War with Israel

[marshlewis]

God will uphold Israel. He has and will. All of Israel's enemies are cursed.

what if your wrong. i mean for you personally. would it make you pause for thought.

 

[dollarsbill]

what if your wrong. i mean for you personally. would it make you pause for thought.

I hold to Scripture. You have Scripture?

 

[marshlewis]

I hold to Scripture. You have Scripture?

Fightclub?.

 

[dollarsbill]

Fightclub?.

No, the Bible.

 

[interpreter]

God will uphold Israel. He has and will. All of Israel's enemies are cursed.

As a result of the Battle of Ar Mageddon which Israel and the west wins, the Satanic beast of the Revelation is locked away for a thousand years.

 

[TLK Valentine]

As a result of the Battle of Ar Mageddon which Israel and the west wins, the Satanic beast of the Revelation is locked away for a thousand years.

Is that a thousand years of our time, or a thousand years of God's time?

 

[BlandOatmeal]

I will address some of the posts in a minute (though, of course, anyone can post to anyone here). First, let me post this. It is about some recent developments in Syria. (Fightclub? I'll have to look that one up)

Kurdish Fighters and Syrian Rebels Announce Fragile Ceasefire
24/11/2012 02:27:00

Map shows control of cities in Syria: Green: Assad government controlled; Blue: contested; Brown: rebel-controlled. Map REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_and_towns_during_the_Syrian_civil_war . Kurdish-held towns are Afrin, 'Ayn al-'Arab, Al-Darbasiyah, Amuda and Al-Malikiyah, all along the Syria-Turkey border

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The People's Defense Units (YPG) announced in a statement on Friday that they have reached a truce with the Syrian Islamist groups Jabhat al-Nusra and Ghuraba' al-Sham after 3 days of fighting in Serêkaniyê.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]“Today at 16.30 a ceasefire was declared in Serekaniye (Ras al-Ayn) after a request by armed groups and friendly groups. [The] Ceasefire was declared on our terms: Armed groups must leave and the creation of a Peoples Council from all ethnicities,” read the YPG statement.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]According to this statement, the truce is for is for 2 days. “If our terms are not met until then, we will continue to fight them,” read the statement.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The YPG is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and it controls the east and the northern parts of the city of Serêkaniyê, while the Syrian rebel factions control the south and the west as well as the Turkish border crossing.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]YGP fighters have clashed with the Syrian rebels in the past several days. They want the rebel factions to leave the area.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday there were renewed clashes between the YPG and the jihadist groups Jabhat al-Nusra and Ghuraba' al-Sham that resulted in the death of 9 combatants, 8 from the Nusra front and 1 YPG fighter.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]On Wednesday, the YPG sources and the Kurdish news agency [/FONT]Firat News[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif] claimed that armed groups had brought 50 vehicles and seven tanks from the Turkish border to Serêkaniyê, igniting new confrontations.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]According to a PYD statement, reinforcements entered the city after negotiations to stop the fighting had failed. In two days of fighting that started last week, it is believed that at least 54 people have been killed.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]“Everybody was shocked by the intervention of seven tanks and armored vehicles from the Turkish side of the border and started bombarding Kurdish villages and areas randomly in order to terrorize/ displace citizens,” PYD Executive Council said in a statement.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The SOHR reported earlier that 400 Kurdish fighters had come from across Syria on Wednesday to reinforce the YPG, while 200 members of the Nusra front came from Tal Abayd, and more than 100 fighters and 3 tanks commanded by Ghuraba' al-Sham went into the city.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]On Thursday, the Ghuraba’ al-Sham battalion warned the PYD in a Youtube statement that was translated by Al Jazeera English, saying, "We warn all those who stand against the revolution. Mainly the PYD and the PKK from carrying out any counterrevolutionary act. They must withdraw from Ras al-Ayn and stay away from any confrontation with our fighters,”[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]But YPD leaders are adamant that the Syrian armed groups must leave the area. Also, the Friday ceasefire comes after an announcement by the YPG that their fighters had killed 25 Syrian rebels, wounding more than 20, and destroying 3 vehicles.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Syrian armed groups claim that they want to take over the oil-rich Hasakah province through Ras al-Ayn, but it is unlikely that the Kurdish political parties would allow them to enter these areas without a fight.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]On Nov. 21, the PYD leadership called on people “to adhere to their land, their homeland and defend the sanctities.”[/FONT]

