The fastest growing movement in the financial world is "smart cards". Smart cards, which resemble ordinary credit cards, contain tiny computer chips, capable of storing data, such as bank accounts, medical information, etc. Already widely used in Japan and Europe, according to InformationWeek, (p.4) "BY NEXT YEAR, cards will be used to pay for health care and insurance, to receive government benefits, and to buy items in vending machines . . ."

Newsweek magazine, July 31, 1989, (p.54) said smart cards, "may make the old science-fiction notion of a CASHLESS SOCIETY REAL."

A pilot program is already being tested at the Marine Corp's Parris Island training base in South Carolina. According to Newsweek, "On payday, recruits receive smart cards rather than cash. When a marine makes a purchase on base, he plugs the card into a small terminal and the sum is automatically deducted from his pay." Newsweek says, "THE BASE IS, IN FACT, A CASHLESS ECONOMY – even the telephones take smart cards."

The Birmingham News, August, 24, 1993, (p.1B) report on smart cards, said, "Before long, you'll use this electronic check to pay for groceries, gasoline, taxes, stamps, fast food – in virtually any business where you now use checks or cash." Robert Mckinley, president of RAM Research Corp. says, "You've heard about the cashless society . . . IT MAY FINALLY BE ON ITS WAY."

Infosecurity News, Sept/Oct 93 (p.27), writes, "An extraordinary effort is now underway to build an INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LARGE-SCALE USE of smart cards in electronic data interchange, national health- care systems, financial-transaction systems and interactive home services . . ."

Pilot programs, utilizing smart cards, are already being tested in Minnesota, New Jersey, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Dayton, Ohio. And according to Lawrence Rudmann, USDA Director of Public Affairs, "It's only a matter of time before ALL FEDERAL PROGRAMS – are brought into compliance,. . ."

But that's not all...
U.S. News and World Report, told of a frightening reason for smart cards. "To keep closer watch on individuals, engineers have devised a forgeryproof NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD — THE SMART CARD."

AND HOW MIGHT THEY GET THE BALL ROLLING?
President Clinton has repeatedly, on national television, held up before the American people – the National Health Care Card. And for the very first time in history, every man, woman, and child will be numbered and required to carry a card. No exceptions! No excuses! EVERYBODY! In the book, Putting People First by President Clinton, outlining the Clinton agenda, page 22, reads, "ALL AMERICANS will carry 'smart cards'. . ."

An article in Investor's Business Daily, (Nov. 16, 93, p.1), titled, The Dark Side of Health Reform, stated, "Privacy rights advocates are also concerned that the health ID would end up being used by the government for FAR MORE than just determination of health benefits."

PC Week magazine (May 9, 1994 p.1) had an article titled, "Postal Service, IRS developing national identity cards; Clinton may give OK". The article stated, "The Clinton administration is working on creating an identification card that every American will need to interact with ANY FEDERAL government. . . Sources close to the administration said President Clinton is also considering signing a pair of executive orders that would facilitate the conection of INDIVIDUALS' BANK ACCOUNTS and federal records to a government identification card. . . the Postal Service is prepared to put more than 100 million of the cards in citizens' pockets within months of administration approval, WHICH COULD COME AT ANY TIME. . ."

A sinister plan is being carefully carried out by an unseen, but very real hand!

The major concern of the smart card is security. Credit card fraud costs $1 billion dollars a year! And if you think we've got problems with credit card fraud — what do you think will happen when your "financial-healthcare-identification-everything-smart- card" is stolen! A side-article in InformationWeek (p.36), asks the "10-million-dollar question", "What if A Thief Swipes Your Card?". Infosecurity (p.28) also asks, "The standard question is: 'What happens if a user forgets his or her smart card?'".

The answer is obvious . . .
It's going to have to be — PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO THE INDIVIDUAL!
Automatic I.D. News, March 1992(p.E40), says, "AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION plays an important role in the emerging cashless society." Automatic I.D. News, Sept. 1990 (p.37), says, "The fastest-growing segment in the access control market, . . . is biometric sensors. These devices identify people by fingerprints, retina patterns and other BODY-BASED methods . . ." more...

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• Urgent Prophecy Wendy Alec - Below is a prophecy that was given to me by the Lord directly after the July 7 bombings – In the light of the recent attempted attacks on the UK I have felt such an urgency in my spirit that the Lord is now saying that in the UK we are now entering a time to be extremely vigilant in the spirit. Because of the prayers of the saints the Lord has already preserved the UK and the USA from many wicked strategies – I feel an urgency in our spirit to call upon all those of you who have been called in this hour to stand with the UK – Dear friends, in America and across the world, if the Holy Spirit touches you to stand for the UK in this hour – thousands of our viewers in the UK join with you to see the mighty hand of the Lord overshadow Great Britain in these crucial days. -Wendy Alec The Lord's will be done.

