No Sense of Humor

No Sense of Humor
Vol: 5 Issue: 28 Thursday, February 28, 2002

US comedian Jay Leno’s remarks on a recent “Tonight Show” became an international incident earning him the condemnation of the South Korean government. Leno quipped that Korean Olympic skater Kim Dong-sung’s disqualification was enough to make him ‘want to kick — and eat — his dog’.

“It is unthinkable that a host of a TV program watched by many U.S. viewers made insulting, racially prejudiced remarks about Koreans,” said one lawmaker who also thinks Leno should be ‘disciplined’ and the Korean nation ‘compensated’.

The whole ‘racial’ and ‘insult’ thing is going a bit too far. Koreans do eat dog. So do people in a lot of other countries. Hindus don’t eat beef. Would a Hindu telling a joke about McDonald’s be racial? Or insulting? Maybe to cows.

Assessment:

This seems to be a bit off the beaten track, but if you look closely, you’ll see part of a discernible, continuing global pattern of saber-rattling.

Countries who have been allies for decades are snapping at each other over insignificant slights. Nations are realigning themselves into regional groupings, even when doing so distances them from Washington.

Although [or maybe because] it is the world’s remaining superpower, Washington is being increasingly isolated from the global community. A recent Gallup poll of the Islamic world shows 2/3’s of the Islamic world hold America in contempt.

America’s friendship with Europe is fractured and crumbling. The brief outpouring of sympathy following 9/11 is fading away.

“Americans may not yet be fully aware of this, but the fact is that anti-American sentiments are resurfacing in Europe,” the Belgian newspaper De Standaard wrote earlier this month. “It was striking how short the period of widespread solidarity and sympathy with the United States was in the wake of September 11.”

Four Global Spheres of Influence

The Bible divides the world into four regional power blocs in the last days. The western alliance [the Revived Roman empire of antichrist – Dan 9:26], the ‘kings of the south’ [Africa and Islamic North Africa – Dan 11:40] the ‘kings of the east [China and Southeast Asia -Rev 16:12] the Gog-Magog alliance [Russian-Arab-Islamic alliance – Ezekiel 38-39].

The Bible also outlines a specific scenario for the last days, giving detailed descriptions of these four global spheres of influence.

Currently, there are five. Four of them are in a state of flux, realigning themselves, almost against reason in some cases, to conform to the scenario outlined by Scripture.

The fifth, the United States, grows increasingly isolated. Washington is so lonely it has gone into denial, sometimes even pretending it has real friends.

Prime examples of America’s ‘pretend’ friends include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan and the core group of Western European nations led by France and Germany. They are our ‘friends’ in the sense they are not currently enemies.

One Real Ally

America has only one unquestioning and unequivocal ally within the sea of nations. That ally, the land of Israel, is the central character around which the entire end-time drama is played out.

The world is gradually re-aligning itself to conform with God’s pre-ordained geo-political roster for the last days. The United States does not merit mention, although many have sought to find it in symbols and allegorical comparisons.

Whether it is because America becomes a satellite of the EU, falls from primacy as a consequence of war, or is rendered powerless following the Rapture is a matter of conjecture.

What is clear is this. The Bible outlines four spheres of global influence as the world enters the Tribulation period. Not five.

Saudis Run Interference For Saddam

Saudis Run Interference For Saddam
Vol: 5 Issue: 27 Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Israel sought to link its Arrow-2 missile defense system to U.S. spy satellites. The goal was to provide Israel with instant alert of an Iraqi missile attack amid Washington’s preparations to topple the regime of President Saddam Hussein.

But Riyadh launched a furious behind-the-scenes campaign to scuttle the plan. The Saudis have entered into a strategic alliance with both Iran and Iraq. Saudi officials have privately assured Arab allies that the administration has agreed to the Saudi request, however this is unconfirmed by Washington.

Assessment:

There are so many conflicting signs emanating from the Saudi kingdom one wonders who is in charge, if anybody. The connections between Saudi Arabia and al-Qaeda are too numerous to list. There is a mountain of evidence suggesting they are still, at some level, aiding the network. There are rumors they continue to aid individual terrorists evade the US. And somehow, bin-Laden still has plenty of money.

The Debkafile reported today that the US is planning to attack Iraq in late March or early April. If true, the Saudis will have no choice but to get off the fence. But at this point, it’s hard to say which side they’ll land on.

America Hated By Majority of Muslims, Poll Finds

A Gallup poll conducted in nine Muslim states found that two-thirds of Muslims surveyed believe the United States is ‘ruthless and arrogant’. Sixty-one percent said they did not believe Arab groups carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Fifty-three percent of the people questioned had unfavorable opinions of the United States, while 22 percent had favorable opinions.

