Another Interesting Development

For those of you who have enough of an interest to have your ears perk up, this latest development might do the trick. Remember, the only thing that is set in stone is the fact that, eventually, a Russia-led coalition including Iran, Libya, the Sudan, and several Islamic states, will make their play against Israel. I still believe more has to happen in order to remove Israel's biggest defender, US, from the picture. Maybe it will be the fall elections; maybe some catastrophe that distracts the country; maybe even renewed terrorist attacks against the American mainland. Whatever it might be, it has yet to happen! I digress. Read this article and tell me what you think.

Israel carries out large-scale rehearsal over Greece of possible air strike against Iran
June 20, 2008, 8:15 AM (GMT+02:00)

US Pentagon sources report that more than 100 Air Force F-16 and F-15 fighters participated in the maneuver over the eastern Mediterranean and Greece in the first week of June. The maneuver included helicopters used for rescuing downed pilots and refueling tankers. They flew 1,440 km, roughly the distance between Israel and the Iranian uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.

Israel officials declined to comment on the exercise, the IDF saying only that the air force trains regularly for various missions in order to meet the challenges posed by the threats facing Israel. But the US sources said the scope of the Israeli exercise guaranteed it would be noticed by American and other foreign intelligence agencies, primarily to send a signal to the US, Europe and Iran that Israel was prepared and able to act militarily if diplomatic efforts failed to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons advances.

One Pentagon official said: “They rehearse it, rehearse it and rehearse it, so that if they actually have to do it, they’re ready. They’re not taking any options off the table.”

DEBKAfile’s military sources add that only on Tuesday, June 17, the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazy commented to the Knesset foreign affairs and security committee: "Beside the actions and sanctions against Iran, it is important we remain ready for any options."

Those sources interpreted the Ashkenazy’s typically understated remark as a hint that Israel must be ready for a possible war with Iran in the near future. This conflict could erupt on three additional fronts, Syria, Hizballah and Hamas. Those sources suggest that the scenario he hinted at would silence the many domestic critics of the ceasefire with Hamas and the Israeli military’s passivity in the face of Hizballah’s massive rocket buildup and Hamas’ escalating aggression.

Of interest too is the probable motive behind the US defense department’s leak to the world media of the Israel Air Force maneuver and its presentation as an exercise to simulate an attack on Iran. According to DEBKAfile’s informants, US defense secretary Robert Gates is adamantly opposed to American military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities and even more so to Israel going it alone, which this publicity was intended to pre-empt.

Something will "give" soon. To me, all indications point to a probable action on the part of President Bush before he leaves office. He knows that neither Obama, due to his dovishness, nor McCain, because of his wishy-washyness, will want to expand the war to another front....especially when the almighty American public doesn't want it. This could really get exciting for true sky-watchers.
Pastor Jim

From Freedom to Tyranny...again!

Harley the Jack Russell Terrorist is back. It brings back memories of the first time he joined our home about seven years ago. He was a really cute little fun pup that everyone fell in love with, everyone but Chubby the cat. It wasn't too long after the dog's arrival that the cat decided to take matters into his own paw. He was much bigger than Harley then and on day, he simply reached out, claws fully extended, and raked the dog across the eyes. Pretty dirty fighting since all the puppy wanted to do was play. Anyway, it ushered a trip to to the vet, a couple of eye medicine prescriptions to keep him from going blind, and two weeks of treatments. In the meantime, Chubby'd gotten his point (literally) across.

From that moment on, the two developed a love/hate relationship that eventually saw the dog get taller, faster, smarter, and ornerier than the cat. The result was Chubby's surrender to Harley's tyranny. (See late May blog for that story.) Then Harley left; the Cat was saved into freedom, and his life went back to ease, comfort, and weight gain.

Well, an amazing thing happened when our daughter decided it was no longer in her best interest, nor that of the pooch, to keep said pooch in Springfield any longer. (If truth be told, we were missing the noise and chaos, as well as the loyal companionship of the little mutt.) So, while on vacation, we swung through and rescued Harley from a situation in which he couldn't figure out who he could dominate. You see, a natural Tyrant is always looking for someone to control or else he becomes the most miserable of all creations. Anyway, Harley is back. The following really becomes a great allegory of backsliding from freedom into slavery.

