President of the United States of America George W. Bush arrived in Israel today on a three day visit to the country as part of an effort to encourage progress in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Following his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian ministers, the President is expected to make stops in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the next week. Middle East analysts are expecting no real breakthroughs as a result of the visit. That has also been my own feeling. The press have so far concentrated on the President's arrival to Israel, how his presence in Israel is affecting the traffic, how expensive his hotel is and what gifts he has been given by the Israeli government. The President hasn't really said anything new in regards to the peace process, apart from reiterating his vision of "two states living side by side in peace and security", calling on both sides to defeat terrorism and commenting on the recent Iranian attack on the US fleet. Well you might be forgiven for thinking that the world would at least have the courtesy to give President Bush a chance to do his bit in the Middle East before butting in. But it seems that the European Union is already preparing for the failure of America's Middle East peace drive, and is ready to step in with its own.

Quote: "The European Union is ready to get involved again in the Mideast peace process if the current US-led drive fails to make progress, the EU's current president, Slovenia, said Wednesday. Speaking after meeting the Palestinian information minister, Riyadh al-Maliki, here, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said the EU was ready to resume a key role if the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, set in motion in Annapolis last year, grind to a halt. The Middle East diplomatic Quartet, comprising the European Union, Russia, the United States and United Nations, had "stepped back to see what can be achieved through the agreement reached in Annapolis," Rupel told a news conference here. "But if there is no progress, the EU will involve itself in the process again, as far as it can."

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki told the Slovenian Foreign Minister that the Palestinians were ready to promote peace, and wanted the help of the European Union to bring about the creation of a Palestinian state.

Quote: ""We want the EU to be active in actions taken in creating an independent Palestinian state," Malki said in Ljubljana, as reported by the state-run news agency STA. Palestinians are ready "to take all kinds of steps" to promote peace with Israel, STA quoted him as saying.

So it seems that as President Bush is in Israel doing his bit, the European Union is waiting patiently in line. I'm not against America and I'm not against President Bush. And I'm not boasting because I live in Europe. If I had lived in America I would be saying exactly the same thing. As the news reports over the last few years have indicated and as the prophecies of Daniel have predicted, I believe it will be the European Union that will be the one to strengthen a peace agreement in the Middle East. And it will be specifically the Antichrist, the prince of the people that destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD (Daniel 9:26), who will divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:39). There is no doubt that this conflict affects the whole world. We know that the nations of the world, including America and Britain, will become involved in it to such an extent that they will gather together against the city of Jerusalem to do battle (Zechariah 14:2). With the Leader of the Free World in Jerusalem today, it is clear to see that this day is fast approaching. The Lord has a controversy with the nations that divide His land and disperse His people. Praise God that Jesus Christ will return to defend Jerusalem, the city where He has chosen to place His name (1st Kings 11:36), and to set up His Kingdom which shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Do you know Him as your personal Saviour? Do you have the joy of sins forgiven? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Source Telegraph, The Australian, YNet News, EU Business, Jerusalem Post

Three prominent Jewish organizations are planning to hand a letter to President Bush upon his arrival in the Middle East, requesting that he recognize the Jewish people's Divine right to the land of Israel. The President is due to arrive in the region on the 9th of January to support final status negotiations which commenced following the peace conference in Annapolis. The document has been signed by the President of the Sanhedrin Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, head of the Temple Institute Rabbi Chaim Richman, and Dr. Gadi Eshel of the recently formed New Jewish Congress. The letter takes the form of a scroll, and is addressed to President Bush as the "Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal" and "Leader of the West". You can view the contents of scroll here, and view an online presentation by Rabbi Chaim Richman here. In the letter, the leaders of the Jewish organizations urge President Bush to be remembered as King Cyrus, who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity, rather than King Nebuchadnezzar who was responsible for its destruction. The letter includes passages from Torah explaining how God promised the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their seed for an eternal possession. The letter calls upon President Bush to make a choice between supporting the state Israel and paving the path for world peace, or supporting the division of the land and facing the consequences...

Quote: "The proclamation also takes a foreboding tone: "Or – Heaven forbid – you can choose the second option – to wilfully aid in the destruction, under the guise of peace! You certainly know what the G-d of Israel did to Egypt and Assyria and to all Israel's enemies from time immemorial: Do you imagine that you will be able to save yourself if you have come to implement a plan that intends to steal the land of "the people that survived the sword" (Jeremiah 31:1), and to cut off those who survived the Holocaust, to rob the land that was given to them by the Creator?" "All of the peace treaties and initiatives which have been based upon the decisions of the government of Israel, indeed the entire Oslo process, and the 'Disengagement,' and the establishment of a terrorist state within the Land of Israel known as 'Palestine' – regrettably, all of these agreements are the result of a lack of sufficient faith in the Divine promises that the Lord made to the patriarchs of our nation, and all that is written in the Torah of Israel. "Understand this well: the nations of the world cannot excuse their actions and their decisions on account of the weakness of Israel and her government. G-d ordained that the role of the nations of the world is to strengthen the nation of Israel. This will benefit all humanity and bring about world peace, as the prophets have foretold.