I was interested to see the depth of openly acknowledged Turkish involvement in Syria. I was also interested to see how independent the YPD Kurdish "rebels" are of Assad's control. Up until now, I have been thinking of them as merely auxiliaries of Assad; but now I can see that there are FOUR major blocs in Syria:

1. The Assad Regime -- with and Alawite backbone, but having support from members of all religious factions in Syria, as well as the Russians, Chinese and Iranians

2. The YPD, which is essentially the Syrian arm of the PKK Kurdish guerillas who up until now have operated mainly out of NE Iraq, to terrorize the Turks in an effort to win independence for the vast Kurdish-majority SE of Turkey

3. The Free Syrian Army -- a ragtag conglomeration of rebel groups hosted by Turkey, armed by the US and recognized as the legitimate government by Britain and France.

4. Ghuraba' al-Sham and the al Nusra Front -- terrorist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and backed secretly, at least in the recent past, by the US (and, if I read this article correctly, also by Turkey). They have declared an independent Islamic state under Sharia Law outside Aleppo.

The area of control of groups 2 and 4 are all near the Syria-Turkish border, which is the main reason they have been in conflict with one another. The other two groups are operating throughout the country, but seem to be abandoning the N and NE border areas. The besieged government enclave of Aleppo has to be supplied by helicopter, and is surrounded by Groups 3 and 4.

A major factor in Assad's ability to fight on, is that the Air Force was, the last I was aware, staffed by pro-Assad Alawites; as well as Russian and Chinese cooperation in preventing a no-fly zone from going into place in order to cut off Assad's main arm. His government, along with the Russians, Iranians and Chinese, view with great suspicion the recent Turkish request for Patriot missiles, since their only practical value would be to help them police a no-fly zone.

Prophetically, as far as I can see, the main importance of these events is that Assad's control of Syria seems to be strongly challenged by various resistance groups that are WELL-armed by outside players such as Turkey and the US. As soon as Assad falls, I expect Turkey to ally itself with Iran.

 

[Supreme]

I'm watching this one pretty closely, Supreme. It seems that Egypt can go either way. If playing golf is President Obama's way of seriously dealing with international issues, then he is right on it.

​

Michelle and the kids are trying to present a front of normalcy by receiving a Christmas tree at the White House while Barry is off on this serious business.

Why is it, that I suspect Egypt might not be the only country that is levitating into outer space?
​

I don't think Obama can do much. America has already lost too much influence in the region to have much affect, and it doesn't want to lose the few friends it has by interfering in Arab affairs.

 

[BlandOatmeal]

many believe Israel is its own worst enemy. The implications of this fall nicely into predictions of future conflicts involving Israel.

You win the prize, Marsh, for "most interesting recent post".

1. Israel being its own worst enemy. This can be generalized to all Jews -- which makes it even more miraculous, that they have survived as a people. BTW, do you know about the greatest miracle in the New Testament? It's this:

Acts.1
[12] Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
[13] And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
[14] These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
[15] And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)...
Acts 2
[1] And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

120 Jews, living with one accord in one place, is a greater miracle than walking on water.

2. Concerning "predictions of the future", the secular world is full of them; they aren't confined to Bible believers

Interpreter, you said,

"As a result of the Battle of Ar Mageddon which Israel and the west wins, the Satanic beast of the Revelation is locked away for a thousand years."

OK -- I think I can see your "Armageddon" connection. It's here:

Rev 16
[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
[14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
[15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
[16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The scriptures I had in mind were:

Rev 19
[20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev 20
[7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
[8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, [This does NOT refer to Ezekiel 38] to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
[9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Good. You are correct in your chronology, and I have been wrong about the "Battle of Armageddon". It is definitely premillenial, and may refer to the "Zechariah 14" battle. I had been confusing the Battle of Armageddon with the Final Battle.

Getting back to dollarsbill,

Interpreter may have been giving you a word of caution: Yes, God always protects Israel; but only a remnant will be saved. There will be tremendous death and suffering among Jews at the Battle of Armageddon (= Zech. 14), though the nations that attack them will suffer more.

 

[BlandOatmeal]

I don't think Obama can do much. America has already lost too much influence in the region to have much affect, and it doesn't want to lose the few friends it has by interfering in Arab affairs.