• Turkey’s leaders plan Muslim Europe The First Post (July 9, 2007) - If you thought Turkey was no threat to the West, think again. A new generation of politicians is aiming to Islamise the state by stealth. The AKP - Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, or Justice and Development Party - has a stranglehold on Turkey for the foreseeable future. Since coming to power, the AKP has done nothing revolutionary, but it does have a revolutionary agenda. The AKP was founded to replace a previous Islamic party banned for extremism. It benefited hugely from the corruption scandals that dragged down the previous government, taking two-thirds of parliament in the 2002 general election (on a third of the vote). On Friday, its ex-foreign secretary Abdullah Gul narrowly failed to win a victory in the first round of presidential elections. The result was close enough to prompt public demonstrations by secularists ahead of the second round voting on May 2, and a statement from the military - long the guardians of Turkey's secular traditions - warning against a pro-Islam political agenda. For all their suavity, its leaders seek to transform the country into a Sunni Muslim republic. This collides with institutions and laws strictly limiting Islam's role in public life, and with a long-standing security alliance with Israel. more... | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

• Strong quake hits Southern Mexico Breitbart.com (July 6, 2007) - A strong earthquake shook southernmost Mexico late Thursday, knocking out power to large parts of Chiapas state and causing panic among residents, according to seismologists. People rushed from their homes in fear in several areas of southern Mexico, but no injuries were reported and Chiapas public security secretary Daniel Rogue told AFP that there was only "light damage to some buildings" in the state. In Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital, power went off, ceilings fell and windows broke in the commercial district, where dozens of people fled terrified into the street in search of safety. Electricity services also shut down in Oaxaca, according to reports. Seismologists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico said it was a 6.2 quake and the US Geological Survey measured the quake at 6.1 in magnitude, indicating a strong earthquake apt to cause damage and injuries. The magnitude reading was based on the Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released. The quake hit at 8:09 pm Thursday (0109 GMT Friday), at a depth of 125 kilometers (78 miles) 40 kilometers (25 miles) west and southwest of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico and 390 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of Guatemala City. Jesus Duran, a spokesman for the state oil company Pemex, told Reforma newspaper there was no damage reported at the company's refinery in Salina Cruz. "All of the plants are normal .... there are no problems," he said. Authorities in three states ordered evacuations of buildings and businesses. On April 13, a quake of 6.2 magnitude hit Mexico without causing major damage. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the southern state of Guerrero near the Pacific coast. | Earth Changes |
• Solana steps up effort to fill anti-terrorism post European Voice (July 5, 2007) - Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, is expected to fill the post of EU counter-terrorism co-ordinator soon but with a strengthened role and mandate. Efforts to fill the post, which was vacated by Gijs de Vries, a Dutch politician, in March, have intensified after the terrorist incidents in the UK this week. Member states support boosting the position, with Wolfgang Schaüble, Germany’s interior minister, saying that the current job description and mandate were “not sufficient”. “The construction of the post is not sufficient…the matter now is to look for a new construction. Until now it has been a position of the Council [of Ministers] but that is not effective enough,” he said, in an interview with European Voice. The role could involve stronger powers in scrutinising police co-operation across the EU and monitoring how relevant EU legislation is functioning, an EU official said. The post could also involve an enhanced role in co-operating with third countries on counter-terrorism. There are suggestions that the post could involve co-ordination of anti-terror activities across the EU institutions. But the official said that this was “out of the question”, as it would involve the new anti-terror co-ordinator stealing powers from the European Commission. Franco Frattini, the European commissioner for justice, freedom and security, said that it was up to the Council to decide if the post should be strengthened, but added: “The Council is leading the co-ordination of the intergovernmental area while I am leading the communitarian [European Community] area of the issue.” The post is expected to be filled by appointing a candidate from a large member state, said one diplomat. The position has remained vacant since de Vries stepped down because Solana and his office have not had time to find a replacement. Instead, they have focused their attention on the crises in the Middle East and with Iran, as well as on reform of the EU’s institutions. But the recent terrorist incidents in the UK have highlighted the need to step up co-ordination against terrorism at EU level and are expected to boost efforts to fill the post. Frattini on Tuesday (3 July) announced that he would be introducing legislation in the autumn to criminalise the posting of information about bomb-making on the internet and that he intended to set up a database to track the storage and use of explosives across the EU. He reiterated his intention to introduce a European system for collecting information on airline passengers entering the EU. Frattini said that he wanted each member state to set up a national unit to collect and store such information, which includes credit card details, passport number and who a passenger is flying with. Frattini said that he was also sending out a questionnaire to all member states asking how they deal with religious education and prevent radicalisation. He said that this was intended to “protect the large majority of Muslims living here peacefully”. | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal | Remember Revelation 6:1,2, "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." and Daniel 8:25, "And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." As I've mentioned before, Daniel 8:25 refers to a historical figure, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was a type of antichrist, even placing an idol in the Holy of Holies, thus performing the abomination of desolation and causing the Macabbean revolt. The same spirit is behind the end-time man of sin. Terrorism is a cause for peace and safety that is brought about by going forth conquering. It is also a means to place controls on society that will eventually lead to the mark of the beast. Another trademark is entering in by flatteries, and that's what politics is all about. The master politician knows how to wear the right masks at the right times to elevate the pride of those you wish to get something from, playing to their egos in return for cooperation. The question is who will fill the anti-terrorism post? Whoever it is, it appears that Solana is appointing them. Keep watching!
• The Second Beast Rises FulfilledProphecy (July 5, 2007) - A recent press release from the United Nations' secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, makes a startling statement. It says that the teachings of a 13th century, Persian poet--Maulana Rumi--capture the goals of the UN's "Alliance of Civilizations." As followers of FP know, the AoC is an initiative launched under the UN's previous secretary-general, Kofi Annan, to combat religious extremism and end the tensions that divide the Western and Muslim worlds. The UN realized it can never achieve its goal of creating a peaceful world unless it first achieves religious tolerance. It plans to focus its efforts on education, media, migration and youth. The AoC is being implemented under the framework of the "Euro-Mediterranean Partnership" and the "European Neighbourhood Policy" (both which seek to bring peace and stability to the Middle East) with a goal of extending the AoC globally. An AoC "High Representative," Jorge Sampaio (former president of Portugal), has been appointed to lead these efforts, and Javier Solana, the EU's High Representative, has endorsed the AoC. The UN's goal is for the AoC to become operational by the end of 2009--just in time for the middle of Daniel's 70th week in 2010 (if it, indeed, started Jan, 1, 2007). The emergence of the AoC is significant because it marked the beginning of a formal, spiritual agenda by the UN. And what are the UN's spiritual beliefs? According to the secretary-general, Ki-moon, they can be found in the writings of Maulana Rumi, which you can read here. Ki-moon goes so far as to call himself a "student" of Rumi. