A QUARTET OF END TIMES ISSUES [FAITH N SCHOOL, JERUSALEM, BIRD FLU]

NOTE: THE FIRST article came via the GLADRAGS newsletter. I couldn't find it on the net. The second article came from his website at the Source URL.

Here in the end times, it's tempting to just sit back and watch the world spiral out of control, but Wendy Kinnear isn't that kind of Christian. Not at all!

Recently, as documented in an American Family Association article, Christian mom Wendy Kinnear prompted an entire California school district to begin promoting religious freedom among its 26,000 students.

What led to Wendy stepping up for the Lord? Wendy's heart was broken one day last year when she heard her first-grade daughter, Lauren, comment she could not pray at her Placentia elementary school. It's a comment many Christian parents have heard. Why?

Because, as Wendy Kinnear realized, children are beginning to think their faith isn't welcome, in any manner whatsoever, in public schools.

What did Wendy do, as a result of coming to that realization, that affected positive change in an entire school district? She addressed the Yorba Linda/Placentia school board to express her fears children in the school district were being led to question their religious liberties.

According to the article, Wendy left the school board meeting far from convinced she had made a convincing argument. Why? Because at the end of her speech, no one clapped, cheered, or offered her any encouragement whatsoever.

Why was Wendy's speech met with utter silence? Because Wendy's words had scored a direct hit on the school board's collective heart and broken it! Shortly after Wendy's speech, the school board responded by encouraging all of its schools to celebrate "Religious Freedom Day." Praise the Lord!

What can we learn from Wendy Kinnear? To stand up for what's right, even at the risk of walking away, as Wendy did, wondering if it was of any benefit whatsoever! We can take a stand for the Lord and, occasionally, even in this sin-ridden world, win!

Matthew 5:14-16: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

For some time now, we've been hearing that bird flu, if it should mutate to become a disease passable from human to human, could create a quick-spreading global pandemic, potentially resulting in millions upon millions of human deaths.

Has the unthinkable started to happen? While I pray not, there is definitely, as of today, cause for concern.

According to a Reuters report, a Vietnamese nurse who tended a bird flu patient with a colleague who has since tested positive for the deadly virus has been hospitalized after showing symptoms of the disease. Plainly spoken, two nurses who contracted the sickness contracted it while caring for one patient!

While it is entirely possible both of these nurses made errors that led to them becoming infected with bird flu, another possibility is the unthinkable has started to happen.

Matthew 24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

A Middle East Newsline report suggests Israel's military is preparing for war with Syria, Hizbullah, and, quite possibly, Iran as a result of what the report calls an "emerging threat from Syria and Hizbullah over the next year."

Major Gen. Benny Gantz, chief of Israel's Northern Command, is quoted in the article as saying, "We might have to fight those countries, which could drive them back a dozen years. We can drive Lebanon and Syria 50 years back. It's an option."

I find Gantz' comments interesting on several fronts. Bible prophecy, as seen in Isaiah 17:1, seems to indicate Damascus, Syria is going to be utterly destroyed in the prophetic future - to the extent it will be taken from being a city.

Gantz is saying, as I read it, Israel can drive "those countries" back a dozen years OR drive them back 50 years. Interestingly, when the Gog-Magog invasion of Ezekiel 38-39 takes place, one nation which is currently stirring up trouble in the Middle East, namely Syria, is nowhere to be found among the list of nations aligned with Russia in attacking Israel.

According to a WorldNetDaily article, the United States has quietly approved a plan to relocate its consulate from the eastern section of Jerusalem to a western Jerusalem neighborhood, with construction of the new facility already beginning. What does this mean?

Quite possibly, it means the United States is looking ahead to a time when East Jerusalem will be in Palestinian hands!

Thought of the United States doing this, according to the article, initially started when the seven-year the Oslo peace process was moving forward and Israel had agreed to give the eastern section of Jerusalem to the PLO to create its future state's capital. Suddenly, at this moment when both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are somewhat dedicated to seeing peace efforts move forward, the United States, in my opinion, is making ready to move to the side of a divided Jerusalem it would be safest in calling home. God help us if this is true!

While there are many issues in our world today that seem to send mixed signals concerning how close we may be to the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the one constant of late is the world's determination to divide Israel's covenant lands! I believe that trend is going to continue until, ultimately, the Antichrist of Daniel 9:26-27 finds his way into the spotlight of international diplomacy by confirming a seven-year peace covenant in the Middle East, setting the stage for the visible, physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ to take place.