If President Obama is hamstrung, it is because of some secret communication between the US Administration and Mosri that made the latter believe he had a green light to take on dictatorial powers. In this context, the golf expedition was not just a way for Obama to "clear his head, to think better". It is a public endorsement of Morsi's actions -- at least, that's how I see it. As for Morsi being a "friend", this is debatable.

 

[BlandOatmeal]

Saturday, November 24, 2012
Egyptian military denies foreign troops will be deployed in Sinai
Military denies that foreign troops will be deployed in Sinai
Egypt Independent Sat, 24/11/2012 - 14:00
Military denies that foreign troops will be deployed in Sinai | Egypt Independent

Military Spokesperson Mohamed Ahmed Ali denied plans to deploy US forces in Sinai as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

“The armed forces confirms entrenched Egyptian national security policies to preserve its sovereignty. It doesn’t accept the presence of foreign forces on its land,” Ali posted on Facebook.

He added that the only foreign forces based in Sinai are multinational ones from 13 countries. The Multinational Force and Observers have been in Sinai since 25 April 1982, after Israel withdrew from Sinai, as part of the two sides’ commitment to the Camp David Peace Accords.

The Israeli DEBKAfile website, which is close to the Israeli intelligence establishment, reported Friday that there will be a US military presence in
Sinai as part of the truce between Gaza and Israel.

The report was also denied by the Egyptian military attache in Washington, Major General Mohamed al-Keshki.

This seems like semantic games here. The "international force" consists almost entirely of Americans, as do most "international' forces. Because Morsi's men take the DEBKA article seriously (by pointedly denying it), I suspect DEBKA has struck a nerve. Here is a snap of their article:

Obama’s pledge of US troops to Sinai next week won Israel’s nod for ceasefire
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report November 23, 2012, 3:11 PM (GMT+02:00)
Obama on the phone to Netanyahu with key pledge

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agreed to a ceasefire for halting the eight-day Israeli Gaza operation Wednesday night, Nov. 21, after President Barack Obama personally pledged to start deploying US troops in Egyptian Sinai next week, debkafile reports. The conversation, which finally tipped the scales for a ceasefire, took place on a secure line Wednesday morning, just hours before it was announced in Cairo. The US and Israeli leaders spoke at around the time that a terrorist was blowing up a Tel Aviv bus, injuring 27 people.

Obama’s pledge addressed Israel’s most pressing demand in every negotiating forum on Gaza: Operation Pillar of Cloud’s main goal was a total stoppage of the flow of Iranian arms and missiles to the Gaza Strip. They were smuggled in from Sudan and Libya through southern Egypt and Sinai. Hostilities would continue, said the prime minister, until this object was achieved.

Earlier, US officials tried unsuccessfully to persuade Israel to accept Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s personal guarantee to start launching effective operations against the smugglers before the end of the month. The trio running Israel’s Gaza campaign, Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, were willing to take Morsi at his word, except that Israeli security and intelligence chiefs assured them that Egypt has nothing near the security and intelligence capabilities necessary for conducting such operations.

When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Jerusalem from Bangkok Tuesday, she tried assuring Netanyahu that President Obama had decided to accelerate the construction of an elaborate US system of electronic security fences along the Suez Canal and northern Sinai. It would also cork up the Philadelphi route through which arms are smuggled into the Gaza Strip. (The US Sinai fence project was first disclosed exclusively by DEBKA-Net-Weekly 564 on Nov. 9).

US security and civilian units will need to be deployed in Egyptian Sinai to man the fence system and operate it as an active counter-measure for obstructing the smuggling of Iranian weapons supplies.

The prime minister said he welcomed the president’s proposal to expedite the fence project, but it would take months to obtain Egyptian clearance. Meanwhile, the Palestinians would have plenty of time to replenish their weapons stocks after Israel’s Gaza campaign. It was therefore too soon to stop the campaign at this point or hold back a ground incursion.

Clinton was sympathetic to this argument. Soon after, President Obama was on the phone to Netanyahu with an assurance that US troops would be in place in Sinai next week, after he had obtained President Morsi’s consent for them to go into immediate action against Iranian smuggling networks...

-- Obama’s pledge of US troops to Sinai next week won Israel’s nod for ceasefire

The reader may wonder how a conversation on a "secure phone line" got intercepted by DEBKA. The answer is that in Washington, the difference between "Confidential" and "Top Secret" seems to be a matter of hours, at the most. Ask Paula Broadwell, if you don't believe me.