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey--co-sponsor of the AoC with Spain--told the UN General Assembly that spreading Rumi's message throughout the world "will greatly strengthen our efforts within the framework of the Alliance of Civilizations." Read his speech here. Turkey is currently sponoring an exhibit featuring Rumi's work at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Rumi taught that, originally, we were all part of God and, through spiritual enlightenment, we'll eventually make our way back to God. Like other Eastern and New Age teachings, Rumi taught that only when individuals attain inner peace--and don't discriminate against other beliefs--can they create a peaceful world. The core of all faiths, he taught, is love. His writings are attractive to the United Nations because they teach a "humanist philosophy and ... highlight the principles of tolerance, understanding and compassion," according to Ki-moon. Rumi's poems have gained a pop-culture following through recorded readings by celebrities, like Madonna's video "Bittersweet." Lyrics here. Rumi's teachings give us insights into the beliefs guiding the UN and its Alliance of Civilizations. Such beliefs mesh perfectly with the EU's secular humanistic philosophy. The bottom line in both Eastern and humanistic thinking is that human beings are God--though these teachings may have different ways of getting there. And, of course, the teaching that human beings can be like God is the same old lie Satan told Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:5). This satanic teaching is, sadly, even being promoted within our own Christian quarters through the popular "Word-Faith Movement." My skin has crawled when I've heard Creflo Dollar blasphemously state on Christian television: "You are gods," while also denying the divinity of Christ. Watch him here. We know from Bible prophecy that the Antichrist also will hold to a type of this thinking. In the middle of Daniel's 70th week, he will go into the rebuilt Jewish temple and proclaim himself to be God (Daniel 11:36-37, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). So, we can see how different non-Christian beliefs seem to be merging into the end-time false religious system that the Bible describes as "the beast from the earth" (Revelation 13:11-18). This false religious system will support the "beast from the sea" (the revival of the Roman Empire under the Antichrist, which appears to have risen in the European Union). It also will be responsible for the most violent persecution of God's people ever. Christians--with their beliefs about sin, judgment and Jesus as the only Savior--are going to be seen as hate mongers standing in the way of global unity. And those who are more fully "enlightened" or "evolved"--a word choice depending on whether their thinking is Eastern or secular humanistic--will be seen as humanity's true saviors. Students of Bible prophecy would do well to keep their eyes on the Alliance of Civilizations. more... | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |
• Al Qaeda's No. 2 says end of West imminent, video shows CNN (July 5, 2007) - In a newly released videotaped message similar to a "fireside chat," al Qaeda's second-in-command issues advice and directives for the Muslim world, terrorism expert Laura Mansfield said Wednesday. In the one-hour, 34-minute video, titled "The Advice of One Concerned," Ayman al-Zawahiri includes clips from other videos and news broadcasts, including one from al-Furqan, the video production arm of the Islamic State of Iraq, according to Mansfield, who obtained the video. Al-Zawahiri says in the message that the defeat of the West is imminent, and that "the enemy" is trying to forestall the inevitable, Mansfield said. "The good omens of the new dawn of victory have begun to loom on the horizon, with Allah's permission and will," he says. "And the stage preceding victory is normally, in the history of nations, the stage in which there is most seen an increase in conspiracies, plots and inciting of discord in an attempt by the enemy, who has begun to see his defeat approach, to push back and delay the defeat as much as he can." Al-Zawahiri does not reference the recent terrorism incidents in the United Kingdom in the video. Mansfield said it appears to be more of a "state of the ummah [community]" style of address "intended to try and provide advice to the Muslim world in a manner similar to the 'fireside chat.'" Al-Zawahiri advises people in Iraq and the Palestinian territory, Mansfield said, and renews his call for young men to join the jihad in Iraq and Afghanistan. Included is a video clip of the late Sheikh Abdullah Azzam -- an extremist in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation -- reminding Muslims that jihad is their responsibility. Al-Zawahiri also rebukes Fatah for battling Hamas in the Palestinian territory, telling party members to "return to your religion, your Islam, your honor and your Arabness." Last month, al-Zawahiri, in an audiotaped message posted on several Islamist Web sites, voiced his support for Hamas leaders who maintain control of Gaza after a split with Fatah, a more moderate Palestinian faction. "We say to you, now that you are in control of Gaza, you should remember two things: One is that being in power is not a goal in itself, but the goal is, rather, to implement the rule of Allah," al-Zawahiri said in that audiotape, according to a CNN translation. "Two, this control is incomplete and unstable, for the [Israeli] plans are being made to invade Gaza. Unite with your mujahedeen brothers in Palestine and do not stir up problems with them. "Unite your ranks with all of the mujahedeen in the world for the upcoming battle [of Gaza] that I expect the Egyptians and Saudis to participate in." The audiotaped message was a reversal of al-Zawahiri's previous criticism of Hamas, issued after its leaders agreed to form a unity government with Fatah leaders. Hamas fighters wrested control of Gaza from Fatah security forces two weeks ago, prompting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, based in the West Bank, to replace the Hamas leadership with an emergency government. Since then, the United States, the European Union and Israel have agreed to release funds to the new Palestinian government. The money had been frozen after Hamas won legislative elections last year. | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder | America | I place the NWO link here because of the perported writings of Albert Pike in 1871 of the three world wars. The last of which is the current war between the West and radical Islam. He writes, "The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the "agentur" of the "Illuminati" between the political Zionists and the leaders of Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (the Moslem Arabic World) and political Zionism (the State of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile the other nations, once more divided on this issue will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economical exhaustion…We shall unleash the Nihilists and the atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will from that moment be without compass or direction, anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view. This manifestation will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time." That adoration will be directed at the man of sin, the antichrist as described in Revelation 13:1-8, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." This will begin at the abomination of desolation, when the man of sin declares himself to be god as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. So the ultimate goal of everything we see happening in the world is all part of the plan to reveal Lucifer's antichrist and cause worship of him as god rather than the One True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It seem Albert Pike and his Masonic and Illuminati network had been planning for this and now we are seeing those plans come to fruition.
• Children used as shields in Pakistan mosque: govt Reuters (July 5, 2007) - Women and children were being used as human shields by militants besieged in a mosque in Islamabad, the Pakistan government said on Thursday as security forces ratcheted up pressure on hundreds inside to surrender. Pakistan's Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim Khan said the few students who had quit the mosque spoke of a nightmare scenario for security forces trying to keep casualties down. "A large number of women and children are being held hostage by armed men in room," Khan told a news conference, adding that the brother of the captured cleric was hiding in the basement of an attached madrasa with 25 "women hostages." "Yes, they're using them as human shields, because the people who have come out, they told us that they're telling women and children not to worry because as long as you're here forces will not attack us," he said. In an interview broadcast earlier on state television, the leader of the Red Mosque's Taliban-style student movement, caught the previous evening trying to escape wearing a woman's burqa, said 850 students remained inside, including 600 women and girls. Abdul Aziz, clad in a woman's all-enveloping garment like the one he was caught in, began the interview by dramatically lifting the black veil to reveal a face dominated by a bushy grey beard. He said 14 men were armed with Kalashnikovs in the mosque. "Now there are 50 to 60 hardcore militants inside the mosque who are armed with automatic weapons, grenades and petrol bombs," Interior Minister Ahmed Aftab Khan Sherpao said. Smiling through much of a bizarre interview Aziz said he had had urged others to leave the mosque, but some women teachers had persuaded girls to stay behind. "They are not being used as human shields, we only gave them passion for jihad," said Aziz, who was later remanded in court. more... | Islam |
• Israel is our main enemy, Haniyeh tells Iranian foreign minister YNet News (July 5, 2007) - "Our main conflict is with the Zionist enemy," Dismissed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in a telephone conversation. According to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, "The Iranian foreign minister called on all the Palestinian factions to solve their differenced through a dialogue, as only unity between the Palestinians will bring about a solution to the situation." | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
