltic fleets, the Russian Navy should restore its permanent presence there," Masorin said, Interfax reported. Masorin did not say where Russian ships would be based in the Mediterranean Sea, where Russia has no coast.

Just recently Russia has also sought to increase its presence at the North Pole, sending two submarines to plant a flag 4200 metres under the ice. Russia's spurious claim to the polar region will cause conflict with states that have territory within the Arctic Circle, and is likely to upset others who will see this as an attempt by Russia to secure the North Pole's vast gas and oil resources for itself. 

Quote: "Russia wants to extend right up to the North Pole the territory it controls in the Arctic, believed to hold vast reserves of untapped oil and natural gas, which is expected to become more accessible as climate change melts the ice. President Vladimir Putin congratulated the expedition by telephone on "the outstanding scientific project," local agencies reported. Boris Gryzlov, who heads the State Duma lower chamber of parliament and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, hailed the expedition as "a new stage of developing Russia's polar riches". "This is fully in line with Russia's strategic interests," local media quoted him as saying. "I am proud our country remains the leader in conquering the Arctic."

Russia's "strategic interests" are of course bringing it into direct conflict with the state of Israel. Not only has Russia helped build Iran's nuclear facilities, it has provided the nation with anti-aircraft missiles to defend them, and is now considering selling Iran long-range jets to protect its airspace. In co-operation with Syria, Russia is already planning to build its first naval base in the Mediterranean since the collapse of the Soviet Union. And today the Russian Admiral wants a fleet of Russian ships permanently stationed in the waters opposite Israel. So where is this all leading? The Bible seems to indicate that Russia, along with her Islamic allies, will be brought against the nation of Israel in the latter days. During a time when Israel is at rest, an unexpected Arab invasion of Israel prompts Russia to move into the Middle East. At first it seems Russia's role in this war is to act as a guard to the Arab states, which according to Ezekiel 38:5-6, include Iran, Sudan, Libya and Turkey.

Ezekiel 38:7 
Be thou (Gog) prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

Ezekiel 38:9-12
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. Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time (as the Arab invasion) shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a 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.

Russia is located geographically above the state of Israel, yet Ezekiel prophesies that the Russian hordes shall "ascend" and come like a "storm" and a "cloud" to cover the land. The word for a "storm" in the Hebrew is a "tempest" or to "rush over", and the word for "cloud" is a "nimbus" or "thunder cloud". It is thought that this passage describes a massive air-armada, that will act as a guard for Arab states fighting against Israel. But during the Arab invasion of Israel, an evil thought comes into the Russian leader's mind. Instead of acting as a guard to Arab troops, Russia moves against Israel itself to take a spoil. This act is protested by Saudi Arabia and a few other states, Saudi being a major oil exporter in the Middle East and the other states being merchants in the Mediterranean. The Bible states that Gog's invasion of Israel will result God's fury coming up in His face. The rest of the passage describes the Divine destruction of 5/6ths of the invasion force, along with the possible use of nuclear weapons or long-range missiles.

Ezekiel 38:18
And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;. 

Source Reuters, Reuters

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has signed an agreement with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, pledging $80 million in aid to help boost the President's "security services". The announcement was made as the Secretary of State met the new Palestinian Authority government, headed by Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, in Ramallah today. President Abbas also announced he was ready to formulate a "Declaration of Principles" with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, which will form the basis for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Quote: "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has signed an agreement giving the Palestinian Authority $80m (£39m) to reform their security services. Ms Rice was in the West Bank, where she attended a meeting of the Fatah-led cabinet which was installed after the Hamas faction took over Gaza in June. She said Israel was ready to discuss "fundamental issues" leading to the creation of a Palestinian state.

It's not my intention to make light of the suffering of any person, and as a Christian my thoughts and prayers are with the people that have been caught up in this recent tragedy in the United States. But I have been emailed by a few people already about the events in Minneapolis, and its prophetic link to US involvement in the Middle East. Yesterday a highway bridge collapsed into the Mississippi river, killing around four people and injuring dozens. Thankfully casualties have been relatively low, considering the large number of cars on the bridge at the time and the fact that the massive structure collapsed into a river. The bridge was built in 1967, the same year that Israel fought for its very survival as the surrounding Arab nations vied for its destruction. The bridge collapsed in 2007, as the US Secretary of State was in the Middle East, once again working towards the division of God's land and pledging more money to Israel's enemies. The US has promised to hand Abbas' terrorist organization $80 million to help in its struggle against Hamas. The rebuilding of the Minneapolis bridge will likely cost a similar figure.

