So much for US President Barack Obama’s famed powers of persuasion. At the UN’s Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference which opened this week, the Obama administration managed to lose control over the agenda before the conference [...]]]> Breaking End Time News Source for May 07, 2010,
(78 Headlines), See Nugget Net Newsline for more…

Time to Plan For War 

jewishworldreview.com

So much for US President Barack Obama’s famed powers of persuasion. At the UN’s Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference which opened this week, the Obama administration managed to lose control over the agenda before the conference even started.

Obama administration officials said they intended to use the conference as a platform to mount international pressure on Iran to stop its illicit nuclear proliferation activities. But even before the conference began, with a little prodding from Egypt, the administration agreed that instead of focusing on Iran, the conference would adopt Iran’s chosen agenda: attacking Israel for its alleged nuclear arsenal.

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials were conducting negotiations with Egypt about Egypt’s demand that the NPT review conference call for sanctions against Israel for refusing to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state. The Journal quoted a senior administration official involved in the discussions saying, “We’ve made a proposal to them [Egypt] that goes beyond what the U.S. has been willing to do before.”

Among other possibilities, that proposal may have included a US agreement to appoint a UN envoy responsible for organizing a UN conference calling for the Greater Middle East to become a nuclear-free zone. In diplomatese, “Middle East nuclear-free zone” is a well-accepted euphemism for stripping Israel of its purported nuclear capability while turning a blind eye to Iranian, Syrian and other Islamic nuclear weapons programs. Egypt’s demand, which it convinced more than a hundred members of the Non-Aligned bloc to sign onto, is for Israel to open its nuclear installations to international inspectors as a first step towards unilateral nuclear disarmament…more…

Israel Defiant on its ‘Nuclear Arsenal’ 

www.presstv.ir

A senior Israeli official insists that Tel Aviv will not change its nuclear policies despite international calls for the denuclearization of the Middle East.

“There is nothing new here, and no reason for a change of direction on our part,” the unnamed Israeli official was quoted by Reuters as saying on Friday. Under an “ambiguity” policy, Tel Aviv neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons. However, according to the British Jane’s Defense Weekly, security experts believe Tel Aviv is in the possession of 100 to 300 atomic warheads.

Washington has so far invariably maintained a policy of silence on Tel Aviv’s nuclear arsenal. It has also abused its veto power at the UN Security Council to block any resolution that it considers critical of the Israeli regime. Middle Eastern countries, however, are beginning to question White House’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy towards the supposed Israeli nuclear arsenal, which according to Arab states threatens the region’s security…more…

China, Iran, North Korea Have Formed Strategic Alliance

www.worldtribune.com

China, Iran and North Korea have established a strategic alliance that focuses on missile and nuclear development, according to a new report.

The report said that Beijing, Pyongyang and Teheran were helping each other in missile and nuclear programs. The report, titled “China, Iran and North Korea: A Triangular Strategic Alliance,” by Israel’s GLORIA Center said China and North Korea were the key suppliers of Scud-based ballistic missiles to Iran’s military, the target of Western sanctions.
“This flurry of activities underscored the growing proliferation threats posed by DPRK [North Korea] assistance to Iran’s missile capabilities, which has also led to collaboration in the nuclear realm,” the report, published in the Middle East Review of International Affairs, said.

The report said North Korea helped develop Iran’s Shihab ballistic missiles series. Author Christina Lin said North Korea’s Taepo Dong intermediate-range missiles have served as the basis of Iran’s program, including the design of a nuclear interncontinental ballistic missile with a range of up to 6,000 kilometers, dubbed Shihab-6.

China has sought to make Iran a key waystation in Beijing’s silk road policy of expanding influence throughout Asia. The report said Beijing, believed to be channeling aid through neighboring North Korea, regarded Iran as an ally to balance the strategic relationship between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council…more…

Obama Trying to Strip Israel of Nukes

newsmax.com

Former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton on Tuesday expressed concern over what he says is pressure being exerted by President Barack Obama on Israel to rid the country of nuclear weapons.

“Egypt and the Obama administration are negotiating right now on an Egyptian proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East, which certainly sounds good, except when you think about it, there is only one country that resolution is targeted at and that is Israel,” Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, told Army Radio.

“When I was in the Bush administration we refused to even talk about these kinds of ideas,” he said. “I’d be quite worried about the possible outcome there.”

“The president is not happy with Israel’s nuclear capabilities. I think he would be delighted if Israel gave up its nuclear weapons,” Bolton asserted. “The only unknown answer at this point is exactly how much pressure he would exert on Israel to do just that. Part of that pressure is being exerted right now, by even considering the possibility of a conference on a nuclear-weapons-free Middle East.”