• Mideast peace treaty possible this month, says expert Daily Star Egypt (July 4, 2007) - A meeting between the Quartet, the Palestinian Authority, and Israeli leaders will take place in Egypt mid-July, announced EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. "Toward the middle of the month, we will recuperate this initiative," he said. Political analyst from the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Emad Gad told The Daily Star Egypt that he believed the countries were very close to negotiating a peace treaty delineating a two-state solution “very close” to what former PM Arafat was said to have been offered at the 2000 Camp David meeting. He believes that “ ‘moderate’ Palestinians are ready to sign a peace treaty with Israel.” While the Quartet meeting was postponed from late June due to high tensions within the Palestinian territories, Gad explains that the situation is very different now. “It is looking positive in the West Bank,” he says, where Israel has returned tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and the EU has resumed relations with the territory. Abbas is also supported by the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Abbas is actually stronger than before, explains Gad, as he and his Fatah party no longer need to take approval or agreement from Hamas, as was the case under their unity government. “Hamas is now controlling Gaza only.” The meeting will also represent former British PM Tony Blair’s first test as Middle East envoy for the Quartet — composed of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. Despite being generally considered pro-Israel, Abbas had welcomed Blair as the new representative, saying the Arabs were ready to deal with Blair as mideast negotiator. “Blair can play a positive role in convincing the Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate,” says Gad. He explains that Blair’s close ties to US President Bush put him in an advantageous position, as the US is in a position to pressure the Israelis to resume negotiations. | Israel | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal | There are two sides to the Middle East position on Israel, the "radical" Islamic side and the "moderate" Islamic side. As far as Bible prophecy goes, I believe we are about to see the moderate and radical paths played out in our near future. On the radical Islamic path, the Magog invasion that is stopped with fire and brimstone from heaven will soon play out when Israel is attacked by Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, and others. This is building now and the alliances are already in place. The moderate side for peace between Islam and Israel will come to fruition after that invasion fails, I believe. Israel won't cave in politically as much as they do now and Islam will have a better idea of who they're up against and will fake the peace game brought about through the work of the European Union's push for peace in the Middle East. So we have this mix of war and peace on the horizon that is eventually going to end up with the rebuilding of the temple on the Temple Mount and then later the abomination of desolation that begins the great tribulation.
• Tornado kills 14, injures 146 in eastern China Reuters (July 4, 2007) - A tornado swept across eastern China, killing 14 people and injuring 146, state media reported on Wednesday, the latest casualties from bad weather that has devastated parts of the country this summer. The tornado hit three villages around Tianchang in Anhui province on Tuesday, destroying more than 100 houses, the official Xinhua news agency said. The bodies of seven people had been recovered from the rubble. State television showed footage of uprooted trees, toppled electric poles and a truck blown into a river. Of the 93 injured, 35 were in serious condition, Xinhua said. A further 200 people had been evacuated. Seven people were killed in Gaoyou city in neighboring Jiangsu province, the agency said, adding that 53 were injured. "Winds and heavy rain cut off power and telecommunications, ripped off rooftops and uprooted thousands of trees," a Gaoyou government official was quoted as saying. more... | Earth Changes |
• Drought Is Sapping the Southeast, and Its Farmers The New York Times (July 4, 2007) - Northern Alabama has become acre after acre of shriveled cornstalks, cracked red dirt for miles and days of unrelenting white heat. The region’s most severe drought in over a century has farmers here averting their gaze from a future that looks as bleak as their fields. The drought is worst here, but it is wilting much of the Southeast, causing watering restrictions and curtailed crops in Georgia, premature cattle sales in Mississippi and Tennessee, and rivers so low that power companies in the region are scrambling and barges are unable to navigate. Fourth of July fireworks are out of the question in many tinderbox areas. Hay to feed livestock is in increasingly short supply, watermelons are coming in small and some places have not had good rain since the start of the year. On Monday, Dennis Bragg, the biggest farmer in Madison County, the drought’s center, clutched a scrawny, leathery cornstalk half as high as it should be, barely reaching his waist. A healthy one should now be towering over him, according to the calendar. “This right here is going to be a zero,” Mr. Bragg said, pushing the puny thing away. “This is what we call a weed.” The field of muted green will be a loss. Down the road, he stopped his truck at a barren hillside that should be carpeted with green soy plants. “I tend not come over here and look at it,” he said, bending his head. “This whole hill never came up because of the drought.” In the browning corn fields here, the light breeze makes a tindery noise as it rustles the dry stalks. Struggling to pay their bills, farmers here in the Tennessee Valley say they are burning through cash reserves and staring at bankruptcy, as last year’s dry weather turned into a singeing drought this year. Gleaming steel grain bins that should be full of corn ready to become ethanol are virtually empty. Cattle sales are several times normal; the farmers have nothing to feed them. Harvest day’s expected small returns will be make-or-break time, farmers here say. more... | Earth Changes | America | The third seal is the black horse and speaks of famine. With all the weather changes due to global warming, the slightest changes in ocean currents and wind currents can affect crops like this. I think it is these kinds of events due to increased solar activity that will help bring about famine in the near future. Of course I hope I'm wrong, but the timing would seem to fit in the next couple years.
• Summer under a cloud as weather turns angry in London This is London (July 4, 2007) - Looming angrily over London, this is the massive cloud that brought weather havoc to the capital. Within an hour, its devastating work was done. Hailstones the size of marbles had battered Battersea and flashfloods caused chaos in Clapham. Lightning lit up the blackened sky. Taken from the 17th floor of the London Television Centre on the South Bank, this stunning picture shows the enormity of the cloud that heralded Tuesday's storms - the latest in this summer of dramatic contrasts. Only four miles away the tennis at Wimbledon was rained off yet again as the weather was blamed for a big fall in this year's attendance. Two girls aged 13 and 15 were treated for serious burns after being struck by lightning at the end of the school day at Ipswich High School. The East of England Ambulance Service said the strike had blown the girls' shoes apart. 'They were struck simultaneously,' said a spokesman. 'They both had entry and exit wounds on their arms and feet.' He said the girls, who remained conscious throughout their ordeal, had not suffered life-threatening injuries. The stormy start to July follows the third wettest June on record. According to Met Office statistics, 105.3mm or 41ins of rain fell last month. Only 1912 and 1982 were wetter. Moments after its passing, the sunshine-was out again. Commuters battling-their way home in the evening rush hour shook out soaking umbrellas and shrugged off steaming raincoats. Nick Ricketts of the Met officesaid: 'There had been an extended period of cold wet weather. When the sun finally arrived, it warmed the surface temperature and that mix caused the storms to begin.' Don't put away your umbrella (or sunscreen) just yet. According to the weathermen, our mixed-up summer hasn't finished with us. more with pictures... | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Earth Changes |
• Broadcasters eye 2 billion for Live Earth Reuters (July 3, 2007) - International broadcasters, environmental activists and some of the biggest names in pop music are in the starting blocks for one of the most ambitious global media events of all time. On Saturday, more than 150 acts -- including such marquee names as Madonna, the Police, Bon Jovi and Black Eyed Peas -- will perform at the Live Earth series of benefit concerts in support of a greener planet. The event, organized by Kevin Wall and Harvey Goldsmith -- the producers behind Bob Geldof's 2005 anti-poverty event, Live 8 -- is looking to reach 2 billion people in more than 120 countries worldwide. The concerts will be held in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg and Hamburg, Germany. Inuit band Nunatak will even play a concert direct from Antarctica. Some of the world's biggest broadcasters are on board to carry the concerts live, including NBC Universal TV and Internet brands in the U.S., the BBC in Britain, NHK and Fuji TV in Japan and Pro7 in Germany. But while media attention is growing in such countries as the U.S. and the U.K., Live Earth has virtually no media footprint in nations including China or Turkey, where environmental issues are less front-and-center. more... This story is interesting in that the media complex is pushing it and carrying it over such a large area. I also find it interesting that it is planned for 7-7-07. The reason I find this interesting comes from watching They Sold Their Souls For Rock N' Roll, in which footage of famous rock n' roll stars reveals some scary connections to the occult and divining of spirits. Several artists report that when they are on stage they are not the ones playing. Do I think something is going to happen? Not really, at least not on the surface level. I've just been listening to a Coast To Coast AM show from July 2, 2007 that discusses modern technology being researched to affect the mind through radio frequency and the like. Seeing the effects of television in programming the population by those who design the programming, as well as hearing of some of the technologies and understanding the future according to Bible prophecy, this medium of communicating is a big tool to program mass conciousness in a subtle way. At the very least, it is clear that the general population is completely enamored of many of these artists essentially to the point of worship in some extreme cases. Understanding this and seeing a big program like this coming with the participants from Hollywood and rock n' roll, I can't help but question it. At a very basic level at least, it will be an opportunity for all the participants to get together backstage beyond their performances on stage. If you haven't watched the video above, please do and be prepared to question the source.