Twenty-eight percent of Kuwaitis, 27 percent of Indonesians, 22 percent of Jordanians, 22 percent of Moroccans, 16 percent of Saudi Arabians and 14 percent of Iranians surveyed had a favorable view of the United States.

The Lebanese had the highest favorable view of the US at 41%. America’s ally, Turkey, had a 40% favorable view of the US. Those are the good numbers.

Pakistan, our new best friend and ally against terrorism, hates America most, with only 5% expressing a favorable view.

Most see American culture as a corrupting influence on their societies and American values ‘deeply materialist and secular’. Only two-thirds thought 9/11 was an unjustified attack, while more than three-quarters of Muslims said the US attack on Afghanistan was morally unjustified.

The respondents did not know they were answering questions for a US polling firm. Gallup says the margin for error is plus or minus one percent.

The states polled were Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Assessment:

In the Muslims states where America is most admired, like Lebanon and Turkey, there is still a solid majority who hate us. Among the Saudi population, that majority approaches unanimity with 84% saying they hate us. One in four Kuwaitis are on our side.

Here’s how it shakes out. America has declared war on terrorists and nations that harbor terrorists. The Bush Doctrine declares those not with us are against us. The nations we are counting on are the ones that hate us the most. They are also the nations we are arming the most heavily.

When the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended, the Clinton administration was in a quandary about how to best spend the ‘peace dividend’. Bases were closed, the military was stripped down and America settled in for a pax Americana.

In the heady days of the early 90’s, the mantra was ‘peace and safety’. What a difference a decade can make!

Writing of events leading up to the Tribulation period, the Apostle Paul warned, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” [1 Thessalonians 5:3]

Saudis Re-Think Posture

Saudis Re-Think Posture
Vol: 5 Issue: 26 Tuesday, February 26, 2002

Saudi Arabia appears to re-evaluating the Western reaction to its ambivalence to US requests for aid in its war on terror. Although the Saudi government is officially an ally of the United States, the kingdom has been under the de facto rulership of Crown Prince Abdullah since Fahd’s first major stroke in 1995.

Abdullah, 74, is a devout adherent of Saudi Arabia’s radical Wahabi brand of Islam — the same Islam claimed by al-Qaeda and bin-Laden. Within Wahabi Islam, however, Abdullah might be termed a ‘moderate’.

A Distinction Without A Difference

Abdullah’s activities in recent months indicate the label of ‘moderate’ among extremists is a distinction without a difference, similarly to President Khatami of Iran.

The Saudis have been furiously developing relations with Iran and Iraq in the months since the 9/11 attacks. The Saudis budgeted more than $40 billion for defense in 2001, outspending the combined Arab League except for Iraq. But there are signs that Abdullah is re-thinking his strategic situation.

After all, he has a pretty sweet deal. America buys Saudi oil, bends the knee when required, forgives almost any slight, and grants Saudi Arabia virtually any request.

The Iran-Iraq-Saudi alliance offers Abdullah Islamic solidarity, followed by war, death and the eventual destruction of the House of Fahd. Islamic solidarity can wait.

There are a few signs that Abdullah is reconsidering his options.

After months of inaction, the Saudis recently shut down fifteen Islamic charities the US said were funding al-Qaeda. It warned those remaining that they would be subject to tight US defined restrictions.

Arafat Denounced As Liar

In another sign, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned London newspaper said in an op-ed piece that it is ‘sorry’ for printing the Palestinian account of the Karine A.

The Islamic daily said that Yasser Arafat had ‘bestowed upon it lies’ about his involvement in the arms smuggling affair. Columnist Ahmad Al-Rab’i called on his readers not to believe the Palestinian Authority’s declarations any longer.

“When Israel announced that it had seized the [Karine A] weapons ship, I doubted the Israeli account and espoused the PA’s claim that the whole thing was a fabrication. I did this out of a sense of obligation to support our Palestinian brothers, and out of trust in the veracity of their account.

But it seems that the [Palestinian] leadership deceived us with its account, and we, in turn, unintentionally deceived our readers.

Therefore, I take responsibility before my readers; I and my readers were victims of our obligation to and trust in the Palestinian leadership. I assure the readers that since Arafat has confessed his responsibility to Colin Powell, I will no longer take the Palestinian leadership’s declarations seriously.”