Joel 3:2: I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Israel is God's prophetic timeclock. What does the timeclock say? As I look at it, it says to me, in no uncertain terms, Jesus Christ is coming ---- and soon! Mighty soon!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What will the Quartet come up with next? by Michael G. Mickey

Tomorrow, on 3-1-05, the international Quartet of Russia, the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union will meet in London to discuss ongoing efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

An EUBusiness.com article quotes the spokeswoman of Dr. Javier Solana, foreign policy chief of the European Union, as saying, in advance of the meeting, the Quartet aims to "give momentum to the peace process", just as the region is seeing important developments. What, if anything, will the Quartet come up with next to achieve that lofty goal? It's hard to say.

While no one can deny progress has seemingly been made in the troubled region, there was a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on 2-25-05 which Israel is now suggesting shows Damascus, Syria's guilt, which Damascus, of course, is denying - in spite of the fact Islamic Jihad, being given safe harbor in Damascus, is proudly proclaiming its involvement in the matter.

Although no new initiatives are anticipated as a result of the Quartet's meeting, one thing the Quartet is eventually going to have to come up with, if it truly hopes to see peace come to the Middle East, as illustrated by the latest suicide bomber to strike in Israel, is a way to insure the two sides of the conflict, as well as outside influences like Islamic Jihad, the Iranians and the Syrians, don't do anything to sabotage the progress made along the way as was done in Tel Aviv, threatening what is most assuredly a fragile ceasefire between the long-standing rivals.

Left to their own devices, the Israelis and Palestinians are never going to live side by side in peace. We've seen enough stories on the news concerning these two parties to understand that. As such, third party involvement, on some level, is going to be a required element of any effective peace plan in the region - precisely what Bible prophecy envisions taking place in the future, when a seemingly effective seven-year peace plan will be confirmed by a leader of Roman descent "with many", as seen in Daniel 9:26-27.

As I've stated on many occasions in the past, I believe the Quartet could be representative of the "many" Daniel prophesied or, perhaps, a precursor to the "many" the Antichrist will confirm a covenant of peace in the Middle East with. I say that because Zechariah 12:2-3 makes it clear Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling "unto all the people round about" and a burdensome stone "for all people" in the last days. Friends, we're there! Not only are we there conditionally, the international community is unified in its desire to resolve the conflict, potentially paving the way for the Roman prince of Daniel 9:26 to rise to prominence on the world's diplomatic stage - an event which will be preceded by the Rapture of the Church.

What will the Quartet come up with next? Hopefully, tomorrow's meeting will yield some hints.

Could you spell it out more clearly.

some of us are deficient in puzzle unraveling regardless of our extensive puzzle collections.

seriously.

20 posted on 03/14/2005 11:18:19 AM MST by Quix

The Feast of Trumpets (it is called the Feast of Trumpets as trumpets or shofars

are sounded each day for a month leading up to the Feast Day)

or the civil name is Rosh Hashanah, for the day, is New Years day for the civil calendar.

Every Jew knows about Rosh Hashanah.

It is the day that is determined when three stars are seen in the evening after the new moon.

Jewish days begin a sundown( as outlined in Genesis).

For a solar eclipse to occur literally at noon the day

that will become the New Years at sundown is breathtaking to say he least.

This will be seen from G-d’s City: Jerusalem.

Over the last five years lunar eclipses have occurred during the other Feast of the L-rd.

This to a Jew (atheist or believer) will a clear sign from G-d!

B’shem Y’shua haMashiach

chuck

Is Rome reviving? - Hal Lindsey - www.hallindsey.com

The year 2005 started the countdown toward a momentous event – the ratification of the new proposed European constitution.

What such mighty leaders as Charlemagne, Frederick the Great, Napoleon and Hitler couldn't do militarily, is being quietly achieved by economic alliances and the heady wine of ultimate economic and political power.

I saw this coming in 1969, as I discussed in my book, "The Late Great Planet Earth." I quoted former Secretary of State Dean Rusk who said in 1962:

Powerful forces are moving in the European community toward political integration as well. Survival and growth force the nations of Europe to forget their historic antagonisms and unite. Through the pooling of the resources and efforts a mighty new entity is growing out of the chaos left by national rivalries and world wars.