• 'Gay'-rights leader quits homosexuality WorldNetDaily (July 3, 2007) - He was a rising star in the "gay rights" movement, but Michael Glatze now declares not only has he given up activism – he's no longer a homosexual. Glatze – who had become a frequent media source as founding editor of Young Gay America magazine – tells the story of his transformation in an exclusive column published today by WND. Although Glatze cut himself off from the homosexual community about a year and a half ago, he says the column likely will surprise some people. "This will actually be news to anybody I used to relate to," he told WND. The radical change in his life, Glatze recalls, began with inner "promptings" he now attributes to God. "I hope I can share my story," he said. "I feel strongly God has put me here for a reason. Even in the darkest days of late-night parties, substance abuse and all kinds of things – when I felt like, 'Why am I here, what am I doing?' – there was always a voice there. "I didn't know what to call it, or if I could trust it, but it said 'hold on.'" Glatze said he became aware of homosexual feelings at about the age of 14 and publicly declared himself "gay" at age 20. Finally, after a decade in which his leadership role in the homosexual activist world grew – but alongside it, a mysterious inner conflict – he says he finally was "liberated." In fact, he writes in his WND column today, "'coming out' from under the influence of the homosexual mindset was the most liberating, beautiful and astonishing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life." Before "coming out" in his column today, Glatze contacted WND Managing Editor David Kupelian after reading his book, "The Marketing of Evil, which Glatze said "has given me so much help in my process of healing from the profound influences of evil in our current society." "There is nothing that would give me more pleasure," he wrote to Kupelian, "than to say the Truth about 'homosexuality' and atone for my sins in that regard." Glatze's transformation calls to mind that of another prominent "gay" magazine publisher who also has renounced her former lifestyle. Lesbian activist Charlene Cothran, longtime publisher of Venus magazine, became a Christian and gave her magazine a new mission "to encourage, educate and assist those who desire to leave a life of homosexuality." She adds: "Our ultimate mission is to win souls for Christ, and to do so by showing love to all God's people." In his column, Glatze doesn't mince words, calling homosexual sex purely "lust-based," meaning it can never fully satisfy. "It's a neurotic process rather than a natural, normal one," he writes. "Normal is normal – and has been called normal for a reason." more...
• Report: Israel, Syria fortifying northern border The Jerusalem Post (July 2, 2007) - Both Israel and Syria are conducting reinforcement work on each side of the border in the Golan Heights, Channel 10 reported Monday evening. An Israel laborer told Channel 10 that he was hired to build ramps for the transport of tanks. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during Monday's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting that although Israel was maintaining a higher level of military preparedness, Syria did not pose an immediate threat. | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 |
• Lieberman: Iran Has Declared War Courant.com (July 2, 2007) - Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman asserted Monday that the Iranian government has in effect declared war on the United States. Lieberman commented after a U.S. military spokesman said Tehran's senior officials were aware of efforts to encourage violence against Americans in Iraq. "The fact is that the Iranian government has by its actions declared war on us," said Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats. As a result, he continued, "The United States government has a responsibility to use all instruments at its disposal to stop these terrorist attacks against our soldiers and allies in Iraq, including keeping open the possibility of using military force against the terrorist infrastructure inside Iran." He stopped short of advocating a military strike, but said that "while I sincerely hope that diplomacy alone can convince the Iranian government to stop these attacks, our diplomatic efforts are only likely to succeed if backed by a credible threat of force." Lieberman said he hoped the latest news about Iran would help quash calls in Congress to withdraw U. S. troops. Withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq at this time, he added, "will give Iranians exactly what they want most" -- an "epic victory" for forces of terrorism. "Iran's purpose in sponsoring these attacks against our soldiers is clear," he said. "The Iranian government wants to push the United States out of Iraq. "For Congress to mandate a retreat from Iraq," he said, "will give the Iranians exactly what they want most. A retreat would not only represent a catastrophic defeat for the United States, but an epic victory for Iran, Hezbollah and the forces of Islamist terrorism." more... | Iran | America |
• Hamas TV to replace "martyred" Mickey Mouse look-alike Reuters UK (July 2, 2007) - A Hamas television station that last week killed off a Mickey Mouse look-alike who urged children to fight against Israel will use other famous characters to further their Islamist agenda, station officials said on Monday. The host of the children's show "Tomorrow's Pioneers", Farfur, dressed in a full body-suit to resemble the Walt Disney cartoon character. The character was beaten to death in the show's final episode last week by a character posing as an Israeli. Farfur and a female co-host instructed their young viewers on Hamas's militant brand of Muslim piety and urged children to support armed resistance against Israel. Mohammad Saeed, the director of production at Al-Aqsa Television, told Reuters the station would use other famous cartoon characters in future shows. "Farfur was a story alive and he has turned into another story as a (martyr)," Saeed said. The show had drawn complaints from Israeli watchdog groups. | Israel | Islam |
• 'Europe Has Been Saved': Sarkozy Calls on EU to Do More EU Business (July 2, 2007) - Proclaiming "Europe has been saved" with a new treaty, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Monday on the EU to open debate on a string of prickly issues, from borders to the euro. "Europe was in danger, undermined by successive crises, undermined by public distrust, undermined by doubt. I believe that today, Europe has been saved," Sarkozy said in a major address in the eastern French city of Strasbourg. The new treaty was agreed during marathon talks in Brussels on June 23 to replace the constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters two years ago, triggering a crisis within the bloc. The treaty that is to be drafted by an intergovernmental conference opening on July 23 will spell out the functions of EU institutions and create a new post of EU president for a period of two and half years, replacing the current system of six-month rotating presidencies between member states. Sarkozy hailed the breakthrough as the "renewal of the European spirit" and said the 27-nation bloc should now set out to tackle major issues as part of a quest for "renaissance." He also lambasted what he described as a "bureaucratic Europe" caught up in meetings that served no purpose and producing "eight-page communiques" of unintelligbile statements. The president, who took over from Jacques Chirac in May, spoke as he prepared to attend a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels on Monday to present his plan to delay by two years to 2012 the target of a balanced budget. On Monday, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said France could expect a cool reception from finance ministers if it wants to change the rules. "We need a very stringent budget policy and that applies everywhere whether in Portugal or France or the other countries," said Socrates. During his presidential campaign, Sarkozy repeatedly attacked the strength of the euro and argued that governments of the 13-nation eurozone should have a say in the rate. "I want to open all of the debates; I want to ask all of the questions and I want to raise all of the problems," Sarkozy said of his presence at the Brussels finance ministers meeting. He appealed for "a Europe that does not sit idle while factories relocate and which does not accept the dictatorship of the markets." Sarkozy said French businesses were the victims of unfair competition from "countries that mock environmental concerns, have no respect for social rights and practice tax dumping." Alluding to Turkey's bid to join the European Union, Sarkozy called for "a Europe that does not dilute itself by enlarging without end" and said the bloc must debate the issue of borders to avoid becoming a "sub-region of the United Nations." The president has run into resistance from Portugal, which has just taken over the EU presidency and served notice that it had its hands full with the drafting of the new reform treaty. | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

