Signs Everywhere

We are constantly immersed in the signs that we were given to watch, perhaps to the point of becoming desensitized to that important fact.

Today's signs reveal that fact - there are so many signs around us, it is easy to miss some of them, and/or it is easy to dismiss some of them, yet they are all important.

Take earthquakes for instance. Jesus said that earthquakes in diverse places would be one of our signs which indicate that we are indeed in the last generation (before His coming). Just in the last 10 years, I have witnessed the total global earthquakes rise from ~ 20,000 to ~ 30,000 annually. I know this because I have had to constantly update that particular Power Point slide in my presentations.

And this is not to mention the great diversity in locations based on the fact that we have more and more monitoring stations placed in more and more diverse places.

It is also noteworthy that as we see an increase in all of the other signs ("birth pains") - we usually see an increase in quakes reported, and usually this is met with a collective yawn - but it is an important sign.

Today we have a lot of "signs" in the news, but lets start with quakes:

1. Earthquakes:

Magnitude 6.3 quake hits northern Chile

5.7 magnitude quake rocks southern Philippines

Magnitude 4.5 earthquake, Poland

Just look at the Earthquake Map Iand Earthquake Map II to get a feel for how many quakes we are seeing now and the diverse locations. Just today, for instance:

4.9 Russia
4.4 Russia
4.7 Japan Region
5.0 Japan Region
4.9 Japan Region
4.3 Afghanistan
4.5 Indonesia
4.2 Guatemala
4.3 Turkey
4.8 New Zealand
5.1 Loyalty Islands
5.2 Iran

2. Gog-MaGog Alliance:

Arab World: New Evidence of Iran's nuclear ambitions

Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a notably outspoken report on Iran’s nuclear activities and lack of cooperation with inspectors operating under the UN Security Council’s mandate.

Together, the reports paint a picture of Iran persisting in its controversial nuclear activities despite international concern, although the US report suggests that sanctions and sabotage have slowed the program.

Iran has now produced more than 3,600 kilograms of low-enriched uranium; if processed into higher proportions of the fissile isotope U-235, this could theoretically be enough for several atomic bombs. In addition, Iran continues to enrich some of this to a higher (20 percent) proportion of U-235, a cause for concern because anything beyond is defined as highly enriched uranium (HEU).

Iran's Gender Apartheid against Women

This article gives us an appropriate description in what we are dealing with, not only in terms of Iran, but Sharia Law. It isn't pretty.

3. The Middle East:

Hamas chief: Egypt revolution brought us back to life

The popular revolts in Egypt and Tunisia have brought Hamas back to life, the French news agency AFP quoted the group's political chief Khaled Meshal as saying on Sunday, adding that Hamas and Fatah must join forces in a jihad against Israel.

Of course. Israel's destruction is always the ultimate goal.

"The first step [to liberating Jerusalem from Israeli occupation] is refusal to negotiate with Israel... and to establish a new, reconciled Palestinian position based on jihad," he said.

Saudi Arabia bans all protest and marches

Saudi Arabia said Saturday it would ban all protests and marches after minority Shiites staged small protests in the oil-producing eastern province.
Security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state television.

Al Qaeda Calls For Islamic Rule In Egypt

This one comes in from Joel Rosenberg's site:

“Osama bin Laden’s deputy is urging fellow Egyptians to establish Islamic rule over the country after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, who sought to curb Islamists throughout his nearly 30 years in power,” reports the Associated Press

Said al-Zawahiri: “The Egyptian people’s demand to establish Islamic rule is one of the most prominent Egyptian realities, a demand by the vast majority which foreign powers try to deprive them of.”

A perfect storm of various problems could threaten Saudi rulers

As the wave of protests crashing through the Arab world shows no sign of abating, concerns are mounting over the stability of one of the richest and most influential countries in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia.

The House of Saud has often ruled with an iron fist and as a consequence, a simmering discontent has festered among its underprivileged classes. The Saudi elite's control has rarely allowed any significant opposition and dissent has usually been silenced quickly and with disproportionate force.

However, a number of pressing concerns within the kingdom are coming to a head at a time when the storm of unrest blowing through neighboring states has removed other seemingly intractable leaders from power.

Disillusioned youths who struggle to find gainful employment are the ideal targets for extremist Islamist groups looking to exploit any discontent and recruit followers for their mission to overthrow the US-allied Saudi royal family.

Gates on urgent mission to Cairo as military rulers lose grip

President Barack Obama Saturday, March 5, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to set out for Cairo without delay on an emergency mission as the unrest in Egypt veered out of control, DEBKAfile's exclusive sources report from Washington.