Israel is widely believed to have a stockpile of nuclear weapons, but the government maintains a policy of ambiguity on the issue…more…

Examining Our Cultural Captivity

www.probe.org

A common theme of many science fiction tales is mass delusion. From The Matrix to The Truman Show, we find fictional characters who think they are making decisions on their own volition based on an accurate perception of their situation. In each of these cases, the people are actually experiencing a false reality manipulated by outside forces using them for their own purposes.

Sadly, many of us are unwittingly being manipulated by distorted perceptions of reality. And, just as in these fictional tales, these distortions are not an accident. They are promoted by the spiritual forces of darkness to keep us from being effective agents of light in this world.

As the Apostle Peter explained, to fulfill our purpose of proclaiming Christ in a world of darkness, we must
Keep (our) behavior excellent . . . so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Pet. 2:12)

Distinctive thoughts produce distinctive behavior. Only by applying Christ to every aspect of life will we be able to “keep our behavior excellent” even as we are being slandered by the world. This is why Paul commands us:
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Col. 2:8-9)
Paul is not talking about physical bars or chains. He is warning us about invisible chains constraining our minds to think like the world.

Whenever we assume that the perspective of the world overrides the truth of Christ in some aspect of life, we are allowing ourselves to be taken captive. Paul also says that “in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3) Since that is true, we need to filter all truth claims through biblical revelation about the nature of God, man and the universe…more…

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Rida Rahimi warned on Friday that Iran would “cut off Israel’s feet” if it attacked Syria, French news agency AFP reported.

“We will stand alongside Syria against any [...]]]> Breaking End Time News Source for Apr. 30, 2010,
(85 Headlines), See Nugget Net Newsline for more…

Iran: We’ll ‘Cut Off Israel’s Feet’ if it Attacks Syria

www.haaretz.com

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Rida Rahimi warned on Friday that Iran would “cut off Israel’s feet” if it attacked Syria, French news agency AFP reported.

“We will stand alongside Syria against any [Israeli] threat,” Rahimi told reporters during a news conference with Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri in Damascus, adding that “If those who have violated Palestinian land want to try anything we will cut off their feet.”

According to AFP, the Iranian vice president said that “[Syria is a] strong country that is ready to confront any threat,” adding that Tehran “will back Syria with all its means and strength.”

On Thursday, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to the recent torrent of allegations that Syria had transferred Scud missiles to the Hezbollah in Lebanon, and said that the Syrian President Bashar Assad was pursuing dangerous policies that could unleash war on the Middle East.

“We have spoken out forcefully about the grave dangers of Syria’s transfer of weapons to Hizbollah,” Clinton said. “We condemn this in the strongest possible terms and have expressed our concerns directly to the Syrian government.”

She added: “Transferring weapons to these terrorists – especially longer-range missiles – would pose a serious threat to the security of Israel.

It would have a profoundly destabilizing effect on the region.

“All states must stop supplying weapons to terrorist groups such as Hizbollah and Hamas. Every rocket smuggled into southern Lebanon or Gaza sets back the cause of peace.”

Clinton’s reference to long-range weapons follows reports that Syria supplied Hezbollah with advanced Scud missiles capable of inflicting sever damage on Israel’s major cities – a charge Damascus denies.

She said: “President Assad is making decisions that could mean war or peace for the region.”

Lebanon: Israel to Pay Dear Price in Case of War

news.xinhuanet.com

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman warned Israel that it will pay a high price if it attacked Lebanon, describing the allegations of transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah as attempts to divide the Lebanese.

“Israel will pay a dear price if it attacked Lebanon,” Suleiman told the National News Agency (NNA) in an interview distributed on Friday.

“Israel is eager to find reasons to destroy Lebanon; it aims to exaggerate what it allegedly names as danger in order to evade commitment to peace,” he added.

Suleiman called accusations about the alleged transfer by Syria of Scud missiles to the Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah as attempts to divide the Lebanese.

“I can reassure everyone that the Lebanese won’t be divided,” he said.

The Lebanese president also described Hezbollah’s arms as positive capability and not a negative capability.

On Monday, Suleiman said that the reports concerning Syria’s smuggling Scud missiles to Hezbollah are Israel’s fabrications, adding that if Israel wants war, the country will defend itself with all its potential.

Hezbollah refused to deny or confirm the reports, but pledged to continue arming itself, while U.S. State Department said Lebanon would be put under “significant risk” if Syria had transferred Scud missiles to the Shiite group.

‘Christian’ Preacher Debunks Damnation Theories

www.beloitdailynews.com

What do pygmies in Africa and gays have in common?

They are both going to heaven. At least that’s what those exploring universal reconciliation believe.