• The War is Here -- Are You Ready? Family Security Matters (July 2, 2007) - In a style reminiscent of the vehicle born incendiary explosive devices (VBIED) used in Iraq and by terrorists worldwide, two Mercedes were found in London this weekend packed with gasoline, gas canisters and nails. The bombs were to be exploded using cell phones as remote detonators, another favorite tactic of those terrorists who do not wish to die themselves. Had the plan been successful, potentially hundreds of innocent civilians would have been brutally murdered either by the explosions or by the deadly projectiles that the nails would have become. London was saved by alert citizens who noticed something was amiss and took swift action. The United States, because of lax border security and an inability to enforce its own immigration laws, will be next. Over the past few months, our news has been consumed with debate on an amnesty bill that would give legal status to millions of illegal aliens who have crossed the US/Mexico border. A red-faced, shrill Ted Kennedy would have us believe that these illegals are all here to pick lettuce. President Bush, who was adamant after September 11, 2001, that he would do all he could do to keep Americans safe, attempted to feed the American public the same false bill of goods. With the focus on the senorita cleaning motel rooms or the senor waiting outside Home Depot for a day labor job, Washington has forgotten that we are at war. We are at war with a sly, evasive enemy who preys on our unwillingness to secure our homeland. It should come as no surprise that the enemy is among us, waiting to strike. You have been warned. On October 19, 2001, J. Zane Walley reported for World Net Daily “Arabs have been reported crossing the Arizona border for an unknown period. Border rancher George Morgan encounters thousands of illegals crossing his ranch on a well-used trail. He relates a holiday event: ‘It was Thanksgiving 1998, and I stepped outside my house and there were over a hundred 'crossers' in my yard. Damnedest bunch of illegals I ever saw. All of them were wearing black pants, white shirts and string ties. Maybe they were hoping to blend in,’ he chuckled. ‘They took off, I called the Border Patrol, and a while later, an agent, Dan Green, let me know that they had caught them. He said that they were all Iranians.’ “According to Border Patrol spokesperson Rob Daniels, ‘Ten Egyptians were arrested recently near Douglas, Arizona. Each had paid $7,000 to be brought from Guatemala into Mexico and then across the border.’ "According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, hours after the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, an anonymous caller led Mexican immigration agents to 41 undocumented Iraqis waiting to cross into the United States." more... | Islam | America |