 

[BlandOatmeal]

Syrian Geography and Biblical Claims

"By the turn of the millennium, the centralized old Hittite Empire had fallen, and Hama is attested as the capital of a prosperous Aramaean neo-Hittite kingdom known from the Hebrew Bible as Hamath (Aramaic: Ḥmt; Hittite: Amatuwana;[4] Hebrew: חֲמָת, Ḥm&#7791, which traded extensively, particularly with Israel and Judah.[5] The Aramaean and Hittite peoples lived comparatively peacefully, co-existing with other states in the region, such as Carchemish.[3] The most significant of all the Aramaean states was Damascus, which became the leader of a federation of Aramaic states, of which Hamath was a member. Gradually Aramaic became the most widely used language of the Near East."

-- Hama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Neolithic settlements represented at Labweh [in extreme NE Lebanon, near Syria] have been found dating to at least the 7th millennium BC. It has been suggested that it was known to the Egyptians as Lab'u, to the Assyrians as Laba'u and as Lebo-hamath to the Hebrews."

-- Labweh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The ideal boundary of Israel reached the territory, but not the city of Hamath (Numbers 34:8 Joshua 13:5 Ezekiel 47:13-21). David entered into friendly relations with Toi, its king (2 Samuel 8:9), and Solomon erected store cities in the land of Hamath (2 Chronicles 8:4). In the days of Ahab we meet with it on the cuneiform inscriptions, under the name mat hamatti, and its king Irhuleni was a party to the alliance of the Hittites with Ben-hadad of Damascus and Ahab of Israel against Shalmaneser II; but this was broken up by the battle of Qarqar in 854 B.C., and Hamath became subject to Assyria."

-- Bible Map: Lebo-hamath

"Palmyra appears in the Bible (II Chronicles 8.4) as a desert city fortified by Solomon. (There is a mention of a city of Tamar in I Kings 9.18, also fortified by Solomon, which may refer to Tadmor but could also be a place near the Dead Sea.) Tadmor is also mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities, Book VIII) along with the Greek name of Palmyra, as a city built by Solomon."

-- Palmyra, Syria

This all places not only Lebanon, but the Syrian provinces of Al Quneitera, Dara, Al Sweida, Damascus and Homs in historical Israel and Canaan.

We'll see how things turn out.

 

[BlandOatmeal]

Hezbollah and Hamas Are Not Alone

The "Playgrounds"

Syria established numerous defensive infrastructures at the national level, and at the tactical and campaign echelons over the past four decades. According to foreign sources, terror organizations such as Al Qaeda and Hezbollah are already based in Syria. The demilitarized buffer zone, based on agreements signed in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War, has long since turned into “officer residence neighborhoods” (military facilities). The day is not far – and may have already arrived – when various organizations establish terror dens close to Israel’s border in these “neighborhoods.”
There is a greater concern with regards to Syria that advanced weapons might find their way to various terror groups. Syria is teeming with advanced weapons, with an emphasis on its artillery rocket layout. One does not need much of an imagination to envision what might happen if they end up possessing even some of the existing measures.

Syria’s rebels already hold part of the country’s enormous stockpile of advanced weapons. It is quite possible that these weapons will reach (or have already reached) a terrorist organization. Given the increasingly volatile situation, not much more is needed for terror forces to direct fire against Israel as well. The motivation already exists, the weapons are present, and the territorial proximity is convenient, to say the least. The restraining elements that once existed, such as a central government and regime, are nearly nonexistent, as most of Assad’s remaining energy is directed at the rebel forces.

-- Hezbollah and Hamas Are Not Alone

Sinai is another place being taken over by terrorists. Egypt has nominal sovereignty, but is forbidden by treaty from a substantial military presence there; and the US-led "multinational force" was recently held hostage in its own barracks by Bedouin guerillas.

Other terrorist playgrounds include Gaza, Lebanon, Northern Mali, SW Somalia and parts of Yemen, as well as Waziristan in Pakistan and some of the other well-known terrorist havens. This is the reality of the "failed states" I posted about earlier. It reminds me of the Barbary Pirate states around 1800, or even of the Middle Ages. Civilization in the 21st Century appears to be headed decidedly backwards.

 

[BlandOatmeal]

I don't think Obama can do much. America has already lost too much influence in the region to have much affect, and it doesn't want to lose the few friends it has by interfering in Arab affairs.

