Month: March 2015

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The Ides of March

 

By GF Herrin

Since the March 17th Israeli election took place, it has become ever apparent that U.S. President and Secretary of State John Kerry seem more determined than ever to strike some semblance of an agreement with the known terrorist nation of Iran. Realizing that the people of Israel have essentially mandated that the vigilant Benjamin Netanyahu stay in office, Obama and Kerry seem determined to sign a treaty no matter what impact it may have on the Jewish state. As the article states below, many have misgivings regarding a deal with such an unpredictable and hostile adversary.

Negotiations with Iran Going Down to the Wire

In the aftermath of the castigation of Netanyahu for his boldness in addressing Congress on March 3rd, it is refreshing to hear someone speak lucidly on how the present administration has suddenly turned its back on Israel lately. Marco Rubio, the U.S. senator from Florida, lays out the unfortunate series of recent events very well.

Rubio Speaks on the Obama Administration’s Treatment of Israel

Remember the quote from the Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar? “A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March”? Some of the origins of this saying date back to ancient religious customs. The March observance of Mamuralia was a Greek ritual that involved a scapegoat in the form of an old man dressed in animal skins and being driven from the city. One wonders if perhaps Israel is the scapegoat that all of the nations are raising a stick to now in an effort to drive them out into the wilderness (see Revelation 12:6).

Or perhaps the scapegoat was God, who seems to be, more than ever, in the United States anyway, being driven out of the moral fiber of this world, and in particular, the United States. Recently, the state of Indiana enacted a religious freedom law that gives individual business owners who are Christian the freedom to not cater homosexual weddings , which are clearly a sin and against basic Christian doctrine. The reaction to the law from homosexuals and the liberal media has been almost beyond belief in its veracity and insistence that humans everywhere are now being discriminated against.

Liberals against Religious Liberty in Indiana

More than likely the roots of the observance of Mamuralia come from the Passion of the Messiah, who, in fulfilling the law of Leviticus, became the real scapegoat for mankind’s sins (Leviticus 16:8-10;20-22).

“Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness” (Lev. 16:8-10).

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness” (Lev. 16:0-22).

Ultimately, Jesus’ becoming a scapegoat for us has saved us from the burning pit of Hell and given us a personal relationship with the Living God.

“God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness” (2 Cor. 5:21).

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Eye on the End Times

Netanyahu May be Defeated – Will this Begin the End?

By GF Herrin

 

As the Jewish Sabbath begins, a time of uncertainty has begun for the nation of Israel. On Tuesday, March 17th, Israeli voters will go to the polls to decide who will be prime minister for the next five years. At stake is the future defense of Israel’s borders. If Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud party leader, loses, changes are likely to come to Israel.  Netanyahu is a staunch conservative who has steadfastly resisted international pressure to give up land so that a separate Palestinian state can be formed.

However, Netanyahu’s main opponents, Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, seem much more likely to concede land and return Israel to its pre-1967 borders. According to the latest polls, their party has a narrow lead.

http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-behind-final-polling-day-election-074847784.html

 

Regarding the danger to Israel if he is defeated, Prime Minister Netanyahu says, “I think our security is at great risk because there is a real danger that we could lose this election. If the gap between the Likud and Labor continues to grow, a week from now [Isaac] Herzog and [Tzipi] Livni will become the prime ministers of Israel in a rotation with the backing of the Arab parties. That will cause such a monumental shift in policy that it will endanger the security of Israel – and anyone who wants to stop it has to vote Likud to narrow the gap.”

When asked by the Jerusalem Post if Israel will be more threatened by Iran and a potentially bad deal that a coalition of countries might make with the terrorist state,the Prime Minister said, “Of course we would be in trouble. They have said on several occasions that maybe the deal isn’t so bad, we can live with the deal. They did everything possible to criticize rather than support me, as I faced enormous pressure and went to explain Israel’s opposition to the deal – which could give Iran an easy path to the bomb and pose an existential threat to Israel.”

Read the article here: What Happens if Netanyahu Loses?

Iran  already possesses the ability to create one nuclear weapon.  If they suddenly become free of the burden of economic sanctions,  they could suddenly possess the resources to create more plutonium with which to produce more. With money flowing into Iran again after years of economic clampdown, the country would also be able to pump untold amounts into  the production of other weapons that would likely usher in a new era of war directed to Israel. In addition, if the U.N. issues a security resolution (as they seem likely to do) to eliminate the sanctions, the reality is that the U.S. Congress, or the next president of the U.S. may not be able to do anything  to stop it.

Major Nations May Lift Iran Sanctions

So, why am I bringing all this up? Well, as we head into next week’s elections, the reality is that three days after voting day on the 17th comes the solar eclipse on March 20th. By now, you are probably aware of the four lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses that will take place around biblical feast days and Jewish holidays in 2014-15 and their  potential significance. This next eclipse is a solar one that will take place on  Nissan 1, the first day of the first month of the biblical calendar.

