Is it beginning?

I can't help but wonder if we are now seeing the beginning stages of what almost everyone in the Middle East believes as an inevitable war breaking out. For anyone who has followed the Middle East for any length of time, it seems that warfare follows exactly what we are now seeing in the region:


"Kassam Attack on Negev"

"Palestinian Authority terrorists in northern Gaza launched a rocket attack on the western Negev Thursday afternoon, after a relatively long period of quiet."

"The short-range 'Kassam' rocket hit a warehouse in the Eshkol Regional Council area, setting it ablaze."

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"IAF bombs Gaza tunnel, arms factory"

"Air raid comes in response to Kassam attack; Palestinians say several hurt."

"Following a Kassam rocket attack on southern Israel, the IAF bombed targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday, hitting an arms smuggling tunnel in Rafah and a weapons factory in Khan Yunis."

“The IDF will continue to respond harshly to any any attempt to disrupt the calm in southern Israel,” a statement issued by the IDF Spokesperson said.

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"Israel seals off West Bank"

"Surprise Closure on Judea, samaria; Airstrike in Gaza"

"Full closure imposed on West Bank"

Quotes:


"Preparing for riots amid recent tensions. Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered a full closure be imposed on the West Bank on Friday. The closure was imposed at midnight, following a police assessment citing concerns that riots may break out in Jerusalem and spill over into the West Bank. This is a rare move, as such a closure has not been imposed on the West Bank during a period that is not a holiday in many years."

"Meanwhile, another source of tension seems to be brewing in the east of the city: The Jerusalem police have authorized a rightist march in the Silwan neighborhood, which has been the center of controversy in the city in recent weeks due to the Jewish settlement in Beit Yehonatan and the city's plans to demolish several homes in the neighborhood, which has been suspended for the time being."

"Security in and around the old city in Jerusalem was also tight Friday. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said there was extensive deployment of police in largely Arab East Jerusalem in order to prevent the development of riots."

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"1 hurt, 4 arrested in Jerusalem violence"


"Since early Friday morning, police reinforcements had been deployed on the Temple Mount, as well as elsewhere in and around the Old City, and access to the mount was restricted to men over 50 and women."

"It followed an intelligence report warning of violence over the decision to include Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs and Bethlehem's Rachel's Tomb on the heritage list, as well as over this week's announcement by an Interior Ministry committee of the planned expansion of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo."


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Just putting these stories together, it seems that something is brewing in the region.

While we watch these events in Israel, we also see the following headline:

"Anti-Semitism rising worldwide, US report finds"

According to this report:

"Criticism of Israel and Zionism led to a rise of anti-Jewish sentiment around the world in 2009, the US said on Thursday in a report that denounced "new forms" of anti-Semitism."

"Often despite official efforts to combat the problem, societal anti-Semitism persisted across Europe, South America, and beyond and manifested itself in classic forms," it said.

"Such incidents, it said, involved attacks on Jews or places of worship as well as desecration of cemeteries and accusations of undue Jewish influence on government policy and media."


Sadly, this report just summarizes an ongoing situation that has been growing for years. As mentioned before - in almost every way possible, the world is preparing for the Tribulation. We're seeing the early stages of this process - a process that will continue to progress like birth pains - as Jesus so accurately described.

Oh - the earthquake story is just too redundant to continue with (for now), but while we watch the other signs increasing in both magnitude and frequency, so does the earthquake story --- it is showing absolutely no signs of diminishing. I'm sure by now every prophecy watcher is aware of the quakes that are continuing to rock Chile and the rest of the world.

Birthpains. A perfect description - but what else would we expect from Jesus?