A time is coming, like no other...

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are hitting new and dangerous lows. A suicide bomber drove his car into the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing 41 people. Suspicion quickly turned toward Pakistan, as it did in the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in April. Pakistan denies any involvement in either incident. Since it was the embassy of India, some are speculating that it was a warning to India to curb its growing influence in Afghanistan. And because of the long history of animosity between India and Pakistan, that is yet another angle that could have come into play. India and Pakistan are close to war over recent exchanges of fire in the disputed region of Kashmir, which each lays claim to.

Afghanistan's military angrily accused the US of killing 47 civilians and wounding 9 more this past week in a missile attack, just days after another attack killed 15 and wounded 7, also civilians. In Pakistan, 8 Pakistani soldiers were wounded by a US air attack, enflaming the anger of the Pakistani government and military. Pakistan has repeatedly said that attacks on its soil are unacceptable, even in pursuit of rebels who cross back and forth over the Afghan/Pakistan border.

Pakistan also announced that it would not allow the US or any other foreign military to hunt down Osama bin Laden in their country. The same reason as always, that it would be an infringement on their sovereignty. This lack of cooperation has led many in the US military to question Pakistan's sincerity in its self-proclaimed fight against insurgency, when just recently their government was in peace negotiations with the rebels. And reports of foreign nationals from many nations coming to aid the rebels in their fight continue to pour in.

Iraq and Turkey signed a reportedly unprecedented strategic alliance this week, similar to one between France and Germany that laid the foundation for the EU. This is something that bears watching! The United Arab Emirates also cancelled all of the debt Iraq owed them. Russia and many Western countries have done the same or plan to, but Arab states have not, until now.


Iraq, after demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, rejected a US plan to remain in the country on a long-term basis past the UN mandate of December 31st this year. The US had just announced the possibility of major troop pullouts beginning in September, and that Iraqi forces should be ready to take over by mid-2009, though some US assistance would still be necessary. The Iraqi government was concerned that US presence for any longer a time would be an infringement on their sovereignty. In fact, any deal now is likely to be delayed until the next US administration comes into office, though a short one will likely cover 2009.

Iran held military exercises and test-fired several missiles this week, capable of striking Israel easily. Israel and Iran have been trading threats of war for some time now. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flip-flopped this week, threatening to attack Israel, then saying he had no intentions of attacking them. In a show of growing ties between them, Ahmadinejad met Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan in Malaysia, where several developing Muslim nations were meeting as a counterpoint to the G8 Summit in Japan. They are called the D8--Developing 8--Malaysia, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Turkey. All are Muslim-majority nations.

Russia also backed up Iran this week on its right to defend itself from attack, and pursue a nuclear program. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran that the US would back up Israel, but President Bush reportedly told Israel that the US could not intervene militarily at this point. So, basically the question of whether to strike or not to strike has fallen squarely into Israel's hands. Reports that at least one Arab state has backed an Israeli strike on Iran have surfaced, and that it said other Arab states are alarmed at Iran's growing power and influence in the region.

The US held a military drill in the Persian Gulf, to send the message to Iran that it would not let them cut off the flow of oil from the region. OPEC said that should Iran be attacked, that the other member nations would not be able to replace the oil provided by Iran. This is a thinly-veiled warning not to go through with an attack.

Israel also reportedly was using Iraqi airspace and US bases in Iraq to prepare for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilites, with the full support of the US. Israel, Iraq, and the US all denied the reports.

The peace talks with Syria and Lebanon are going nowhere for Israel. Ditto the talks with Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Palestinian groups. Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, France, Germany, Italy, and the US have all tried to intervene, but the drums of war are growing ever louder. An planned exchange of live Hezbollah prisoners for Israeli soldiers (who may-or-may-not be alive) is drawing a sharp outcry among Israelis.

A similar deal with Hamas in Gaza has not been reached, and the recent ceasefire with Hamas has been broken many times over by rockets launched on Israeli towns from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is still issuing warnings that a military operation in Gaza may be carried out unless the attacks stop. Reports that both Hamas and Hezbollah are readying for major attacks on Israel have made the situation more tense. Syria is said to be rearming Hezbollah at an alarming rate.