Friday night, thousands of protesters seized control of the headquarters Egyptian security police (Mahabis Namn El Dawla) in Alexandria, Cairo and the nearby 6 of October town, shutting down its operations across the country.

In the last hours, information reaching Washington indicated that control was slipping out of the hands of the Egyptian military junta ruling the country since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow; anti-American elements energized by Iran appeared to have strengthened their hold on the protest movement, causing deep concern in the White House.

Is Iran behind this?

Last Wednesday, March 2, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Iran of stirring the pot when she addressed the House Appropriations Committee: "They (the Iranians) are using Hizballah… to communicate with counterparts… in (the Palestinian movement) Hamas who then in turn communicate with counterparts in Egypt," she said.

...large sums of Iranian petrodollars have reached the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and radicalized its message to the Egyptian people. Military young leaders are believed to have executed a coup and displaced the veterans. The Palestinian Hamas has turned its well-oiled smuggling machine into a channel for transmitting Iranian cash to keep Egyptian Islamic extremists on the march.

4. Israel

Israel hits Gaza tunnels after Qassam strikes

The Israeli Air Force launched a retaliatory strike in the Gaza Saturday night in response to rocket fire into Israeli territory from the coastal Strip.

The targets of the airstrike were a terror tunnel in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and two terror activity sites in the central strip. The IAF confirmed direct hits.

Global Conversations: Israel ready for whatever comes its way

As I left Israel I was even more convinced that this tiny nation can weather any threat that comes its way. Despite all the calls for peace agreements and an end to these radical delusions about destroying the Jewish state, the Israelis seem satisfied to live in a security-conscious nation bolstered by a powerful military.

Perhaps my most vivid memory of Israel was leaving the airport in Tel Aviv. I was stopped eight times for security checks that accented eye-to-eye contact, vigorous questioning and careful examination of my passport and boarding pass. No shoes off, no high-tech searches of 80-year-old grandmas, no humiliating pat downs, just constant vigilance.

Surrounded by enemies, the Israelis are always on guard. We can learn a great deal from them about projecting strength, accenting decisiveness and maintaining uncompromising national security.

Netanyahu: Palestinians utilizing global anti-Israel sentiment to avoid Mideast peace

The Palestinian Authority is taking advantage of the international community's "Pavlovian reflex" against Israel instead of taking steps that would promote peace in the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, only two days after he announced his intent to formulate a new peace initiative.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that it was Israel who was willing to take "many steps to promote peace and make compromises."

However, the premier added, "the Palestinians are the ones refusing to take similar steps, instead preferring to take advantage of the international community's Pavlovian reflex in their favor."

The Israel-Lebanon Front: All's Quiet?

"It's a little bit like the Cold War," said Mideast analyst Sahar Atrache of International Crisis Group in Beirut. "Two sides, a military buildup, but also awareness that a battle would be too costly for both."

But:

Israeli officials estimate that the Lebanese group's militia today can strike deep inside Israel, including heavily populated Tel Aviv, which was out of reach five years ago.

Israel has found that it also faces a menacing deterrent in the form of Hezbollah's stockpile of an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 rockets, more than four times the number the group had in 2006. The arsenal, built with help from Syria and Iran, has a longer reach and better accuracy than ever before. Itis said to include ballistic missiles, possibly Scuds.

For Israel, this means much darker predictions for the next conflict. Israeli officials are bracing for up to 600 rockets a day and potentially hundreds of civilian casualties in a short period, something Israeli society has never experienced.

And of course, we already know that Iran is pushing the buttons, and when they are ready, they will "activate" Hezbollah for their purposes. Purposes that most definitely include the complete destruction of Israel:

Some see Iran as a factor in Hezbollah's more moderate approach along the Israeli border, saying Tehran is pushing Hezbollah to refrain from rocket attacks or military operations so that such retaliation can be saved for a later time, such as if Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities.

Some experts say the lull won't last.

"The mutual deterrence has worked until now to prevent any casual escalation, but it won't last forever," said Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. ambassador to Israel. "At some point red lines will be crossed, and if there's a situation in which either side believes its interests call for it, they'll take action."

And that is what we prophecy watchers are watching for - the "red lines" being crossed - at which point they'll "take action".

Most of us believe that when that first domino falls, the rest will fall in short order.

Its a region just on the brink. When the time is right - depending upon God's perfect timing, we will see (assuming that we are still here) the dominos begin to fall, and when they do, they will fall rapidly - and most likely lead right into the Tribulation as the antichrist will recognize his perfect timing.

For now, we're waiting and watching carefully, because we know what awaits us as well.