Supreme, I've been wanting to ask you something. The baubles by your name include an "M" icon, which seems to indicate that either you are very "modern", or that you are a moderator of this thread. I have experienced the hand of censorship here in the past -- several times, in fact. One of the "crimes" I've been charged with is "proselytizing", which seems like a strange charge to pull someone over for on a Christian forum.

My son, who lived in Red China for three years, is very familiar with censorship. He described it as "the annaconda dangling from the chandeliers." Everyone knows it's there, but they all keep on eating because it hasn't attacked anyone yet. Then it suddenly drops on someone, and before you know it, they've had the life squeezed out of them -- to whit, they have been silenced ("harmonized", in Chinese parlance).

You may notice that I have occasionally quoted scriptures here, and occasionally mentioned God; and the annaconda has not dropped for some time. Do you have any idea, whether there are actually any STANDARDS one might gauge himself by? In China, the government has cartoon characters called Jing Jing and Cha Cha, which pop up on the screen at seemingly random times, to let users know that "Big Brother is watching".

If it's permissible, please tell me, from your experience, how much a heretic such as I is allowed to say about God and the Scriptures. I realise that this is a "Current Affairs and News" site; but often what we believe spills over into what we say. Thanks.

​

 

[BlandOatmeal]

The view from Isael:

HERE

 

[BlandOatmeal]

Is a New SARS-like Virus Spreading in the Middle East?

As with most emerging epidemics, we usually ignore them until people start dying. If the same logic applies here, it’s time to begin paying attention to the new SARS-like virus found in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While only six cases have been identified so far, two of the patients died, suggesting that the survival rate isn’t stellar.

According to Reuters, the World Health Organization (WHO) originally issued an international alert in late September saying a virus previously unknown in humans had infected a Qatari man who had recently been in Saudi Arabia, where another man with the same virus had died.

On Friday, November 23, the WHO said in an outbreak update that it had registered four more cases and one of the new patients had died...

-- Is a New SARS-like Virus Spreading in the Middle East? - Forbes

Finally, an article on the Middle East that a Baby Boomer can relate to!

The WHO
​

 

[Illuminaughty]

Relate to it in terms of sadness for the human suffering that accompanies diseases?

 

[BlandOatmeal]

Relates to it in terms of sadness for the human suffering that accompanies diseases?

You're thinking of Bono.

 

[Illuminaughty]

You're thinking of Bono.

Why would I be thinking of Bono ?

 

[BlandOatmeal]

Why would I be thinking of Bono ?

He was concerned with alleviating human suffering and disease. You may have had me confused with him. He also led the rock band, "U2"; so my picture might have gotten you thinking along those lines.

Meanwhile, It's been a rather slow day. Iran is busy off-loading advanced missiles from one ship to another, for shipment to Gaza; Egypt's Morsi is enjoying the green light Obama gave him, to repress dissent and seize absolute power (temporarily, of course, in the name of Islam), Muslims are busy killing one another in Syria and elsewhere, and bombing churches in Nigeria, and Russian and American ships are playing tag with one another off the coasts of Israel and Syria -- the usual. Therefore, I thought this would be a good time to expound further on the end times, which are current events.

I started talking about the "seven-headed, 10-horned beast" before. Interpreter correctly identified him as the antagonist of Zechariah 14 in a previous post. Briefly, here is his description:

Six of the heads are probably the past empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece and Rome. These comprise ALL the major powers involved in Israel's life before the dispersion. There are two major powers involved with Israel after the return of the dispersion: The European collectivity (the seventh head) and the US (the "eighth", embodying the beast itself, to which the powers of the seventh head submit themselves). The powers of the seventh head, or "Resurrected Rom" are represented by ten horns. These horns are European and Europeanized (Japan) powers who collectively dominated world politics from before 1750 to around 1950. After that time, the world has been dominated by the US.

Why, one might ask, is the US the major power of our time and the "beast" of the end times? What is there about us that makes the great powers of the earth want to cling to us? The book of Revelation says the nations of the earth will worship us, saying, "Who is like the Beast? Who can make war against it? (Rev 13:1)

That's the answer right there. With ten commissioned supercarriers, more than the rest of the world together several times over, a FULLY FUNCTIONING nuclear arsenal of thousands of warheads (as opposed to the Russian arsenal which is outdated, and as much danger to the Russians as to anyone else), the most advanced electronic and stealth technology in the world, and an economy the size of all the countries of Western Europe combined to sustain it all, nobody can think of attacking the US head-on in a military confrontation and winning.