Assessment:

Saudi Arabia is critical to America’s continuing war effort against al-Qaeda. The US has quietly reminded the Saudis they have a choice under the Bush Doctrine. Abdullah seems to have gotten the message.

Saudi Arabia is among Yasser Arafat’s few remaining champions among the Arab moderates. The Saudi lust to recover Jerusalem for Wahabi Islam burns no less brightly, but the Saudi royals are pragmatic. It’s Jerusalem they want — and if Arafat can’t deliver it, then, as Israel has already concluded, he is irrelevant.

Arafat’s strongest trump card is Islam’s claim to Jerusalem. The Saudis dealt him that card, and they can just as easily deal Arafat out of the game.

If that happens, what is left of the illusion of peace will collapse like a house of cards. Unless somebody steps onto the world stage in time to salvage the deal.

The Bible says that somebody will eventually assume that role. Daniel identifies him as the antichrist. What is not clear is whether he picks up the pieces before — or after — a general Middle East war.

But it is clear the world is almost ready to receive him, and that his time is very near.

Anthrax Mailer Probably US Scientist

Anthrax Mailer Probably US Scientist
Vol: 5 Issue: 25 Monday, February 25, 2002

Breaking The United States has known who the anthrax mailer probably is for as long as three months, but hasn’t enough evidence to charge him. The FBI investigation, according to sources, began to focus on current and former U.S. scientists after the anthrax found in letters sent to the Capitol Hill offices of Democratic Sens. Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont matched a finely powdered strain of the bacteria held at Fort Detrick.

The scientist was identified from a pool of about 50 researchers known to have the technical ability to produce the sophisticated weapons-grade anthrax strain found in the anthrax letters.

Investigators kept secret the fact they have identified him, hoping he would make a mistake. But now that investigators have raided the suspect’s home, the secret is out.

The unidentified scientist was twice fired from government jobs and, after the September 11 attacks, reportedly made a threat to use anthrax. Incredibly, the suspect is currently employed as a contractor in the Washington area.

Kyoto Treaty Based “On Lie”

The Kyoto Treaty was, prior to 9/11, President Bush’s biggest political headache. President Bush created a firestorm of controversy when he pulled the United States out of Kyoto. A group of scientists convened by the American George C. Marshall Institute concluded rising greenhouse gas emissions may not be the main factor in global warming. They argue that temperature rise projections this century are “unknown and unknowable”. They claim it is “a media myth” to suppose that only a few scientists share that view.

Philip Stott, emeritus professor of biogeography at the University of London, is a prominent British critic of global warming. According to Stott, “The authors challenge the key contradiction at the heart of the Kyoto Protocol, the global climate agreement – that climate is one of the most complex systems known, yet that we can manage it by trying to control a small set of factors, namely greenhouse gas emissions. Scientifically, this is not mere uncertainty: it is a lie.”

Assessment:

The Kyoto Treaty would have placed enormous burdens on the Western powers, particularly the US, to curb global emissions while less developed nations like China and India would have virtually none [China and India make up about half the global population].

The conclusions about global warming have been under counter attack by an opposing minority group of mainstream scientific thinking ever since they were initially noted.

Using broad general strokes, most scientist fall into one of two categories; those who recognize some things are ‘unknown and unknowable’, and those who substitute the unknowable with important-sounding speculation.

For example, the theory of evolution. On one hand, we have scientists who begin from the hypothesis that humanity was the result of a chemical accident in some primordial soup.

Having assumed the primordial soup and the chemical accident, they then developed a complicated explanation of how tadpoles eventually evolved into apes into various incarnations of man [Neanderthal, etc] without a single fossilized example of one of these transitional phases.

On the other hand are those reject evolution and accept that certain things are ‘unknown and unknowable’.

The Apostle Paul warned of ‘profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called’ [1 Timothy 6:20]. Paul described this arrogance as ‘Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.’

But what is really at issue here is the topic of the debate. Strange things, ‘unknown and unknowable’ are taking place in our environment.

What gets lost in the argument is the very fact that ‘strange, inexplicable, global climactic changes’ are the subject of the debate in the first place.

Back in 1995, I did a series of reports for This Week in Bible Prophecy called “What’s Wrong With The Weather?” At that time I noted the increase in frequency and intensity of so called “100 year storms” and “500 year floods”.

Using that scale, there had been 1500 years worth of floods and a thousand years worth of storms in the preceding five years. A lot has happened since 1995.

Jesus warned of increasing famine and pestilence [Matt 24:7]. So do the environmental scientists on both sides of the argument. Where they differ is cause and effect. The Kyoto crowd thinks man caused and man can fix it, the other side argues its ‘unknowable’.