The Lebanese army has positioned itself near the Israeli border, where a disputed territory called Shaba Farms is located. Israel took it from Syria in 1967's Six-Day War, but Lebanon claims it belongs to them. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested that the land be handed over to the UN, a suggestion all sides have balked at.

Sarkozy is busy pulling together the leaders of 43 other nations to form the new Union for the Mediterranean in Paris today. He was able to convince many skeptics to attend, including President Assad Bashar of Syria, President Michel Suleiman of Lebanon, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan of Turkey, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel. Only Libya's Muammar Gaddafi has declined to participate. Even heads of state who could not personally attend have sent envoys in their place. Convincing Turkey's FM Babacan was the biggest coup of many.

Turkey has been suspicious that its invitation to join the UM was yet another attempt at compensation for the continued denials of Turkish membership in the EU. Sarkozy assured him it was not. Not helping Turkey's bid to join any unions is the attack this past week outside the US consulate in Istanbul. Three policemen and three of the attackers were killed in the firefight, and a fourth attacker escaped by car. Another policeman and a bystander were injured. Ten suspects have since been detained, including the suspected getaway driver. Islamic extremism is on the rise in Turkey, and that will hurt their chances at getting into the EU. Plots have also been uncovered in Turkey for two separate coups d'état, and for the assassination of an army general, which was discovered by the US Secret Service!

Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly will be meeting on the sidelines of the Paris conference to discuss the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Speculation that Assad would also meet with Olmert was not ruled out nor confirmed by Assad. He did mention he would meet with Suleiman.

Sarkozy not only has his hands full getting the UM off the ground, but has had to contend with the fallout over the rejection of the EU Lisbon Treaty by Ireland and Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Ireland voted not to accept it, and though Poland's parliament accepted it, Kaczynski has decided not to ratify it until Ireland changes it mind. Sarkozy is going to visit Ireland to attempt to change their minds, but says he will not blackmail them. He also said Kaczynski will follow through with the treaty, keeping his word, as he promised to when it was drafted. Sarkozy is adamantly insistent that the treaty not be altered, but put through as it is by all EU members. This has led to speculation that Ireland may be kicked out. (Interesting tidbit: Ireland was never part of the Roman Empire.) The treaty needs to be ratified by all members to be put into force by January 1st, 2009. The Netherlands and Belgium became the latest nations to ratify it this week.

Russia and Georgia, its former Soviet "republic", continued a bitter of war of words this week over the two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
. Both have declared independence from Georgia, and Russia has backed them. Russia has begun flying military aircraft over Georgian airspace as a show of force. Condoleezza Rice visited Georgian President Mikheil Sakashvili and reiterated US support for Georgia, and warned Russia against threatening its former Soviet republics and satellites. Both Georgia and Russia have appealed to the UN over the apparent standoff and the strong possibility of war breaking out in the region. The EU has also decided to step in on the matter.

It's almost as if the Cold War has come back in full force. Russia is mulling over placing nuclear weapons in its small exclave Kaliningrad, nestled between Poland and Lithuania. There have been no nuclear missiles there since the end of the Cold War. The reason? The US has signed a deal with the Czech Republic to install a radar station in their country, and is trying to sign a deal with an understandably tense Poland for a base with 10 missile interceptors. This missile shield would be a first line of detection and defense against missile attacks on Europe and the US from nations such as Iran and North Korea. Russia is already angry over the expansion Western influence into what it considers its sphere of influence, namely Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Russia is also engaged in a row with the UK over allegations of murder and espionage, another scene straight out of the Cold War. The UK has accused Russia of poisoning one of its own former spies, Alexander Litvinenko (who fled Russia for asylum in the UK), and of trying to assassinate dissident billionaire Boris Berezovsky. The UK also claims that Russian spying has continued unabated over the years, despite the end of the Cold War. Russia denies all the claims, and has in turn accused a top UK official in Moscow, Christopher Bowers, of espionage activity.

Russia also began naval exercises with its Pacific Fleet, in the Sea of Japan, which Russia, China, Japan, and North and South Korea form a ring around. This is shaping up to be a very volatile area once again. North Korea has promised to disable its nuclear facilities by October and allow thorough international inspections of its nuclear program. Japan, however, has decided to test a land-to-air missile interceptor in the United States in September, and install them as a safeguard against potential attacks from North Korea. The US has also been accelerating missile defense plans against North Korea.