The moment Harley and Chubby saw one another, upon our return, the former nose nuzzle became a nearly full bodied hug...couldn't believe it lasted for nearly an entire minute. The kissed and smooched so much it was.....unnatural! Afterward, each went their own way; Chubby to the dinner bowl that had been empty for 10 days, and Harley to the back yard to dominate some encroaching bunnies. (That was his former line of employment...keep the yard clear of bunnies and pesky squirrels.) When Harley entered the house the next time, smooching and hugging was over. Immediately, Chubby was re-relegated to a limited existence of being at his food dish, on one particular chair, or two kitchen rugs. Nowhere else!!! The 9:00p.m. move the kitty out the door routine began again in earnest the very next day, and we are suddenly back to chaos in the home. (I am actually quite comfortable with it all, but that is not the point of this meandering musing.)

The point is this: what was once a great taste of freedom for the cat was surrendered way too easily. I mean, the cat could have put up a bigger resistance to the tyranny. He still has claws. His weight is greater than that of the tyrant-king, he can climb to any high spot he needs. So why did he give up his freedom so quickly? Because tyranny was his way of life for so long that he was literally comfortable being a slave to the king. The only solution available to him, the solution that would have kept him in freedom, was to pack his little bag and leave! But he refused. He stayed. It was good food, good rug, and familiar.

That last one is the key to leaving sin. Sin is way to familiar to us, even though the Lord has purchased our freedom for us. To maintain the new freedom we have been given, we must lose the familiarity with the tyrant called sin. You see, Chubby had a taste of real life, but he chose to go back to the way it was. Listen to this passage of scripture from Hebrews 6:4-6; "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." Wow! Here is a picture of people who have tasted the freedom of salvation, folks who have known the deliverance from the bondage of sin that Jesus offers, who couldn't stay away from the familiar and returned to slavery.

Taking Chubby's failure into account, I believe that the follower of Christ must continually hold to freedom by developing a new familiarity with the Master...the true King...the Creator...the Redeemer...the Lover of our souls, and put up a fight against the old. The Star Trek saying; "Resistance is Futile" does not apply. Resistance to the return of the sin-tyrant is imperative. Resist the old familiarity with death. Become supremely familiar with life. Then, stay there! God will always, I repeat ALWAYS honor your determination to follow hard after him. When we draw close to him, he draws close to us. Go for it!!!
Pastor Jim

"Distant Thunder" Progress Report

Several have recently asked about the progress of my book "Distant Thunder," the first book of "The Lightning Chronicles." It has passed the first stage of editing by the publisher (American Book Publishing -- Bedside Books) and is into stage two. This is the phase in which the grammar and punctuation are thoroughly refined. It should take about three weeks to accomplish. Then, it moves to final edit then to copy edit and cover creation. Copy edit is when the manuscript is placed into actual book form. Once that is finished, the first author-run printing can proceed.

I am excited to see it become a reality. Part of my anticipation of the first-run printing is found in the fact that part of the fictional story in the book began finding fulfillment this weekend. (See last blog) Part of plot line is based on Israel giving up part of the Golan Heights to a UN peace-keeping force. Through bribery, Syria gains access to the area and uses it to launch a vicious attack upon Haifa Israel, less than 40 miles away. I'm no prophet,but it is exhilarating to see fiction look like reality.

There has been no release date established, as of yet, but that should be developing within the next few weeks. I am still hoping for late summer or early fall. Stay tuned. As a further note of interest, during our vacation these last two weeks, I was able to start wrapping up the writing of the second book, tentatively titled, "The Gathering Storm." It is twice as intense as book one and absolutely filled with fictitious portrayals of prophetic events that are just on the horizon.

So there's the update. I would appreciate your prayers in this entire enterprise...mainly because I believe the books contain and extremely important message for believers in these last days. (It is also filled with important truth for seekers.) With much love,
Pastor Jim

Ohmert Continues To Give Away the Store

Watching the unfolding events in the Middle-East continues to be an interesting exercise, similar to watching high stakes poker on ESPN....(I'm not quite sure why it is considered a sport...) Each move is fascinating and somewhat frustrating simultaneously, which simply adds to its value in capturing the imagination when it is intertwined with Biblical prophecy.