Notice that nobody is saying it isn’t happening. Floods and droughts are responsible for recent famines that killed millions at a time of unparalleled global prosperity.

Many scientists are beginning to look to outer space, blaming gravitational shifts caused by NEO [Near Earth Orbit] asteroids suddenly appearing in space.

Jesus described the signs that would accompany His return. Compare the Kyoto debate with His prophecy in Luke 21:25,26.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

CIA Reports Stolen Russian Nuclear Material

CIA Reports Stolen Russian Nuclear Material
Vol: 5 Issue: 24 Sunday, February 24, 2002

CIA Reports Stolen Russian Nuclear Material

The CIA released a twelve-page report detailing the deteriorating state of Russian nuclear security, acknowledging that an unknown amount of weapons-grade nuclear fuel has been stolen over the past decade. Among the incidents identified in the report are:

Theft in 1992 of 1.5 kilograms of enriched uranium from the Luch Production Association.

Theft of 3 kilograms of enriched uranium from Moscow.

The 1998 theft from Chelyabinsk province of an amount of nuclear material sufficient to produce a nuclear device.

The report concluded that, “we are concerned about the total amount of material that could have been diverted [to al-Qaeda] over the last 10 years.”

Arafat To Stay In Ramallah

Israel decided to lift the blockade keeping Arafat confined to his Ramallah headquarters, but to refuse to allow him to travel outside the Ramallah area. The decision came despite the announcement Arafat had ordered the arrest of the killers of Cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi.

Israel had demanded Arafat arrest the killers and turn them over to the Israelis as a precondition of lifting the blockade. The media immediately began to call on Israel to honor the promise.

But Arafat only ordered the arrest of the suspects. They remain in Palestinian ‘custody’, which Arafat’s past record indicates is a temporary condition.

When Your Number’s Up . . .

In Seaford, New York, a man apparently bled to death after falling on the shards of a coffee mug he was carrying, police said.

Joseph Stoyer, 51, was found face-down on the sidewalk outside his Long Island apartment building by a jogger Thursday. “Somehow he falls, the cup shatters, he lands on one of the sharp pieces of the cup,” Detective Lt. Frank Guidice said.

Assessment:

How does the accidental death of a single individual qualify as an item for a Christian intelligence digest? All of us know people who are putting off their decision for Christ because they’re ‘not ready’. And all of us have at some time put off telling people about Christ because the ‘timing wasn’t right’.

We are living in the last days; most probably, in the final hours of the last days. All available evidence shows that Bible prophecy and current events are dovetailing together into the exact scenario foretold by Scripture for the hours leading up to the Tribulation period. Although the culmination of all things is near, it is not here, and it seems that there is plenty of time.

Jesus told a parable of a rich man whose attention was focused on his many possessions. “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” [Luke 12:20] An old hymn reminds us that we’ve ‘only one life, t’will soon be passed, only what’s done for God will last’.

There isn’t ‘plenty of time’. There is only now. For Christians, it is an opportunity to carry the message of Hope, an opportunity that may not pass our way again. To the lost who say there is ‘plenty of time’ — it is unlikely Joseph Stoyer suspected the cup of coffee he was pouring would be his last.

In the excitement of knowing the Lord is returning soon, in taking in the enormity of the fact that there are billions of souls that will be ‘required’ — almost at once — during the Tribulation, it is easy to sublimate the fact a single soul is ‘worth the whole world’ [Luke 9:25].

The person we don’t talk to until ‘the time is right’– in our estimation — may not be available next time. The fulfillment of all things is near. But to the individual Christian, today is all we have, and the fields are white with the harvest. It is easy to miss a single tree in such a forest!

The fact that Joseph Stoyer’s soul was required of him as he sipped his morning coffee is as valuable a item of Christian intelligence information as anything taking place today in Russia or the Middle East.

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14

Special Report:

Special Report:
Vol: 5 Issue: 23 Saturday, February 23, 2002

Special Report:

——————————————————————————–

Profile: The World’s Number One Terrorist

Name: Imad Mughniyeh

Age: 49

Born: Lebanon

Organization: Hezbollah

Whereabouts: Believed to be in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Career achievements: Abducted Beirut CIA chief William Buckley, planned bombings of U.S. embassy and military barracks in Beirut, may have planned the September 11 attacks.

Background:

Mughniyeh is regarded as the number one terrorist in the world. Over the last 20 years, Mughniyeh has served as the leading killer for Hezbollah as well as Iran and Syria. He also does a little free-lance killing for others. For this, he is well paid and protected.