Just a few days ago, the same organizations sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, demanding the right for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. There is no doubt we are living in tremendous days. Who would ever have thought we would see the day when the nations of the world would gather to discuss the division of Israel? And who would ever have thought we would see the day when an Israeli government was willing to contemplate dividing Jerusalem? This, coupled with recent prophetic developments, including the reformation of the Sanhedrin for the first time in 1600 years, blueprints for the construction of the Third Temple and more, can mean only one thing. We are now living in the last days. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, the prophecies concerning the end times are rapidly falling into place. It is no longer a question of if these things comes to pass, but when they will come to pass. The Scriptures have proven to be 100% accurate in all that has taken place.

Rabbi Chaim Richman's conviction is admirable, but sadly like many Israelis today he does not believe Yeshua is the Messiah. He believes that the nation of Israel can experience peace through rebuilding the Temple and possessing the land God promised them. God will defend His chosen people, that I do not deny. I believe that according to Scripture the Temple will be rebuilt, but no peace will come. Instead, the Antichrist will defile the Temple (Daniel 11:31), cause the sacrificial system to cease (Daniel 9:27) and proclaim himself to be God (2nd Thessalonians 2:4). And then the greatest period of persecution the Jewish people have ever seen will commence (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21). What did the Lord say when He left the Temple for the last time prior to His crucifixion? "Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord", Luke 13:35. Peace will not come for Israel until the nation is willing to recognize their rejected Messiah (Isaiah 53:1). For Israel as a nation the blindness will continue (Romans 11:25), until that day when the only place left they have to look to for help is up (Zechariah 12:10). Then the nation of Israel will mourn for their Messiah, and for the hardness of their own hearts. But what about you? You have no excuse. You read about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you on the cross, yet like the nation of Israel you still refuse to recognize Him as Lord and Saviour. Someday you may mourn the hardness of your own heart. But then it may be too late.

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Source Arutz 7, Temple Institute, Universal Torah

Two Jewish organizations have sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning that they intend to take legal action against him if the status of Jerusalem is discussed at upcoming negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Olmert recently commented that all of Israel's friends recognize the 1948 armistice lines as defacto-borders, and that it was inevitable that Israel would have to relinquish its hold on the eastern half of the city in exchange for peace with the Arab nations. It was reported that the Israeli Prime Minister also discussed the division of Jerusalem with King Abdullah II of Jordan, during a surprise visit to the Hashemite Kingdom last week. 

Quote: "Reportedly, during the meeting which was aimed at coordinating positions ahead of a visit by US President George W. Bush slated for next week, Abdullah told Olmert that the latter had to stand up to commitments he made in the past, and begin making public statements regarding the division of Jerusalem.

And it seems that is exactly what Olmert has been doing. But according to Israeli law, the city of Jerusalem is the "eternal and undivided capital" of the Jewish people. So when Vice Premier Haim Ramon announces that Israel will cede Arab areas of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, and Olmert questions why Arab communities were considered part of the holy city in the first place, they are violating Israeli law.

Quote: "The first clause of the law in question, passed in 1980 under Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Yitzchak Navon, states, "Jerusalem, whole and united, is the capital of Israel." Clause 5 stipulates the precise area of Jerusalem, while Clause 6 states, "No authorities relating to the area of Jerusalem and that is in the legal purview of the State of Israel or the Municipality of Jerusalem shall be transferred to any foreign political or governmental element, whether permanently or for a set period." Clause 7 states that Clauses and 5 and 6 may not be changed except if another Basic Law is accepted by the majority of the Knesset. 

And a lawyer working on behalf of the organizations Victims of Arab Terror and Twenty-Four Shifts intend to remind the Prime Minister of that fact. The only way for Olmert to legally negotiate the status of Jerusalem is to repeal those laws, and he can only do that with the backing of the Knesset. If Olmert fails to respond to the letter, the two organizations are prepared to file for a court order to prevent him from dividing the city. And all this is happening as Israel prepares for the arrival of the President of the United States of America on a three day visit to the country this week. The Israeli government has announced it has created a special committee to oversee the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, and the division of Jerusalem is one of the issues that will be discussed. The Israeli government intends to begin formal negotiations following President Bush's visit to the country, which runs from the 9th to the 11th of January.