South Korea meanwhile was ready for more cooperation and communication with the North. But then a woman from the South, with a tourist group, was shot and killed by a soldier after wandering into a fenced-off military area. The tour company informed the South's government of the shooting; the North's government never did. President Lee Myung Bak of the South still offered his planned message of humanitarian aid to and request for more dialogue with the North, saying that the reconciliation must continue between the two nations..

China, anxious to have an incident-free Olympics, has cracked down on its citizenry, in particular, the Muslim minorities in its far northwestern Xinjiang region. China has come under severe criticism over the recent execution of two Uighurs, who are an ethnic minority and mostly Muslim. They had been convicted on terrorism charges along with 13 others, who remain in prison with life sentences. Charges that the Uighurs are mistreated, arrested, not given fair trials, and killed are commonplace from human rights groups. Chinese police also shot and killed 5 suspected Uighur terrorists on the same day as the two executions.

The UN also has stated its desire to strengthen ties with China, not surprising considering how much of China's prestige is weighing on the Olympics coming off without major incident. It is a chance for China to garner some good PR in the international community. China has steadily been on the rise in many areas, and is looking for superpower status.

Russia and China found themeselves in a position to frustrate the attempts of the US and UK to convince the UN to implement sanctions on Zimbabwe. Longtime Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe held onto his presidency through a campaign of violence, murder, and intimidation. Russia and China vetoed the proposed sanctions, as did their protégés Vietnam and Libya, along with Zimbabwe neighbor South Africa. Indonesia abstained. All of these nations are notorious for human rights abuses. This left the Security Council unable to pass the sanctions. Mugabe hailed the decision, naturally. He has long accused the UK of trying to overthrow his government.

Russia and China were also going to be asked by Sudan for help this week. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is pursuing a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on genocide charges and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The Arab League, of which Sudan is a member, has definitely been contacted. Some Sudanese welcome the prospect, and others say it will only bring more chaos to the country and embolden rebel factions against the government. International sources say 200,000 people have died in Darfur and 2.5 million have been been displaced since a rebellion began in 2003. Neighboring countries Chad and the Central African Republic have been dragged into the conflict as well.



I'm going to end this weekly wrap-up with perhaps the most chilling development of all. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is holding an international interfaith conference this week in Madrid, Spain. His good friend, King Juan Carlos of Spain is hosting the event. It is also sponsored by the Muslim World League and will bring together all the "Abrahamic" faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The list of invitees for this shindig is impressive. Buddhists and Hindus were also invited.

The aim of the conference is to promote understanding and dialogue between religions and civilizations. Sounds an awful lot like the aims of the Spanish/Turkish initiative for the UN, the Alliance of Civilizations. Both groups also consider religious extremism to be undesirable and dangerous. Bascially, that it should be rooted out, isolated and eradicated.

Now notice, it's just "religious" extremism, not Muslim/Islamic extremism and terrorism. Why?

Because to these people, all who believe that their religion is the "only way" to God are all extremists.

So, if you believe Jesus is the only way to God, you are an extremist, and need to change your thinking and accept that there is more than one way, or be eradicated. You are looked at as just as much a dangerous extremist as a Muslim terrorist who decapitates and blows people up.

The UN wants to vote the Alliance of Civilizations initiative into law by the end of 2009.

The proposals of the Madrid conference will be presented to the UN for consideration.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference this year also picked up the call for more dialogue with other faiths, to combat extremism, and get people to see Islam as a peaceful religion. And it has been trying to get the UN to put a stop to the defamation of Islam around the world, and institute more tolerance for Islam. Even trying to sue those who defame Islam in an international court.

All this points to a way for the UN to criminalize Christianity.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This is the whole foundation of Christianity! There is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ!

But if the UN, and all these other organizations and individuals get their way, you will be labeled a hatemonger and a criminal for your beliefs!

What of Muslims who say Allah is the only way? I'm sure something will give in that matter, it always does.

Jews who believe theirs is the only way will also be labeled hatemongers and criminals. This is a perfect set-up for the Antichrist to come in. We know that both Christians and Jews will be persecuted through the Tribulation.


Of course, I can't say for sure that this is how it's going to happen, but it is something to think about, and watch as it unfolds.



There's so many things pointing to soon return of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Keep spreading the Word, and keep looking up!