Because she always feared for people who weren’t exposed to Christianity, bar church minister Kathy Price started pursuing universal reconciliation, the belief that all people will receive salvation and won’t end up in the fiery bowels of hell.

To discuss the topic, Mike Williams, an openly gay preacher, will speak at the Willowdale Saloon, 5909 W. Highway 11, on Sunday. Services will be held from 10:30 a.m. – noon and from 2 – 4 p.m. For more information people can contact Price at 608-728-3284 or visit Williams’ website at http://www.gospelrevolution.com.

Price leads the Red Door Ministry every Sunday at the bar to those turned off by traditional worship services, and this Sunday’s guest is expected to attract 70 attendees.

Williams, once the ‘poster boy’ for the Word of Faith movement in America, once spoke at churches around the country with a testimony that he had been delivered from homosexuality. During that time, he had appeared with well-known religious celebrities like Pat Robertson and Joel Osteen and appearing also on such Christian broadcasts as the 700 Club and the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

“I had to pretend I was no longer gay, because if I was gay I would go to hell. I couldn’t be truthful with my family and everyone who listened to me,” he said.

Williams gained notoriety being one of the first high profile ‘Ex- gays’ to openly acknowledge years later that he was still gay. He says homosexuality, or sin for that matter, is a “non-issue” with God. He doesn’t promote or defend any lifestyle but teaches strictly from the Bible that all of humanity received freedom from sin and judgment through the death of Jesus Christ.

Israel’s Best Intentions May Not be Enough to Avert War in Lebanon

www.haaretz.com

On Thursday, Lebanon marked five years since the last Syrian troops left the country. Next month, it will mark 10 years since Israel withdrew from south Lebanon. But despite these important anniversaries of events that ostensibly bolstered Lebanon’s independence, the Lebanese are apprehensive.

Not a day has passed in recent weeks without a Lebanese or foreign Arab media outlet bringing up the fear that Israel intends to launch a war against Hezbollah this summer. On Thursday, Barak Ravid reported here that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit left Beirut with the impression that Lebanon was in “complete panic” over the prospect of an Israeli attack.

Damascus is also tense: The Syrians have raised and lowered their alert level several times recently, thinking Israel might attack. The Syrian moves were prompted mostly by statements from Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Likud MK Yossi Peled, a former GOC Northern Command. But the tension on that side of the Israel-Syria-Lebanon triangle has eased a bit recently.

Republicans, Democrats and Israel

jewishworldreview.com

Bipartisan support for Israel has been one of the greatest casualties of US President Barack Obama’s assault on the Jewish state. Today, as Republican support for Israel reaches new heights, support for Israel has become a minority position among Democrats.

Consider the numbers. During Operation Cast Lead — eleven days before Obama’s inauguration — the House of Representatives passed Resolution 34 siding with Israel against Hamas. The resolution received 390 yea votes, five nay votes and 37 abstentions. Democrats cast four of the nay votes and 29 of the abstentions.

In November 2009, Congress passed House Resolution 867 condemning the Goldstone report. The resolution urged Obama to disregard its findings which falsely accused Israel of committing war crimes in Cast Lead. 344 Congressman voted for the resolution. 36 voted against it. 52 abstained. Among those voting against, 33 were Democrats. 44 Democrats abstained.

In February 2010, 54 Congressmen sent a letter to Obama urging him to pressure Israel to open Hamas-ruled Gaza’s international borders and accusing Israel of engaging in collective punishment. All of them were Democrats.

In the midst of the Obama administration’s assault on Israel over construction for Jews in Jerusalem, 327 Congressmen signed a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for an end to the public attacks on the Israeli government. Of the 102 members that refused to sign the letter, 94 were Democrats.

These numbers show two things. First, since Obama entered office there has been a 13 point decline overall in the number of Congressmen willing to support Israel. Second, the decrease comes entirely from the Democratic side of the aisle. There the number of members willing to attack Israel has tripled.

As discouraging as they are, these numbers tell only part of the story. The pro-Israel initiatives the remaining Democrats agree to support today are less meaningful than those they supported before Obama entered office.

Rumors of war have reached an unprecedented level in the Middle East. Sabers are rattling higher and faster than ever before. Even Israel’s peace partners, Jordan and Egypt, are uttering wartime statements from high ranking [...]]]> Breaking End Time News Source for Apr. 26, 2010,
(91 Headlines), See Nugget Net Newsline for more…

Mideast War Could Break Out Tomorrow!

www.bible-prophecy-today.com

Rumors of war have reached an unprecedented level in the Middle East. Sabers are rattling higher and faster than ever before. Even Israel’s peace partners, Jordan and Egypt, are uttering wartime statements from high ranking officials.