According to Breakingisraelnews.com, “There will be a total eclipse of the sun for two minutes over the North Pole on Friday, March 20, the day of the Spring Equinox which coincides with the beginning of the Hebrew month of Nissan, the first month in the Biblical calendar year, a solar occurrence that has never happened before in human history.
A total solar eclipse at the North Pole on the first day of spring occurs once every 100,000 years.  For it to occur on the first day of the first month of the Biblical calendar year is, however, entirely unprecedented since this is only the year 5775 according to Jewish tradition, meaning that there has never been such a solar occurrence in human history.”

 

Read More: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/32497/passover-blood-moon-preceded-by-exceedingly-rare-solar-eclipse-biblical-zionism/#GppkBrxKfTqokoeS.97
I think that if Netanyahu does get defeated on March 17th, then the solar eclipse portends a crucial time that is beginning for Israel. It may be the beginning of the time of the end that leads to the agreement of the covenant with many that will take place before the anti-christ enters the world stage.

Also, it could be very significant if Netanyahu is defeated and Herzog and Livni are in power because they seem to be the types of leaders that will sell out Israel in hopes of securing a type of “Peace” for Israel.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 says, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Also, we know from the Book of Revelation that there will come a time when not only one Beast, (the antichrist), but two Beasts will take the stage at the end. Many scholars believe that the second Beast (the False witness), since he comes from the earth or land (meaning Israel), will be a Jew who deceives other Jews.

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived” (Rev 13:11-14).

Could one of these Prime Ministers (Herzog or Livni) be the second beast? Only time will tell. We should be watching closely next Tuesday to see who wins the election in Israel, though.

 

 

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Eye on the End Times

The Double Standard against the People of Israel

By GF Herrin

It was a rare occasion, momentous even. Anytime a leader from another country gets an opportunity to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress, people take note and generally listen with an open mind. One particularly open minded listener noted the similarities of the importance of Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3rd speech to an address given by Winston Churchill to Congress in 1941 just after the United States’ entry into World War II. Churchill, of course, was a stalwart bulldog who stood up to the tyranny of Nazi Germany. He was perhaps the single most important person of the 20th century and was known for his courage in exhorting both the British people and the U.S. to not give up the fight against Germany and the evil Adolf Hitler.

Another congressional address that comes to mind is one given by Nelson Mandela, shortly after he was released from prison in South Africa. In 1990, in the midst of violence in his country, brought on by clashes between the South African government and those who so longed to see apartheid abolished, Mandela spoke on his passion for his cause. “We went to jail because it was impossible to sit still while the obscenity of the apartheid system was being imposed on our people. It would have been immoral to keep quiet while a racist tyranny sought to reduce an entire people into a status worse than that of the beasts of the forest.”

So it was with courage and morality that Jewish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to an American congress in an effort to warn them about the potentially catastrophic impact that an agreement with Iran might have on Israel and possibly the U.S. Transcript for Netanyahu’s speech If you look at the situation from a rational perspective, Netanyahu is simply a Prime Minister who is a steward of his country. As part of his stewardship, he is and always will be responsible for guarding the nation of Israel from any potential outside attack. From the Prime Minister’s perspective, Iran could easily be the attacker that either destroys them or propels them into its next major war. With all these things in play, any reasonable person would listen to what Netanyahu has to say with an open mind.

However, an open mind was the last thing on display by certain members of congress, such as Nancy Pelosi who literally turned her back on the Prime Minister during his speech. Can you imagine if Senator Bob Dole or Representative Newt Gingrich had turned his back during the speech of Nelson Mandela or any other foreign dignitary in 1990? The press would have been outraged. Dole probably would have been accused of committing atrocities and encouraged to resign! Yet, when the highly visible former speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi, and the sitting president of the United States refuse to pay proper respect to a trusted ally and friend, no one shouted out in disgust at the lack of courtesy and diplomacy extended. This slight serves notice that this is a spiritual battle going on in which these folks’ eyes have been blinded by the god of this world.

Netanyahu brought up several bad scenarios that a current proposed agreement with Iran could bring about. The first and foremost scenarios could occur as a result of lifting economic sanctions against Iran. It is a given that ultimately, the agreement would not guarantee  nuclear development will not continue in Iran. Also, Netanyahu pointed out that, “Iran’s neighbors know that Iran will become even more aggressive and sponsor even more terrorism when its economy is unshackled and it’s been given a clear path to the bomb.”
Netanyahu also made it plain in his speech that right now, and going forward, Iran could be hiding nuclear facilities that we don’t know about. “As the former head of inspections for the IAEA said in 2013, said, ‘If there’s no undeclared installation today in Iran, it will be the first time in 20 years that it doesn’t have one.’ Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted. And that’s why the first major concession is a source of great concern. It leaves Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and relies on inspectors to prevent a breakout. That concession creates a real danger that Iran could get to the bomb by violating the deal.”
Netanyahu also made the following points:

“But the second major concession creates an even greater danger that Iran could get to the bomb by keeping the deal. Because virtually all the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program will automatically expire in about a decade.

Now I want you to think about that. The foremost sponsor of global terrorism could be weeks away from having enough enriched uranium for an entire arsenal of nuclear weapons and this with full international legitimacy.