Now the instrument that can formally federate the European nations has been formulated. At first blush, this new constitution looks similar to the U.S. federal system, but the similarities are only superficial. The new E.U. constitution has none of the checks and balances built into the American system. The American system grants individual states certain rights that are beyond its ability to regulate.

The E.U. constitution would take most of the powers away from the member states and concentrate them in Brussels. The E.U. constitution creates an unelected president, foreign minister and diplomatic service, all currently held by the same individual under the authority of a Western European Union agreement titled, "Recommendation 666." (Isn't this number interesting? Coincidence? I don't think so.) And remember, it is the Western European Union – composed of the original 10 member nations – that holds the real power in the European Union. This is all prophetically significant.

The E.U. constitution will create a unique, pan-European legal system, a Europe-wide police and law enforcement infrastructure and an all-European military force. Two E.U. members are currently numbered among the five Permanent Members of the Security Council. The European constitution envisions a sixth seat for Europe.

When ratified, it will mean the end of the already tattered trans-Atlantic relationship with the United States, since an E.U. military alliance would cut across existing NATO lines, eliminating some obligations for NATO members and imposing new ones better suited to European requirements.

When the E.U. constitution is formally ratified, it will transform Europe from a single market alliance into a federal political union and will create an authoritarian superstate on a par with the United States virtually overnight.

As I said in "The Late Great Planet Earth," Europe will unite and become the mightiest power on earth. The United States must suddenly decline as a world power.

Now here is why I say this. The Prophet Daniel's seventh and eighth chapters have been called the greatest in the Bible. Chapter seven gives a prophetic outline of the four great world empires that would have authority over the entire earth until the Messiah comes and sets up God's kingdom. Each empire would destroy the succeeding one. In this chapter Daniel has a vision of four terrible beasts. The revealing angel interprets these: "The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth" (Daniel 7:17, NIV).

Daniel is especially curious about the Fourth Kingdom, because it takes a different form in the days just before the coming of the Messiah. The angel explained:

The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The 10 horns are 10 kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. [Hebrew means a year, two years and half a year.]

– Daniel 7:23-25, NIV

Note that the "10 horns that symbolize 10 kings" come "from" or "out of" the remains of the Fourth Kingdom. The Fourth Kingdom is not destroyed as the first three were. As predicted, it remains in a mystery form until just before the coming of the Messiah to set up God's forever kingdom, which is the Fifth Kingdom.

Now who are the four world kingdoms?

Daniel receives the answer to that question two years after he received the revelation in chapter seven. It was in the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylon.

The symbols used in the first half of chapter eight are explained beginning in verse 20, "The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia." The vision showed that the "two horned ram" would suddenly destroy Babylon. This prophecy was received shortly before Media-Persia destroyed Babylon virtually overnight by diverting the Euphrates River that ran through the city. Their soldiers rushed under the great bronze gates that extended into the water once the river dried up. The walls of the City of Babylon were over 150 feet high and wide enough at the top for five chariots to run side by side. The city that was thought to be impregnable was overrun in a night – and God's prophets had predicted it.

Daniel predicts the Third Kingdom, symbolized by a two-horned shaggy goat, would destroy the Persian Empire through the genius of its first great king, "The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king" (Daniel 8:21, NIV). This was a precise prophecy of the rise of Alexander the Great more than 200 years before his birth.

Daniel predicts that Alexander would spread his kingdom further than all before him. Incredibly, he predicts that Alexander would suddenly die at the height of his power and his kingdom would be divided among four of his people. When Alexander died, his last words in answer to the question "To whom do you will you kingdom" was, "Give it to the strong."

His four great generals – Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassandar and Lysimachus – took it over, just as predicted.

The Fourth Kingdom was Rome. It took over all that was left of the Greek Empire long before the birth of Christ. It continued until it fell apart as a political kingdom around the end of the 5th century. However, the influence of this kingdom continued. Evidence of its existence and power are all over Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. Religiously, a remnant of Roman power continued mysteriously in the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, against all odds, 10 nations out of the ruins of the Roman culture and people have arisen as the real power behind the European Union. I believe they will become the power base through which a predicted leader will gain control over the whole world. The Bible calls him the "Antichrist."

I realize some will say this preposterous. But this prophecy has already been 85 percent literally fulfilled in history – and every time against seemingly impossible odds.

I believe we are witnesses to climactic events that will bring Jesus the Messiah back to earth. The most important question is: "Are you ready?"
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