He’ll never be as infamous as Osama Bin Laden; he doesn’t want to be. Mughniyeh is a killer who has no interest in ruling the world. Just killing. Unlike Bin Laden, Mughniyeh does not appear on television and regularly changes his appearance through plastic surgery to escape detection.

He’s also a bit nuts; Mughniyeh is described by CIA profilers as a ‘clinical psychopath inflamed by vengeance’.

Israeli intelligence sources believe Mughniyeh served as either a consultant or planner in the 9/11 attacks. Mughniyeh has not been spotted in ten years and is believed to have changed his appearance to avoid detection.

Mughniyeh is wanted in Argentina, Israel and the United States. He came to prominence after Western peacekeeping forces entered Lebanon in 1982.

Career Written in Blood

He was implicated in the 1983 Shi’ite suicide bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, in which at least 63 people were killed. He was responsible for the bombing of the Western military barracks in Beirut: the death toll was more than 300 U.S. Marines and French paratroopers. He planned the abduction of CIA station chief in Beirut William Buckley. In 1984, he planned the bombing of the U.S. embassy in which 14 people were killed.

The CIA tried several times to assassinate Mughniyeh, who is believed to have personally tortured and killed Buckley. In 1985, in a joint operation with the Mossad, the CIA detonated a bomb that killed Mughniyeh’s brother. Another brother was killed in 1994.

Since 1994, Mughniyeh has focused his efforts on Israel and the United States. His aim has been to blow up an Israeli airliner. He came closest to success in 1997 when a bomb meant to be placed on an El Al passenger jet exploded prematurely. A Lebanese national, carrying a forged British passport and sent to carry out the bombing, was severely injured.

Mughniyeh has not been seen in nearly ten years. His current goal is to change the strategic balance between Israel and the Palestinians. He has been a key player in the training of Palestinian insurgents, particularly from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Mughniyeh was even involved in the purchase of the Iranian rockets and weapons aboard the Karine-A freighter enroute to Gaza when seized by Israel.

Assessment:

Mughniyeh is solidly backed by Iran, Lebanon and Syria. His supply of false identities and forged passports is endless. His goal is the destruction of both Israel and the United States. This is the enemy; invisible, ruthless, dedicated.

Those who propose handing Yasser Arafat a state as a solution to the Middle East conflict and the wider problem of international terrorism are living in a fool’s paradise. If the Israelis handed over everything Arafat demanded, the killing would continue until there were no more Jews or Americans left to kill.

Bible prophecy demands a collapse of global security as a prerequisite to the rise of antichrist. Before he can offer to restore global security, ensure global justice and take his place at the head of a global government, there must first be a perceived need for his services. According the Apostle Paul, ‘in the last days, perilous times shall come’ as ‘evil men and seducers wax worse and worse’ [See 2Timothy 3].

Afghani Dope Dealers Back in Business

Afghani Dope Dealers Back in Business
Vol: 5 Issue: 22 Friday, February 22, 2002

One of the unintended side-effects of kicking the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan has been the revitalization of Afghani heroin production.

In 1999, Taliban leader Mullah Omar issued a decree forbidding the cultivation of opium poppies. The decree was enforced by armed Taliban and poppy production fell by 91%.

Now that the Taliban are gone, men can shave their beards, go to movies, have their picture taken or grow all the opium poppies they want.

In a country where a thousand dollars makes one a wealthy man, a dirt poor farmer can make several thousand a year from a small opium garden.

Summary:

Afghanistan is the source of 75% of the world supply of opium. Opium has flourished in the country’s southern desert region – as well as in northern provinces like Badakshan – since the time of Alexander the Great. Unlike wheat, it requires little water and is ideally suited to the country’s arid valleys and unreliable rivers. It is unlikely that Afghani leader Hamid Karzai can wipe it out.

The al-Qaeda network has used the western appetite for drugs to enrich itself while impoverishing its victims financially, morally and spiritually.

Revelation 9:21 outlines some of the reasons for the judgment falling on the earth. “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

The Book of the Revelation was written specifically to the generation that would see its fulfillment. To generations past, it appeared a mysterious combination of heads, horns and beasts. But to this generation, it reads like headline news.

The word translated ‘sorceries’ in the book for the last days isn’t translated from magea, meaning ‘magic arts’ as it is in Acts 8:11. ‘Sorceries’ in this passage comes from the Greek root pharmakea, meaning the ‘use or administration of drugs’.

