The Israeli Defence Force entered Gaza this morning in an operation aimed at bringing an end to the incessant rocket fire from the Palestinian territory that has so far resulted in the death of one man and the wounding of around a hundred others. The present crisis began when an eight year old child lost his leg after he was hit by shrapnel from a Kassam rocket. On Wednesday a father of four was killed when a Kassam landed near the Sapir College car park. On Friday Hamas announced they had fired over 80 rockets at Israel within the past few days. Another 50 were launched at Israel today. At least fifteen of these rockets have been advanced Katyusha missiles, manufactured in Iran and brought into Gaza through Egypt during last month's breach at the Rafah border. Several of these missiles landed as far north as Ashkelon, and Hamas representatives boasted that soon all of Israel would be within striking distance. In response to the rocket fire Israel cut fuel supplies to the Strip, and is mounting attacks on Kassam launch cells. Many civilians have been killed during Israel's strikes in Gaza, although it is important to note that Hamas often uses children to point their Kassam launchers, for they know it will put off the Israelis from targeting the launchers. And while Israel does everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties, Hamas actively seeks to kill as many civilians as possible. On Friday, Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Vilnai made a statement that Hamas' actions would bring about a "shoah" upon the Palestinian people. 'Shoah' is the Hebrew word for 'catastrophe', but it also the word used to describe the Holocaust. His words were misunderstood by the mainstream media, and used to infer that Israel would inflict suffering on the Palestinian people similar to that experienced by the Jews during the Second World War. Palestinian leaders have since jumped on the bandwagon, stating that Israel's attacks in Gaza are worse than a holocaust, and are threatening to suspend the peace talks.

Quote: ""I think it will be suspended," Qureia said. "What is happening in Gaza is a massacre of civilians, women and children, a collective killing, genocide," Qureia added. "We can't bear what the Israelis are doing, and what the Israelis are doing doesn't lend the peace process any credibility."

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal also slammed Israel for the escalation in Gaza, stating that the Jewish people exaggerated the Holocaust and are using it to blackmail the whole world. He said that Israel's actions in Gaza were the "real holocaust". Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also slammed Israel for what he said was "more than a holocaust", and asked that the world judge for themselves who it is that is committing international terrorism. Other states such as Libya are now becoming involved in the situation, calling on Arabs to end what they called a campaign aimed at "wiping out the Palestinian people".

Quote: ""Libya calls on Arabs to take an urgent position to stop the Zionist machine of mass killing and muster political and material support to rescue the sons of the Palestinian people from this Zionist shoah," the Libyan ministry said. "Libya also calls on the international community to shoulder their responsibility to halt this mass killing." 

It is plain to see where the policies of land for peace and President Bush's vision of two states are leading. The Jewish people suffered once before, and back then they didn't have any land. Not a single government in the world was willing to harbour those Jews fleeing from their Nazi persecutors. Are things really that much different, now the Jewish people have their own state? I don't think so. According to Scripture, things will continue to get worse for Israel. But there is hope. For following the greatest time of trouble the nation has ever experienced (Daniel 12:1), the Jewish people will turn to their Messiah for deliverance (Zechariah 12:10). And at that time Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) will return from Heaven to deliver His people, and to set up His everlasting kingdom which shall never be destroyed. Jesus Christ is coming back. He hasn't told us exactly when He will come, but He has promised He will come (John 14:3), and His promises are true and faithful (Revelation 19:11). Are you ready to meet Him? Have your sins been forgiven? Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Matthew 25:5-6
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Source Jewish Times, Arutz 7, YNet News, YNet News, YNet News, YNet News, Reuters

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov has expressed his concern over the recent test launch of Iran's Explorer-1 space rocket yesterday, citing fears that the same technology could be used to deliver a nuclear payload. Iran hopes to launch their first Iranian-made satellite into orbit next year using the rocket. The launch of the rocket was widely publicized in the Iranian press.

Quote: "According to Iranian state TV, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad personally called out the countdown before the rocket blasted off from a remote desert launchpad. The liftoff was accompanied by chants of "God is great" from officials gathered in the control room. The Iranian government gave few details of the rocket's capability, saying only that it had "reached space".

Iran already possesses medium range ballistic missiles such as the Shihab-3, which are capable of reaching Israel. Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology has long been a cause of concern for Western nations, especially to Israel, which President Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for to be "wiped off the map". But the development of satellite-launching technology would give Iranian rockets the capability of reaching into Russia and Europe. Pentagon officials have said yesterday's launching of the Iranian rocket was unfortunate, and they would press for a missile shield to be set up as soon as possible in order to protect Western interests in the region.

Quote: ""As they (Iranians) advance in that program, Europe becomes more and more threatened by it," Pentagon Spokesman, Geoff Morrell, alleged on Tuesday. "And, to us, it makes all the more clear the need for a missile defense program to protect our allies in Europe, as well as ourselves." DPA quoted him as saying.

The Bible states that Iran, formerly known as Persia, will be one of the main players in a future invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38:5). But it has long been debated when the war of Ezekiel 38-39 will occur. We are told in Scripture that it will occur in the "latter days", at a time when Israel is "at rest" (Ezekiel 38:16, 11). Ezekiel goes on to describe the nation of Israel at the time of the invasion as a "land of unwalled villages", and having neither "bars nor gates". This may give us further clues as to when the war of Ezekiel 38-39 will take place. The phrase 'latter days' can include the time of the seven year tribulation period. When Daniel is called in to interpret the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel states that there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and has made known to the king what would come to pass "in the latter days", Daniel 2:28. Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream spans the entire history of the nation of Israel, and concludes with the Second Coming of the Messiah and the setting up of God's Kingdom on earth. Later on in the book, the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel to make him understand what will befall his people "in the latter days", Daniel 10:14. The angel's narration to Daniel again spans the entire history of the Jewish nation until the setting up of God's Kingdom. The book of Hosea, which is believed to predict the 2000 year exile of the nation of Israel (Hosea 6:2), also prophesies that the Jewish people shall return to the Lord in the "latter days"...

