Skip to comments.

Posted on 11/19/2001 4:48:36 AM PST by hope

96 Hours: Wolves & Wizards
& Signs in the Stars—Bill Koenig

November 17, 2001

Note from Bill: We are just now in the middle of a 96-hour period during which history could well prove to be very significant for those who watch current events in the context of Bible prophecy.

The time-line from Thursday, November 15, to Monday, November 19, is filled—as the old radio show, “You Are There,” used to proclaim—“with those events that alter and illuminate our times, and you are there!” Those events are converging now, and we are here!

• On Thursday, the United Nations was told, “We have broad agreement” for a Palestinian state, declared on God’s covenant land, by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, in spite of sharp protests from much of Israel. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Peres dragged the state to Oslo and is now doing something that shouldn't be done, giving [Palestinian Chairman Yasser] Arafat a prize for terrorism - a terrorist state in the heart of the country, even though the vast majority opposes it."

• Israel's ruling coalition faced new strains on Friday when Peres expressed support for Palestinian statehood, and violence flared in the West Bank following Muslim prayers for the Ramadan Muslim holiday. Right-wingers put pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to dismiss Peres for telling the United Nations General Assembly that Israelis backed Palestinian independence -- even as a bloody uprising against Israel raged on.

• Conversely, and also on Friday, Israel announced that the publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls is complete, 44 years after the first scroll was found in Qumran. Described by scholars as an “excellent picture of the literature of ancient Israel,” these scrolls have affirmed “a lot” of the words of Jesus Christ from the New Testament.

• As Ramadan got under way, worshippers from Saudi Arabia to Jordan prayed Friday for America's demise and Osama bin Laden's safety and victory on the first day of Ramadan, the holy Muslim month of fasting. "The Americans are digging their own grave and, God willing, our holy warriors in Afghanistan will bury them soon," said Ahmed, a 25-year-old Saudi from Khobar, who only wanted to be identified by his first name.

• Concurrently, on Friday, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” hit theaters in a colossal way, with nearly one-fourth of the nation's movie screens tuning in to the boy wizard's adventures. The Associated Press led off its article by announcing, “Better show up at the theater early, or you'll have trouble finding a place to park your broomstick.” In Wisconsin, public schools bussed their students to “Harry Potter” as a field trip.

• Friday night, on the NBC News, host Tom Brokaw “condemned” Rev. Franklin Graham—preacher, evangelist, son of Billy Graham, the man who gave the inaugural invocation for President George W. Bush—for his portrayal of Islam as “evil.” The younger Graham heads the Samaritan’s Purse missionary program whose hospitals in the southern Sudan have been bombed by the Muslims. “Obviously, Mr. Graham is tone deaf in this respect,” says Newsweek religion editor Ken Woodward. “He is no longer Billy Graham’s son.” A presidential friend and supporter, Graham now finds himself at odds with both the Muslim world and the message from the White House. (Here is an e-mail address to Samaritan's Purse that could be used for prayer and words of encouragement for Franklin's courageous stand: prayer@samaritan.org)

• Tonight (Saturday), the world anticipates and awaits what could be the perfect meteor storm, when the Leonid meteor showers barrage the planet before dawn on Sunday, raining down perhaps thousands of streaking points of light each hour during its peak. It will be “nature’s New Year’s and the Fourth of July all rolled into one.” say astronomers, who are stating unabashedly that it may be “the best people now living will ever see.”

• On Monday, the world, especially those who watch the Middle East, will turn eyes toward Louisville, Kentucky, where Secretary of State Colin Powell is planning to make an important foreign policy speech. There's just one small problem: Will he speak about broad foreign policy goals or will he narrow the focus of his remarks to the Middle East peace process? Most of the background chatter in the State Department, however, seems to indicate that the Louisville speech will be outlining the administration's goals in pursuing peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

• Concluding this 96-hour time-line on Monday will be an official event at the White House, where President Bush, eager to improve America's reputation in the Muslim world, will welcome 50 ambassadors from Islamic countries for a traditional meal and prayer to mark the start of Ramadan. It is thought to be the first time that Muslims will have knelt and touched the floor with their foreheads in a formal ceremony at the official home of American presidents. Charlotte Beers, who has been chosen to take charge of an American-led campaign to build support in the Muslim world, said that the White House and State Department wanted to show sensitivity to the importance of Ramadan.

This 96-hour time period certainly weaves a curious tapestry, filled for sure with those events that could alter and illuminate our time. And we are right here in the middle of it all!

In conclusion, three scriptures come to mind:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 KJV)

“Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.” (Ezekiel 22:27 KJV)

“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;” (Luke 21:25 KJV)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.