Quote: "Negotiations over the core issues - refugees, Jerusalem and borders - will begin after U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the region this week, while the remaining issues will be discussed in other committees. The agreement being finalized between Livni and Qureia changes the format of negotiations over the core issues which, until talks stopped in 2001, were discussed in three different committees. A senior political source said yesterday that the special committee will allow the two sides to engage in a real dialogue. "This way it will be possible to carry out negotiations without pressure - neither political nor through leaks - and we will be able to make more progress," the source added. 

It's interesting that this impasse over the status of Jerusalem has cropped up. For the Scriptures seem to indicate that some sort of agreement will be formulated 3.5 years prior to the division of Jerusalem. Clearly the Arab nations, and especially the Palestinian terrorist organizations, are not going to settle for anything less than full control over Gaza, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. And that's just to begin with. But something (or someone) will happen which will enable a peace agreement to be signed without Arab control over east Jerusalem. Could this be the Basic Law which prevents the division of the holy city until then? Or could it be the arrival of the Antichrist who convinces the Arab nations to play his game until the time is ripe? In any case prophecy is being fulfilled just as the Bible predicted. Following the division of the city, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth with His saints for the final battle over Jerusalem. Do you belong to Jesus Christ? Will you be with the Lord on that day? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Zechariah 14:1-3
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Source Jerusalem Post, Arutz 7, Haaretz

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert paid tribute to his predecessor Ariel Sharon today, marking two years since the time the former Prime Minister slipped into a coma. On the 18th of December, 2005, Ariel Sharon was rushed to hospital by his son after he complained of feeling unwell. The hospital reported that the 77 year old had suffered a minor stroke. They announced that the Prime Minister needed to undergo surgery to repair a hole in his heart, but despite this he was in a stable condition. He was later released from hospital after making a slight recovery, only to be rushed back in a few weeks later suffering from a massive brain hemorrhage. Some reports suggested that the hospital had given Sharon the wrong type of medication, and this may have caused the situation to grow worse. Sharon was rushed back into hospital 24 hours later after it was discovered the previous operation had failed to stem the bleeding. This time the hospital report stated that Sharon had suffered extensive damage to the right side of his brain, and that his left side may be paralyzed and his speech may be slurred. Doctors were unable to awaken Sharon from his medically induced coma, which was meant to prevent more serious damage being done to his brain. The Israeli government later declared Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated, paving the way for his Vice Premier Ehud Olmert to take the reigns of power. In August of 2005, Sharon's condition worsened, and doctors announced he had contracted double pneumonia. The condition of his brain had regressed again, and an infection was discovered in his blood. He later recuperated, and remains under supervision at the Tel Aviv rehabilitation centre.

Quote: ""I am nostalgic for the long hours that we passed together, for the sound of his voice, for his humour," Olmert wrote in the tribute published in the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper. "I hope with all my heart that a day will come when he will open his eyes again and return to be among us." In a separate statement published by the tabloid Maariv, Olmert wrote: "I am sure that he would tell me if he could from the place where he is today: follow your path with faith and lead the people of Israel."

Sharon's stroke occurred just a few months after Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, which was portrayed by Sharon as a unilateral move aimed at improving Israel's security situation. Sharon's stroke was widely perceived by both Christians and Jews to be a judgement from God for dividing His land (Joel 3:2). US broadcaster Pat Robertson was criticized for voicing his opinion on the matter, and was later forced to apologize for his remarks. That contrasted with US President Bill Clinton, who said, "it's almost as if God were testing them one more time to rise again, to keep on [striving for peace]". But you won't find that view supported by Scripture. Those who study their Bibles know that this coming peace will herald the arrival of the Antichrist, who will divide the land of Israel for his own gain (Daniel 11:39). Sharon's present condition seems to have prophetic significance, especially in relation to the disengagement from Gaza.

Isaiah 29:1-4, 9-10, 16
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust... Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered... Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? 

Yitzchak Kaduri was a Kabbalist Rabbi who had some sort of revelation of the Jewish Messiah. In 1990 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson met Kaduri and told him that he would live to see the coming of the Messiah. Kaduri died in January 2006, but he claimed that in November 2003, he had personally met Mashiach. He wrote His name on a piece of paper and put it inside an envelope, with the express instructions that it not be opened until one year after his death. On the note was written, "Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah's name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid. This I have signed in the month of mercy". The phrase in Hebrew has only six words, and abbreviated, the words spell out the name of Yeshua. Yitzchak Kaduri also made several predictions during his lifetime. He once urged that all Jews return to the land of Israel so as to escape the judgements that were coming on the nations. He also claimed that the Messiah would not come until Sharon died. This Arutz 7 article about Kaduri also mentions how the Messiah will come to Israel...

Quote: "Rabbi Eliyahu emphasized that G-d has complete control of nature, and that the Jewish People live "amidst great faith, despite questions that remain open. No question mark can break our strength of great and perfect faith in G-d... This does not prevent us from asking and searching for answers and [logical] explanations, but it all takes place on the solid ground of great faith in G-d... The Bible (Zechariah 14) mentions that in the future, when the Messiah comes, the Mt. of Olives will be split in two... The Messiah can come at any minute, even as you read these lines..."

