More Signs of the Times - The Hour is Getting Late

August 4-6, over 2000 members of the Fatah Party are meeting in Bethlehem. This is the first Fatah Party convention in 20 years. The purpose of the convention is to determine the leadership of the Party as well as that of the Palestinian Authority for the coming years. The battle lines are being drawn between the present PA Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas and his main challenger Marwan Barghouti, who is presently serving five consecutive life-sentences in an Israeli prison for murder. Barghouti once made this comment concerning Israel, "After we attain a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, there will be greater things for which to strive... There is no room for more than one state between the Jordan and the Mediterranean." We all know how the Palestinian Authority has, on more than one occasion, resorted to violence in their struggle to create a State - which they want in name only. The sole purpose of the Palestinian Authority, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah, I might add, is the total destruction of the State of Israel. Watch as the world continues to isolate itself from Israel and side with the Palestinians.

Also, it is reported that the Russian and Iranian navies are set to begin joint naval maneuvers in the Caspian Sea. This according to the Iranian Mehr News Agency. As I read this article I was immediately drawn to Ezekiel 38 where the 6th century BC prophet described a coalition that included Russia and Iran - in fact, I think they will be the powerhouses for this coalition. This joint naval exercise is not just another coincidence. It is part of God's plan!

Another interesting topic concerns the temple in Jerusalem. According to a recent poll, 64% of Israelis are in favor of building a temple on the Temple Mount. And this included a large percentage of what we would call secular Jews. Last Thursday, members of the Temple Institute began construction of the sacrificial altar that will be used. The altar, built of stones gathered from the Dead Sea will be cemented together with a mixture of sand, clay, tar, and asphalt. It will measure 12 feet tall, 18 feet long, and 18 feet wide. Not exactly something you could keep in hiding. And it will be transportable. According to Daniel 9:27, a temple will be rebuilt upon the Temple Mount. Can it be far away?

This news comes from the Prophecy News Watch website. According to a banking official in Australia, Peter Evers, cash will be replaced for most transactions by computer chips in five to seven years. These chips can be embedded into your cell phone for instance. It seems to me that I recall that the mark of the beast will be the means for buying and selling during the days of the Tribulation. Could these chips be the forerunner? Frightening thought.

And, what is going on in Europe...I mean, besides the great influx of Muslims. Well, according to another article from the Prophecy News Watch, the European Union is developing a new security system. It is known as the "Stockholm Program". What this plan will do is to create an European Union ID card register, create an internet surveillance system as well as a satellite surveillance system, establish automated exit and entry border systems operated by machines to read biometrics - fingerprints and eyeprints. Could this be another step toward a one-world governmental control, much like the one the Bible tells us the Antichrist will create?

And, I have not even discussed the proposed Healthcare Reform that our President is so eager to have passed by Congress. We will save that discussion for another time. Yet I believe it is all part of a plan that will make people more dependent upon government - something that is absolutely essential for a one-world government to be successful. We are replacing the Declaration of Independence for a Declaration of Dependence.

But we should not despair. Our hope is not found in governmental resolves, but in the return of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. How we need to keep our eyes fixed upon Him as we anticipate His soon return. "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!"