• Israel Begins Major Military Exercise In Golan, Reassures Syria Combined Jewish Philantanthropies (July 2, 2007) - Text of report by Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv [Report by Amir Rapaport: "IDF Begins Large-Scale Exercise in Golan"] : Against the backdrop of the tension between Israel and Syria, the IDF will soon begin a broad series of training exercises on the Golan Heights. Jerusalem sent Damascus a message, according to which there is no plan to attack the Syrians, and that this is only defensive training. The current activity is part of the system of exercises decided on in the framework of the process of drawing lessons from the Second Lebanon War, in an effort to prevent a repeat situation in which forces are insufficiently trained. The Israeli-Syrian tension began to mount a short time after the war in Lebanon, in the wake of statements by Syrian President Bashar al-Asad. At the time, Al-Asad said that if Israel did not heed his calls to conduct negotiations for returning the Golan through peaceful means, Syria would also prepare for the possibility of war. Officials in Israel internalized the statements and, on the order of IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, the IDF is currently completing its preparations in the event of war against Syria as early as this summer. Financial Assistance From the Iranians: The Syrian military is also in the midst of efforts to prepare for a possible war, including training and infrastructure work on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. Recently, Syria has even accelerated procurement of advanced weapons from Russia, among other ways through financial assistance that it is receiving from its ally, Iran. A few days ago, Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shar'a [as reported] said that "Syria is taking seriously the preparations in Israel ahead of a war between the countries." According to him, "Syria prefers peace, but it is not interested in secret talks with Israel." He added that officials in Damascus have the impression that Israel, like the United States, does not want to move forward in the peace process. "Ehud Olmert is not serious about peace. Israel will make peace with us if we compromise on the return of all of our occupied land, but we won't do that." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