Hosea 3:4-5
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

And we know that near the end of the time of Jacob's trouble, the nation of Israel will indeed look unto "Him whom they pierced", Zechariah 12:10. These verses in Hosea also mention David as their future ruler, which links the time of this prophecy to the Millennial Reign of Christ...

Ezekiel 37:25
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, [even] they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David [shall be] their prince for ever.

Just prior to his death, Moses prophesied that evil would befall the nation of Israel during the "latter days", because they would "do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger", Deuteronomy 31:29. And Jacob was to prophesy to his sons what would befall them in the "last days", Genesis 49:1, although somehow he didn't seem to get around to telling them. So the phrase 'latter days', along with a time of relative peace in the land, leads me to think that the war of Ezekiel 38-39 could happen during the first half of the tribulation period. For the phrase 'latter days' does seem to be specifically linked with the Jewish people and not with the Gentiles.

So as you can see, there is no doubt we are now living in the last days. The question is, where will you be at the "end of days", Daniel 12:13? With Christ in glory, or without Him in a lost eternity? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). 

Source The Register, Iranian Press TV, BBC

I thought there was something wrong with this picture when I first saw it in a news article regarding the blackout in Gaza yesterday. Today my suspicions were confirmed. Shortly before yesterday's "jail-break", journalists were invited to attend an emergency meeting of the Palestinian Legislative Council to report on the deepening crisis in Gaza. Hamas had previously claimed that Israel's closure of the Gaza Strip had caused a fuel shortage, causing the power station to shut down and sending much of the territory into darkness. Immediately following the blackout, Hamas staged a massive candlelit protest against the Israeli blockade, which received much coverage in the press. But Israel claimed that there were still sufficient fuel reserves to power Gaza, and Israel was still providing at least 70% of Gaza's electricity requirements despite the cut in fuel supplies. When journalists were invited to a hastily convened meeting by the Hamas leadership, they were surprised to find PLC members sitting around a table lit by candles. What was surprising was not the lack of electricity, but rather the fact that it was still daylight. As you can see from the photograph, daylight streams through the crack in the curtains to the right of Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh, while Palestinian legislators sit in darkness. 

Quote: ""They had closed the curtains in the rooms to create the impression that Hamas leaders were also suffering as a result of the power stoppage," one journalist told The Jerusalem Post. "It was obvious that the whole thing was staged." Another journalist said he and his colleagues were told to wait for a few minutes before entering the chamber of the Palestinian Legislative Council so that each legislator would have time to light his candle. He said that when he saw that the curtains had been closed to prevent the light from entering, he realized that Hamas was trying to manipulate the media for political gain.

Not only were the power cuts staged for the benefit of the press, but according to Hamas officials, the terrorist organization had been planning the demolishing of the Rafah border several months in advance, long before this present situation developed. The closure of Gaza simply provided them with the perfect opportunity to carry out their plan, whereby Israel would get the blame for the crisis, while Hamas could smuggle in weapons to continue its jihad against the "Zionist enemy".

Quote: "Hamas terrorist commander Abu Usama told the Times of London that work on demolishing the wall that runs along the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt has been ongoing for months – long before Israel placed a blockade on Gaza. He said Popular Resistance Committee men have been using oxy-acetylene torches for months to slice through the heavy metal wall, enabling it to be completely toppled by the dozens of bomb blasts overnight Tuesday. "I've seen this happening over the last few months,” he said. “It happened in the daytime but was covered up so that nobody would see."

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has said it is Egypt's responsibility to restore order at the Rafah border. A spokesman for the Egyptian government has stated that the border will remain open "as long as there continues to be a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished coastal territory". While there are Palestinians who are suffering because of the present situation, the closure of the border was intended to pressurize Hamas into ending its armed struggle. But as long as Palestinians have an escape route into Egypt, this situation can never be resolved. Thus Israel now has a desperate security situation on its hands. Palestinian terrorist organizations will be making the most of this open border, and if Israel decides to intervene, they risk agitating the Egyptians.

I don't have much to say about prophecy in relation to today's article. But I was thinking about the irony of Palestinian legislators sitting in darkness, while just outside shone the light of day. One of my favourite songs by Len Magee is the Calypso Carol. It speaks of the angelic announcement of the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds in the Bethlehem hills. The first verse is as follows:- 

Shepherds watching sheep at night, in the fields alone
Suddenly a light shone down, from the Glory Throne
Though the sky was filled with joy, they were all afraid
They didn't know in Bethlehem, the King of Peace was laid

Len then reveals a spiritual application to this story in the second verse. "Man still watches through the night, and he is all alone. Though the Light of God came down from the Glory Throne". Isaiah prophesied of this Light that was to come down from the Glory Throne...

Isaiah 9:2
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Zechariah prophesied that there was One coming Who would give light to those that "sit darkness and in the shadow of death", Luke 1:79. That Light is Jesus Christ. Sad to say, just like these Hamas legislators, many people still choose to sit in darkness despite the Light of God having come down from heaven. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today. 

John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

Source Jerusalem Post, Arutz 7

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