And by the way, if Iran’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program is not part of the deal, and so far, Iran refuses to even put it on the negotiating table. Well, Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far-reach corners of the earth, including to every part of the United States.

Before lifting those restrictions, the world should demand that Iran do three things.

1) Stop its aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East. Second…

2) Stop supporting terrorism around the world.

3) Stop threatening to annihilate my country, Israel, the one and only Jewish state.”

There has been a harsh reaction within our country and even Israel to Netanyahu’s address. In  fact, there are even anti-Netanyahu demonstrations  that have taken place in Tel Aviv, Israel. One wonders if these demonstrations are being sponsored by the candidates opposing the Prime Minister in the upcoming national election to be held on March 17th. Ultimately, this appeal to Congress by Netanyahu could backfire against him politically and cost him his office. If that happens, it stands to reason that one of Israel’s most devoted patriots will not be able to defend them anymore.

Churchill, a known supporter of the Jewish people once wrote, “The Jews are the most formidable and the most remarkable race that has ever appeared in the world”. Ultimately, it is not their ability that has set them apart but the supernatural hand of God that has blessed, led, and protected them from certain destruction throughout time.  Yet, It is certain from biblical prophecy that a storm is coming to Israel. It is only a question of when it will come. The Books of Daniel (9:27;12:7),Revelation (12:6, 13-17), and Zechariah (13:8—9) foretell of the Tribulation during which two thirds of the Jewish population will be wiped out. I have to wonder if this latest turn of events will allow a weaker leader to become prime minister of Israel. Ultimately, a less courageous leader might make concessions that will make the Jews more vulnerable to a “bad deal” that will lead to a covenant with many that ushers in the “abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15).

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Eye on the End Times

Purim – Is it happening again in 2015?

By GF Herrin

Some 1500 years ago (between 486 to 465 B.C.), a young Jewish queen burdened by the impending destruction of her exiled people, courageously came to speak to the one man who had the power to do something about it. Queen Esther, knowing full well the risks of speaking to King Ahasuereas (Xerxes), without getting permission first to approach him. Despite the danger, Esther mustered up the courage, knowing that the survival of Israel might well depend on her willingness to take a stand against the anti-Semitic law written by the evil adversary, Haman.

Now, in 2015, on the eve of the Jewish holiday, Purim, which celebrates the deliverance of Israel from Haman’s destruction, another courageous Jew, Benjamin Netanyahu will speak to the U.S. Congress. Netanyahu comes to speak at a joint session despite the opposition of a U.S. President who is seemingly hostile and indifferent to Israel and will not take direct action to defend the citizens of that country. Congress has the power to help protect Israel from the actions of another evil adversary, Iran. The timing of this situation is uncanny and should not be dismissed by an increasingly Bible illiterate United States.

What has come to light in the last two weeks is that President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have a potential agreement in the works with Iran that could be harmful for Israel. Iran, who has been a terrorist nation for the past 35 years and has already produced enough plutonium for one nuclear bomb, would like to escape the burden of heavy economic sanctions. They are reportedly close to an agreement with the U.S., who is in favor of lifting the sanctions in return for assurances from Iran that they will curtail their production of plutonium going forward. At the negotiation table with Iran, have been the nations of the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. Conspicuously missing has been Israel.

The Obama administration has been successful in painting the Netanyahu address to congress as a controversial one. When speaker of the House John Boehner extended an invitation to Netanyahu to speak to Congress, Obama wasn’t notified. Protocol wasn’t followed and that ruffled feathers with his administration. But, truly there is no trust between Obama and Netanyahu, after repeated slights and intentional snubs (even verbal assaults) that the White House has offered to Israel’s leader.

Now, comes the latest news that Obama Threatened to Shoot Down IAF Air Strike in 2014. “The Netanyahu government took the decision to strike Iran some time in 2014 soon after Israel had discovered the United States and Iran had been involved in secret talks over Iran’s nuclear program and were about to sign an agreement in that regard behind Israel’s back.”

Yet it is Netanyahu who was castigated famously by people within Obama’s administration as being “Chicken sh—“for not taking action against Iran in the first place. How is it that when the Netanyahu comes to the U.S. for help he is insulted verbally, yet when he takes actions to protect his country himself he is persecuted, also? How can anyone win with an administration as blatently as inept as Obama’s dare to claim the high ground here?

BBC News, says, that “Mr Netanyahu’s visit will start with an address on Monday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee – the largest Jewish interest group in the US. Also speaking will be Susan Rice – President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser. On Wednesday, she said Mr Netanyahu’s visit was “destructive to the fabric” of the US-Israel relationship.” Liberal Democrat senator Dianne Feinstein has described Netanyahu’s plans to speak to Congress as “arrogant” .

These allegations against a Prime Minister simply speaking in defense of his country remind one of Haman’s hatred focused against Israel so long ago. If you will recall, the beginning of Haman’s persecution of the Jews, you will remember that it all began when Mordecai did not pay the proper homage to Haman, thus, incurring his wrath (Esth. 3:5). We seem to be seeing history repeating itself, with Obama being 2015’s version of Haman. The enemy, ever the antagonist of the Jews, is at work once again.