Sharon’s Buffer Zone Plan

In a major policy speech, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced the creation of a ‘buffer zone’ to create a ‘security separation’ between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sharon envisions eventually building a wall along the Green Line — on the pre-1967 borders — similar to that separating Israel from Gaza.

The Palestinians accused Sharon of wanting to destroy the Palestinian Authority and the peace process. Sharon wants to continue his war and aggression and escalation against our people and our authority, and to destroy the Palestinian Authority and then destroy the peace process, according to Palestinian spokesman Saeb Erekat.

Analysis:

Sharon’s wall won’t destroy the peace process — the PA has already accomplished that. Neither will it prevent the slide toward all out war between Israel and the Palestinians and possibly the wider Arab world. What it will create is a powerful symbol that, when it comes down again, will do so with all the pomp and circumstance of the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Sharon is speaking of implementing a military defensive tactic that goes back thousands of years. In the ancient Middle East, it was a common practice to erect walls around a city or a region to protect it from invaders. The ancient walls around Jerusalem, with its many gates, provide historical testimony to the tactic. But this is the 21st century.

The prophet Ezekiel, writing of the coming Gog-Magog invasion, speaks of Gohg plotting the invasion at a time when Israel was a land of ‘unwalled villages.’ [Ezek: 38:11] The period of ‘false peace’ Ezekiel speaks of is the antichrist’s 7 year peace deal [Dan 9:27].

Ezekiel writes of “Israel” 200 years after Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians. No nation called ‘Israel’ would exist again until 1948. More specifically, he writes of it as being a land of ‘unwalled villages’ as if it were a new state of being for Israel. Sharon now proposes implementing this ancient defensive tactic.

Ezekiel says at that time, Israel will dwell safely ‘in the midst of the land’ [38:12], which is where one will find Jews when the antichrist’s treaty eventually topples the wall. The specificity of Ezekiel’s prophecy is breathtaking. Right down to the wall.

Iran Presence in Afghanistan Growing

Iran Presence in Afghanistan Growing
Vol: 5 Issue: 21 Thursday, February 21, 2002

US intelligence agencies have identified ‘scores’ of Iranian intelligence and military personnel deep inside Afghanistan working to destabilize the interim government. The Iranians reportedly included VEVAK agents and Iranian special forces troops from the Revolutionary Guards. US officials familiar with the intelligence reports said that the Iranians are working with several hundred Afghan fighters operating near Mazar-i-Sharif in an effort to undermine the pro-US government now in place in Kabul.

Arafat Blinks; Arrests Suspects

When Arafat was confined to his Ramallah compound by a ring of Israeli tanks, Israel said the blockade would not be lifted unless he ordered the arrest of the murderers of an Israeli cabinet minister.

Arafat personally ordered the arrest of the three suspects today. The arrests were confirmed by Israel. The next move will be up to Sharon.

Shaky Muslim/Christian Truce in Indonesia

The government fears that security issues remain the outstanding problem in implementing the Malino peace accord signed last week between Christians and Muslims in Maluku, the Jakarta Post reported.

The 11-point peace accord was signed last week after intensive government-sponsored peace negotiations in Malino, South Sulawesi. Harold Crouch of the International Crisis Group (ICG) noted that it would be difficult for the government to disarm militias since both sides needed their presence to ensure tranquility.

Lashkar Jihad represents the Muslim interests in Maluku, while Lashkar Kristus defends the rights of Ambon Christians.

Saudis Top Arab Defense Spender

For a ‘peaceful oil kingdom’ the Saudis spend a lot of money on weapons. Despite government pledges to focus on development, Riyad far outspent every single Arab state in the region.

The Arab Defense Journal reported that Saudi Arabia spent $18.4 billion in 2001. That amounts to nearly 45 percent of the total of all Arab defense expenditures. Including nations like Syria. Where are all the weapons going?

In all, the journal said, Arab states budgeted more than $40 billion to defense during 2001. The figure includes all members of the Arab League with the exception of Iraq and Somalia.

Assessment:

That’s a lot of weaponry for an innocuous kingdom of oil merchants. Especially for a kingdom of oil merchants who claim to be going broke thanks to depressed global oil prices.

Saudi fingerprints are all over al-Qaeda handiwork. Most of the 9/11 hijackers and the al-Qaeda hierarchy were Saudi. Most of their funding is Saudi. Even the extremist Wahabi brand of Islam practiced by the terrorists is a Saudi export.

The Saudis are cozying up to Iran — a nation also heavily involved in international terror and arming itself to the teeth.

There appear to be two Saudi Arabias; the oil-business kingdom run by the royal family and the increasingly militaristic Islamic kingdom run by the clerics and supported by Crown Prince Abdullah.