• Solana suggests Iran behind Gaza, Lebanon attacks ABC News (July 2, 2007) - The European Union foreign policy chief suggested on Monday that Iran could be linked to the Hamas military takeover of Gaza, recent attacks on the Lebanese army, and on European peacekeepers in Lebanon. Javier Solana, who has led efforts to bring Iran back to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme, stopped short of blaming Tehran outright, but said the incidents could not be treated separately. "What happened in Gaza cannot be seen separately from what happened in Lebanon," he told a conference on the Middle East hosted by the Socialist group of the European Parliament. "There are new groups in the Palestinian camps," Solana said. "And the fact that UNIFIL has been attacked for the first time cannot be taken separately." Solana said that while the car bomb attack that killed six Spanish members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on June 24 was carried out by "forces we don't know", he added: "It would be naive not to see this as part of a global approach." "Somebody I know well -- Ali Larijani -- has said 'we are supporting Hamas'," he said, referring to the chief Iranian nuclear negotiator, who made the statement in an interview with Newsweek published last month. "All this is connected," Solana said. "It didn't happen by accident or miracle, it was probably planned." "It would be difficult to understand without seeing other important regional players behind it," he added, referring to "other forces" in Iran and Syria. Solana also said a postponed meeting of Western and Arab Middle East mediators with Israeli and Palestinian leaders would probably now happen in Cairo in mid-July. He said it was important to provide a new political impetus to the peace process, not just financial and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian government. Solana also said that in the long run it would be necessary to have an international peacekeeping presence in the West Bank and Gaza, but this was not an immediate priority. | Iran | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | In a follow-up to this story, Solana's spokesperson denies western news agency report on Iran, "The spokesperson of European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana dismissed Monday a western news agency report on statements attributed to Solana as "wrong interpretation". "It is wrong interpretation of what he said," Cristina Gallach told IRNA in Brussels Monday evening. She was referring to a dispatch by the British news agency Reuters from "Solana suggests Iran behind Gaza and