In the news:

Israel and the Epicenter:

IDF general: Likelihood of regional war growing

Senior IDF officer warns of 'radical Islamic winter' that may lead to regional war, could prompt use of WMDs; new, more lethal weapons discovered in hands of terrorists during latest round of fighting in Gaza, Major General Eisenberg says

Referring to what he characterized as the possibility of a "radical Islamic winter," Major-General Eisenberg said: "This raises the likelihood of an all-out, total war, with the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used."

Also see:

Top General Expects 'Islamic Winter'

Below we see Israel addressing the possibility of WMDs being used to destroy Israel and gives a subtle reminder of how Israel would respond if needed:

Barak: Enemies "Wouldn't Dare" Use Chemical Weapons

Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued a calming statement after Home Front Commander Major General Eyal Eisenberg warned of possible use of weapons of mass destruction in the region's next war.

"They know full well why they should not even think of using chemical weapons against Israel."

This statement is a direct reference to the fact that Israel has already stated that they would view any such attack as a nuclear WMD attack and would respond the same. However, the threat remains very real and has become part of the national discourse. Another sign of our times.

Hamas Resumes "Quiet War"

Terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza attacked a Western Negev community Monday night, and the IDF immediately retaliated.

Home Front Command chief Major General Eyal Eisenberg warned Monday, "We discovered a new weapon,” referring to an advanced rocket that is so powerful that people should “hide under two roofs” instead of just one.

Libya: al-Qaeda acquires weapons

Al-Qaeda's north African branch has acquired a stockpile of weapons in Libya, including surface-to-air missiles that are threatening air travel, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator said on Monday.

Due to the turmoil in Libya, members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have "gained access to weapons, either small arms or machine-guns, or certain surface-to-air missiles which are extremely dangerous because they pose a risk to flights over the territory," said Gilles de Kerchove.

Israel's Home Front chief's dose of reality

After just a month on the job as Home Front Commander, Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg warned Monday, Sept. 5 of the increasingly peril of a total Middle East war in the wake of the Arab revolts and Israel's rift with Turkey.

Stressing the long term, Eisenberg warned that the Arab Spring would likely evolve into "a radical Islamic winter" raising the potential for "total war in the Middle East" and the possible use of weapons of mass destruction.

One of the greatest threats comes from the new regime the US, Britain, France and NATO are preparing to anoint in Tripoli. Since Qaddafi's departure, the Libyan capital has fallen under the control of pro-Al Qaeda rebel elements and extremist Salafis.

Their Western sponsors have put their trust in these extremists changing their spots and embracing moderation and democracy. This illusion they are liable to replicate in Cairo and Damascus. Israel would then be beset at all hands by avowedly hostile Islamist regimes whose ideology obliges them to wage jihad against the Jewish state.

Turning to the EU:

Remember the idea that "Big Crisis = Big Change"? Keep that in mind, and the fact that we are watching for the evolution of the EU into the "10 Kings" stage of development.

Germany's Schauble calls for new EU treaty

Far-reaching financial governance reforms are needed to solve the debt crisis and that would likely require a new EU treaty, said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble in an interview with the daily Bild Zeitung.

Some EU leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, have argued that a treaty change could help enforce fiscal rules to avoid repeats of the debt crises plaguing members of the euro zone, including Greece, Ireland and Portugal, which have required costly bailouts.

Schäuble, however, insisted that such reforms were needed even if they threatened to further divide the 17 EU member states that used the euro and the remaining 10 that did not.

"We Need Fiscal Union": EU Commissioner

Greater fiscal and political union is needed in Europe, and will be discussed by euro zone leaders within months, Joaquin Almunia, EU Competition Commissioner, told CNBC Saturday.

"This is one moment where we need greater integration. We need to learn from history to look forward with ambition," said Almunia, speaking on the fringes of the Ambrosetti Forum, at the Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como.

"We need fiscal union," he added. He said that European people "would understand" that greater union was needed, but that their political leaders needed to explain the situation to them.

"Europe needs more political integration, accompanied by important political decisions," said Almunia. "Europe has the economic and political and democratic force to be an example for the world."

Also see:

European banks face collapse

And this:

World stocks slide on economy and debt fears

In the World

Now we see yet another big quake. Can anyone argue that we aren't seeing a major increase in big quakes?

Strong earthquake strikes western Indonesia

And as we move into the antichrist's system which will be seen during the Tribulation, this article should come as no surprise:

Telling the Time without Jesus

The latest push for Telling the Time Without Jesus is on innocent Australian school children.

“Australia’s new school curriculum will swap all “BC” and “AD” textbook references with the more politically correct “BCE” (Before Common Era) and “CE” (Common Era) terms, a decision that is prompting anger from many Christians. (The Blaze, Sept. 3, 2011)

The removal of the Christian Saviour from the classroom isn’t just underway in Australia. It has been in the works, worldwide, for decades.

Bringing the marking of time into the realm of the ‘politically correct’ imprimatur is the work of UN boosters Ted Turner, lionized former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Canadian-born, UN Poster Boy Maurice Strong, et al.

BCE and CE “becoming increasingly standard”?

That’s what the august Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority is cheering.

The secular-loving United Nations has been trying to wipe all references to the Birth of Christ from the public square for decades.

A brave new world indeed. The road continues to be paved - a road leading directly into the Tribulation.