Quote: "As the divers worked their way around at least a dozen submerged vehicles, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced a $5 million grant to help pay for rerouting traffic patterns around the disaster site. "We fully understand what happened and we will take every step possible to ensure something like this will not happen again," Peters said. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said up to $100 million in federal funds will also be available for rebuilding and recovery. "A bridge in America just shouldn't fall down," Klobuchar said. "That's why we have called for this investigation."

As I quoted in the verses this morning in Leviticus 26, one of the judgements pronounced against the ungodly nation is, that its highways shall be desolate. Sad to say things will continue to get worse, as the nations of the world pressure Israel into dividing God's land.

Leviticus 26:22
I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

Source BBC, AOL

Quote: "The brief clip from al Qaeda's "as Sahab" propaganda arm juxtaposes the doctored photo of Bush and Musharraf along with previously seen images of al Qaeda's top leadership -- Osama bin Laden, Ayman al Zawahri and Adam Gadahn -- as well as a photo of an SUV in a motorcade. There is no additional information provided in the ad, and it closes with the words, "Soon -- Allah willing," written across the screen and repeated several times.

In Leviticus 26 the Lord warned Israel that He would bring five separate judgements on the nation that turns its back on Him. Following each specific judgement the Lord gives the nation space for repentance (Revelation 2:21). If repentance is not forth-coming, further judgements are promised. All judgement mentioned in the Scriptures is designed to bring people to repentance towards God. During the time of Israel's captivity in Egypt, the Lord gave Pharaoh opportunity to repent and to let His people go. Even during the tribulation period the Lord gives space for people to repent, but rather than turning to God for mercy, Revelation says they will blaspheme the God of heaven and repent not of their deeds (Revelation 9:20-21, Revelation 16:9-11).

Leviticus 26:14-33
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, [but] that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your [high] ways shall be desolate. And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. [And] when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver [you] your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

The judgements mentioned in Leviticus 26 follow this order... The first judgement is terror, the fear of terror, disease and defeat by enemies in battle. The second judgement is drought, crop failure and economic hardship. The third judgement is wild beasts of the land devouring people and cattle. The fourth judgement is severe famine, disease and war. The fifth judgement is the complete destruction of the nation. 

From around the year 2000, the world has witnessed the increase in the phenomenon of global terrorism. The targets are mainly wealthy pro-Western nations, which are generally viewed by radical Islamic groups as permissive and decadent. They are urged on by their leaders to conquer these "ungodly" nations in the name of Allah, and are promised victory by their holy book the Qur'an. Following the destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001 churches were packed, but there was no real repentance. Rather than calling upon God for mercy and forgiveness, the claim was made by the governments of the United States and United Kingdom that the terrorists' actions will not change our way of life. Rather than questioning whether God had permitted this tragedy to occur because of our sins, "Christian" leaders in the UK said this attack made them question their belief in a loving God. Then we had the fear of terror, increased security measures which are meant to protect us from further attacks by these radical Islamic groups. We had the judgement of disease, with superbugs in our hospitals and Foot and Mouth disease in our cattle. Then there was the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and we are still not winning these battles, years after they were declared officially "won".

The Western nations have generally had a time of peace this last few years, and it seems the Lord was giving us space to repent. But no repentance came. Instead the United States and United Kingdom started passing laws legalizing homosexual marriage, and persecuting God's people who believe such laws are immoral. And now it seems a second phase of judgement has come upon us. Countries around the world are experiencing prolonged droughts and torrential floods, which have decimated crops and increased the price of wheat. Honeybees in the US and UK are deserting their hives. UK interest rates are high, the dollar is at an all-time low and we have just suffered a global stock-market crash. Bishops of the Church of England warned the UK that the floods are a judgement from God for the sins of this nation, but their words have not been heeded by either the people or the government of this land.

When is this world going to wake up to what is going on? There are those who point at all these things taking place and think those who suffer judgement are greater sinners because such evil befalls them, but as the Lord said, "Unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish", Luke 13:3,5. Have you repented of your sins? Have you trusted in Christ for salvation? This world will not repent, and is destined to experience God's day of judgement. Trust in Christ for salvation today, and be delivered from the wrath to come.

1st Thessalonians 1:10 
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Source ABC News, Telegraph, India Daily