Thus the New Testament confirms that Yeshua is the true Messiah, for as the disciples watched His ascension into heaven from the Mount of Olives, the angels that stood by said, "this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven", Acts 1:11. At the end of the tribulation period, as the nations of the world gather together to do battle against Jerusalem, the Jewish nation will finally recognize Yeshua as their Messiah when He descends upon Mount Olivet. The question is, is He your Messiah? Isaiah 53 also mentions the Messiah's atoning death on the cross at Calvary. He bled and died to take away your sins. Trust in Him for salvation today.

Source AFP, Arutz 7, Free Republic, WorldNetDaily, Arutz 7

"If there's a chance to reach an agreement in the presidential term of George Bush, that's preferable," Olmert said in an interview with the English-language Jerusalem Post published ahead of Bush's landmark visit to the region next week. "It's not merely Bush's presidency. It's a coincidence that is almost 'the hand of God:' that Bush is president of the United States, that Nicolas Sarkozy is the president of France, that Angela Merkel is the chancellor of Germany, that Gordon Brown is the prime minister of England and that the special envoy to the Middle East is Tony Blair." "What possible combination could be more comfortable for the state of Israel? So why would I gamble on what might be?"

He said that despite this favourable environment, Israel would have to make concessions if it hoped to achieve peace with its Palestinian neighbours. "The world that is friendly to Israel, not the world comprised of fanatics and extremists, the world that really supports Israel, when it speaks of the future, it speaks of Israel in terms of the '67 borders. It speaks of division of Jerusalem. We must remember this."

Olmert's interview was published ahead of next week's landmark visit to the region by Bush, the first one to Israel and the Palestinian territories by a sitting US president in nine years. Bush aims to advance final status negotiations that the Israeli premier and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas relaunched at a US conference hosted by the American president in late November, after nearly a seven-year hiatus. At the time they both pledged to aim for a final agreement by the end of 2008, just weeks before Bush is to leave office. "I don't know if I will be able to meet the timetable and I never promised that I would. I said that I hoped so but I don't know. "But let me ask you: If there's a chance to reach an agreement and to get assistance to complete an agreement, what is better for us, that it be done in the era of President Bush or that of another president when we at the moment can't exactly know who that president will be and what his positions will be?"

Olmert heaped praise on Bush, saying "in all my years of public life, since 1973, I don't recall that America was led by someone as friendly since the days of president (Gerald) Ford" and adding that "he doesn't apply pressure." "I don't recall another president who systematically and consistently showed the same level of commitment to Israel as George W. Bush," adding that "with him, I know for certain that he backs our red lines" and that "he doesn't say a thing that he thinks will make life harder for Israel." Olmert reiterated that "we will honour our obligations as set out in the roadmap," the 2003 international roadmap peace blueprint that called on Israel to halt settlement activity and on the Palestinians to boost security.

But he reiterated that Israel had no intention of giving up some of the large settlement blocks in the occupied Palestinian territory, notably the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem -- one of West Bank's largest. "Maale Adumim is an indivisible part of Jerusalem and the State of Israel. I don't think when they're talking about settlements they are talking about Maale Adumim."

The once great Nation of America has condemned itself in interfering with the Land of Israel and its God given covenant concerning its land. Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on this statement.

In the book of Genesis 12:2-3, God has given blessings to those who bless Israel and has condemnation to those who curse Israel: "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all of the families of the earth shall be blessed."

What does this have to do with America, you ask? This is just the beginning of understanding the curse American politicians have brought upon itself. America has made an unbreakable pact with the people of Ishmael to obtain oil. America has also, made an unbreakable pact with the people of Israel to help and protect their nation. These are two pacts that are impossible to maintain because of the clashes of interests within.

When will American politicians finally realize that they have a problem too big to handle? The problem with this two state plan in progress is that God has promised the land of Israel to the Jewish people in an unending covenant. It seems that God has not forgotten His prophecy to protect Israel from those who divide Israel's land. Help Israel, but don't dictate to Israel on the division of it's land. The curses on America are too great.

All of the land that God decreed to Abraham belongs to him and his descendants. God has also told Israel not to give away it's land. This is God's property and only God will divide it if He wants to break His promise. This ever happening is unlikely.

The everlasting hatred of the descendants of Isaac (Jews), by the descendants of Ishmael (Arabs), is clearly visible in the Middle East, today. The Arabs want to remove Israel from the face of the earth. The Arabs have never honored any agreement in the treaty negotiations concerning the peace between the two, and never will, until God steps in to stop this bloodshed in the world, at the climax of the "End Times".