Washington sends US military aid and weaponry to Riyadh; it funnels straight down to the Wahabi clerics who then redistribute them through the Iran pipeline back to the terrorists. Meanwhile, America’s dependence on Saudi oil forces Washington to look the other way.

Its a vicious circle; one growing tighter with each passing day. The Middle East is preparing for war, plain and simple. That’s what all the weapons and Middle East arms deals indicate, that’s why we have been reporting them to you regularly in the Omega Letter.

It’s one thing to say the Bible predicts war in the Middle East in the last days. Its another to have at your fingertips the evidence of a systematic buildup of weapons and military forces to prove the point.

Our mission at the Omega Letter is to provide you with real, tangible evidence you can use to prove to the lost that the Bible is true, Jesus is coming and time is running out.

Today is the acceptable day of salvation. For those not known by Jesus [Matt 7:23], tomorrow may be too late.

Russian Cargo Fleet Aided al-Qaeda

Russian Cargo Fleet Aided al-Qaeda
Vol: 5 Issue: 20 Wednesday, February 20, 2002

A former Russian air force officer supplied weapons to Al-Qaeda, according to regional intelligence reports. Viktor Bout’s airfreight business allegedly operated flights for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban until shortly before the 11 September terrorist attacks. Bout is in charge of one of the world’s largest fleet of former Soviet cargo planes, and is alleged to have shipped arms, ammunition and bulk supplies. Interpol recently issued an arrest warrant for Bout.

Middle East Violence Reaches New High

At least 30 Israelis and Palestinians were killed in a series of attack and responses in one of the bloodiest days of fighting in their nearly 17-month-old war.

On late Tuesday, six Israelis were killed in a Palestinian insurgency attack near an Israeli military roadblock outside the West Bank city of Ramallah. The attack was believed carried out by at least two Palestinian insurgents who fled to Ramallah. The Israelis were not identified but were believed to be military personnel.

Earlier in the day, Israeli troops and aircraft launched a series of attacks that focused on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources said at least nine Palestinians were killed.

Israeli warplanes and gunboats hit targets in Gaza, including, for the first time, Yasser Arafat’s headquarters directly. Witnesses reported at least forty explosions in that attack. In a separate raid early this morning, Israeli tanks shelled two Palestinian police outposts in Nablus.

Arafat was quoted in the press as being “still committed to the peace process” — ‘despite Israeli reprisals’– the Washington Post adds helpfully.

Assessment:

The sympathetic image of Arafat holed up in Ramallah while war rages around him is too much for the media to resist. Consequently, Israeli ‘reprisals’ directed ‘against’ the Palestinians [two words dripping with semantic imagery] become the focus. The word ‘reprisal’ conjures up mental images of Nazis lining villagers up against a wall to punish uncaptured Resistance fighters.

In point of fact, this was a retaliatory strike in the midst of an ongoing campaign of attack and counter-attack — an entirely different prospect altogether.

Although it is Arafat who holds the key to peace, the press is presenting, by implication, a through-the-looking-glass version of the same story. Israeli ‘retaliation’ subtly morphs into Israel ‘reprisals’.

Although it is a technically correct use of the word, it has the subliminal effect of rendering the provocation irrelevant. Technically, every Palestinian act of violence is also an act of ‘reprisal’.

Why spend so much time on how one word is used? The Bible says that in the last days, the ‘whole world’ [Zechariah 12] will stand against Israel and Jerusalem. There has never been a conflict in history so one-sided. Israel is a nation with one real friend out of more than 180 countries. That friend is the United States.

The efforts of the press to portray Israel as an evil aggressor fighting a downtrodden people is undeniable. Despite the fact Israel is doing on her own soil what America is doing globally — fighting terror. Why is it different?

Because Israel is Israel. Nobody knows why they hate Israel. Nobody is really sure why they blame Israel for the conflict, while Arafat gets a pass for targeting and killing Israeli teenagers. They just do.

The press plays a role, but it only feeds an anti-Semitic predisposition that already exists. The world hates Israel because Israel is a constant reminder of God, the Bible and what is to take place in the last days. Because these are the last days, and it isn’t only the Church that can read the handwriting on the wall.

Iran Helps ‘Scores’ of al-Qaeda Escape

Iran Helps ‘Scores’ of al-Qaeda Escape
Vol: 5 Issue: 19 Tuesday, February 19, 2002

Scores of al Qaeda fugitives have succeeded in escaping a Western dragnet in Afghanistan and returning to their native Arab countries.