One thing we must understand; although the current atmosphere, coupled with ongoing movements in the region, seem to be aligning with prophetic utterance, it is never wise to assign dates and labels as if each was an actual fulfillment of prophesied events. With that said, one cannot help but see a correlation between what is written and what is happening. I am thinking particularly of manifestations that have surfaced this weekend in regards to the "farewell tour" in Europe by President Bush.

Understand that our President is attempting to achieve a completeness in his legacy. An absolute must in establishing himself as a historic success is to instigate the proven capture or death of America's arch nemesis, Osama Bin Laden. But he is also bent on becoming the breakthrough President in bringing peace to the Holy Land. He has openly stated that his "Road Map To Peace" must include a recognized, independent state for the Palestinians...including more liberty (if not an actual dividing) for Palestinians to control parts of Jerusalem. As you already know, I believe that premise is an absolute anti-Israeli stance, although the Israeli leadership seems to be succumbing to the pressure. I am also convinced it will be the trigger, from Joel 3, that will eventually lead the world to Armageddon. Not alarmist here, just being realistic according to Biblical utterance.

With that said, an interesting twist has begun to intertwine itself into the fabric of the peace initiative, a twist that may eventually lead to the giving up of the strategic area known as the Golan Heights. During the 1967 war with Syria, the Golan Heights, a large area of land north of the Sea of Galilee bordering Mount Hermon, Syria, and Lebanon, was captured and occupied by the Israelis. It's height and position have made a strategic security buffer for Israel in the event that Syria and its allies make another attempt at invasion. However, in a desperate move to remain in power while under suspicion of corruption, Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Ohmert, has accepted a proposal to consider giving the most strategic area of the Golan to the administration of the United Nations. This area is known as the Shebaa Farms, a 12 square mile area that would be prime ground for Hezbollah to increase its ability to strike Israeli territory with rockets. The proposal was formed by French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, and sold this weekend to President Bush as he visited Paris. Bush immediately dispatched Sec. of State, Condi Rice, to Jerusalem and Beirut to pitch the proposal. Ohmert took the bait. Today, Bashar Assad, President of Syria, received a Lebonese delegation and accepted the basic premise of the proposal. Below are the tenants offered by Sarkozy, according to the Debka File.

Sarkozy’s plan consists of five steps:

1. In the first week of July, Israel will announce it is ready to cede the enclave. The United States will then join France and Israel in issuing a statement indicating that Israel’s willingness to evacuate the Shebaa Farms is part of an evolving understanding intended to lead to its withdrawal from the Golan.

2. But first, two French emissaries, the president’s diplomatic adviser Jean-David Levit and his chef de bureau Claude Gueant, traveled to Damascus Sunday, June 15. They presented Israel’s offer to the Syrian president Bashar Assad as the first fruit of the indirect Syrian-Israeli peace talks mediated by Turkey.

The link between the Turkish and French initiatives surfaced Monday when Olmert’s two representatives to these talks, Yoram Turbowicz and Shalom Turgeman, flew to Paris from Istanbul to brief the president’s office on the just-ended session and plot the next moves. Sarkozy pays a state visit to Israel before the end of June.

3. Paris is keen on some sort of climax for the opening of the conference to establish a union of Mediterranean States (UPM) in Paris on July 13. Sarkozy views the event as the crowning diplomatic achievement of his first year at the Elysee. He has invited Assad as his guest of honor at the Bastille Day parade the next day.

4. Sarkozy hopes that the signal honor he has conferred on Assad plus the Israeli concession will bring him and Olmert under the same roof for the conference opening. A brief encounter might even develop.

5. But Assad is playing hard ball. The two French officials failed to get him to say whether or not he will attend the Mediterranean conference, much less meet with Olmert. He says Israel’s promise to withdraw from the Shebaa Farms is not enough. He wants a fixed date in July or early August at latest before taking up Sarkozy’s invitation to the conference. As to meeting Olmert, that is not on Assad’s agenda.

(commentary continued) Look for a more public revealing of this proposal to hit the news media in the next couple of weeks. Then, watch for an increasing pressure coming from Washington for Israel to concede this strategic territory. I would also advise that you keep an eye on Nicholas Sarkozy, the French President, and his input. He is half Jewish, pro-Israeli in a modern sense, and seems to be closely alligning himself with Bush's "Road Map to Peace" initiative.

Finally, remember we are ever nearer the day of days, the day of the trumpet call when the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which remain will be caught up together with them in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Great Day!
Pastor Jim