Recently, Jordan’s King Abdullah told the Chicago Tribune, that a “summertime war is possible”, and at a press conference in Beirut on Saturday April 24, 2010, in a supposed slip of the tongue, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit referred to Israel as an “enemy.”

Alarmingly, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on the same day, “The (Hezbollah) resistance is operating under the assumption that a war could break out tomorrow – so that we will not be caught by surprise in any way.” On the same Saturday Ynet news published an article called “Syria threatens to send Israel back to ‘prehistoric times.’”

It’s important to remember that, unlike Jordan and Egypt, Syria is still in a state of war with Israel. They don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist as the Jewish State or accept normalized national relations with Israel. The Syrian official was responding to a recent threat made by a high ranking Israeli minister who told the Sunday Times, Syria would be “sent back to the Stone Age” if Hezbollah launches ballistic missiles.

Are Christian Pulpits Filling With Pagan Pastors

apprising.org

The past couple of years have seen a real rash of sermon series on sex; and this year a growing acceptance that the deviant lifestyle of homosexuality is acceptable for the Christian.

And after reading this article, it does make one wonder:

Sex is sacred. It’s one of the first liberating principles that converts to Modern Paganism discover. For many of us it was a divine revelation that our bodies were sacred vessels of pleasure and delight, not sinful or an illusion, but the glorious temple of our very lives…

Pagan thought on the sacredness of sexuality has some commonality with the Hedonist and Tantra philosophies. To give and receive pleasure with as little harm as possible is considered a good and virtuous act,…

Modern Paganism recognizes all forms of sexuality between consenting adults as equally sacred. Homosexual or bisexual Pagans’ lovemaking is just as powerful and holy as that of heterosexual Pagans.

Think Tank Forecasts New Middle East War

www.bible-prophecy-today.com

The Washington Institute has issued a report saying that a disastrous war between Israel and her neighbors may be looming on the horizon. If hostilities do in fact break out, the “fighting could take on a regional dimension not seen since 1973,” said David Schenker, a senior fellow and director of the Arab Politics Program for Near East Policy.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been doing his part to destabilize the region. In a recent speech delivered on Hizbullah’s Martyred Leaders Day, Nasrallah laid out the new strategy for reprisals against Israel:

“If you [ Israel ] bomb Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, we will bomb Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. If you bomb our docks, we will bomb your docks. If you bomb our oil refineries, we will bomb your oil refineries. If you bomb our factories, we will bomb your factories. And if you bomb our power plants, we will bomb your power plants,” Nasrallah declared.
Syria’s new level of boldness is the key reason for the prediction of war. Syria has transferred shoulder-fired ordnance to Hizbullah, which has previously been marked by Israeli officials as a “red line” issue. It has openly expressed its support of terrorist organizations. There are now reports that the Syrians have delivered Scud missile to its allies in Lebanon. If the guerrilla forces were to obtain Scud missiles, they would pose a huge danger to Israel.

Thousands Rally For Israel in NYC

www.5tjt.com

Obama – Stop Pressuring Israel” was the rallying cry of the day, as over 2000 supporters of Israel gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate in New York City on Sunday afternoon, April 25th to express their views on the current strain in relations between the United States and Israel. Organizers of the rally had expected thousands more to attend but the inclement weather kept many away.

The rally was sponsored and organized by the Jewish Action Alliance, an pro-Israel activist organization that is renowned for championing issues of Jewish security. Beth Gilinsky, the spokesperson and chief strategist of the Jewish Action Alliance said, “We are outraged that President Obama is scapegoating Israel and wants to expel Jews from their homes in Jerusalem. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton display more anger about a Jewish family building a home in Jerusalem than Iran building a nuclear bomb.” Expressing the sentiments of those in attendance at the rally, she said, “Vast segments of the Jewish community will not tolerate the President’s continuing attacks on Israel. Grassroots Jewry will not be silent.”

End-Times Stage-Setting in View

www.bible-prophecy-today.com

It becomes increasingly difficult each week to determine which Bible prophecy indicator to examine in the “Nearing Midnight” column because so many signals of possible prophetic import beckon – no matter which way on the geopolitical, socioeconomic, geophysical, or religious world horizon one looks.

So, because of length limitations, I’ve chosen only two items of likely prophetic significance for this update. Had we no such limits, the number of news items of possible prophetic relevance would be overwhelming, the stage-setting for Bible prophecy fulfillment is so prolific.

The first of the items that stir prophetic ponderings is the nation Turkey and its “willingness” to involve itself in diplomacy between the West and Iran’s development of its nuclear program. Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, after holding talks with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, indicated that Iran says Turkey is welcome to mediate to some extent the Western and Iranian governments’ standoff with regard to Iran’s nuclear technology development.