The Islamic insurgents have employed a land route that proceeded through Iran to the Persian Gulf and then via ship to such countries as Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen. The ship route usually began from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

The London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily reported that the smuggling route was established by drug traders who operate along the Afghan-Pakistani border. The daily, quoting al Qaeda insurgents, said the drug smugglers charged as much as $33,000 for the operation, which included an escort through Iran as well as forged passports and visas.

Western intelligence sources as well as U.S. officials said hundreds of al Qaeda insurgents have employed a land route that begins in Afghanistan through Iran and Iraq and ends in Syria and Lebanon. They said al Qaeda intends to reorganize in the Middle East.

Saudis Call Iranians ‘Infidels’

The alliance between Iran and Saudi Arabia is being threatened by a dispute over Islamic sites.

The tension was sparked by an address by a leading Saudi cleric who suggested that Iranian pilgrims who arrive in Mecca are ‘infidels’. While most of the Islamic Middle East are Arab, Iranians are not Arabs, but Persians. The remarks prompted an official protest by Iran.

It was the first Iranian protest of Saudi behavior since Riyad signed a security pact with Teheran last April. The two countries are also said to cooperate on military and intelligence issues.

On Feb. 8, Saudi cleric Sheik Salah Al Budair differentiated between Muslims who are flocking to Mecca for the annual Haj pilgrimage. Al Budair, the spiritual leader of the Saudi city of Medina, said those who seek “God’s blessings at his holy shrine and other Islamic holy sites are infidels.”

Saudis To Join Land For Peace Deal

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah let it be known that he is prepared to offer Israel its own version of land for peace.

Abdullah suggests a trade: peace with the entire Arab world in exchange for an Israeli pullout from all the territory occupied in the 1967 war, including the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority embraced the plan wholeheartedly, but would like Abdullah to toss in something about the ‘right of return’ for those Palestinians who fled their homes in 1948 in advance of the Arab effort to annihilate the Jewish state when it declared independence in May, 1948.

Analysis:

Although it sounds like peace, it is part of the overall Arab war strategy. The Saudi position begins at a point already beyond what Israel is willing to concede: a total withdrawal to pre-1967 lines, including the surrender of half of Jerusalem. In addition there is a casual mention of the eventual ‘right of return’.

To the Arab world, the ‘right of return’ doesn’t mean a right to return to the new state of Palestine, but to their homes and lands in the state of Israel. Given that the number of refugees and their descendants could number as many as six million, Israel as a Jewish State would cease to exist at the very next election.

Although the offer sounds like a genuine peace overture, it is an offer for Israel to commit national suicide as an alternative to being murdered.

Ultimately, the offer will be portrayed as an Arab ‘breakthrough’. When Israel rejects it, as she must, the press will characterize that rejection as evidence Israel never really wanted peace in the first place. Remember that in the coming weeks and watch the slant on your evening news.

[As an aside, I find it fascinating that one of the pillars of the anti-Semitic argument is the Zionist control of the global media. If true, you’d think they’d do a better job of making Israel look good].

The prophet Zechariah [Zech 12-14] predicted a coming war in which all the nations of the world would side against Israel. At issue, says Zechariah, is ownership of Jerusalem. He wrote this some 2,500 years ago. Zechariah named ‘Jerusalem’ specifically, of all the cities in the world, although in his day, Jerusalem was a conquered city in the process of rebuilding.

It would remain under foreign occupation for another two millennia. ‘Israel’ was captured by Sargon II of Assyria in 721 BC. Its occupants were deported, creating the “Ten Lost Tribes” and Israel ceased to exist. When Zechariah wrote of Israel, it had not existed in three hundred years and would not exist again until May, 1948.

Today, Israel exists. Jerusalem exists. Most of the world, as exemplified by the UN, is already lined up against Israel in the current conflict. At issue is the ownership of the city of Jerusalem. [UN Resolutions 242 and 338 demand the division of Jerusalem and the withdrawal to pre-1967 borders].

Think of how incredible a prophecy this is, and look at the precision with which it is being fulfilled. It is a prophecy that could never have found its fulfillment in any generation prior to this one.

But in this generation, Zechariah’s scenario is identical to the war scenario assessment for the Middle East drawn up by every major intelligence agency in the world. Zechariah goes a bit further, though, and explains how, once begun, his scenario plays out to the end with the triumphant return of Christ.

Zechariah’s been right so far — there’s no reason to doubt the rest will be fulfilled any less literally. And it was Jesus — Who certainly in a position to know — Who said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” [Luke 21:28]