What gives America such power? The bottom line, of course, is the grace of God. He has chosen His name to be glorified in us. How is His word glorified in us? By the things that Bible-believing Christianity has produced in this country:

1. Harmony. We fought one major civil war, around 1860, the bloodiest conflict on our continent. Around that time, China was engaged in the suppression of the Taipings, a conflict that claimed even more lives than the American Civil War; India experienced the bloody Seepoy Mutiny; and Europe was being transformed by widespred civil unrest. Japan, meanwhile, began its Westernization around this time. This era was the time of the breaking out of the Industrial Revolution as well, re-defining how the people of the world relate to one another. Let's take a look at how this time of tremendous change affected the various parts of the world:

• a. East Asia: An extended period of conflict, culminating with WWII and the Chinese Revolution
• b. the Soviet Union: The Russian Revolution, which devastated the landscape and brought about a failed social experiment costing millions of lives, and WWII.
• c. Western Europe: Two great wars, claiming tens of millions of lives
• d. Latin America: Revolutions, dictatorships, corruption and poverty
• e. India: Stagnation, widespread poverty and two major Muslim-Hindu wars
• f. Africa: Revolutions, wars, horrible poverty and disease on a scale not witnessed in the world since the Black Death
• g. Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Revolutions, wars, poverty.
• h. America: A continuum of economic growth, prosperity and stable government.

2. Stability. This comes from harmony

3. Prosperity. This comes from stability

4. Strength. This comes from prosperity

How did Americans manage to get along with one another, while people in every other part of the world people were going for one another's jugulars? Because we, by and large, accepted the outcome of the Civil War as God's just judgment, and went on to live our lives in accordance to the harmony-producing teachings of Jesus Christ. This has produced in our country harmony, stability and fair and honest dealings with one another, which show up on the bottom line as wealth and power.

I've already shown the "failed state" map. Here's another map, showing Gross Domestic Product Per Capita:

Notice that the per-capita wealth (and therefore the power and stability) in the world is distributed almost entirely among the United States and its close allies. The bulk of the rest of the world's area and population (including Russia, China, India, the Middle East except Israel and some Gulf states, Brazil, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America) is, by comparison, not prospering. The only exceptions are a handful of West European nations.

This is the "Beast" of the end times, that will go to war with Israel at Armageddon: The US, its allies, and all the rest of the world; all giving their power and authority, under the charade of a UN flag or something similar, to destroy what they perceive as the greatest threat to their existence, Israel.

Israel outraged as EU poll names it a threat to peace
Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editorThe Observer,
Saturday 1 November 2003 19.19 EST

Israel has been described as the top threat to world peace, ahead of North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran, by an unpublished European Commission poll of 7,500 Europeans, sparking an international row.

The survey, conducted in October, of 500 people from each of the EU's member nations included a list of 15 countries with the question, 'tell me if in your opinion it presents or not a threat to peace in the world'. Israel was reportedly picked by 59 per cent of those interviewed...
-- Israel outraged as EU poll names it a threat to peace | World news | The Observer

Israel serious threat to world peace, 48% say in German poll
Mon May 28, 2012 9:44PM GMT

The majority of respondents to a survey conducted by a German research institute believe that Israel poses the biggest threat to world peace and international security.

In an opinion poll conducted by the Berlin-based Infratest/Dimap institute on April 17 and 18, nearly 48 percent of the 1,000 participants said they regard Israel as a serious threat to world peace and global security.

According to the poll results, which were released on May 24, [only] some 22 percent of the respondents maintained that Iran and Israel are equal threats to world peace.

Eighteen percent of the people surveyed said Iran poses a more serious threat to world peace than Israel.

-- PressTV - Israel serious threat to world peace, 48% say in German poll

"These shocking results, that Israel is the greatest threat to world peace, bigger than North Korea, Iran and Afghanistan, defies logic and is a racist flight of fancy that only shows that anti-Semitism is deeply embedded within European society, more now than in any other period since the end of World War II," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Center's dean and founder.

-- [bless and do not curse] European Poll: Israel Biggest Threat To World Peace[bless and do not curse] :[bless and do not curse] Information Clearing House

Eight billion people in the world are apparently afraid of the eight million people in Israel. There is no rational explanation for this fear, but the fear is very real. There can be no outcome but war, against a country perceived as such a great threat to the world's security; but it is not likely to happen for at least a few years. This current conflict in the Middle East is not Armageddon.